Blueberry season is the perfect time to make blueberry wine. The Lower Mainland is one of the world’s
largest blueberry-producing regions and is home to many blueberry farms. You can also make blueberry wine from frozen berries (thawed of course!)
This recipe makes about 23L of medium-bodied, dry blueberry wine with approximately 12% ABV.
Blueberries contain 8 to 12% sugar, while wine grapes contain 20 to 24% sugar, so you need to add sugar
to make a 10-12% ABV wine. If you prefer a sweeter wine, we recommend that you ferment your wine to
dryness, and then sweeten to taste with Wine Conditioner.
Ingredients and Equipment
18 lb. blueberries
10.8 lb. sugar
Water to make 23L
Potassium metabisulphite or Campden tablets
From the Blueberry Wine Additive Kit – measure these amounts:
4.5 t. pectic enzyme
2 T. acid blend
2.5 t. yeast nutrient
1.5 t. wine tannin
1 packet of Lalvin RC212 yeast (5g)
1 packet each of Kieselsol & Chitosan (fining agents)
Basic winemaking equipment and supplies (See our Winemaking Starter Kit)
Straining bag
Preparing the Must
Mash the blueberries to break the skins. Use a potato masher or similar tool. Don’t use a food
processor or blender — too much bitterness can be extracted from the seeds and skin.
Pour the crushed berries and their juice into a straining bag in your primary fermenter.
Heat 4L of water on the stove. Add the sugar to the warm water, stirring constantly to keep the
sugar from burning to the bottom of the pot.
Add the sugar water to the fermenter. Top off the fermenter with cool water to 23L.
Take a hydrometer reading and write it down — this reading is your Starting Brix.
Dissolve ¼ tsp of potassium metabisulphite, or 6 crushed Campden tablets, in 50mL of cool water.
Stir into the must. Cover the fermenter loosely and let it sit for 12 hours.
Add the pectic enzyme and let the must sit for a further 12 hours.
Primary Fermentation
Check the temperature of the must and the room where you will ferment your wine — they should
both be between 18 and 24°C.
Stir the wine tannin, acid blend, and yeast nutrient into the must.
Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the must.
Place the lid on the fermenter, but do not seal it. Fermentation will begin within 24-48 hours.
Mix thoroughly each day with a long sanitized spoon.
Secondary Fermentation
After 5 to 7 days, take a hydrometer reading. It should be around 5 or 6 Brix.
Lift out the bag of blueberries and squeeze out the juice.
Rack your wine into a carboy, leaving behind as much sediment as you can. Allow the wine to
splash into the carboy.
Fill the airlock with potassium metabisulphite solution. Install the airlock and bung on the carboy.
Degassing and Clearing
Wait at least another week, and then take a hydrometer reading. If the reading is below 0 Brix,
wait three days and check the Brix again. If it has not changed, the wine is ready for the second
racking.
Don’t rely on bubbles in the airlock — check the progress of your wine with your hydrometer.
Fermentation is complete when the hydrometer reading is below 0 Brix and stable.
Rack your wine into another carboy. Let the wine splash into the carboy to release the tiny
bubbles of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Degas your wine. Stir vigorously with a mixing spoon for 2-3 minutes. You must remove all the
CO2 for the wine to clarify properly.
Dissolve ¼ tsp of potassium metabisulphite, or 6 crushed Campden tablets, in 50mL of cool water.
Add it to your wine and stir.
Add the pouch marked Kieselsol to your wine and stir for 2 minutes.
Add the pouch marked Chitosan to your wine and stir for 2 minutes.
Top up the carboy to within 2 inches of the bung and airlock, preferably with finished blueberry
wine (homemade or purchased). You can top up with water, but it will dilute your wine.
Fill the airlock with potassium metabisulphite solution. Install the airlock and bung on the carboy.
Place the carboy in a cool place (10-20°C) for 7-10 days to allow the wine to clear.
Optional: Filter your wine once it has been clear for at least 7 days.
Bottling
Fill your bottles, using a racking cane and a siphon hose with a pinch clamp or bottle filler tube.
Insert corks with a corker.
Optional: Label your bottles and apply shrink caps.
Stand the bottles upright for 3 days to allow the corks to expand. Then lay them down and store
your wine in a cool, dark environment.
Age for 3 months, and then enjoy your wine!