blueberry has issues

I just bottled a batch of blueberry. It was a struggle, but well worth it, as it turned out to be a very nice dry red wine. Here's what I went through to get it:

8/23/03 Pitched Premier Cuvee into my 1.099 gravity must.

8/31/03 Removed pulp, still fermenting.

9/9/03 Racked, fermentation is very slow.

10/15/03 A few tiny bubbles, but no airlock activity. Thick, almost "slushy" with lots of fine pulp.

1/7/04 Ok, it's stuck. SG = 1.054. Stratified with a 2" layer of pulp at the bottom of the jug.

1/25/04 Made a new starter, racked to an open fermenter, and moved from basement to (warmer) upstairs closet.

1/30/04 It's fermenting, but very slowly. No real cap, just small clumps of froth. Stirred and racked to a jug with an airlock.

2/28/04 No airlock activity, but a small ring of bubbles.

5/11/04 SG = 1.044. Added nutrient and racked.

5/20/04 Active fermentation, some of the wine was pushed into the airlock.

9/16/04 Success! SG = 0.995.

4/14/05 Racked.

12/17/05 Bottled, SG = 0.992.

Though I added nutrient to the initial must, I believe my problem was a nutrient deficiency. It may be that blueberry wine requires higher than normal amounts of yeast nutrient.

Erroll

That is a long time to be still vigorously fermenting. There can't be that much sugar in it if it was down to 1.03 last year. Check the SG to see where it is now. Could be an MLF.

Ray

Erroll:

Thanks for the blueberry log it gives me hope. I agree the wine smells and tastes good, so it whould make a good wine when it finishes.

Steve noobie Oregon

"Erroll Ozgencil" wrote:

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Hi:

Oh you're right, it's not /vigorous/.

Bubbles are constantly coming up to the neck and are forming a ring ~ 1/2" wide around the neck. The SG is 1.00 right now, so it's not dry yet.

According to Kellers site Blueberry's acid is largely citric, however I would suppose that doesn't preclude malic. Right now I have jugs of Cab and Merlot doing MLF in the house. We heat the house by wood stove, the difference between daytime temps and early morning is enough to noticaby suppress MLF in these carboys. I tend to think the garage is too cold right now for MLF.

Incidently I racked some Sauvignon Blanc and Gamay today that were in the house and now out in the garage. Both deposited crystals on the bottom, tartrate?

Thanks

Steve noobie Oregon

Although I don't make country wines, I've heard that blueberry is difficult to ferment. I guess that's what you're seeing.

Tom S

blueberries do have benzoate in them which can make them hard to ferment.

I generally make meads with blueberries (over wine) and I add them to secondary....for wine, I would look into using a starter.