"I have a Youngberry vine that produces huge amounts of delicious black fruits. Have you
heard of a recipe to make wine with them?" Anthony Gillam, Mt Barker, Western Australia
Youngberries were named after B.M. Young, a 20th century fruit grower. While they look very much like Boysenberries, they are actually a cross between a blackberry and a dewberry. They have purplish-black, large (1.5 x 1.25 in), firm, shiny fruit; excellent flavor, less acid. They tend to be immune to many diseases to which blackberries fall. They are very hardy, capable of surviving adverse weather.
Select only ripe berries. Freeze in gallon-sized ZipLoc freezer bags for two weeks and then thaw. Dissolve pectic enzyme in one pint water and add to berries. Cover and set aside 24 hours. Press berries to extract juice. Add remaining water and test acidity and specific gravity. Add sugar and malic acid as required to achieve 1.090 s.g. and 0.6% TA, stirring well to dissolve thoroughly. Dissolve crushed Campden tablet and yeast nutrient in must, cover, and set aside 12 hours. Add activated yeast, recover primary, and ferment 7-10 days to 1.020 s.g., stirring daily. Rack into secondary and attach airlock. Rack every 30 days until wine is clear and no new sediments form during 30-day interval. Stabilize, wait 10-14 days, and rack into bottles. Age 12 months or more before tasting. [Author's own recipe]
My thanks to Anthony Gillam of Mt Barker, Western Australia, for this request.
