# Cherry Wine Recipes



## newbie74 (Dec 16, 2010)

Looking for a good CHERRY WINE recipe for a 6 gallon carboy. First time wine maker. Any help would be greatful.


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## fivebk (Dec 16, 2010)

Welcome to the forum !!! Here's a melomel I have just started. Can't tell you how it will turn out because I only started it this month. Just substitute sugar in place of the honey and be sure to keep an eye on the SG as you add sugar.

18 qts Cherry juice(steam juiced )
7 qtsPear juice( steam juiced)
10 lbsClover honeySG1.095
7Bananas
3tspPectic enzyme
6tspYeast nutrient
3 tspYeast energizer
1 pkg71-B 1122Wine yeast

Simmer Bananas in 2 qts cherry juice. Strain & add to primary. Add remaining ingredients except for yeast. Wait 12 hrs, make a yeast starter and pitch yeast.


Here's a cherry wine I am experimenting with. It's very young just 2 1/2 months old


Cherry Wine

3 ½galCherry juice(Steamjuiced)
3galWater
16cupsSugarSG1.085
6 tspCalcium Carbonate 
6 tspYeast nutrient
3 tspYeast energizer
4 tspPectic enzyme
1 bag1.5LCabSavgrape skins
1 pkg CotesdesBlancyeast


Add all ingredients to primary fermentation vessel except yeast. Wait 12 hrs, Make a yeast starter and pitch yeast.

BOB


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## newbie74 (Dec 16, 2010)

Thanks for your help.


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## Wade E (Dec 17, 2010)

Do you have the cherries because This site sells cans of Vintners Harvest wine bases and they produce very good results. For most of these cans the 3 gallon recipe on the can works out great but just dont follow the amount of sugar they call for. They call for about 12 lbs of sugar but around 8 lbs usually ends up with a better starting sg of around 1.085.


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## Kemo (Dec 28, 2010)

I used about 8 pounds a gallon and it turned out great and used Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast since cherries mostly consist of malic acid. Also Fivebk why did you add the calcium carbonate? is the TA that high in cherry wines. i started mine about 2 months ago and the acidity didnt seem that bad.


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## fivebk (Dec 28, 2010)

The cherries I used were from Montmorency Pie cherries that I had steam juiced. The acid was very high so I added the calcium carb to drop the acid some and will probably backsweeten to help balance the wine later.

BOB


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## barryjo (Dec 31, 2010)

Just out of curiosity, what exactly do bananas do for the wine? I see recipes using dried bananas. This one uses fresh. 
Also, is there a rule of thumb for figuring how many pounds of fruit to make how much juice? I juiced about 12 pounds of nanking cherrys and got 5 quarts juice. Is this typical?


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## Tom (Jan 1, 2011)

barryjo said:


> Just out of curiosity, what exactly do bananas do for the wine? I see recipes using dried bananas. This one uses fresh.
> Also, is there a rule of thumb for figuring how many pounds of fruit to make how much juice? I juiced about 12 pounds of nanking cherrys and got 5 quarts juice. Is this typical?




bananna will add "body" (mouthfeel) to your wine.


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## fivebk (Jan 1, 2011)

I think thats about right. I averaged 10 lbs per gallon when I steam juiced my pie cherries. I usually add 7-8 bananas per 5-6 gal batch. I don't think you would want to use dried bananas. I slice and simmer mine ( for 20 min ) in a little water and then strain into my primary bucket.

BOB


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## Rocky (Jan 29, 2011)

Hi everyone, 


I am new to the forum and I havesome questions on Cherry wine. I was given 96 oz. of Michigan Cherry concentrate and asked to make some wine with it. I found a recipe on the internet that suggested adding 3.5x in water. When I did so, and with the amount of sugar the recipe called for (6 lbs), I get a hydrometer reading of 1.120, which seems kind of high. My questions are, 1. can I adjust the SG by adding pure water? and 2. If so, a what point would I add the water?


I have made a lot of wine from grapes in the past when I lived in Pittsburgh and Rochester, NY. This, and a kit of Sangiovese that I have going, will be my first attempt at wine using other than grapes.


Thank you.


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## Goodfella (Jan 29, 2011)

If it was me... I would use water to get SG 1.085 before fermentation.


Others might give different advise...


