Summer Time Blueberry Wine

&nbsp So, you’ve taken your kids to the blueberry patch and now you have a few cases with juice all over their faces are precious – we still have to find something to do with all of our freshly picked blueberries. How many smoothies, fruit salads, and blueberry pie can you make before you’re all blueberry’d out, and ready for something new? Lucky for you, we have a fantastic blueberry wine recipe that is incredibly easy to make!of blueberries. While those memories made of our kiddos running through blueberry bushes  &nbsp &nbsp Blueberries are one of the healthiest foods on the planet – packed with anti-oxidants – and in many cases provide more abundant health benefits than traditional grape wine. Blueberries are also quite versatile as a wine – you can chill the wine on a hot summer afternoon to enjoy outdoors, add fresh fruit to the wine in the style of sangria, or pour a glass or two over dinner with friends. Any way you enjoy it, our blueberry wine recipe is a proven winner.

Blueberry wine is just as simple as grape wine to make. Follow our step by step instructions. Just remember to sanitize!

Blueberry Wine Makes 1 gallons (4 L)

&nbsp Ingredients (Click to view in store) 2 lbs. blueberries or 1 gallon of Vinter's Best Blueberry Wine Base 2 lbs. table sugar 1 cup grape concentrate (optional — this will add body and fruitiness to the wine) 1 gallon water 1.5 tsp. acid blend .5 tsp. pectic enzyme .5 tsp. yeast nutrient .5 tsp. potassium sorbate 1 campden tablet, crushed Yeast (Lalvin EC1118 or Lalvin 71B-1122) 1. Choose your blueberries. Make sure they are ripe, but inspect for mold. Remove any stems or leaves. They can be fresh or frozen. 2. Crush the blueberries. Use a press if you have one. If you do not have a press, you may use a clean, sanitized nylon straining bag to carefully press the juice into your primary fermentation vessel. Keeping all the pulp in the bag, tie off the end of the bag and place in the primary fermentation vessel. 3. Make your sugar solution. Mix 2 lbs. of sugar into 1 gallon of warm water. 4. Take a hydrometer reading. Ideal specific gravity should be around 1.090. If your gravity is lower, you can add more sugar to reach 1.090. 5. Add your other ingredients. Add acid blend, pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient. Make sure to stir well. Do not add yeast yet. 6. Cover primary. Wait 24 hours. 7. After 24 hours: add yeast. Cover primary again and attach airlock. 8. Check daily: Maintain a constant fermentation temperature range between 70–75 °F (21–24 °C). Stir the wine daily. Take a hydrometer reading to ensure fermentation is healthy. 9. When gravity reaches 1.030 (about 5-8 days), strain juice from pulp bag. Siphon wine off sediment layer into glass secondary fermentation vessel. Attach your airlock again. 10. Continue checking gravity. When gravity reaches 1.000 (2-4 weeks) fermentation is complete. Siphon wine off of sediment into a clean glass secondary fermentation vessel again to aid in the clearing of this wine. 11. Stabilize. Crush your campden tablet in about ½ cup of warm water with ½ tsp. of potassium sorbate. Add to wine. Stir well. 12. Clearing. Leave the wine in this stage as long as you like to allow suspended yeast and sediment to gather at the bottom before bottling. You can also add a clearing agent such as Isinglass or SuperKleer at this stage if the wine is having trouble clearing. If you are adding grape juice concentrate, now is the time. 13. OPTIONAL: If your wine is not as sweet as you would like, you can always back sweeten. Once the wine is stabilized, you have the option to add sugar. Wine conditioner is recommended, but sugar is acceptable. Add to taste. 14. Bottle. Siphon into clean, sanitized bottles. Or, keep inside gallon jug to age. Just remember to keep air tight! 15. Age. Blueberry wine will only improve with age. Store in a dark, temperature controlled area of your home.

If you have any questions, or are new to the wine making process, you can always call our wine making experts in customer service at 574-295-9975. Cheers!

[caption id="attachment_1379" align="alignnone" width="341"] Complete 1 Gallon Wine Kit[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1369" align="alignnone" width="465"] Vinter's Best Blueberry Fruit Wine Base[/caption]