I have 15 lbs of sweet cherries.
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Marlowefire
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WIP said:
Second this.
Brewerone
Well-Known Member
Cherry wine it is. I did a batch of black cherry wine. For the first 3 weeks, the wine was a fiery red color. Then out of nowhere it turn really dark. Almost a black color, more like a dark purple. It was fantastic. You don't have to pit the cherries, just don't crush the seeds. It will ruin the wine.
Noe
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http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques61.asp
I don't know how these will turn out because I've never made them but if you want a sweeter wine you can always sweeten at the end.
Jacob_Marley
Well-Known Member
I'm down to my last bottle of a really nice cherry/apple wine with coriander and spices. Am saving the last bottle for Christmas this year. Really turned out to be a nice winter holiday wine.
Brewerone
Well-Known Member
raven2963 said:
Actually, I do!
Cherry Wine recipe
Makes a 6 gallon batch
16 lbs Cherries
2 1/2 TSP Bentonite
1 1/2 TSP Wine Tannin
6 Campden Tablets
18 lbs corn sugar (36 cups)
5 TSP Acid Blend
6 TSP yeast nutrient
1 yeast pack EC-1118
1 1/4 TSP Pectic Enzyme
7.8 Gallon Fermenting Pale
Day One
In a fermenting pale, hand crush cherries (do not break the seeds). Add bentonite, acid blend, wine tannin, and Campden tablets. Then add enough water to cover cherries. Cover pale with towel.
Day Two
Add water 5.5 gallons in pale. Then add sugar, pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient, and yeast packet. Stir for one minute. If you use cane sugar, you will have to use less sugar. I got a 1.095 S.G.
Day Three until S.G. Gets under 1.020
Stir everyday for one minute. I like and increased alcohol content. So after the fourth day when the fermentation process is really going, I added 2lbs (4 cups) of corn sugar a day for three days. Total of 6lbs.
Adding the extra sugar took about 12-14 days to get down to S.G. of 1.010
Once you get down to 1.010, rack wine and fit with airlock. I find it beneficial to keep some of your sediment while racking, as you have some yeast down there.
In about a month and a half, your fermentation process should be coming close to an end. I added an amazing clarifier called Sparkalliod. It will clear your wine in three days, but I recommend waiting at least two weeks after adding to bottle. I saw fools gold after three days and bottled once. A week later, I had a little Haze the bottom of my wine bottles.
There is a significant difference in the way this wine tastes from month two to month three. It never made to month four, so I wouldn't know
Actually, I do!
Cherry Wine recipe
Makes a 6 gallon batch
16 lbs Cherries
2 1/2 TSP Bentonite
1 1/2 TSP Wine Tannin
6 Campden Tablets
18 lbs corn sugar (36 cups)
5 TSP Acid Blend
6 TSP yeast nutrient
1 yeast pack EC-1118
1 1/4 TSP Pectic Enzyme
7.8 Gallon Fermenting Pale
Day One
In a fermenting pale, hand crush cherries (do not break the seeds). Add bentonite, acid blend, wine tannin, and Campden tablets. Then add enough water to cover cherries. Cover pale with towel.
Day Two
Add water 5.5 gallons in pale. Then add sugar, pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient, and yeast packet. Stir for one minute. If you use cane sugar, you will have to use less sugar. I got a 1.095 S.G.
Day Three until S.G. Gets under 1.020
Stir everyday for one minute. I like and increased alcohol content. So after the fourth day when the fermentation process is really going, I added 2lbs (4 cups) of corn sugar a day for three days. Total of 6lbs.
Adding the extra sugar took about 12-14 days to get down to S.G. of 1.010
Once you get down to 1.010, rack wine and fit with airlock. I find it beneficial to keep some of your sediment while racking, as you have some yeast down there.
In about a month and a half, your fermentation process should be coming close to an end. I added an amazing clarifier called Sparkalliod. It will clear your wine in three days, but I recommend waiting at least two weeks after adding to bottle. I saw fools gold after three days and bottled once. A week later, I had a little Haze the bottom of my wine bottles.
There is a significant difference in the way this wine tastes from month two to month three. It never made to month four, so I wouldn't know
This looks like a good recipe.. A few questions as this will be my first wine.. Will this be sweet or dry? Also if I use cane sugar how much less will I need? Thanks
Brewerone
Well-Known Member
raven2963 said:
When I use cane sugar, I used about 12 lbs or 24 cups of sugar. Generally speaking, how much sugar u add at the beginning of your wine won't necessarily determine how sweet your wine will be. For instance, if you use let's say 12 lbs of cane sugar and a yeast that has an alcohol tolerance of 12-14% u may end up with a sweet wine. Whereas with the same amount of sugar and using yeast with and alcohol tolerance of 18% like the EC-1118 I like to use, you could end up with a dryer wine. If you let it completely ferment out. You can stop your fermentation process early if you like with Potassium Sorbate. I recommend getting some of that. I like to use dextrose monohydrate or corn sugar as opposed to cane sugar, because it has more fermentable sugars than cane sugar. Also when starting your initial fermentation, u need to stay within a certain range to start the fermentation process. Somewhere between a specific gravity of 1.060 and 1.100. Remember when I said I like a high alcohol content, well I tried to put enough sugar in my must to get me to 18% alcohol. My fermentation never started and it wont if you try it. I had to dump a 6 gallon batch.
