Black Forest Fruits Wine

[Robbo]

Last week while shopping in Aldi, I came across some frozen 500g tubs of Black Forest Fruits which contained, Blackberries, Sour Cherries, Blue Grapes and Black Currants. I thought I would try making a wine out of these berries.

This is my recipe any comments welcome

3 Tubs of Black Forest Fruits, £1.49 per tub
1 KG of sugar
1 campden tablet
1 tsp citric acid
1 tsp pectolase
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1/2 tsp tannin
1/4 tsp epsom salts
1 tsp youngs yeast compound


Put the berries into a stockpot or bucket and leave them to thaw out, then crush the berries.
Pour 1 kg of sugar onto the berries and add 2 litres od boiling water and give it a good stir.

With a small amout of warm water in a jug, dissolve the citric, tannin, pectolase, nutrient, epsom salts and crushed campden.
Add this to the must, stir and leave covered for 24 hours. While waiting make a yeast starter.

After 24 hours, add the yeast starter and stir.
Cover the pot/bucket and leave for between 5 and 7 days, stirring daily.

Strain into a Demi John and fit airlock

I will be using Red Grape Juice to top up with.

I've not used this combination of berries before, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

 

[RobWalker]

sounds great! might put one on myself.

not sure if the tannin is neccessary, a more experienced winemaker will be able to help though :)

 

[oldbloke]

I'll guess the tannin is a good idea, as a juice sold for drinking will have less than you'd usually want for wine.

 

[Scots_Pagan]

Sounds delicious....what was your SG?

 

[Robbo]

My SG is 1.100 which will produce around 14% abv, but that number will go down a little after racking and topping up a few times.

Aldi's also do a summer fruits version with strawberries, raspberries, red currants.

 

[RobWalker]

I'll guess the tannin is a good idea, as a juice sold for drinking will have less than you'd usually want for wine.

It's frozen fruit with skins on, was my thinking. I guess it's down to the number of sour cherries and grapes vs blackberries more than anything...

 

[Robbo]

I think the 500g weight is the actual weight of the fruit excluding packaging.

The fruit pulp that is left over after straining is very sweet and pleasant, so I've re-froze them and I'm going to use them as toppings on cheese cakes, additives for greek style yoghurts, triffles and ice creams, rather than throw them out.

 

[tazuk]

lol i have put some in my cider this year black forrest and other summer fruit see my cider day :thumb: