# Chokecherry Wine



## pelican (Jul 27, 2009)

After a bit of a lull here on starting new wines, last night I put together a 6 gallon chokecherry batch. First time I've ventured beyond 1 gallon with that particular fruit, but decided after having done 4 singletons of the chokes previously, I was ready for the big time.

I used NW's tried and true recipe posted here already as a baseline - but where her recipe called for only 5 tsp of Acid Blend, I was shocked (still reeling from the shock!) to find that I had to add 15 tsp acid to get the acid titration and ph anywhere near what they should be! I wonder if her tsp really were tablespoons?? Or else I had some really really low-acid chokecherries there.

Ran out of regular sugar after 25+ cups as well, had to break into the special Baking $ugar package that I bought my daughter for some recipe that she never made. But finally got the SG to 1.080 

Here's what I ended up with for the recipe:

7 1/4 quarts steamed chokecherry juice 

... actually, 2 3/4 quarts were juice soaked out of the mash remnants from the steaming.

1 liter WineExpert Red Grape Concentrate
13 tsp Acid Blend
2 tsp Tartaric Acid 
28 cups Sugar (25+ cups white granulated, 2/3 cup corn sugar, 2 1/3 cups baking superfine granulated sugar)
Water to make syrup with the sugar(s)
water to remainder of 6 gallons
1 vanilla bean scraped and broken, all tossed in
28 coffee beans (yes, I counted them!)
1/3 c. American Light Toast Oak, lightly toasted some more
3 tsp pectic enzyme
2 tsp powdered tannin
3 tsp Yeast Energizer
6 tsp Yeast Nutrient
2tsp Bentonite made with about 1 cup hot water into a slurry in the blender
Yeast: RC-212

No campden in the must because the juice was sterile from the steaming or the boiling water 'soak' and the WE RGC I'm not worried about wild yeast in.

Pitched the yeast last night about midnight, and this morning it was making movement and hissing sounds of living fermentation.

Tonight, came home from work and mmmmmmmmm does that bucket smell good. Last night even the coffee bean aroma was really strong and I thought maybe I ought to fish them out, but today it's all smelling good.












Since it's going to be a little on the low alcohol side with the starting at 1.080, I went a little lightly on the tannin. Lorraine's recipe used liquid tannin, and I don't know what the conversions are from liquid to powdered, so one question is - Do you think I should add more tannin?

Another question is - is that much acid blend way out of line for a 6 gallon batch??? 

I tested, tested, retested, tested again and tasted along the way with the additions too - and it's none to acidy tasting that's for sure. In fact it tastes likes it could use a bit more really. Just seemed like a heck of a lot - but - that's why you adjust as needed rather than rely strictly on a recipe I guess, right?


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## Bert (Jul 27, 2009)

I went back and checked my notes from the last two batches of choke cherry I made and I had added 3 tablespoons of acid blend and I tested the must too.....adding 4 TBS may not be out of line at all....good luck....I'm already looking at this year's crop...looks good so far..


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## pelican (Jul 27, 2009)

Thanks Bert. These were from last year - cleaning out the freezer to make room (have to defrost the freezer soon too, so double benefit).

By all indications we will have a decent harvest this year too. 

By the way, Pequot Lakes is having their Second Annual Chokecherry Festival coming up here in August http://www.plbplionsclub.com/cherry_09.htm - with a wine competition (there were 4 wines entered last year! ) You don't win anything but a ribbon and mention in the Country Echo, but it's a lot of fun. Chokecherry pit spitting contest even! The young boys love that one.


This batch won't be ready for the event, but I'll be entering with some of the ones on the rack already.


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## Bert (Jul 27, 2009)

August looks to be a busy month...Grain harvest...We are running about 3 weeks behind, should have been going by now...doesn't look it will start for another week or so.....But the Choke Cherry festival sounds like it could be fun...


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## Bert (Jul 28, 2009)

pelican; I 've been thinking about your acid testing ...How new is your sodium hydroxide????... Old sodium hydroxide would give you a false reading....Hope I'm not scaring you for undo reason.....


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## pelican (Jul 30, 2009)

The sodium hydroxide is ... a few months from purchase but was Unopened until that day. So is it old because it's been on the shelf, or is it new because it was freshly opened. That's (one reason) why I don't like the acid test kit.





