Pitting cherries for cherry wine?

[cottonwoodks]

Hi, one of my favorite wines that I've ever made was cherry wine (made with cherries that I found in the freezer from 2016 and 2019). The wine was so delicious. But as I'm picking cherries this year, I'm wondering--do I really need to pit the cherries? Couldn't I just make the wine with the cherries whole? It all gets strained out anyway..... It sure would save a lot of time.

 

[lumpher]

You DEFINITELY need to remove the pits. They contain Prussic Acid (also known as Cyanide).

 

[cottonwoodks]

Would that leach out of the pits during the primary ferment? (I mean, it's not like the pits would get crushed or anything.....)

 

[madgardener]

I make cherry wine every year and I don't pit mine, just put them through a fruit press

 

[madgardener]

If you opt to use unpitted cherries but still have concerns about cyanide ( only an issue if you crack the pits), you can use these to check.
https://www.chemsee.com/residential/cyanide/cyanide-detector/