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Blackberry wine (medium)

• The fruit should be picked when ripe and dry, on a sunny day.
• Wash it thoroughly, being careful to remove any small maggots that may sometimes be found in blackberries.
• Place the fruit in a fermenting bucket and crush it with a potato masher..
• Cover with the boiling water, stir well, and allow to cool to about 21°C
• Add the pectic enzyme according to instructions, and a day later, add the wine yeast and yeast nutrient.
• Cover closely and leave for 4 to 5 days, stirring daily.
• Strain the mixture through a nylon net or sieve onto 1.5 kg (3 lb) of brewing sugar.
• Stir well to ensure that all ingredients are dissolved.
• Pour it into a dark fermenting jar (Demi John), filled to the shoulder, and fitted with an airlock.
• Keep the spare liquor in a smaller bottle also fitted with a trap or plug of cotton wool.
• When the fermentation has quietened sufficiently to eliminate the risk of it forming through the trap (after a week), top up the wine to the base of the neck and refit the trap.
• Leave until it clears, and then rack for the first time.