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## Scott (Jan 31, 2011)

Agree with Goodfella for starting SG, then if needing more flavor at the end can always make a f-pack. Good luck


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## Rocky (Jan 31, 2011)

Hi Scott and Goodfella, 


Thank you for the advice. I think I have a larger problem, though. Not really knowing what I was doing and only having the ingredients for a recipe and not the recipe itself, I added the Potassium Sorbate too early. As a result, the fermentation is very slow.I am getting a lot of foam (I assume from C02 gas) on top of the wine, but SG is falling very slowly. The taste is excellent. I don't imagine there is anything that can be done to cancel out the effect of the Potssium Sorbate, is there?


I have made a lot of wine just using grapes and the only additive I ever used was Sodium Metabisulfite.We mostly used either Alicante or Zinfandel grapes mixed 3 to 1 with Muscat. It made a great Italian table wine. I am "chronologically gifted" and started making wine with my Father and Grandfather when a 42 lb. box of California grapes cost $.75 and we got about 2.5 to 3 gallons per box. I am just getting back into this at the request of my Daughter and I am not familiar with all the chemicals that are added.


Thank you for your guidance. I am sure I will ask a lot of really stupid questions but I am a quick study.


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## fivebk (Jan 31, 2011)

How long has it been fermenting?????

BOB


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## Rocky (Jan 31, 2011)

Hi Bob, 


I started the batch on 1-25 and it began to ferment slowly the next day, so that is 6 days now.


Thank you for your interest.


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## Scott (Jan 31, 2011)

What is the SG now Rocky???


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## Rocky (Jan 31, 2011)

Hi Scott, 


This morning it was 1.090 andthe batchstarted out at 1.12, so it is coming down slowly. 


Thank you for your interest.


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## Scott (Jan 31, 2011)

Holy moly that's going to be some powerful stuff. Maybe check out the stuck fermentation threads, if not moving down anymore after stirring and adding energizer? Maybe someone else can help?


Keep us posted


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## Rocky (Feb 5, 2011)

Hi all, 
I racked the cherry wine out of the primary and it yielded 4.5 gallons. I have it in a 3 gal carboy, 1 gal and 1/2 gal jugs. The taste is less sweet than it was in the primary, but it may be due to stirring up the lees. I ran a shot glass full thru a coffee filter and the taste improved remarkably. Thanks for all the help.


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## fivebk (Feb 5, 2011)

What's the SG down to now???

BOB


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## Goodfella (Feb 5, 2011)

What is the SG on it Rocky?


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## Rocky (Feb 5, 2011)

Hi Fellows, 


The SG was at 1.010 when I racked it. It is clearing nicely and still chugging away thru the airlocks. 


I also have a 5+ gallon batch of Sangiovese going and it will be ready for degassing and fining in about 3 days. Samples great! I have to make a batch for my Bride next and I am leaning toward Sauvignon Blanc. Any recommendations on which kit or juice to buy? I am thinking of AllJuice at this point.


Thank you for all your help.


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## Kemo (Feb 5, 2011)

Sangiovese is by far one of my favorites. hope all goes well, and ill be routing for the Sangiovese come bottling time!


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## Rocky (Feb 8, 2011)

Hi Friends, 


I am getting over the Steeler loss. Green Bay playeda better game and deserved the win. They are a class team and good sportsmen.


The adventure continues with the Cherry wine. I racked it and when I tasted it, it seemed to have lost a lot of the cherry taste. My thought is it may be the high alcohol content or the result of stirring everything up from the bottom. Do any of you have any other ideas of where the taste could have gone? Any remedy suggestions? As always, I appreciate your wisdom and help.


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## Rocky (Feb 9, 2011)

Sangiovese is one of our favorites also. My wife and I spent a 4 week vacationin Tuscany near Pienza in southern Tuscany. Montalcino was only about 15 miles from us and we were there a couple times a week sampling the Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino (the wine that did not quite make it to Brunellos status).


My concern with the wine kits is the thinness of the final product. I have been doing a lot of reading on the Forum pages and it seems that Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) is part of the reason. The suggestion is to add raisins (a red variety that Whole Foods carries) that contain no sulfites or oils in the primary fermentation. It is too late for the Sangiovese, but I plan to do this with a batch of Zinfandel I am about to start.


Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## Bert (Feb 9, 2011)

Making a Cherry flavor pack and adding to the wine after it is stabilized will help the flavor....also backsweeting some will help bring out the flavor .....Good Luck sounds great...


