I branched out from kits to fruit wines and meads within the last two years. I typically follow recipes so I've had consistently good results, but last night I bottled what I feel was just a fantastic cherry dessert wine and I wanted to share the recommendation for this recipe if anyone is interested.
I followed the recipe from "Making Wild Wines and Meads," which uses a combination of tart and sweet cherries. At the beginning of bulk aging, the wine was nice but I decided to add one vanilla bean (split open) for each gallon of wine (I had made three gallons). I have to say that this really added depth to the flavor profile and also enhanced the final nose of the wine. Because I wanted to be able to give away bottles for Christmas this year, rather than sweetening the wine with an f-pack or simple syrup, I decided to use a wine conditioner (which has glycerin, sugar, and potassium sorbate in it).
I am very, VERY happy with the results of this recipe - it is definitely a keeper and one I hope to make many more batches of. Even this young (2009 harvest) the wine is complex and smooth, with a wonderful cherry-vanilla nose and a beautiful color. Since I live in Michigan, it was also nice to be able to use all local ingredients for this wine. I am really looking forward to sharing this with friends and family this year.
Happy holidays! (oh - my camera battery wore out, so I'll try andpost pictures this weekend)
I followed the recipe from "Making Wild Wines and Meads," which uses a combination of tart and sweet cherries. At the beginning of bulk aging, the wine was nice but I decided to add one vanilla bean (split open) for each gallon of wine (I had made three gallons). I have to say that this really added depth to the flavor profile and also enhanced the final nose of the wine. Because I wanted to be able to give away bottles for Christmas this year, rather than sweetening the wine with an f-pack or simple syrup, I decided to use a wine conditioner (which has glycerin, sugar, and potassium sorbate in it).
I am very, VERY happy with the results of this recipe - it is definitely a keeper and one I hope to make many more batches of. Even this young (2009 harvest) the wine is complex and smooth, with a wonderful cherry-vanilla nose and a beautiful color. Since I live in Michigan, it was also nice to be able to use all local ingredients for this wine. I am really looking forward to sharing this with friends and family this year.
Happy holidays! (oh - my camera battery wore out, so I'll try andpost pictures this weekend)
