Blackberry wine help / advice please

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Vinotinto

Vinotinto

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Hi.
Trying to keep this brief.
Just made first batch of wine for 30 years.
Followed Brewbitz youtube and website recipe for blackberry wine
All seemed fine, must in fermentation bin for 8 days ( not 7 recommended ) and seemed pretty lively.
I have now strained and siphoned into demijohn, everything sterilised etc.

Edited - initially I coild see bubbles rising in dj but nothing in lock. I have fiddled about and I think there was gas escaping from the bung or airlock etc as it is now giving a bubble every 25 secs. That is better but........

Sg before yeast added was 1.110. Took SG on putting into DJ and it was a tad between .990 and 1.000. Suggesting end result approaching 16%.

Is this right though after only 8 days. ? Wine is cloudy and sediment formed already in dj. Actually tasted pretty good ( well you do have to have siphoning errors, )

This indicates to me that the wine has fermented to dryness but there is still considerable activity.

Have I missed something here? Perhaps temperatures of liquid differed at hydrometer readings?
 
Last edited:
Vinotinto said:
Hi.
Have I missed something here? Perhaps temperatures of liquid differed at hydrometer readings?
Click to expand...

Sounds ok, air temp's have been good over passed week so I wouldn't worry, activity will continue until dry then co2 being released is what you're probably seeing. Co2 will continue even after yeast has finished using up sugar, plus not sure whether malic acid to latic acid fermentation releases gas as well.
 
As Tau says sounds like a good fermentation. To get a dry wine of 165ABV is good going if you ask me. My blackberry mead is still bubbling after 5 weeks but have learned not to rush. You could rack it and see if it clears. The bubbling is probably dissolved co2 being released.
 
Thank you for the replies.
So the actual fermentation may have finished in 8 days, which gives me the current SG?
I will research the CO2 aspect. I was going to leave it a couple of weeks then rack. Should I be taking steps to degas it? If so, when?
 
Malolactic fermentation does produce co2. Wild blackberries are highly acidic. Half of this acid is citric, which tends to get used up during fermentation. The other half is malic, which is rather more sour than sharp. Malolactic fermentation, left unchecked, converts all of the malic acid into lactic acid, which is half as strong. This did not happen with my blackberry wine and I had to add precipitated chalk to reduce the final acidity to a palatable level for a dry wine. If the abv of your wine really is as high as 16%, it will probably be medium, rather than dry, and will taste less acidic.
 
Update - have racked this today. SG .984 Tastes really nice and not too acidic.
Racked it onto one crushed campden tablet as per instructions and have given it 6 x 10 good shakings to degas.
Getting a little movement in the new airlock though - will this be the campden tablet?
Will leave it a couple more weeks now to clear although it is not bad now.
First effort for SO many years and chuffed to bits!!
 
Vinotinto said:
Update - have racked this today. SG .984
Click to expand...

That's a really low reading, it's very rare to get below 0.988, if the temperature differential between the hydrometer and wine is great then you would an off reading. Examples might be you run the hydrometer under the warm tap to clean, but didn't leave to cool to room temp', same temp as wine. Or calibration of hydrometer is off at suggested temp' either 20c or 15c usually says on hydrometer or container leaflet, so should read at 1.000 in water at 20c or if another type at 15c
 
All at room temp Tau. I always check the hydro in a trial jar of water and it was 1.000. I accept though that the tap water may have been a touch under the wine temp. Did not use thermometer today. I suppose my main concern is 1. It has finished fermenting etc and 2 that the movemnet I am getting now is the Campden tablet doing its thing?
 
Been a couple of weeks since I racked this onto the Campden. SG 0.986.
Not apparent in the dj but this is much clearer than I thought. Tastes good too already.
Brewbitz instructions from now on are that it may need to be racked a couple more times before it clears. No mention of fining etc.

Do you guys however go through the degassing, stabilising, fining routine with the country wines the same as with the WoWs? I have had no movement in the airlock for a good while and the SG has remained constant (notwithstanding measuring errors ). The wine is pretty clear but not crystal. I want to cork this and put most of it away for a few months ( good intentions ) and do not want them popping. Is stabliser therefore a good move bearing in mind it went on to a Campden a couple of weeks back and does fining simply speed up a clearing process that may well have happened naturally over a few more weeks in the dj anyway?
 
Last year I didn't use finings on my blackberry and I regreted such in one dj. It may look clear but there is probably a lot more suspended in there, add finnings would have probably cleared camden by now and has finished primary. You can still get secondary even after adding finnings, more often than not in the bottle.
 
Thanks Tau so the answer is Yes, best use finings. What about the stabiliser issue? Add another since the Campden? ( I am right in saying Campden is the same as Wilko stabiliser? Just in tablet form? Also should these wines be degassed as well? I know, questions , questions. :)
 
It's completed fermentation, so adding stabilser will only stop malo/latic fermenting. Use good corks and I have found that its best to use screw top over corks as I have had malo/latic blow outs without.
 
Tau said:
It's completed fermentation, so adding stabilser will only stop malo/latic fermenting. Use good corks and I have found that its best to use screw top over corks as I have had malo/latic blow outs without.
Click to expand...

Screw top over corks? Do you mean use screw top in preference to corks or put corks into screw top bottles and add the screw lid as well? Not heard of that one! :-?
 
Yes, cork in and screw top over it. Solved many a problem.
 
Vinotinto said:
Ok, thanks although have been warned off corking screw top bottles. Something about them being thin glass?
Click to expand...

Never had problems with them, the thick champayne bottles I have had corking difficulties.
 
This has been stabilised and had Kwik Clear applied. 48 hours later is looking good even in the dj. Have the obvious haze at the bottom that will move at the slightest touch. If I leave this in the dj for a while will it be easier to rack / bottle later or should I perhaps filter?
 
Most country wines will clear themselves with time(and usually the taste benefits), but sometimes you get exceptions and finings can be used, and again finings will pack down the sediment tightly given time.

I know you are keen as it's your first brew for awhile, so get something else on the go now!

Some folks never bottle just rack when clear and leave in DJ until ready to drink.
 

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