Cherry Wine Help

[Paul&Co]

Hoping for some feedback on a small batch recipe. I converted a 5 gallon recipe and slightly tweaked it.

This will be my first fruit as well as my first small batch so any feedback at all will be appreciated!!

Thanks

Cherry Wine – 1 Gallon


3.5 lbs Sour Cherries (Frozen/Thawed)

2 Cups Sugar (SG 1.080 – 1.085)


½ tsp Bentonite (Dissolved in 1/4 c. hot water)

½ tsp Pectic Enzyme

¼ tsp Tannin

½ tsp Yeast Nutrient

1 Crushed Campdem Tablet

1 Packet Montrachet Yeast


Added Later Steps

1 Package of Super-Kleer (Kieselsol) (Step 2)

1.5 tsp Potassium sorbate (Step 3)

1 Crushed Campdem Tablet


In 1 Gallon Primary , mix 3 quarts & 3 pints water, Pectic Enzyme, Tannin, Yeast Nutrient and 1 Campdem and mix.

Place destoned, destemmed, thawed cherries in straining bag, tie, add to primary.

Take SG and add sugar (stirring) to bring SG to 1.080 – 1.085.

Place lid on Primary and let sit for 12 – 24 hours.

Add Campdem and let sit for 24 hours.


Add yeast to must (68 – 75 degrees) Do not stir. Top with airlock.

When yeast begins to foam (few hours) and covers the entire surface of the juice, stir in gently.

Flip staining bag often to keep it moist.

When gravity reaches 1.000 or below, proceed to step 2.


Step 2

Gently squeeze out the straining bag of cherries and remove. Transfer to secondary and top off if below 1 Gallon mark. Let sit for 24 hours.

Begin clearing process – add packet Super-Kleer (Kieselsol) and stir vigorously for 2-3 min.

Add Chitosan and stir for another 2 – 3 min.

Allow wine to sit until clear (7 – 10 Days)


Step 3

After wine is clear, rack wine into carboy.

Add 1.5 tsp of potassium sorbate and 1 crushed campden tablet to 1/3 cup cool water and mix well. Add mixture to wine and stir.


Back sweeten if desired.

 

[Yooper]

I think with 2 cups of sugar, your original gravity might be very low. I generally use about 2 pounds or so per gallon. Make sure that you have an OG of 1.085-1.090 for best results.

In step 1, add the campden only once. Then, after 12 hours add the pectin enzyme and 12 hours after that add your yeast. Don’t worry about stirring it it- fermentation will mix it just fine. Stir your wine often, to really make sure you keep the straining bag submerged and/or wet to avoid mold. Stir, breaking up the ‘cap’ that forms.

In about 5-7 days, remove that straining back and transfer to your carboy/jug. I don’t use those finings/cleaning agents, at least not unless necessary and the wine will start to clear in a few days or a week. You’re rushing it here with the finings and only one racking because cherries will likely drop sediment for a while. I’d give it 60 days before bottling, after racking that second time to make sure no new lees drop in that time. You’ll be much less likely to have bottle bombs and/or tons of crud in the bottles if you do that.

 

[Erik the Awful]

I agree on the sugar. Cherry wines are naturally sour, so you have to sweeten them or the sour + dryness will turn people off it. Also, I have friends who beg for cherry-jalapeno, so I really have to sweeten mine to counter the heat + sour + dryness.

I did a 5 gallon batch of cherry-jalapeno the year before last with 10 lbs of cherries, 10 jalapenos, and 5 lbs sugar.
Later in the year, a 5 gallon batch with 5-1/2 lbs Cherries, 5-1/2 lbs apples, 5-1/2 lbs blackberries. 6 lbs of sugar.
Last year, another 5 gallon batch of cherry-jalapeno with 10 lbs cherries, 10 jalapenos, 1 box reconstituted grapes, and it took 9? lbs of sugar. My notes aren't clear.

 

[luis.salas]

I'm new in winemaking. What would be the difference between steeping the fruit in water vs using the cold pressed juice?

 

[Paul&Co]

I think with 2 cups of sugar, your original gravity might be very low. I generally use about 2 pounds or so per gallon. Make sure that you have an OG of 1.085-1.090 for best results.

In step 1, add the campden only once. Then, after 12 hours add the pectin enzyme and 12 hours after that add your yeast. Don’t worry about stirring it it- fermentation will mix it just fine. Stir your wine often, to really make sure you keep the straining bag submerged and/or wet to avoid mold. Stir, breaking up the ‘cap’ that forms.

In about 5-7 days, remove that straining back and transfer to your carboy/jug. I don’t use those finings/cleaning agents, at least not unless necessary and the wine will start to clear in a few days or a week. You’re rushing it here with the finings and only one racking because cherries will likely drop sediment for a while. I’d give it 60 days before bottling, after racking that second time to make sure no new lees drop in that time. You’ll be much less likely to have bottle bombs and/or tons of crud in the bottles if you do that.

Thanks Yooper!

I definitely appreciate the feedback. I’ll make the adjustments.

 

[Paul&Co]

I agree on the sugar. Cherry wines are naturally sour, so you have to sweeten them or the sour + dryness will turn people off it. Also, I have friends who beg for cherry-jalapeno, so I really have to sweeten mine to counter the heat + sour + dryness.

I did a 5 gallon batch of cherry-jalapeno the year before last with 10 lbs of cherries, 10 jalapenos, and 5 lbs sugar.
Later in the year, a 5 gallon batch with 5-1/2 lbs Cherries, 5-1/2 lbs apples, 5-1/2 lbs blackberries. 6 lbs of sugar.
Last year, another 5 gallon batch of cherry-jalapeno with 10 lbs cherries, 10 jalapenos, 1 box reconstituted grapes, and it took 9? lbs of sugar. My notes aren't clear.

Thanks Erik the Awful!

I have read where raisins can add body to the wine. I may have to consider that. Also, my research seems to lean more towards sour or tart cherries instead of sweet cherries. Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[Erik the Awful]

I use cherries from a tree in my backyard and I'm not sure what variety they are. They're small and tart, but they are cherries and not sandplums. This last year we had a late freeze and I got nearly nothing. I bought some Rainier cherries and I'm not impressed with the cherry-ness of the cherry-jalapeno wine this time. I need to break out another bottle and sample it again. I've read that grapes bring out other fruits' flavors, and I been using them ever since.

I'm still pretty amateur at this, so listen to Yooper and follow his advice on hydrometer readings. I don't have a press yet, so I blend my fruit instead of crushing it, and I don't always get a good hydrometer reading.

 

[NickTheGreat]

So my father-in-law gave me his old wine kit this spring and my parents had a crapload of cherries so I tried my hand at making Cherry wine.

I followed this thread and the recipe from the book, which were pretty similar. But I did a primary and secondary and just bottled a week or two ago now. I just used 22oz beer bottles, since I had them on hand.

I didn't backsweeten, mainly because I was lazy and I kinda liked the tart-er taste. It was very flat and warm, but tasted okay.

Will this continue to carb up like beer would? I didn't add any yeast or sugar before bottling like I would have for beer.