However, I also did ph readings - though, I think my meter is suspect too, but I did freshly calibrate it and the two measurements seemed to match up. 

The taste is not what would make you pucker, so I am for that confident that I did not add Too Much acid blend. Leaning more towards it was a typo in the recipe I was going by... or just one of those vagaries of fruit.


Last night I tested the SG, and it was spot-on at 1.010. I've never been able to catch my from-scratch batches while there was still some bubblicious happening and so this one got racked to glass (uhm, well, better bottle so that would be racked to plastic actually, just doesn't have the same 'ring' to it). And it's bubbling away like a lavalamp!





Picture to come in the next post!


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## pelican (Jul 30, 2009)

~~~~~~~~~ Happy Bubbles! ~~~~~~~~~~


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## vcasey (Jul 30, 2009)

Very nice - Looks good. And you are right racked to plastic just sounds wrong. 
VC


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## pelican (Aug 2, 2009)

Update on this batch: The bubbling through the airlock had slowed waaay down yesterday, and was pretty not-there today so I took an SG reading and it's at 0.992 (Day 7). 

There already a good layer sediment in the bottom of the carboy already, but from past experience I know there will be more sediment, and it could ferment out that last wee tiny bit and drop in SG just a smidge more, so I will let this sit another week before I rack it off the sediment.


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## JWMINNESOTA (Aug 2, 2009)

Got a call this weekend from a friend I get chokecherrys from, says they are already getting close and his trees are really loaded up. Probably go take a look this week to see for myself.


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## Waldo (Aug 3, 2009)

Looking good pelican. I expect NW is smiling down on you !!!


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## pelican (Aug 3, 2009)

Thanks Waldo - I hope she is. These chokecherries were among the bazillion she picked last August, after I gave away my small reserve of berries and juice to the Chokecherry Festival - and then found our trees barren of any harvestable fruit! 

It was hard putting the batch together really, knowing I can't share notes and get her feedback...(thus the break from starting new batches)... but she certainly wouldn't want the winemaking or the chokecherry picking to stop, and so this one's for NW and for making room in the deep freeze for the 2009 crop.


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## hannabarn (Aug 6, 2009)

Yep! It looks like a good choke cherry year. I have to watch them close as I have to compete with the bears!!


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## JWMINNESOTA (Aug 6, 2009)

I got 15 lbs today, the rest looked like yours there Barney. Hopefully they will be ready around the time we return from New Messyco.


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## pelican (Aug 17, 2009)

Picked 2 icecream buckets of chokecherries yesterday. The trees are well loaded and they are black black black. Last year not so good a harvest and around this time or later, the berries were still pretty red looking. These are nice and juicy ones too. I'm looking forward to more....

meanwhile, this weekend I racked the chokecherry underway. Had to top up to make up for the racking losses and having entered a Chokecherry Mash (see other threads for that one, it turned out well eventually...) in the Chokecherry Festival in town I had an open bottle so used that (no I didn't win. A much sweeter wine than I make too prize.)

Then I remembered the marbles sitting in my now empty k-meta jug (just emptied), so finished the topping up with them.

Added packet of Super Kleer and there's a new substantial layer of sediment forming already. 

Taste was very nice - PH was at 3.3 and no tangy acid bite so I'm smiling on the progress so far.


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## Bert (Aug 17, 2009)

Sounds like you have things in hand....Choke cherries are looking good this year...Haven't started picking yet, but soon.....Bottled some June Berry wine from last year [ added an f-pack and backsweeten] I think it will be an awesome wine.....Good luck with your berry picking between the rains...


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## pelican (Aug 22, 2009)

The Chokecherry harvest has been good in 'our neck of the woods'- picked two gallons in a very short while this evening (and still picking the ticks off myself, not quite 2 gallons of those thank goodness!). 

We've only made a few forays out to the stand of chokecherry trees but it's been good picking and they are dead ripe - and sweet! and plump! and taste like Cherries!! ...rather unusual for our chokecherries.

I'm looking forward to saving back a few bottles of the current batch of chokecherry wine to compare flavor profiles with the batch that I will make from this years' crop. 

As for this batch, it's clearing nicely and just doing it's thing with no dramas.


