Blueberry Ginger Wine
One of many ferments on the go at our house, here is my recent batch of wine.
As usual, I added lots of ginger. It’s worth pointing out that although Kevin doesn’t care too much for ginger, he likes this wine.
Although I used wine yeast which has the potential of a much higher alcohol content, I opted to keep it on the lower end this time and made this batch 6% ABV.
I debated adding a second round of sugar but really liked the flavor and bottled it instead.
I used:
3 c grated ginger
2 c blueberries
1/2 c lemon juice
20 peppercorns
1/2 cinnamon stick
Pinch sea salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 gallons water
5 c white sugar
3 c brown sugar
Pkg. Red Star wine/champagne yeast
I boiled the fruits and spices, then left it to simmer for 30 minutes before straining into a mash bucket. I added the sugar while it was still hot so it would dissolve. Once it cooled to 80F I added my yeast.
I took a hydrometer reading which showed 1.07 specific gravity (S.G.). I divided the liquid into 2 gallon milk jugs and covered the tops with several layers of cheesecloth held on by elastics.
Once the S.G. reached 1.03 (I believe it was around day 5 but forgot to write it down!), I racked it off, and replaced the cheesecloth with airlocks. The smaller airlocks I have fit perfectly in milk jugs.:)
After a couple more days, the S.G. was at 1.01, and I had to decide whether to add more sugar or not. I opted for having a drink that much sooner and bottled it up.
One gallon of it is aging in the back room, and the rest is being enjoyed!
