Please help me convert this chokecherry wine recipe to 1 gallon

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TasunkaWitko

TasunkaWitko

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After a ridiculously-hectic summer, I'd like to make some wine using the Master Vintner Fresh Harvest kit that my wife got for me for my birthday:

http://mastervintner.com/master-vintner-fresh-harvest-fruit-winemaking-kit/

Since it is "that time of year" up here in north-central Montana, I'm going to make my first batch from chokecherries, which are quintessential to my area:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_virginiana

This is my first attempt at making "real" wine, and of course want to try to get it done right; for this reason, I'll be going with a tried-and-true recipe, rather than trying to come up with something on my own. The recipe I've chosen is from E.C. Kraus's website:

http://www.eckraus.com/winerecipes/chokecherrywine.pdf

Unfortunately, it's written for 5 gallons, and I could use some help converting it to 1 gallon. Also, if anyone has a tried-and-true recipe for a 1-gallon batch of chokecherry wine, I'd be grateful to see it.

Any further tips or advice specific to making chokecherry wine would be appreciated, as well.

Thanks in advance for your help. When I begin this project, I'll start a new thread documenting my process and progess.

Ron
 
My recipe is here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=121092

Many recipes are written for various batch sizes. Since you are making a one gallon batch, just divide the ingredients by five except for the yeast. Use a whole package of yeast.

My recipe is for 15 gallons, so it should be divided by 15 for a one gallon batch. I don't think the grape concentrate I use comes in smaller amounts, so you could leave that out and instead add a few raisins for body.
 
Alright, looking at a few top internet sources, it looks like one should use 3 pounds of chokecherries for 1 gallon of chokecherry wine, so I set aside three pounds of the chokecherries that we gathered yesterday, and will proceed from there.

As for the other ingredients, some guidance would be appreciated; but if no one knows, I'll do my best to find some answers on the internet.
 
Hi, Yooper - we must have been posting at the same time, because I missed your post. thanks for the advice - I will read the thread thoroughly and keep posting as I progress!

I measured out the chokecherries and have them in the freezer now; I'm looking at starting this wine next weekend, and will use the time between now and then to read up.
 
Based on the E.C. Kraus recipe and Yooper's recipe above, I am trying to get a recipe for a 1-gallon batch put together. The good news is that it appears that there is some leeway where some of the ingredients are concerned, so I'm doing my best to "average things out" for simplicity's sake.

Here is what I have so far - if anyone sees any glaring errors, please let me know. I am still reading and trying to learn how the ingredients work together etc., but am hopefully on the right track.

For 1 gallon of chokecherry wine:

3 pounds chokecherries
2 pounds of sugar
1/4 teaspoon pectic enzyme
1/2 teaspoon yeast nutrient
Handful of raisins (up to a pound?)
1 to 2 campden tablets
*acid blend
*1 package of yeast

*Acid blend - The recipe for 5 gallons says to use 5 teaspoons of acid blend, and the recipe for 15 gallons says to use 5 teaspoons of acid blend; my question is, should I use 1 teaspoon, 5 teaspoons or something in-between?

*Yeast - I've seen Montrachet, E-1118 and Premier Cuvée mentioned; is any one better than the other? My goal is to have a nice chokecherry wine with some sweetness and fruit flavor.
 
I'm running out the door at this minute, but I have some definite thoughts I want to put down for you on this. I'll get to it as soon as I get back in a couple of hours, if you can wait a bit.
 
If you've got a few #s of choke cherries left over, would you be willing to ship them to me (can't get them down here in the south)
 
Hi, Yooper - I'll be grateful for any advice. This is my first batch of "real" wine, so any guidance is helpful and appreciated. My main problem is converting things over from large batch to the 1 gallon that I am doing; some of those measurements don't break down very well into small amounts!

Hi, BigFloppy - I only saved 3 pounds of chokecherries, which is exactly what I need for this recipe - if I am able to get some more soon, I can see about getting some to you, or perhaps some other folks reading this thread might be able to get some to you!
 
Ok, for 5 gallons, my recipe is this:
15 pounds chokecherries (freeze them first, it makes them easier to crush)
9 pounds sugar
1 pint concentrate
1-2 teaspoons pectic enzyme
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
1 tsp acid blend
5 crushed campden tablets
1 package wine yeast

My notes over the years show the amount of sugar varies greatly, depending on the amount of sugar in the chokecherries. If you don't have a refractometer, I'd go lower on the sugar, and add more sugar later rather than starting too high and risking rocket fuel or a sweet wine that didn't finish.

Last year, 8 pounds of sugar was a bit too much in a 5 gallon batch (an OG of 1.100 which is ok, but ideally I'd go with 1.090-1.095 initially).

So, for a one gallon batch............

