Wild chokecherry wine

[Yooper]

I just started 25 gallons of this the other day. It's been a while since I've looked through this thread, and I'm so sorry that I didn't answer questions when they were asked- I just never saw them.

My house smells soooooo good with the fermenting fruit!

 

[rlmiller10]

I still can't believe you get your husband to pick that many of those little berries.

 

[Hefferweizen]

Happy to find this thread! I whipped up 2 one gallon batches a month ago. On one, OG was a bit high at 1.112, but seems stalled out at 1.040. Maybe more than the EC-1118 can support? Gotta say the flavor is nice already! Any ideas or feedback?
1.5lb wild black cherry,
.5lb wineberry
.5lb blackberry
2.2 lbs white sugar
pectic enzyme
acid blend
EC-1118 Lalvin yeast

 

[Yooper]

Happy to find this thread! I whipped up 2 one gallon batches a month ago. On one, OG was a bit high at 1.112, but seems stalled out at 1.040. Maybe more than the EC-1118 can support? Gotta say the flavor is nice already! Any ideas or feedback?
1.5lb wild black cherry,
.5lb wineberry
.5lb blackberry
2.2 lbs white sugar
pectic enzyme
acid blend
EC-1118 Lalvin yeast

EC-1118 can go up to 18% ABV- so that's not it. How positive are you of the hydrometer reading at 1.040? Can you check it and water and see what it reads?

 

[Hefferweizen]

EC-1118 can go up to 18% ABV- so that's not it. How positive are you of the hydrometer reading at 1.040? Can you check it and water and see what it reads?

Hey Yooper, you are on the right track. I was using a new refractometer, which was recently calibrated. Just tried a hydrometer and it's showing under .994. Lesson learned, don't use a refractometer for FG unless measuring Brix perhaps

 

[Yooper]

Hey Yooper, you are on the right track. I was using a new refractometer, which was recently calibrated. Just tried a hydrometer and it's showing under .994. Lesson learned, don't use a refractometer for FG unless measuring Brix perhaps

Or use a conversion calculator online- they are really good at guestimating the actual FG, and then you can at least see if fermentation has stopped and not stalled!

 

[Hefferweizen]

Thanks for the help. I just upgraded to a 15 gal brewing system, this eliminates one screw-up variable when testing the new gear!

 

[CanadianGirl]

I’m curious how you would adjust this recipe for 15lbs of chokecherries? It’s my first time making wine with my own fruit, I’ve only done kits before. I’m so nervous, I don’t want to waste any precious fruit!!

 

[Yooper]

You can divide by 3, or whatever you need, to make a smaller size batch.

 

[Farside]

I thawed out the 25lb of chokecherries I picked this year and let them thaw overnight. Then I put them in a large pot with just enough water to cover them, and brought them to a gentle simmer / boil for about 10 minutes. Just enough to soften the skins.

I then mashed them up with a potato masher. There are still quite a few intact berries but I will be fermenting on the pulp so I'm not too worried about that.

When I transferred it to a 5 gallon pail, the head room was not really enough for my comfort so I split the batch into 2 5 gallon pails. I will let it ferment for 3 weeks on the skins, and especially early on, the CO2 will push the cap up a ways which is why I am using 2 pails. I will plunge the caps 2 or 3 times per day to get the skins back in contact with the must.

I'm using D47 as my yeast because I am looking for some accentuated flavours. But depending on how dry it finishes, I may put 1118 into the wine to clean up any residual sugars because I want this one dry.

I'm going to be aiming for 10% A.B.V and then freeze concentrating the wine to make a port. Residual sweetness will get concentrated too which is why I want this one bone dry. It's easy to add sweetness to port, but tough to take it away!

 

[Farside]

The S.G of the straight up juice is 1.035 which is pretty typical for most fruit. That would take me to around 5% so I added 1 Kg of sugar to bring it up to 1.080. I decided to add it before pitching the yeast because the alcohol present toward the end of the fermentation time on the skins has a part to play in extracting the color and flavor components.

 

[Farside]

I jacked my 1 year old chokecherry port by about 1/4 and when I did it dropped out a lot of sediment. I was surprised because it was pretty clear to start with. I'm wondering if the cold temps precipitated out something.

Anyway, I put it into a pail with some oak to age. It's taken on a lovely sweet, smooth consistency, and the aroma is still distinctly chokecherry. This is going to be a fantastic port in another year or two!

 

[all5n]

Bumper crop of chokecherries and wild plums this year (and acutally got time to harvest them).

Getting ready to run another couple batches of this excellent wine.

 

[all5n]

Ok - question about processing the chokecherries prior to primary fermentation.

Whats the best tool for the job to make sure the chokecherries are busted up without smashing the pits (dont want to release the bitterness/arsenic poison)?

What i have tried so far:
- Food Mill - Cant process enough berries fast enough. pits go flying across the room!
- Putting berries in the mesh bag without at least breaking the skin - miss out on a lot of juice and basically waste the chokecherry potential.

What i have heard about:
- Gently smashing with mortar/pestle - probably also time consuming
- Freeze/thaw till they naturally burst - might work, might not. probably should test to see how many iterations it takes
- Saw a picture of yooper's husband using a funnel and a wooden pestle to crush?

Looking for technique/best practice advice here to possibly minimize the time it takes to break the skins to allow the yeast in to do its job.

 

[Yooper]

We just use a mortar and pestle and sort of smash them around.

 

[all5n]

Hey Yoop, one thing i noticed in the recipe is that it doesn't say when specifically to add the grape concentrate.

 

[all5n]

Fruit from second batch is currently in the primary.

Accidentally ordered white grape concentrate instead of red. Going to go with it, and see how it goes.

Should be more like a rose.

 

[Raygina]

We're getting a ton of chokecherries, but this will be the first time we make actual wine with them. We usually make mead and we don't use anything but water, honey, fruit and/or spices and yeast. Is there any way to make chokecherry wine without all the additives?
Thanks!

 

[Yooper]

We're getting a ton of chokecherries, but this will be the first time we make actual wine with them. We usually make mead and we don't use anything but water, honey, fruit and/or spices and yeast. Is there any way to make chokecherry wine without all the additives?
Thanks!

I just saw this- you never have to add anything at all to wine. The 'additives' are for flavor or for yeast health or to prevent spoilage.

We are making 15 gallons of this today; well, at least starting to by crushing the fruit that has been frozen.