# ANOTHER CHOKECHERRY WINE



## NorthernWinos (Sep 9, 2007)

Started another Chokecherry Wine today...


The "Usual Cast of Characters"









Used the same recipe as before...Nice...just measure out the sugar and the S.G. ends upthe sameas before...








~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CHOKECHERRY WINE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


10 QUARTS JUICE = 22# STEAMED EXTRACTED CHOKECHERRIES
2 BOTTLES WINEXPERT RED GRAPE CONCENTRATE
7 1/2# SUGAR
6 1/2 CAMPDEN TABLETS
3 tsp LIQUID TANNIN
4 tsp ACID BLEND
2 oz AMERICAN OAK CHIPS [TOASTED]
2 VANILLA BEANS
10 TOASTED PEPPERCORNS
S.G. 1.085 water to 6 1/2 gallons


Tomorrow:
3 tsp YEAST ENERGIZER
6 tsp YEAST NUTRIENT
LALVIN RC-212 YEAST


Another favorite on the way.


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## PolishWineP (Sep 9, 2007)

Mmmmm... Choke cherry is so tasty!


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## Waldo (Sep 9, 2007)

Im going to have to find some of that at Winestock and see how it goes down


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## rgecaprock (Sep 11, 2007)

Let me tell you, Waldo, I had a bottle of PWP's chokecherry wine and it was awsome. And it went down real well with a steak too.
Ramona


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## kutya (Sep 12, 2007)

Chokecherry is my favorite. I was able to beat the birds to about 40lbs. I have steamed about 20 of those, and have a nice batch going right now. 


Waldo, I think you are going to be hooked once you try it...


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## Waldo (Sep 13, 2007)

Come on now......SOMEBODY get me hooked !!!


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## kutya (Sep 13, 2007)

Waldo, PM your address and I will send you a bottle I made last year....You will be hooked...


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## NorthernWinos (Nov 17, 2007)

Bottled the Neighborhood Chokecherry Wine today....It turned out to be a very nice batch...Good right at bottling. 








I called it Neighborhood Chokecherry Wine because late this summer we were a regular site out in the road ditches before the heat of the day...wading though tall grasses wet by the heavy dew...Seems within a couple hours we would have between 30-52# of the precious berries, by then the heat and humidity had set in and I was cleaning them in the comfort of the AC....All the area people would honk and wave...so I think this first batch will be given away very quickly....


So...fresh from the freezer and into the steam juicer....yet another batch has begun...







*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## Wade E (Nov 17, 2007)

Looks good NW and I see some labels made it on this time.


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## Waldo (Nov 18, 2007)

Very nice nw


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## laneygirl (Nov 18, 2007)

Hi Northern,


Thanks for the recipe. I actually have some chokecherry juice in my canning cupboard from a few summers back that I could use to make a smaller batch. Does freshness of juice affect outcome? 


I would think it might and there's always next summer (God willing) to pick some more and juice them. I've always used the juice to make syrup for pancakes and waffles.


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## NorthernWinos (Nov 18, 2007)

I don't think age matters if the juice has been sealed in a mason jar.


Years ago we had a bumper crop of blackberries at our old farm...All our friends came and picked. I had made pancake syrup and jelly with the steam extracted juice...when we moved here it came along...when we moved out of the old house I threw out about 10 quarts...



Dumb move....
Later on we started making wine...while visiting a bachelor friend I saw 10 quarts of juice I had juiced for him all those years ago...He gave me them to make wine...it turned out great.


I would make your wine...it will turn out fine.


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## NorthernWinos (Nov 20, 2007)

Yee...Haw!!!!








24 hrs after pitching...It's alive.


No matter how many times you do this it's always a good feeling to see an active ferment...and to smell it too.


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## grapeman (Nov 20, 2007)

Are you doing a load of wash there that you spilled a bunch of wine in? You have major suds going on there!


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## Wade E (Nov 20, 2007)

Purple Calgon, take me away!


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## NorthernWinos (Jan 17, 2008)

Well....It was too darn cold to go fishing...so it was Funon the Farm Day....


We played Wine Makers today in our Winery/Kitchen.....