2-1/2 lbs chokecherries
2# table sugar
1 tsp acid blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/4 tsp grape tannin (or less)
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 crushed Campden tablet
Champagne yeast

Freeze berries first, for ease in crushing, but no need to destone. Place in a a sanitized mesh nylon bag (very large so the berries have room), and then bring approximately 6 pints of water to a boil, and add 1.5# of sugar. Stir in acid blend, grape tannin, yeast nutrient, and crushed campden tablet. Pour over the berries. Stir well, cover loosely and let stand 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme and let stand another 12 hours. Stir well, estimate volume (you will be removing the chokecherry pulp, so I lift out the bag and look at the volume in the primary bucket). Check the SG to ensure it is between 1.085-1.100. Write this number down. Add yeast, stir and cover again. Gently squeeze bag twice daily to extract juice. After five days, drain bag and squeeze well to extract as much juice as you can. Rack to secondary, and fit airlock. If the original SG was low, this is the time to add addition sugar to boost the ABV. Rack when lees are 1/4" thick, or in about 30 days. After that, rack whenever lees are 1/4" thick, or if there are any lees at all in 60 days.
After no new lees fall after at least 60 days, and the wine is clear, it can be stabilized and sweetened if desired, or racked onto oak for a period of time for a table wine.

I would miss the grape concentrate in this, so I would add a few raisins in secondary for body and flavor.
In a batch about 5 years ago, I got 1.094 from 8 pounds of sugar in 5 gallons, so I'd start low (the 1.5 pound above) and add more later if necessary. The batch the following year needed 12 pounds of sugar in a 6 gallon batch, so you can see how much it varies!
 
Since chokecherries are so high in acid why are you adding acid blend? In our way of thinking trying to use the most fruit, wouldnt it be better to just add more chokecherries to supply all the acid needed in the wine so you get a little more flavor or do the tannins catch up with you at those levels? Hope to start our own very soon for the first time and want to get this right. WVMJ
 
WVMJ said:
Since chokecherries are so high in acid why are you adding acid blend? In our way of thinking trying to use the most fruit, wouldnt it be better to just add more chokecherries to supply all the acid needed in the wine so you get a little more flavor or do the tannins catch up with you at those levels? Hope to start our own very soon for the first time and want to get this right. WVMJ
Click to expand...

They aren't as high in acid as you'd think- not as high as something like blueberries or apples. The astringency is strong, but not the acid. The acid blend balances it out quite a lot in my opinion, but of course can be left out initially and added to taste.

When it goes dry, chokecherry wine isn't tart like many other fruit wines are initially. I hope that makes sense!
 
Hi, Yooper - and thanks a million for such good information! I have been loving chokecherries all my life, but for some reason have never enjoyed them as wine - a deficiency that I expect to be corrected soon, thanks to your help!

I believe that I have everything to start this, except the champagne yeast and possibly the grape tannin (which might be in the kit that I have), which I will have to order with on my next payday.

Question on the raisins - I believe you said that golden raisins are the way to go. When you say "a few," are we talking about a handful, a cup, or more?

The chokecherries are currently in the freezer, so we're all good there. With luck, I will have some news to report before long.

Thanks again, and I will of course keep you advised on the progress by beginning a new thread when I get started. :mug:

Ron
 
I am 90% sure that it is Montrachet ~ I'm at work so will have to text my son and see if he can check, or I can when I get home.
 
Hi, Yooper -

Sounds great - other than that, it looks like I am ready to begin, and the only thing that is holding me back is...me!

I'll get a new thread going when I begin the project, and will document the process. Considering my "consumption rate," I have no real need or desire to brew or make wine in large batches, so I really appreciate the help in scaling down to 1 gallon ~
 
Yooper said:
They aren't as high in acid as you'd think- not as high as something like blueberries or apples. The astringency is strong, but not the acid. The acid blend balances it out quite a lot in my opinion, but of course can be left out initially and added to taste.

When it goes dry, chokecherry wine isn't tart like many other fruit wines are initially. I hope that makes sense!
Click to expand...

We had a lot of rain and not so much heat this year so the berries were plump and not very acidic and also not so high in tannins that you needed to spit them out, you still didnt want to eat a handfull of them. I like to make the first batch of anything as simple as possible though I think these are going to be put in a melomel with some darker honey to balance out the tannins. Thanks, WVMJ
 
@Yooper - a couple of questions, if I may ~

Raisins - about how many would you recommend? For a gallon, I've seen numbers everywhere from "a few" to a pound.

Temperature - is about 70 degrees good, or should I be looking cooler or warmer?

Thanks!

Ron
 
TasunkaWitko said:
@Yooper - a couple of questions, if I may ~

Raisins - about how many would you recommend? For a gallon, I've seen numbers everywhere from "a few" to a pound.

Temperature - is about 70 degrees good, or should I be looking cooler or warmer?

Thanks!

Ron
Click to expand...

A pound is a lot- I would start with far less. "A Few" is about right, I'd guess. :D

70 degrees or so is great.
 
That will do!

