Blackberry Wine

[Closet Brewer]

Hello all. Had a very enjoyable weekend collecting blackberries and have a fair few pounds cluttering up the freezer. I've made it before according to CJJs instructions - 4lb of fruit per gallon - which turned out OK.

I was in my local brew shop for supplies and chatting to the proprietor who said he always uses 15lb of fruit per gallon for blackberry. This seemed like an awful lot, and my haul suddenly seemed very inadequate!

Does anyone else use this much fruit? How much do you use generally?

[rustylady]

More fruit the better. 4 lb per gallon will, as you say make an adequate wine. A few more pounds will make all the difference.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

This year I have used a steam juice extractor and yielded 1.5L from ~ 2Kg/4lb of berries. I just picked another 750g/1.5lb. I was thinking about using about 5.5lbs for a gallon.

I would like to do more than one batch, if I happen upon a ridiculous amount of easily accessible berries I might try a gallon with pure juice and add sugar to start it off around 1.075. My calculations are that you would need about 6kg/12lb if you wanted a gallon of pure juice (using steam extraction), so perhaps 15lb is about right if you are mashing them?

[Kirk]

Have read many recipes for blackberry and some use a lot more then even 15lb.
Made some with about 4lb and it turned out a lot paler then I would have expected. I would guess that fermenting the fruit takes out the colour. There is an alternative way of making the wine and that may keep more colour. Never done that one so cannot say from experience.

Having done a gallon at 4lb if I make another then I will likely aim at double or a bit more, so 8-10 lbs. However I doubt I shall bother with blackberry again for some time.

One of the US sites I have read has people making blackberry wine with an extreme amount of blackberry's.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

What else did you put in with it Kirk? If I use 4lb like I did the other year, I also use either grape concentrate or red grape juice as well and add some tannin.

[Kirk]

Few years ago and I suspect it was a basic wine, water, sugar, blackberries.
Wild ones tend to be sharp (acid) and they have tannin so most likely didn't bother with either. May have added a nutrient.
I also suspect I used the standard Youngs wine yeast.

As I said nothing other then basic. I picked the blackberries during a couple of lunch times at work and then thought what I could do with them.

Do recall reading a post somewhere, 4-5 years ago, where the person said expect blackberry wine to come out pale rose in colour. I tend to agree, if it gets that dark.

If I attempted again it would be different, in the hope of more colour and more blackberry taste. More along the lines of Bill Smiths books and ideas as opposed to CJJ Berry's.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

I had a year off wine making last year, but the 2011 Blackberry wine I made was fab. I don't think I used more than 4lb of fruit and used red grape juice as mentioned before. Colour wise it came out pretty respectable - like a light bodied red almost shiraz'ish colour (definitely not a rose).

I'll see if I can locate the recipe - I am sure I had it on a tatty old post it note somewhere.

I am using steam juicing this year and am hoping that will improve things some, the first batch of juice is thick and very dark.

[Closet Brewer]

My 4lb effort turned out ok too: perfectly drinkable after year or so. I put in red grape juice as well. Maybe I'll put all my berries in one gallon this year...

[Hazel at the Hill]

This might sound like a daft question - but what does 4lb blackberries look like in a 5l bucket? Half full? Full? I'm out blackberrying tomorrow, and want to pick enough for a batch of wine, but not - like - for 5 batches as I haven't got the dj or space in the freezer. And I can leave some blackberries for someone else too, perhaps.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Hello Hazel.

You know those grape punnets in the supermarket. 4 x them filled to, the top.

So I guess about 1/3 to 1/2 full 5l bucket

[Hazel at the Hill]

Hello Hazel.

You know those grape punnets in the supermarket. 4 x them filled to, the top.

So I guess about 1/3 to 1/2 full 5l bucket

Many thanks, DD&HSW - given the thoughts on 'more fruit' in this thread, I'll go for half 5l bucket, aiming for about 6lb of fruit.

[Muppet194]

I got a wine making kit for my birthday last month, I have made the wine that came with it (not bad, drinkable) but now ready to start "proper" wine making. Have a freezer drawer full of blackberries and will go buy all the gear I need (kit only came with enough for one go) today so I imagine I'll be back soon for advice! Can't wait actually!

[Muppet194]

OK. I really hope I've done this right so far. Following a really easy blackberry wine recipe I found online I have ....
Crushed around 6lbs blackberries, from a total of 2.5 lbs sugar I used a third of it added to 3pints water & boiled for a min. Cooled it and poured it into squashed berries. Mixed sachet of yeast (wilkos) with bit of warm water & added to berries. (Little concerned here as pack said just sprinkle onto surface of fruit but I stuck to recipe) . Its covered with a tea towel and I will leave for a week.
Do I do anything with hydrometer at this stage?
I bought red grape juice concentrate to add but when does that go in? And how much?
Is it OK so far??
It's a complicated business and no mistake. I feel like I need a science degree!! Help!!

[Hazel at the Hill]

It's a complicated business and no mistake. I feel like I need a science degree!! Help!!

Don't worry, Muppet - you're following the instructions so you won't go far wrong! It does get easier - as you relax a bit!

I remember my first batch of wine I made (parsnip which I wittered about on here) and I sat around all evening with a thermometer every half hour checking the temp, waiting till the boiled up parsnips/sugar liquor was at the exact temperature for me to add the yeast and other gubbins. Now I'd stick a teatowel on overnight, come back in a couple of days, or when you remember, whichever comes first.

I find methods like you one you describe a pain as it is difficult to ascertain the start SG when you have half the solution, set it going, then top it up a few days later.

I prefer methods that go 'stick fruit in big pan with a couple of litres of water. Boil for a bit. Strain into bucket with a bag of sugar. Mash fruit to get goodness out. top up with cold water. Take SG, adjust sugar if necessary and/or add grape concentrate to reach 1.080 or thereabouts. Add yeast etc. Light blue touch paper and retire.'

[Muppet194]

Thank you Hazel I think I will try to ignore it for a week and see how it is next Saturday. In the event of failure I've only lost a small percentage of the blackberries on my bush and a couple of quid!!