Blackberry wine question

I would like to try a Welches concentrate wine flavored with blackberries. What I am thinking is a 6 gallon batch using 12-15 cans welches and 6 cans of Oregon fruit that is available at Walmart. They are 14 oz cans. I want to oak it in a carboy also. I need some advice as to if this is enough Welches and fruit and what else I should add to it. Also how do you oak a wine in a carboy?

Thanks for the help
Chris

I've made several batches of blackberry blend wines and I love them! Blackberry lends itself very well to oaking. I've tried blackberry with elderberries and with Alexander's dark red concentrates but I've never used them in conjunction with Welch's. I have made other wines and meads from Welch's though and the amounts you specify would be suitable, say 2 cans Welch's per gallon, assuming you're using one can Oregon berries per gallon.

I also use frozen blackberries from Wal Mart in addition to the canned blackberries. The cost is usually about the same. It might not hurt to bump the blackberries by another three cans, or three one pound frozen bags.

What kind of yeast are you planning? I like the Lalvin K1V1116 for blackberries.

Oaking in the carboy is usually done with oak cubes or oak chips. You leave it on the oak for a short time- it seems to "grab" it quickly. If you overoak, it takes ages (years) to mellow out. I rack onto the oak chips after fermentation is done, and taste every few days until I like it. Then rack into a clean carboy. They have oak sticks, too, which are supposed to be reusable, but I've never used them.

Thanks for the help. One other question should the berries be put in a bag and then placed in the primary or just put in the primary as is. If I just put them in the primary when I rack to the secondary won't some transfer with the wine? If I follow a Welches recipe should I put the same additives in that are called for with that recipe?

Thanks

Yes, the fruit should be used in mesh bag. It does help keep the "gunk" and seeds out of the fermenter. I also recommend using campden tablets (one per gallon) in any must that uses fruit. You don't want to boil the fruit to pasteurize (think blackberry jelly!) so you should use campden tablets.

I just now noticed you're also a Yooper- where are you from?

I was planning on campden tablets but, was wondering about any other additives. Thanks for all the great help. I am down in Quinnesec near Iron Mountain/Kingsford.

Toivo said:

I was planning on campden tablets but, was wondering about any other additives. Thanks for all the great help. I am down in Quinnesec near Iron Mountain/Kingsford.

Click to expand...

Ah, we're practically neighbors! I'm in the Iron River area.

As far as other additives- how about pectic enzyme? 2/3 tsp per gallon will help prevent pectin haze. Also, you may want to see if some tannin is indicated. Welchs is not very tannic, and if it needs some "bite" when it's finished, you could add 1/4 tsp of tannin (the powder). Still, those might not even been needed. You could just wait and see if those extras are needed. Acid blend could be useful, and give you a better balance. I'd use 1 tsp per gallon to start.

I've made several batches of blackberry wine from whole berries.........You might not need to add acid or tannin, since whole straight (unmixed with any other fruit) blackberries gives you quite a "bite".

I agree that blackberries are somewhat tannic and are certainly acidic. Be careful with both. Pectic enzyme is a good addition though. You can oak in the primary with chips or in the secondary with cubes. Taste the wine at one week intervals and when the oak is a little more than you like, that's when it's about right. I age mine in a barrel but the reusable oakboy sticks work well too.

Thanks everyone for the input. Here is the recipe I am planning on using.
12 cans Welches Frozen concentrate
6 cans Oregon fruit from walmart placed in mesh bag
water to 6 gallon
Add sugar shooting for 1.090-1.100 SG
4tsp pectin enzyme
6 campden tablets crushed
let sit 24 hours
pitch yeast Lalvin 1116

YooperBrew do yo have HBS in your area or do you use the one near me?

Toivo said:

Thanks everyone for the input. Here is the recipe I am planning on using.
12 cans Welches Frozen concentrate
6 cans Oregon fruit from walmart placed in mesh bag
water to 6 gallon
Add sugar shooting for 1.090-1.100 SG
4tsp pectin enzyme
6 campden tablets crushed
let sit 24 hours
pitch yeast Lalvin 1116

Click to expand...

This looks like it'll turn out to be a great wine! The campden tablets won't hurt but after the first couple of batches I stopped using them at the beginning. I just mix the must and immediately pitch the yeast. Their purpose is to kill off any wild yeast and, unless you're using fresh fruit, there shouldn't be any problems. Besides, these commercial strains are aggressive enough to overpower any wild yeast. At least I haven't experienced any problems after 4 years and dozens of batches. It's really important to use the six campden tabs after the wine has finished fermenting and prior to bulk aging or bottling.

Toivo said:

YooperBrew do yo have HBS in your area or do you use the one near me?

Click to expand...

Well, I have shopped in Spread Eagle. Penny tries to accomodate me- she added the corona type mill for me, I think! But the grain doesn't move very fast, and she doesn't have much variety. She does have hops and yeast, though, and says she'll order some keg parts for me (like quick disconnects). I've bought a couple of wine kits from her, and some wine supplies. That is definitely the closest to me- it's only about 45 miles from me.

I usually order online, or get things in Appleton when I'm there. SuperiorBrew opened a LHBS in Slinger, WI, so when I go to Milwaukee, I'm definitely stopping in. Getting supplies here has been a big challenge- as well as trying to learn the basics on my own. HBT has really been the catalyst that helped me go all-grain and improve my techniques.

Here is a update on my experimental Blackberry/ Welch's wine. Recipe used
12 cans Old orchard 100% Grape Juice
6Lbs frozen blackberries (Walmart didn't have Oregon Blackberry fruit in cans)
4 tsp pectin enyme
6 tsp yeast nutrient
6 1/2 lbs cane sugar total
I took the blackberries and added them to 1 gallon of boiling water and let them sit for 15 minutes. Then I took a potato masher and mashed them. Next I poured them into a meshbag held over the primary. Added 6 cans of concentrate. Added water up to the five gallon mark and tested the Specific Gravity it was1.072. Mixed up more sugar and one gallon of water to bring the Starting gravity to 1.095.
I took a cup of the must and added a pinch of nutrient to it and pitched the yeast( lavin 1116) and when that was bubbling away I pitched it in the primary and away it went.
Today 6 days later I tested the Gravity since activity is real slow in the airlock and it is at .998. Plan is tomorrow to check again and if it is the same I will rack onto oak chips in a carboy.

Right now it smells great and has promise to be a good wine.

Toivo, the fermentation is finished and you may decide to leave the wine on the oak for 3-4 weeks (be sure and keep it topped up completely at all subsequent rackings). Begin tasting after two weeks and when it gets to the point when the oak flavor is slightly more than you want, it's time to rack. I would think that 3-4 weeks on the oak would be all you'd want. When you rack off the oak, add campden tabs, potassium sorbate to stabilize (optional) and add Super Kleer (also optional but this is the best claifying agent I've found). Also stir the crap out of it to drive off all the suspended CO2 (or risk bottling a gassy wine down the road). Let it bulk age at least six months and bottle and you'll have a tasty wine!

Thanks for the reply. your pretty much nailed my plans with it. Hopefully it will be good enough to give to family for Christmas.

I racked it into a carboy on 20z. of oak chips which didn't seem like much. The package was 40z and said it could be used for 25 gallons. Tastes very good right now although the next batch will have more blackberries added.
Thanks for your help everyone.
Chris