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## Tom (Feb 9, 2011)

Rocky said:


> Sangiovese is one of our favorites also. My wife and I spent a 4 week vacationin Tuscany near Pienza in southern Tuscany. Montalcino was only about 15 miles from us and we were there a couple times a week sampling the Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino (the wine that did not quite make it to Brunellos status).
> 
> 
> My concern with the wine kits is the thinness of the final product. I have been doing a lot of reading on the Forum pages and it seems that Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) is part of the reason. The suggestion is to add raisins (a red variety that Whole Foods carries) that contain no sulfites or oils in the primary fermentation. It is too late for the Sangiovese, but I plan to do this with a batch of Zinfandel I am about to start.
> ...




Give George a call. He sells "grape skin packs". Add one to your Sangiovese next time. Currently I am doing an experiement .. one with one without


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## Rocky (Feb 9, 2011)

Thanks Bert and Tepe, 
I ordered a grape skin pack from George today for my Zinfandel that will be starting this weekend or when the skins arrive. And I will do some small scale experimenting with the Cherry wine with Bert's suggestions. I wish I had paid more attention in chemistry class! Tepe, I will be interested is hearing how your experiment comes out. What variety are you making?


Thank you for all your help.


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## Tom (Feb 9, 2011)

Rocky said:


> Thanks Bert and Tepe,
> I ordered a grape skin pack from George today for my Zinfandel that will be starting this weekend or when the skins arrive. And I will do some small scale experimenting with the Cherry wine with Bert's suggestions. I wish I had paid more attention in chemistry class! Tepe, I will be interested is hearing how your experiment comes out. What variety are you making?
> 
> 
> Thank you for all your help.









I added Sryah skins ot CA Sangiovese juice


and


I added Cab/Sav skins to my CA Cab/Sav juice


Did MLF on both and are happy aging till the fall


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## Kemo (Feb 10, 2011)

raisins would have definitely helped and i have wanted to try out grape skins on a couple of batches but always forgot. @ tepe: how did it come out after the skins. I can guess more tannins but what else? My cherry batch lost a lot of its original flavor as well but it oaks like a pro. The taste at half a year for mine was very soft almost felt like a merlot if that makes any sense.


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## barryjo (Feb 23, 2011)

Rocky: I have been told in the strictest of confidence by a vintner that reducing the amount of water added to the kit will also produce a more flavorful and "fuller" wine. So if a f-pack is not available, this may be a solution.


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## Rocky (Feb 27, 2011)

barryjo said:


> Rocky: I have been told in the strictest of confidence by a vintner that reducing the amount of water added to the kit will also produce a more flavorful and "fuller" wine. So if a f-pack is not available, this may be a solution.







Thank you for the note. It just seems intuitive to me that adding less water would make a wine more flavorful. I assume the only thing they take out of the juiceto formthe concentrates is the water.I recall from making wine years ago with my family, my grandfather always looked for grapes that had a true grape taste and used to pass up the grapes that may have been plumped up by water from a recent rain. Just for the fun of it, I may get a kit (16 or 18 litres) and just "water" it up to 20 liters.


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## barryjo (Mar 10, 2011)

Regarding the addition of bananas to the wine. Can this be done after fermentation stops or does it have to be done at the start?
Simmering and straining would be the same.
I have some wines that are a bit thin and don't want to use glycerine.
Thanks


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## Tom (Mar 10, 2011)

barryjo said:


> Regarding the addition of bananas to the wine. Can this be done after fermentation stops or does it have to be done at the start?
> Simmering and straining would be the same.
> I have some wines that are a bit thin and don't want to use glycerine.
> Thanks


I always add it to the primary. Make banana soup.


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## shimmar (May 23, 2011)

<h2>Ingredients:38 lb (about 17 kg) Bing Cherries</font>
</h2>
3.5 lb (1.6 kg) Sugar

3 quarts (2.8 liters) water

3 tsp pectic enzyme (approximately 7 g)
Sulfite to 50 ppm(equivalent to 3 campden tablets)

0.5 tsp tannin (about a gram)

Premier Cuvee yeast

<h2>1.Cherry crush: I had to add water, sugar, and possibly acid to prepare the crushed cherries for fermentatio</font></font>n.</font></font></h2>2.</font>Dilute with water:Most traditional cherry wine recipes dilute with water</font>3.</font>Adjusting the sugar</font>4
</font><h2>3.Pitching the yeast now and adjusting the acid later</font></h2>
The dominant acid in cherries is malic, and ben ratter reports that Bing cherry juice often analyzes to 4.7 g/L, as malic. 


thnx....


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