I have a friend, seriously…
A couple of shots of what’s going on.
Need to add sugar! Came in at just under 14 brix which is high for blueberries. We are shooting for 12% ABV on the wine and 13 for the stuff that will get distilled. We’ve added all of the sugar to the wine fermenters at this point (8/19) but only half to the distillery stuff as we are trying to lengthen the fermentation. Also, the weird photo where it looks all shiny is some down and dirty carbonic maceration/fermentation. Basically after adding sugar and pitching yeast we covered the fruit with heavy duty plastic and put about 2 inches of water on top of that to seal it off from the air. That is for the distillery. Hopefully that will really build in aromatic fruitiness which we prize since this is all being distilled and we want highly charged aromatics going into that.
Still a ways to go. Maybe next weekend these will get pressed. Hard to say.
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How go (or went) the blueberries, @Jim_Anderson, for you and Kelley? It’s a very interesting project, and I wish you both the best.
I had a blueberry dessert wine just once, and it was at a British Columbia winery where it was easily the best wine they had among, sadly, some relatively sub-par grape-based wines. I say this because if they were able to execute on that, despite apparent challenges with their other offerings, I have high hopes for you and Kelley.
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Blueberry wine seems excellent. Definitely some learning curve stuff we did not anticipate! Still that was about process rather than result.
Distillery stuff is going to be wicked.
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Thank you, Jim. Sounds great, and I admire the willingness to experiment.
Any clue when it will be available for sale? I cannot wait to try the Blueberry wine you & Kelley made.
Planning on a May bottling date. There will actually be two wines although they will be the same wine. This is purely a technicality based on obeying the TTB rules and regs. One will be Kelley Fox Wines the other Wolves Above. Same everything. Kelley will probably sell most of that label into distribution.
I will say we have learned a lot of lessons. I think the wine will be delicious and more Pinot Noir like than the Bartlett version (if just based on the wood use alone). I think we have stuff to be proud of.
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Jim, any thought about making this a regular thing?
That’s the plan. We have spoken with the farmers about the berries for this coming year.
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I’m in for 6 initially. If this is an annual thing, that’s super exciting!!
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Bottling it tomorrow.
I hate to say it but…it is so stinking good. It was a fuck ton of work because we were learning on the job and certainly learned lessons the hard way. But it’s a great wine. Seriously. It’s Pinot Noir made with blueberries.
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Where/when is it available for purchase?
We’re splitting it in half. Kelley is primarily working with distributors. I, through Patricia Green Cellars, will be selling it direct. It is NOT a Patricia Green Cellars wine but I need the legal and licensed entity to be able to sell it. I will send more detailed info when it’s all in the system and set up.
Here is the label. It is under our weird joint company called Wolves Above. I think we are going with $45/bottle.
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Any updates on how to buy this?
Oops. Thought I had addressed it all!
Easiest way is to email caroline@patriciagreencellars.com and she will walk you through it all! Thanks for the heads up.
Great, thanks!
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We’re at it again! We picked a little over a week ago. Talk about the ag business fluctuating. Last year we harvested over 11 tons from the field and there were probably another 4-5 tons out there. This year, from the entire field, 1.16 tons. 3 partially full bins and one fermenter. Not even 3 barrels of wine.
We picked a little later/riper. Not sure what the drastically limited yield means for blueberries/blueberry wine vis a vis grapes/vinous wine but the wine in fermenter tastes more powerful and concentrated than the 2022 version. Which, by the way, is drinking great, especially with a tiny bit of chill on it.
Kelley and I will each get a barrel of our own for 2022. Not much obviously. Selling the 2022 through the year but the 2023? Probably gone in a couple of days.
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I can personally attest that the 2022 is really fun and special. Absolutely worth buying (eager to get mine shipped when summer temps subside).
I have many fond memories of dry blueberry wines from my childhood in PA, some of which were taken very seriously by their creators; I’d love to taste this once it’s completed.
Jim,
Can I just leave my card on file and have you charge me each harvest (joking…joking). I’m in for 6 in the lean years, and 12 in the years where you have more stock. (not a joke).
I cannot wait to taste this as the last bottling I had was amazing. I didn’t see a vintage on the label, it will be even more exciting to get to taste these wines across multiple vintages.
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