Now on to resweetening your wine. This is where I love honey. Honey is only going to make your wine so sweet. You can make the mistake of adding too much honey, not to worry cause you really won't taste the difference. Cane sugar on the other hand. Well let's just say don't get to heavy handed with that. You can over sweeten your wine. Remember to kill the fermentation process first before sweetening, cause you'll start that fermentation all over again.
Jacob_Marley
Well-Known Member
You leave the cherries in the primary fermenter (the bucket you use for the initial stage of fermenting) until your hydrometer reads around 1.01.
You leave them in the whole period of initial or "primary" fermentation because the longer you leave the crushed cherries in the ferment the more color, flavor and sugar will be extracted from them.
If you haven't purchased your supplies yet, make sure you get the pectic enzyme, and I'd buy the yeast called Lalvin 71B-1122 ... not critical on the yeast, but that's what I'd recommend.
When I use cherries, I put them in ziplock bags and put them in the freezer for approximately a week. That way, when you pull them out and thaw them they are soft and the juice comes out much more easily. Then when you go to crush them they will be one *hell* of a lot easier to crush.
BTW the cherries absolutely positively have to be crushed to make this wine.
You leave them in the whole period of initial or "primary" fermentation because the longer you leave the crushed cherries in the ferment the more color, flavor and sugar will be extracted from them.
If you haven't purchased your supplies yet, make sure you get the pectic enzyme, and I'd buy the yeast called Lalvin 71B-1122 ... not critical on the yeast, but that's what I'd recommend.
When I use cherries, I put them in ziplock bags and put them in the freezer for approximately a week. That way, when you pull them out and thaw them they are soft and the juice comes out much more easily. Then when you go to crush them they will be one *hell* of a lot easier to crush.
BTW the cherries absolutely positively have to be crushed to make this wine.
Jacob_Marley
Well-Known Member
Just use a second (foodsafe) pail and split the batch in half. Split your chemicals and additions (sugar etc) between the two. It will all end up in one single "secondary fermenter" anyway. (I'm assuming")
If you are feeling flush with money, you can go buy a larger primary fermenter. Places like Sam's Club (I think) and others have these ... maybe even Home Depot. You would want to look for a plastic "garbage can" that specifically has the "NSF" logo some where on it. That is the indication that it is considered food-safe.
The ones I use are Rubbermaid "Brutes" which are 30 gallon NSF rated "garbage cans". They are about $30 each but you can usually also find pails in the 10 gallon and 20 gallon range as well. Like I say ... just make sure the "NSF" logo is somewhere on the pail (usually on the bottom).
The logo will look something like this ...
http://cms.ukintpress.com/UserFiles/Image/TTT images/National-Science-Foundation.jpg
btw: pails that originally came with food in them are considered foodsafe ... so ones that you might pick up from your local friendly Burger King etc (or Jimmy Johns for their 6 gallon pails ... woot!) are good to use.
If you are feeling flush with money, you can go buy a larger primary fermenter. Places like Sam's Club (I think) and others have these ... maybe even Home Depot. You would want to look for a plastic "garbage can" that specifically has the "NSF" logo some where on it. That is the indication that it is considered food-safe.
The ones I use are Rubbermaid "Brutes" which are 30 gallon NSF rated "garbage cans". They are about $30 each but you can usually also find pails in the 10 gallon and 20 gallon range as well. Like I say ... just make sure the "NSF" logo is somewhere on the pail (usually on the bottom).
The logo will look something like this ...
http://cms.ukintpress.com/UserFiles/Image/TTT images/National-Science-Foundation.jpg
btw: pails that originally came with food in them are considered foodsafe ... so ones that you might pick up from your local friendly Burger King etc (or Jimmy Johns for their 6 gallon pails ... woot!) are good to use.
Brewerone
Well-Known Member
Jacob is right about freezing the cherries first. As the fruit freezes, the ice penetrates the pectin in the fruit. Pectic enzyme breaks down pectin in fruit which all fruit have. To give u an idea of what pectin is, imagine If grapes didn't have pectin in them. As soon as you peel a piece of the outside layer off all of the juice would run out. On the other hand if you wanted to make a jam or fruit preserve, you would add pectin to your fruit juice to hold it together. if you have any question please feel free to ask.
