Blueberry wine for teaching

[TheShadowfox]

I've made several wines on my own over the last few years as practice. Only recently though have I been using fresh all fruit ingredients. While visiting family in PA my aunt wanted to get into winemaking. So we made a wine together as a teaching experiment. The recipe we used is as follows:

1 5 gallon carboy
3 Lbs of frozen blueberries per gallon
Enough water to get close to the top of the carboy while still leaving enough room for any possible heavy yeast reactions.
5 crushed campden tablets
1 packet of champagne yeast
5 lbs sugar

We crushed the blueberries in water over a stove as they defrosted. Using sanitized equipment and hands, the blueberries and the juice were transferred to the carboy one handful at a time. Once complete we filled the carboy to a predetermined level and added the sugar and campden tablets. After a good while we added the yeast and shook the carboy nicely.

Later we will add oak cubes or chips depending on what she would like to do. I've seen pictures of the carboy now and it looks healthy.

Any thoughts or critiques? I have been thinking lately perhaps that we should add some acid for taste but I do not know how blueberries are in wines since I have only used grapes and grape juices.

 

[Noe]

I would have left it in a primary for a few days and stirred twice a day to let the yeast get the oxygen they need at first.

The sugar seems a little low. Did you take a gravity reading before you pitched the yeast?

Other than that the recipe looks fine. You can add tannin or acid later if your wine needs it.

 

[TheShadowfox]

I would have left it in a primary for a few days and stirred twice a day to let the yeast get the oxygen they need at first.

The sugar seems a little low. Did you take a gravity reading before you pitched the yeast?

Other than that the recipe looks fine. You can add tannin or acid later if your wine needs it.

The sugar was all that she had at the time, I know that she was going to put in more but I have not gotten an update. But the water was aerated, so I am sure that will help.

What would you suggest for the total sugar content?

 

[gratus fermentatio]

1.5-2lbs/gal seems to be the standard. You might find this useful:
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request108.asp
Regards, GF.

 

[Noe]

The sugar was all that she had at the time, I know that she was going to put in more but I have not gotten an update. But the water was aerated, so I am sure that will help.

What would you suggest for the total sugar content?

Like GF said 1.5-2lbs seems to be a standard amount.

I always leave my must in a primary for a couple of days. This way you can introduce oxygen while it is going through vigorous fermentation. It's not essential though.

 

[TheShadowfox]

Now is that for just the primary fermentation?

 

[Noe]

Now is that for just the primary fermentation?

Yeah.

After that I try to keep oxygen from touching it at all.

 

[TheShadowfox]

3 or so pounds of sugar were added today to get the wine out of stuck fermentation, and it worked well! Cranberries were also added to the must for flavor and nutrients.

 

[saramc]

an approximate starting SG just based off of 8 lbs (18.88 cups) of sugar added to 5 gallons: 1.076

1 cup sugar raises 1 gallon by 0.020 1# sugar = 2.36 cups

2.36 cups sugar/lb x 8 lbs = 18.88 cups sugar in the 5 gallons
18.88 cups sugar5/gallons= 3.776 cups sugar per gallon
3.776 x 0.020 = 0.07552 (add to 1.000 for SG of water)=1.076 based off of sugar alone

If you know the grams of sugar/liter in blueberries and cranberries, we could roughly figure out the SG contributed by the fruit; but I would say you are in the 1.080-1.085 range with the berries.

You need to get some pectic enzyme on that must or you may have a devil of a time getting it to clear.

How do you know it was stuck, are you using a hydrometer or just basing it off visual?
The lack of sugar is not what caused this to get stuck, it is likely a combination of several things:
1. You are starting in a carboy and not a fermentation bucket. Would have been better if you started in a wide mouth open container such as a fermentation bucket so the must has a wider surface area for access to oxygen during the early stages of ferment, then remove the berries around day 5, and when SG has dropped by 2/3 transfer to carboy and place under airlock...but that is just me.
2. Based off what you posted you added your campden tabs and pitched the yeast in the same day---I personally wait 24 hours between these two steps. The campden could have neutralized the yeast you pitched.
3. It is blueberry, it has a tendency to stall (as does cranberry)---anything in the Vaccinium family has that tendency. Do you have any yeast energizer that can be added to help boost the ferment? Do NOT use nutrient--too late in the game for that.

As far as the acid, that can be adjusted after ferment is complete. You have added cranberries which are dominant in citric/malic acid and the blueberries are dominant in citric...you may not need to adjust at all.

It is great fun teaching this to others isn't it?? And we all learn with every batch we make. Keep us posted.

 

[TheShadowfox]

an approximate starting SG just based off of 8 lbs (18.88 cups) of sugar added to 5 gallons: 1.076

1 cup sugar raises 1 gallon by 0.020 1# sugar = 2.36 cups

2.36 cups sugar/lb x 8 lbs = 18.88 cups sugar in the 5 gallons
18.88 cups sugar5/gallons= 3.776 cups sugar per gallon
3.776 x 0.020 = 0.07552 (add to 1.000 for SG of water)=1.076 based off of sugar alone

If you know the grams of sugar/liter in blueberries and cranberries, we could roughly figure out the SG contributed by the fruit; but I would say you are in the 1.080-1.085 range with the berries.

You need to get some pectic enzyme on that must or you may have a devil of a time getting it to clear.

How do you know it was stuck, are you using a hydrometer or just basing it off visual?
The lack of sugar is not what caused this to get stuck, it is likely a combination of several things:
1. You are starting in a carboy and not a fermentation bucket. Would have been better if you started in a wide mouth open container such as a fermentation bucket so the must has a wider surface area for access to oxygen during the early stages of ferment, then remove the berries around day 5, and when SG has dropped by 2/3 transfer to carboy and place under airlock...but that is just me.
2. Based off what you posted you added your campden tabs and pitched the yeast in the same day---I personally wait 24 hours between these two steps. The campden could have neutralized the yeast you pitched.
3. It is blueberry, it has a tendency to stall (as does cranberry)---anything in the Vaccinium family has that tendency. Do you have any yeast energizer that can be added to help boost the ferment? Do NOT use nutrient--too late in the game for that.

As far as the acid, that can be adjusted after ferment is complete. You have added cranberries which are dominant in citric/malic acid and the blueberries are dominant in citric...you may not need to adjust at all.

It is great fun teaching this to others isn't it?? And we all learn with every batch we make. Keep us posted.

The wine is in PA, I am in VA. Sadly I cannot look at it personally to give much advice. But yes, it is amazingly fun to teach the craft. I figured that the cranberries would add plenty of acids, I suggester around 3 cups worth. It's maddening not being able to see this and help out since I love doing this kind of stuff. I need to make another one. :/

 

[TheShadowfox]

Berries are out as of a few days ago now, and bubbling away! Does anyone know how blueberries are acid wise?

 

[captainL]

Usually low I think. I ended up using more acid blend than the recipe I had called for....about twice as much. But I tested the acid before adjusting.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

You might find these useful:

http://brewery.org/library/SugAcid.html

http://www.blueberry.org/Nutrition2.pdf

http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2011/04/06/know-your-ingredients-blueberries/

Regards, GF.