Cherry wine

[dcbrown73]

Are you making Cherry wine?

Yep. I'm making a Cherry Chocolate Walnut wine I started with the 128oz bottle that makes 5 gallons. Then I added 12lbs of cherries to kick it up to six gallons. Added about 3 lbs of 72% cocoa chocolate and about a half pound of walnuts for about 7 weeks before I removed them.

I started in late November. It's already tasting good and it's much heavier than most cherry wine I've tasted. Heavy enough that I'm planning on splitting the six gallons into 3 gallons of wine and the other three into a Cherry Chocolate Walnut Port.

 

[Tnuscan]

Yep. I'm making a Cherry Chocolate Walnut wine I started with the 128oz bottle that makes 5 gallons. Then I added 12lbs of cherries to kick it up to six gallons. Added about 3 lbs of 72% cocoa chocolate and about a half pound of walnuts for about 7 weeks before I removed them.

I started in late November. It's already tasting good and it's much heavier than most cherry wine I've tasted. Heavy enough that I'm planning on splitting the six gallons into 3 gallons of wine and the other three into a Cherry Chocolate Walnut Port.

It sure sounds like a nice wine. A local winery won a double gold with their Port. It was made from Cynthiania, if you bite a piece of chocolate you'll think of Chocolate covered cherries. It's so good, you can barely stand it.

 

[geek]

@dcbrown73
Which cocoa chocolate specifically, do you have a link if purchased online? That sounds like a nice combo, is it basic powered chocolate or bars, and assume you added in 'secondary' or after the wine went completely dry.

 

[dcbrown73]

@dcbrown73
Which cocoa chocolate specifically, do you have a link if purchased online? That sounds like a nice combo, is it basic powered chocolate or bars, and assume you added in 'secondary' or after the wine went completely dry.

Trader Joe's 72% Cacoa Dark Belgium Chocolate Bar. (the 1lb bars)

It's basically this one except I bought it from Trader Joe's by my house.

I just broken it up into chunks that would slip into the carboy during secondary fermentation. I just let that set for seven weeks, then racked it and started the clearing stage with Dualfine (SuperKleer)

It's very interesting though. Early on, I was positive I was going to have to back-sweeten it because it was TART! Though after a while the flavors started softening up quite a bit and I may not have to back-sweeten the wine at all. (the port side I will of course)

I'm going to keep tasting it at racking. Somewhere around six months or so I will make a final decision on back-sweetening it.

 

[Scooter68]

My Tart Cherry Concentrate order left Salt Lake City last night. Have to wait until temps warm a bit to start my first batch. Will probably start it and my next Black Currant wine at the same time. Two 3 gallon batches to break in my new 3 gallon carboys.

 

[geek]

Trader Joe's 72% Cacoa Dark Belgium Chocolate Bar. (the 1lb bars)

It's basically this one except I bought it from Trader Joe's by my house.

I just broken it up into chunks that would slip into the carboy during secondary fermentation. I just let that set for seven weeks, then racked it and started the clearing stage with Dualfine (SuperKleer)

It's very interesting though. Early on, I was positive I was going to have to back-sweeten it because it was TART! Though after a while the flavors started softening up quite a bit and I may not have to back-sweeten the wine at all. (the port side I will of course)

I'm going to keep tasting it at racking. Somewhere around six months or so I will make a final decision on back-sweetening it.

I may consider the cocoa chocolate
My daughter goes to Wesconn so I may ask her to stop by that store (we don't have one nearby Naugatuck).

Interested to know if you let your wine for 7 weeks in 'secondary' without adding any sulfite (it sounds like it?).
You also didn't mention sorbate, but assume the sugars from the chocolate got consumed/fermented in those 7 weeks. Did the chocolate chunks turned into a sludge?

So, I think you moved to 'secondary' where there was some residual sugar, maybe ~1.010, then added the chocolate bar, let it ferment dry for 7 weeks and finally follow the rest for clearing.