I appreciate all of your assistance with this. I will try to start this weekend! :mug:
 
Well, between hunting season and life in general, I have not yet gotten this started. I'm shooting for this weekend, next weekend at the latest!
 
Well, Glory be ~ I was finally able to start my chokecherry wine today!

My dad, who used to watch his dad make chokecherry wine, came over today telling me about his progress with his own first batch of wine, which he started a couple of days ago. Because of this, I figured that now is the time to finally get going, and I am sure glad that I did. Everything went very smoothly, and I think that I am going to end up with some very nice wine. It actually took longer to get the equipment clean and sanitised than it did to actually get the wine going, so once again, I am kicking myself for taking so long in getting a project started. I could have been sampling some wine right now, If I would have gotten going on it!

My heartfelt thanks to @Yooper for all of her assistance, and I'll keep posting as to how it goes.
 
I did my first stirring and pitched my Montrachet yeast today; I had intended to make a yeast starter, but forgot to do so.

Ambient temperatures are right around 70 degrees, plus or minus a couple of degrees, depending on the time of day.

If I read Yooper's instructions correctly, the primary bucket should be covered loosely (not clamped down) and the airlock should not be on, until it goes into secondary. My dad agrees with this, saying that is how he is doing his. If we're wrong, please let me know!

The only other question I have is this: I am assuming that during this first week of stirring, squeezing etc., oxygen is not a concern; the time to keep it with a small headspace to avoid oxygenating is after it goes to secondary, correct?

Other than that, We're cruising along here, and I think that all is well.
 
I stirred my must and squeezed my bag of chokecherries today after work. I was unsure about just how vigorously I should be squeezing things out, so I gave it a few firm squeezes, squishing around so as to hopefully mash up the chokecherries (but not the stones, of course), and then called it good. It did look like a lot of pulpy stuff seeped out of the mesh bag, and I am guessing that by the time my first week is through, I'll have what is essentially a bag of skins and pits.

Temperatures had fallen to 68 degrees, but I am going to guess that this is okay, as long as it was only for a short time. I bumped the heat up and tucked the fermenting bucket away until tomorrow.

The must is looking great, with a characteristic chokecherry colour starting to deepen from purple (with a hint of brown) into deep burgundy. I did not notice any signs of active fermentation, but this is my first batch, so I am not sure what exactly to expect. There were the very beginnings of foam on top, it seemed, so I'll check it tomorrow and see what I have. It is really starting to smell rich as well, almost like the beginning of wine, so I am assuming that I am on the right track.

With my first attempt, I did not add tannin to the recipe, as my dad was insistent that his dad never used it, apparently on the grounds that the few small stems that make it through the picking process provide the necessary tannins. The recipe only calls for 1/4 teaspoon for the gallon, and I am hoping that the wine is not affected in any adverse way. My goal is a rich, slightly-sweet, slightly-fruity wine, so time will tell.
 
I looked in on my wine this morning. Ambient temperature was 68 degrees, so I bumped it up just a tiny bit to stay around 70. It was dark in the room, but I think I saw the beginnings of some foam at the top, which I would take as a confirmation of fermentation. It might also have been the mesh bag; I'll know for sure when I get home from work.

I am definitely getting some wonderful, chokecherry-powered aroma from this must, and to me, it definitely SMELLS like fermentation is happening. This is my first batch of any "real" wine, so in many ways I am not sure what to expect. Going forward, I plan to use a hydrometer, as I should have been doing all along, but for now, it seems that things are progressing.

When I get home from work tonight, I'll confirm visual signs of fermentation, stir, squeeze etc.

More as it happens, etc. &c.

Ron
 
I came home tonight from work and checked on my wine before stirring it. It looks like things are going well!

Ambient temperatures are holding steady as above, and the wine is getting a nice, deep aroma that definitely has some fermentation in it. Colour remains as described above, a nice deep burgundy with a bare hint of tan or brown added. I still do not see any real foam on top, but maybe I am expecting to see it because of the krausen that I am used to seeing with beer brewing. The wine is quite cloudy now, which is expected, and as I squeezed the mesh bag full of chokecherries, I was getting plenty of good, thick pulp into the bucket. I was also able to feel that about half of the chokecherries are squeezed down to the point where they are pretty much just pits. By Friday, I am guessing that this will be the case for nearly all of the bag, if not all of it.

A few errant drops gave themselves up to a taste test, and I think we've got some good things here. It is actually starting to taste like a young wine; just slightly more sour or acidic than I expected, but I assume that will balance out. There's also plenty of sweetness still, and oodles of chokecherry flavour.

That's all I have for now. Since this has gone from the planning stages to the execution stages, I'll probably open a new thread and copy the information relating to the wine-making itself to that new thread. This thread has served its purpose, and will make a great beginning for anyone who is trying to make a gallon batch of chokecherry wine.

When I do start the new thread, I'll post a link here.
 

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