Blackberry Wine

What you will need:

2½ lb blackberries
½ lb sultanas
Campden tablets
2 lb sugar
Wine yeast
Nutrient
Water

EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO MAKE ONE GALLON OF WINE (5 LITRES)

5 litre/1 gallon white plastic food grade bin and lid
5 litre/1 gallon demijohn either glass or plastic
Cork with hole and airlock
Fine nylon Straining bag
Syphon
Hydrometer/Trial Jar
Steriliser
Full Instructions

Wash the fruit well. Place the fruit in a white food grade bin with lid. Pour over the fruit 2 pints of boiling water, stir well, crushing the fruit gently. When cool, add one teaspoon of Pectolase. Cover and leave at room temperature over night. The next day dissolve the sugar in 2 pints of hot water and add to the bin of blackberries. When cool add a good wine yeast and yeast nutrient. Cover closely with the lid and leave in a warm place for 4 to 5 days (75of/21C).

After 4 to 5 days strain the liquid into a demijohn and leave for the rest of the fermentation time under cork and airlock. Top up to the neck of the demijohn with cool boiled water. Leave in a warm place out of direct sunlight (75of/21C)

Leave until fermentation has ended. There will be some sediment at the bottom of the demijohn so the wine will need to be racked off into a clean vessel and a campden tablet added to preserve the wine. If using a hydrometer the finished S.G. should read 0.998 or lower.

The wine can now be left to mature in a cool place or if crystal clear, bottled. If you would like to sweeten the wine add a non-fermenting wine sweetener.

TIP: For a delicious variation to this recipe try adding either 1lb of Elderberries or 2lb of cut up Apples to each gallon of wine at the bin stage.