If you can post some SG numbers throughout your process that would be great, thanks.

 

[dcbrown73]

I may consider the cocoa chocolate
My daughter goes to Wesconn so I may ask her to stop by that store (we don't have one nearby Naugatuck).

Interested to know if you let your wine for 7 weeks in 'secondary' without adding any sulfite (it sounds like it?).
You also didn't mention sorbate, but assume the sugars from the chocolate got consumed/fermented in those 7 weeks. Did the chocolate chunks turned into a sludge?

So, I think you moved to 'secondary' where there was some residual sugar, maybe ~1.010, then added the chocolate bar, let it ferment dry for 7 weeks and finally follow the rest for clearing.

If you can post some SG numbers throughout your process that would be great, thanks.

These are my notes so far. So far no sorbate, but the chocolate and I've been topping up with Welches Black Cherry juice.

The ABV changes due to adding the juice. It's mostly if I remember. A guess based on volumes.

 

[geek]

Thanks for the notes.

 

[geek]

And this is the start, took the 10lbs out of the freezer to thaw overnight.



And the 2 cans of purée plus the Montrachet yeast.

 

[Tnuscan]

And we're off.

 

[dcbrown73]

And we're off.

To the Tasteis?

 

[geek]

Took a pH reading of the thawing cherries and it first started at 3.6x but then it kept going up to 3.91 when I removed the meter, I think it'd go even a bit higher and this may be due to the liquid being so cold at 32F right now.

I rather see and like the pH to be high and not low, I like adding tartaric acid to adjust down versus pot. bicarbonate to adjust up.

 

[Scooter68]

From the calculator I found a pH reading of 3.91 at 34F (1.11 C) would convert to 4.15 (The online calculator has to have temp value between 1-75 C)

But that assumes that your meter is NOT automatically doing the temp correction. The difference isn't that much really so it looks like you might get to add that tartaric. Of course What I've been doing is making initial readings before I bed the batch down for 24hrs with the K-meta dosage. Then just before I pitch the yeast I take another reading since, I've found that as the must sits and things start to break down, fully dissolve etc. my readings for both SG and pH have been shifting. Blueberries as many have noted on here are notorius for going highly acidic especially in batches with higher ratios of lbs / gallons. Cherries... I don't know hopefully you will have a day or two for the temps, pH, and SG to settle down a bit before you pitch the yeast.

OH MY ORDER OF TART CHERRY CONCENTRATE JUST ARRIVED !!! Ordered late morning March 1st! USPS delivery for $0.00

 

[geek]

This is the one I found online, although it is not working for F but for C temps:

https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/PhTempCorrection.php

 

[geek]

I'm really thinking of stopping by at Costco now and get 2 frozen cherries bag for $9 each, I think they have 3 lbs of organic cherries....

 

[geek]

This morning I placed the bucket close to the pellet stove.
Just stirred well now and here are the numbers:

pH ~3.53
Temp 69F

What a difference!

 

[Tnuscan]

And remember this will change as the fruit solids break down and the puree is added in. After all is combined you will want to mix well, pull a sample out, run it thru the blender, strain/filter and then take your reading. And I'm sure/hoping you've removed the pits.

 

[Scooter68]

This is the one I found online, although it is not working for F but for C temps:

https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/PhTempCorrection.php

Yeah, same one I used but while it will work with Fahrenheit temps they have to equal at least 1 degree Centigrade so a minimum Fahrenheit temp of 33.9 must be entered.

 

[Scooter68]

And remember this will change as the fruit solids break down and the puree is added in. After all is combined you will want to mix well, pull a sample out, run it thru the blender, strain/filter and then take your reading. And I'm sure/hoping you've removed the pits.

You aren't recommending running ALL of the must through a blender right? I did that once with peaches and the air entrapment became a serious issue. It took several days for all the air to leave the must and permit an accurate reading with the Hydrometer.

 

[Scooter68]

3.53 - Pretty much perfect if it holds. Great and keep us posted.