The Marion Blackberry --
often simply called Marionberry -- is a medium to large, medium firm, bright,
shiny, redish-black berry. In the approp-riate climate, it offers higher yields
over a longer picking season than Boysenberry. It was developed for western
Marionberry supports a
number of styles, from a heavy-bodied, deeply colored wine like the one below
to a light-bodied, light red table wine and everything in between. The recipe
below makes a good table wine or base for a port (if fortified). I can be
sweetened after stabilizing and should be sulfited with a crushed and dissolved
Campden tablet when trabsferring to secondary and at the second racking.
MARIONBERRY WINE
- 6-7 lb
- 1-1/2 lb finely granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp pectic enzyme
- 6 pts water
- 1 pkt Burgundy wine yeast (Lalvin RC-212)
Blackberry Wines
Special Recipe Collection
BLACKBERRY WINE (1) [Heavy Bodied]
- 6 lb blackberries
- 2-1/2 lb granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
- 7 pts water
- wine yeast and nutrient
BLACKBERRY WINE (2) [Medium Bodied
Dry]
- 4 lb blackberries
- 2-1/4 lb granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
- 1/2 tsp acid blend
- crushed Campden tablet
- 7 pts water
- wine yeast and nutrient
Pick fully ripe, best quality berries. Wash thoroughly and place in nylon jelly-bag. Mash and squeeze out all juice into primary fermentation vessel. Tie jelly-bag and place in primary fermentation vessel with all ingredients except yeast. Stir well to dissolve sugar, cover well, and set aside for 24 hours. Add yeast, cover, and set aside 5 days, stirring daily. Strain juice from jelly-bag and siphon off sediments into secondary fermentation vessel of dark glass (or wrap clear glass with brown paper), filling only to the upper shoulder of the secodary, and fit airlock. Leftover must should be placed in a 750-ml wine bottle with airlock (a #2 bung fits most wine bottles) and used for topping up. Top up when all danger of foaming over is past. Place in cool (60-65 degrees F.) dark place for three weeks. Rack, allow another two months to finish, then rack again and bottle in dark glass. Allow a year to mature to a nice semi-sec. [Adapted from Raymond Massaccesi's Winemaker's Recipe Handbook]
BLACKBERRY WINE (3) [Medium Bodied
Sweet]
- 4 lb blackberries
- 3 lb granulated sugar
- 1 gallon water
- wine yeast and nutrient
Pick fully ripe, best quality berries. Wash thoroughly in colander, then crush in bowl, transfer to primary fermentation vessel, and add gallon of boiling water, mixing thoroughly. When lukewarn (70 degrees F.), add yeast, cover, and set in warm (70-75 degrees F.) place 4-5 days, stirring daily. Strain throught very fine nylon sieve or double thickness of muslin onto sugar and nutrient. Stir well to dissolve sugar and pour into secondary fermentation vessel of dark glass (or wrap clear glass with brown paper) to top of shoulder, and fit airlock. Ferment excess liquor in appropriately sized bottle fitted with airlock or covered with plastic wrap held by rubber band. After all foaming has ceased (6-7 days), top up with excess liquor and place in cool (60-65 degrees F.) dark place for three months. Rack, allow another two months to finish, then rack again and bottle in dark glass. Allow 6 months to age, a year to mature. [Adapted from C.J.J. Berry's 130 New Winemaking Recipes]
BLACKBERRY WINE (4) [Light Bodied
Sweet]
- 3 lb blackberries
- 2-3/4 lb. granulated sugar
- 7 pts water
- wine yeast and nutrient
Pick fully ripe, best quality berries. Wash thoroughly in colander, then crush in bowl, transfer to primary fermentation vessel, and add water, mixing thoroughly. Allow to seep overnight, then strain through nylon sieve onto the sugar. Stir well to dissolve sugar, add yeast and nutrient, cover, and set in warm (70-75 degrees F.) place one week, stirring daily. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel of dark glass (or wrap clear glass with brown paper), filling only to the upper shoulder of the secodary, and fit airlock. Leftover must should be placed in a 750-ml wine bottle with airlock (a #2 bung fits most wine bottles) and used for topping up. Top up when all danger of foaming over is past. Place in cool (60-65 degrees F.) dark place for three months. Rack, allow another two months to finish, then rack again and bottle in dark glass. Allow 6 months to age, a year to mature. [Adapted from C.J.J. Berry's First Steps in Winemaking]
BRAZOS BLACKBERRY WINE [Heavy Bodied
Dry]
- 5-6 lb.
- 2-1/2 lb. granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme
- 7 pts. water
- wine yeast and nutrient
Pick only the deep black ripe ones, and don't be too concerned about gathering those which are a few days past ripe. Wash the berries carefully but thoroughly in a colander. Crush them in a bowl or crock, trasnfer the must to a primary fermentation vessel, and pour 7 pts. boiling water over must. Allow to seep for two days, then strain through nylon sieve onto the sugar. Stir well to dissolve sugar, add pectic enzyme, cover well, and set aside for 24 hours. Add yeast and nutrient, cover, and set aside 5-6 days, stirring daily. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel of dark glass (or wrap clear glass with brown paper) to top of shoulder and fit airlock. Place in cool (60-65 degrees F.) dark place for three months. Rack, allow another two months to finish, then rack again and bottle in dark glass and store in a dark place. Allow 6 months to age, a year to mature. [Author's own recipe]
BLACKBERRY-BLACK-PLUM WINE
- 4 lbs blackberries
- 2 lbs black plums
- 2-1/4 lbs granulated sugar
- 7 pts water
- 1 tsp pectic
enzyme
- 1 crushed Campden tablet
- wine yeast and nutrient
Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash and sort the blackberries and plums. Destone the plums and chop. In bowl, mash the plums and put in nylon straining bag. Add blackberries to bag, tie the end closed, and set in bottom of primary. Mash the blackberries in bag with potato masher or piece of hardwood. Add sugar to primary and pour boiling water over fruit pulp and sugar, stirring to dissolve sudar. Allow to cool to lukewarm, then add pectic enzyme, cover, and set aside two days. Add yeast and nutrient. Ferment 7 days, submerging and gently squeezing bag daily. Drip drain, transfer liquor to dark secondary and fit airlock. Set aside for 2 months. Rack and set aside another 2 months, then rack again. Allow to clear, then rack, refit airlock and bulk age another 4 months. Rack into bottles. Allow to age one year.