Blackberry Port Wine

• 8 lb. ripe blackberries
• 1/2 pt. red grape concentrate
• 1/2 c. light dry malt
• 1-3/4 lb. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme
• 1-1/2 tsp. acid blend
• 5 to 5-1/2 pt. water (depends of size of berries)
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• 1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
• 1 tsp. yest nutrient
• 1 pkt. Lalvin K1-V1116 (Montpellier) or a port wine yeast

Wash and crush blackberries in nylon straining bag and strain juice into primary fermentation vessel. Tie top of nylon bag and place in primary. Stir in all other ingredients except pectic enzyme, yeast and red grape concentrate. Stir well to dissolve sugar, cover well, and set aside for 8-12 hours. Add pectic enzyme, recover, and set aside additional 8-12 hours. Add yeast, cover, stir ingredients daily, and press pulp in nylon bag to extract flavor. When specific gravity is 1.030 (about 5 days), strain juice from bag and siphon liquor off sediments into secondary fermentation vessel. Fit airlock and set aside. Rack in three weeks and again in two months. When wine is clear and well past last evidence of fermentation, stabilize, add red grape concentrate, and set aside for 3 weeks. If no evidence of refermentation, rack again and bottle. Allow at least a year to mature, but will improve for several years. [Author’s own recipe]