Advice - blackberry wine

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Camilla

Advice - blackberry wine

Post by Camilla » Fri Apr 07, 2017 1:51 pm

Hi everyone,

I am new to the forum but have seen many great topics on here :) I would very much appreciate some advice. I have 3 demi-johns of blackberry wine which has been fermenting now for months (can't remember exactly when I started it stupidly, school-girl error). For ages it was producing tiny, tiny bubbles up the side of the demi-johns with no actual bubbles through the air-lock. It is now STILL reading 1030 - will it ever get down to 1000 or below?! It tastes great but I don't want to bottle it and create bottle-bombs. I was planning on putting it into secondary in the bottles anyway so am happy to have it sparkling, but am nervous of bottling it now and creating too much pressure. Can anyone advise? Is this normal for hedgerow wines? Many thanks indeed, Camilla.

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Wonkydonkey
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Re: Advice - blackberry wine

Post by Wonkydonkey » Fri Apr 07, 2017 10:25 pm

Hi, I've made blackberry wine, and made some errors like yours,

But as with all things brewing you need to tell everything you've done, like how much fruit, water, and sugar and yeast type and nutrant added or not. And most importantly the starting sg.

I've done lots of things wrong, well all of the above really. And it will be hard to workout without most of the above.
To Busy To Add,

oldbloke
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Re: Advice - blackberry wine

Post by oldbloke » Sat Apr 08, 2017 1:13 am

Sounds like the yeast never really got going.

This is how I do it, maybe you can spot what you missed:

Fruit mashed in bucket with 'enough' water and maybe some of the sugar
Add crushed Campden tablet
Wait 24 hours
Add yeast, nutrient, any acids and enzymes
Wait 3 to 5 days
Strain (Actually I just ram it through a sieve) to demijohn
Add [rest of] sugar
Add water to sensible level to leave headspace
Wait a week
Top up
Wait until it stops bubbling
Rack
Wait until it clears
Bottle

Camilla

Re: Advice - blackberry wine

Post by Camilla » Sat Apr 08, 2017 1:38 pm

Hi guys, thanks for the replies. I used this recipe: 1.3KGs blackberries mashed in a bucket. Add 4.5 litres boiling water and 1.3Kg sugar. Dissolve and cool. Add pectolase, yeast and nutrient. Sieve after 7 days (or so :D ). Fit air-lock and leave to ferment - up to 4 weeks. Rack off, add Campden, leave to clear. I am still at the fermentation stage! Someone said yesterday to kill it with Campden and restart with fresh yeast. Or kill it and bottle. thoughts?

oldbloke
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Re: Advice - blackberry wine

Post by oldbloke » Sat Apr 08, 2017 9:44 pm

Given that sugar and it's still at 1030 it looks to be about 10% (done in my head so may be a bit off)
It ought to get under 1000 but if you like it sweet and don't mind only 10% you could stabilise now
Why the yeast has give up I don't know. Which yeast and how much? How much nutrient? What temperature has it been at and is now?
The lack of airlock activity suggests most of the ferment happened in the bucket - and/or the lock wasn't sealed well
I'd be tempted to add a little more nutrient, maybe a little more yeast, and give it another month

Camilla

Re: Advice - blackberry wine

Post by Camilla » Mon Apr 10, 2017 9:49 am

Hmm, I will take another reading and maybe add some more yeast to restart - it was by the radiator so there would have been temp fluctuations. think I used red wine yeast as that sounded the most appropriate to me! :) Many thanks for the advice - I'll get there eventually!

Chateau Wines L.S.

Re: Advice - blackberry wine

Post by Chateau Wines L.S. » Wed Jun 28, 2017 10:14 pm

Probably much too late now but if you are still reading thread. Don't put close to radiator, will get far too hot for the yeast and then perhaps too cold when rads off. End result will be dead yeast
You can't just add more yeast. Use this web page for one of the best restart methods by Jack Keller - http://www.yobrew.co.uk/stuck.php
Sometimes it's better to rack off and get rid of the dead yeast as it prevent the new yeast from working.

Camilla

Re: Advice - blackberry wine

Post by Camilla » Mon Jul 03, 2017 1:14 pm

Hi, thanks so much for the advice - will defo take a look at the restart link. I think the stone floor hasn't been helping either - too cold!

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