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## hannabarn (Aug 22, 2009)

In spite of the bear, I have picked about 5 gallons of ripe berries and we (the bear and me) are just getting started!


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## pelican (Aug 23, 2009)

Good to hear that Barney! I was worried I'd have to make a rescue road trip to bring you chokecherries!!


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## Bert (Aug 24, 2009)

Barney; I think the choke cherry wine bug has bit you big time...



...GOOD LUCK


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## grapeman (Aug 24, 2009)

Well the Chokecherry bug should bite Barney. That is one of the wines Barney brought me. I opened the bottle a few days ago to give it a test drive. I have never had it before. The nose is strikingly full of wonderful cherry aromas. The color is a great one, clear and bright! It is full of tannins, which isn't surprisng considering how astringent the cholkecherries themselves are. This is a good tasting wine and I bet it would age well for years if anyone could keep it around long enough.


Now Barney, go back and do battle with those bears - for the chokecherries- I wouldn't actually wrestle them if I was you! Oh, and I would forget the bear poop wine!


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## hannabarn (Sep 1, 2009)

Gosh! I missed your post Appleman. I'm glad to hear that you liked the chokecherry wine. I have only tried one bottle of it and it was pretty good but still young! It is now about 10 months old but I'm going to try it again about Thanksgiving&gt; Should be better by then! Meanwhile I am still competing with the bear. He just breaks trees to be mean!!


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## pelican (Oct 3, 2009)

Just bottled this batch today - would post pics but somehow the "album" on line that I post my pictures to from my cell phone is completely empty of all photos! Hoping it's just some kind of weekend website maintenance... 

Meanwhile, the acid adjustment must have been OK on this batch (recall I had questions about how I had to add so many tsps of acid blend to have it test out properly) there is a tingly taste as a new young wine, but not a "biting" sensation. The color with a volume of wine came out a nice, dark rich red but hold it up to the light and it's a nice ruby color, very pretty. Taste is very good for so young (70 days since start).

Making way to start the Choc Raspberry Port, plus another kit I've had sitting in wait, and a few scratch juice wines to boot. My winter winemaking time is about to start here. It's also that time of year that I had better get more active collecting bottles as my 'supply' source will wind down on the volume of wine served and hence fewer bottles will be available. Either that or ramp up on emptying the ones I have filled already!


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## xanxer82 (Oct 16, 2009)

I've never had chokecherry wine or chokecherry anything for that matter. I will have to find some and give it a try.
I think I was bitten by a small bug  there is a desire to try as many wines as possible.
I recently attended the Maryland Wine Festival and tasted at least 40 different wines. Alas no chokecherry there. 
Can't wait to hear how the finished product turned out.


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## pelican (Oct 16, 2009)

Chokecherry is our favorite 'fruit wine' - this is the fifth batch of it I've made (but the first 6 gallon batch). Taste testing at bottling showed this one has promise. I'll let this one get a bit of rest in the bottle and in a few more months the batch before this one should be ready for sampling. I make my chokecherry dry - other folks like a sweeter, fruitier dessert wine from chokecherry but our version is a dry table wine.


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## xanxer82 (Oct 16, 2009)

Very nice. You'll have to make a post and tell us how it turns out when it's rested.


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## pelican (Oct 26, 2009)

Its been in the bottle for 3 weeks now, and I needed some dry red wine for stew... so chose this one. Of course, I had to taste it to see if it was suitable to cook with



and oh, yes, my my my it's fine for cooking. And for tasting. 

This is "the best" of my chokecherry so far. There is a batch I did in the spring, which I had a taste test of when I bottled this one and it's got a ways to go - very astringent, bordering on bitter, not yet oooh nice.

In contrast, this taste I had said "fruity, noticeably chokecherry in the dryness sensation but smooth and pleasurable". I wish it was a decent time of day to have more than just the small taste test. It will go very well with the stew!!


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## xanxer82 (Oct 26, 2009)

Sounds like it's a versatile wine. 
After playing around with some more juice kits and getting used to the process. (Racking for the first time ever today was an interesting experience) I'm gonna start to use fresh fruit. Maybe I'll get ahold of some chokecherry somehow.


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