Can i add water now to blackberry wine?

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Bnew17

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I know its a silly question but i started my first batch of blackberry wine yesterday. Its a 1 gallon recipe so i did 5x for 5 gallon and split it in half to go into 2 different fermenters to start. The recipe was a little hard to follow but basically i forgot to add 5 quarts of water total. Will it mess anything up if i add that now or should i wait?
 
I sulfite the crushed berries let it sit over night then add hot water let it sit until room temp or add some ice then the yeast...stir for 4 or 5 days then press and add nutients and sugar..
 
That recipe is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY generic.

They leave lots out.
Read up a bit on this site or Jack Kellers site to find out how to really make blackberry wine.
 
That recipe is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY generic.

They leave lots out.
Read up a bit on this site or Jack Kellers site to find out how to really make blackberry wine.

I like the simple recipes ... Dont like using a bunch of different stuff in my wines...i dont use any yeast in my muscadine wines, but decided to use Montrachet in this batch of blackberry because i wasnt sure how the natural yeast would be in these berries after being frozen and never making blackberry wine before.
 
I like the simple recipes ... Dont like using a bunch of different stuff in my wines...i dont use any yeast in my muscadine wines, but decided to use Montrachet in this batch of blackberry because i wasnt sure how the natural yeast would be in these berries after being frozen and never making blackberry wine before.

"Natural" yeast is like playing roulette. I use the white dusting yeast on wild fruit to make sour dough starters for that "sour" taste in bread. That can happen to your wine or worse like barnyard taste or band aid taste. Go ahead and add the water I don't think it will make a difference. most people top up after fermentation anyway.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/blackbry.asp

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/blackbr2.asp

These are links to award winning recipes from a man who knows his stuff, Not to say I could replicate them to that quality but the higher you start on the ladder the higher you can finish.
 
Im not really liking this recipe. I will try jack kellers next time. Is it strange that this recipe im using calls for adding water and sugar 3 different times through the process?
 
I probably just need to toss this batch. Pretty frustrated. I added 5 camden tablets the first day,sunday. And pitched my yeast per instructions on recipe. Got to thinking about it today...will the camden tablets kill my yeast? It is bubbling some and there is definitely co2 being emitted. Just dont know what to do
 
No, it will not kill your yeast. If its fermenting, the yeast is alive and kicking.

Rule 1 of wine/mead making. Unless it is absolutely unsalvagable (really bad infection, mold, etc) don't dump. Worst case scenario, you get a wine you don't like, turn it into blackberry vinegar.
 
No, it will not kill your yeast. If its fermenting, the yeast is alive and kicking.

Rule 1 of wine/mead making. Unless it is absolutely unsalvagable (really bad infection, mold, etc) don't dump. Worst case scenario, you get a wine you don't like, turn it into blackberry vinegar.

+1 follow through with it. RDWHAHB Don't mess with it ignore it until the recipe tells you to add the simple syrup. Boil water and sugar and let it COOL before adding it to your wine/must. The person who wrote the recipe liked it maybe you will too. Regardless of the out come it will be wine. Drink up or cook with it it would make a great wine reduction with pork or beef.
 
I probably just need to toss this batch. Pretty frustrated. I added 5 camden tablets the first day,sunday. And pitched my yeast per instructions on recipe. Got to thinking about it today...will the camden tablets kill my yeast? It is bubbling some and there is definitely co2 being emitted. Just dont know what to do

Campden tablets do not kill yeast therefore they will not stop fermentation. They stun the wild yeasts and allow your bought yeast to take hold (hence the wait before adding yeast or the campden will stun that too). They are used in fermented wine to stabilize and reduce the chance of bacteria causing oxidation of the wine.
 
Thanks for the advice. I had read this morning ( not on this forum) where it would kill yeast if added at the same time but maybe they were only referring to wild yeast like mentioned above. Thanks again
 
This is what i read on eckraus.com this morning

image.jpg
 
Thanks for the advice. I had read this morning ( not on this forum) where it would kill yeast if added at the same time but maybe they were only referring to wild yeast like mentioned above. Thanks again

Campden is an antibacterial/antioxidant and it will create an environment that is unfriendly for wild yeast to replicate in. So when you add your cultivated wine yeast they take over and dominate. In winemaking, Campden does not/will not KILL yeast, neither will sorbate (just in case someone tells you otherwise).
 
Ok i just strained out the spent blackberry pieces and lees. And squeezed all the juice out. I have a guestion. I have almost exactly 5 gallons of liquid right now. I did a 5 gallon recipe and those that have read the recipe i used see where i add 1 pint of water per gallon 2 more times throughout the process. So that means i will add roughly just over a gallon of water to my wine which will give me over 6 gallons for a 5 gallon recipe... Is this ok?
 
Ok i just strained out the spent blackberry pieces and lees. And squeezed all the juice out. I have a guestion. I have almost exactly 5 gallons of liquid right now. I did a 5 gallon recipe and those that have read the recipe i used see where i add 1 pint of water per gallon 2 more times throughout the process. So that means i will add roughly just over a gallon of water to my wine which will give me over 6 gallons for a 5 gallon recipe... Is this ok?

No just top up as needed
 
Ok i added the last bit of sugar that the recipe calls for. I have taken SG reading before and after each sugar dump ... Here they are.

7/7/13 -Starting day - SG was 1.081 but realized i forgot to add some of the water as noted earlier in thread.

- after adding missing water SG was 1.031

7/14/13 - Step 2 - SG reading was .996
- after adding sugar SG was 1.022

7/22/13 - Step 3 - SG reading was 0.992
-after adding sugar SG was 1.028

This is my first wine using a hydrometer. Can anybody tell about what my potential alcohol content will be? As mentioned earlier this recipe was a little strange with additions if sugar 3 different times through the process, but i have added all of the sugar called for now.
 
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