Blueberry wine

[he798]

Hi
I am hoping that someone can put me in the right direction regarding a Blueberry wine that I have started today.
Going through the internet and looking at the different recipes makes your head spin because none of them appear to have anything in common.
Anyway I have settled for one with:

3 Gal Carboy
5 Kg of Blueberries
4.4 Kg of Sugar
3 tsp nutrient
7 1/2 tsp Acid Blend
3 tsp Pectinex
1/4 tsp Sodium Metabisulphite

According to one of the recipes I should have a starting SG of around 1.08. However mine is only 1.11

Anyone know if I should be concerned?

Thanks in advance

Herman

[Broob]

Not big into wine making but 1.080 seems a bit low for wine while 1.110 (which is higher than 1.080) is more in keeping with a typical starting gravity of wine.

[the-mailman]

This is the recipe I've been using and it makes good wine.

3 pounds Blueberries
5 ounces Grape Concentrate to increase the body
2 pounds Granulated sugar; Do not add it all before testing SG
1 gallon Water; Recipe is based on the Imperial gallon which is 160 oz or 4.54 litres
1/4 teaspoon Grape tannin
2 teaspoons Acid blend; Do not add it all before testing acid level
1/2 teaspoon Yeast nutrient
1/2 teaspoon Pectic enzyme powder
2 Campden tablets; Crushed into powder
1/2 teaspoon Potassium sorbate
Lalvin EC1118 or Lalvin 71B-1122 wine yeast; 1 Package is good for up to 5 gallons

Preparation

Use only sound ripe berries. Crush berries and put all ingredients except yeast and potassium sorbate into the primary fermenter. Gently stir in 1 gallon of hot water, or more if making a larger quantity, to dissolve the sugar.

If more than 1 gallon is being made add cool water up to the desired level. Cover and allow to cool to the recommended temperature for the yeast being used.

Add acid blend to adjust the acid level to 0.60%. Gently stir to dissolve and distribute into the wine and retest after each addition.

Add enough sugar to reach a SG of 1.090 - 1.095. Gently stir to dissolve and distribute into the wine and retest after each addition.

Follow the directions on the yeast package to add it to the wine. Cover, but not tightly, unless an airlock is used so the CO2 produced can escape.

Stir the floating cap of fruit pulp into the fermenting must each day and allow to ferment 5 - 6 days or until the SG is 1.040. Strain out pulp into a cheesecloth bag and squeeze out any remaining liquid. Siphon into a carboy and attach a fermentation lock.

Rack in 3 weeks and again every 3 months until the wine is at least 1 year old.

If the wine will be sweetened, add potassium sorbate to prevent renewed fermentation during last racking.

[he798]

Thanks

[Stasis]

Any recipe that tells you to add a specific amount of sugar is bound to get you into trouble sometimes, because the recipe doesn't know the sugar content of your fruit. A good fruit wine recipe will give you a target OG, and you add sugar to the point of hitting that target OG.