The Chokecherry Wine has been clear and stable for awhile....so time to put it in the bottles....








And got it labeled for the neighbors who contributed fruit...


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## jobe05 (Jan 17, 2008)

Very nice thing to do on a cold day NW, and you do it so well besides. I admire your ability to stick to just one label design, wish I could do that...... But can't.

How long should chokecherry age? I still have a bottle that JW sent me and it's killing me to try it, but don't want to ruin the experience if it's not ready yet.


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## NorthernWinos (Jan 17, 2008)

I stick with one label design because it is easy and I am so cheap with ink....this is so easy...just the names have been changed [to protect the innocent]


I put a case of each batch away for a year [or try for a year].....and...to tell you the truth...It tastes GOOD today [all day]...and I really don't notice much difference in many of the wines after a year.


These are just lowly fruit wines...and personally I don't know if they really benefit from aging.


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## grapeman (Jan 17, 2008)

That turned out beautifully dark NW. What do you do if you come out with more than 25 bottles when you label them 1of only 25? Do you bottle first and then make the labels to match the number?


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## NorthernWinos (Jan 17, 2008)

Appleman....we usually have more bottles than that....Always some strays.....odd bottles, corks not seated all the way, etc.....We can't cork some bottles very well with larger tops with our hand held Gilda...they always stay a tiny bit above the top of the bottle.


Some bottles don't get lables...The neighbors stopped over so a couple bottles of each batch left unlabeled...the odd bottlesjust get the dreaded masking tape that was on the carboys.....


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## K&GB (Jan 17, 2008)

Okay, here goes my ignorance, but what's a choke cherry? Maybe I should google it.


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## NorthernWinos (Jan 17, 2008)

Chokecherries...aka...Wild Black Cherries....grow in clusters on bushes and trees....They are purple/black when ripe and very astringent and have a rather large pit for the size of the fruit....They make an awesome dry red wine....tho other folks make sweet dessert wines and port style wines with them.


Google Chokecherries and you will get all sorts of information.


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## K&GB (Jan 17, 2008)

Thanks NW. I did google it. Sounds great. Looks like they grow mainly up north. Maybe someday I'll venture into fruit wines. Thanks for the pics. They look great. 


Ken*Edited by: K&GB *


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## swillologist (Jan 17, 2008)

This what we call choke cherry here. 





I made a gallon this fall. It's is resting in bottles right now.


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## NorthernWinos (Jan 18, 2008)

Here are some ChokeCherries.... 
Fresh from the freezer, put a little sugar on them to aid in extraction....








Steam Juicing 21.75# for another batch of wine.


A good day to be indoors with the stove going...will mix up the must tomorrow....*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## JWMINNESOTA (Jan 18, 2008)

Looks good NW, for my first try at these this summer it came out pretty good. Definitely have to pick more this year.


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## NorthernWinos (Jan 20, 2008)

Used Red Star Montrachet Yeast on this batch...






It should start fermenting tonight....


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## Waldo (Jan 21, 2008)

It's going to be a good one NW !!!!!


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## NorthernWinos (Jan 22, 2008)

Ahhh!!!!! Yes!!!!.....The Montrachet is fizzing away. This yeast always makes a fizzy noise...Sounds like the wind rustling leaves on the trees....Smells great already.


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## NorthernWinos (Jan 24, 2008)

This wine really fermented fast...


A couple days ago I lifted the lid and heat came out...moved it to a cooler location...


That Red Star Montrachet yeast really heated up.


S.G. today was 1.016....racked to a carboy.


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## NorthernWinos (Mar 18, 2008)

Bottled the Neighborhood Chokecherry wine today...It is as good as ever...






Will start another batch in the near future as it is the most requested wine around here....

Meanwhile will mix up some other batches...can't have an empty carboy sitting around.


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## Waldo (Mar 18, 2008)

I'd shore like ta put me a lip lock around one of them there bottles NW


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## NorthernWinos (Mar 18, 2008)

Will send some down with PWP to the next Winestock...




*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## moose (Mar 18, 2008)

Looks really good. Will have to pick chokecherries this year and try that.


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