Hi All,
Getting ready to start my 2nd ever batch of wine. I have some blackberrys in the freezer that we picked in July-August. Any gotchas not mentioned in recipes specific to blackberries? My first batch turned out ok. It was a kit wine.
Wayne
Hi Wayne, good to have you started on the real thing! You can do with a acid testing kit, basically dilute fruit with water until acid level is 0.65% Turns out roughly 2 kg blackberries per 5 l wine here (in UK). Depending what level it is after fermentation it needs 1-2 year to mature.
Rene.
Good luck with your first "from scratch" country wine. You picked a good one. I use wild dewberries which are a very close cousin to blackberries. Maybe a little milder. They make my favorite country red, by far, and if handled right it is delightful very dry or sweetened. You should find some good recipes on Jack Keller's site.
The main gotcha' is that if you use too little fruit it will be thin. If you use too much it will be bitter. I use 4 - 5 lbs in a US gal. Also, they can give off some off odors when fermenting. Don't let this fool you. Just carry through.
Ray
I also made a from-scratch blackberry (see previous threads). After fermentation, it tasted like battery acid. After purchasing a acid titration kit at my LHS, I found the TA to be about 1.4.
I just added 2 full oz of calcium carbonate to it a few weeks ago and the TA is now about 1.1 and it tastes much better.
Be sure to check your TA before fermentation and adjust it then. My blackberries were domesticated and I am now told that those have more acid in them that the wild ones.
Good luck!
Alex.
DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.