Mixed Berry Wine

Come on in to my house and we'll start some wine!

That is my street out of the window as I drove home.......we just had a minor ice storm.

OVERVIEW
The fruit is mashed then boiling water added. Cover. Allow to cool then add pectin . The next day add yeast nutrient and "pitch" the yeast. Cover loosely. Each day for 3-5 days stir the must and cover. On the last day strain over sugar, mix well and add to jug and attach airlock.


The Basic Recipe Ingredients


3.5 - 4 lbs of mixed berries
2.25 lbs of sugar
1 tsp pectin (or pectic enzyme-same thing)
1 TBSP yeast nutrient
dry red wine yeast




Now let's make some wine!  This mixed berry wine is easy to make and uses the most basic techniques and ingredients.  You will need berries, a bucket, and a potato masher to start.  I have left the berries out and they have thawed.

Here are the berries I use.  In general, frozen fruit is as good if not better than fresh.  Freezing help to extract the juices.

Into the bucket they go!!

Next you mash them to a pulp.

Boil 2/3 or so of a gallon of water and pour it over the mashed berries and stir.

Put the lid on loosely or cover with a thick cloth.  I use the lid because it cleans easily.

This morning before I left for work I added one tsp of pectic enzyme and stirred.

The pectin helps in the maceration process (extracting juice and flavor) and it also prevents pectin haze which will make your wine cloudy.  It isn't essential but it makes a prettier wine.  The nutrient will be needed tomorrow when I "pitch" the yeast.  But for now my bucket of berries is resting on the table doing whatever it is berries do to prepare for the  yeast!


It is winter here and my house thermostat is set for 67 degrees F.  That is the ambient temperature so liquids will be slightly cooler.  Fermentation likes cooler temperatures that do not fluctuate so I try to make most of my wine in the winter when I can control the temperature.  Anything above 75 degrees F the wine ferments too quickly and the result is an inferior wine.  Note I said inferior, not bad.

Tomorrow morning the real fun begins!