Saskatoon Berry Wine

 

  

 

	4	pounds saskatoons
	2	pounds white sugar
	2	large lemons, juice only
	5	pints water
	1	Campden tablet, crushed
	1	teaspoon pectic enzyme
	1/2	teaspoon yeast nutrient
	1	package wine yeast

 

 

Instructions

 

1. Pick only ripe berries. Wash destem and crush berries.

2. Put in primary with sugar, lemon juice, water, and crushed Campdem tablet, stirring well to dissolve sugar.

3. Cover with muslin and put in warm place.

4. Add pectin enzyme after 12 hours.

5. Add nutrient and wine yeast after an additional 12 hours.

6. Stir twice daily for 5 days.

7. Strain through a medium meshed nylon sieve, pressing lightly to extract juice.

8. Return juice to primary, re-cover primary and wait for 24 hours.

9. Siphon off to a clean secondary and fit airlock, adjusting volume to allow 3" of airspace for foaming.  Move to a cooler place.

10. When vigorous fermentation subsides (10-14 days) top up with water or reserved saskatoon juice.

11. Ferment for an additional 2 weeks.

12. Rack into clean secondary. Refit airlock and rack after 30 days.

13. Wait another 30 days and rack again and bottle.

14. This is a very good dry wine, fit to taste after 6 months. Improves with additional aging.

 

If you use 2 gallons of berries (about 10 lbs) it should make about 5 gallons of wine.

 

Recipe Notes

 

 

Terms:

 

Primary - a crock, bowl, bucket, or pail or other food safe vessel, in which the first or primary fermentation takes place.

 

Secondary - a jug, jar, bottle, demi-john, or carboy in which the seconday fermentation takes place. This vessel typically has a wide body and tapered neck leading up to a small opening which can be sealed with an air lock.

 

Rack - the process of siphoning the wine off the lees to stabilize it and allow clarification.

 

Lees - deposits of yeast and other solids formed during fermentation.

 

Must - crushed fruit, juice, and other ingredients prior to fermentation.