Blackberry Wine Recipe
Ripe, juicy blackberries gathered on a sunny day make a delicious deep red wine. It’s best to ferment this in a dark glass jar to prevent light spoiling the color. Don’t be tempted to exceed the given quantity of fruit or the wine will be too astringent. This recipe can also be used to make cloudberry, dewberry and wineberry wines.
• 3 1/4 pounds ripe blackberries
• 2 1/2 pounds sugar
• 1 lemon
• 1 Camden tablet (a handy form of sulfur dioxide for disinfecting and sterilizing)
• 1 teaspoon pectin enzyme
• 1 gallon water
• Wine yeast
• Yeast nutrient
1. Wash the blackberries thoroughly to remove any maggots. Put into the fermenting vessel, crush well and cover with 6 pints of boiling water. When cool, add the crushed Camden tablet and pectin enzyme and leave to steep for 24 hours.
2. Bring a further 2 pints of water to the boil and dissolve the sugar in it. Cool to blood heat and add to the blackberry pulp together with the yeast and nutrient and the juice of the lemon.
3. Cover the vessel and leave to ferment in a warm place for 3 days, stirring twice daily.
4. Strain the liquid off the pulp and transfer to a fermenting jar. Close off with an air-lock and leave to ferment on, racking when the wine starts to clear.
5. When all fermentation has ceased and the wine cleared, bottle and store in a cool dark place to mature for at least 6 months.
6. For variations using other autumn fruits—not exceeding 5 pounds of mixed fruit to 1 gallon of water—use this recipe to make Blackberry & Apple; Blackberry & Elderberry; Blackberry & Rosehip; and Blackberry & Sloe.