beernoulli
Junior
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2013
- Messages
- 3
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I had a really good Sherry from a local winery called Messina Hof. It's $45 a bottle, so I want to try and reverse engineer it with a fruit wine. Their website describes it as having "... vanilla and creamy flavors, almond and cherry notes with an undertone of white chocolate and truffles." I've made several fruit wines in the past, but nothing this big an complex.
To me, it had a lot of the amaretto flavors: cherry, almond, and vanilla. It was very strong, but had little to no alcohol heat and a lot of residual sugar. It was strong enough that it would benefit from oxidation, not be destroyed by it.
My plan is to use cherries (fresh if I can find them, canned black cherries, and/or canned tart cherries), brown sugar and/or molasses, vanilla beans, and a few oak cubes. It's going to be a small batch, 1.5-2 gallon primary and 1 gallon secondary.
Questions:
What us a good yeast to use for something this high in gravity? I would like if it could get to 18% without giving off flavors, and not ferment to completion.
What would be a good amount of cherries to use, and which type? I'm hoping for more like amaretto, not "cherry juice".
Are there other ingredients you think I should use?
What would be a reasonable chemical schedule, and can I add acid blend to-taste after fermentation?
Thanks so much guys!
To me, it had a lot of the amaretto flavors: cherry, almond, and vanilla. It was very strong, but had little to no alcohol heat and a lot of residual sugar. It was strong enough that it would benefit from oxidation, not be destroyed by it.
My plan is to use cherries (fresh if I can find them, canned black cherries, and/or canned tart cherries), brown sugar and/or molasses, vanilla beans, and a few oak cubes. It's going to be a small batch, 1.5-2 gallon primary and 1 gallon secondary.
Questions:
What us a good yeast to use for something this high in gravity? I would like if it could get to 18% without giving off flavors, and not ferment to completion.
What would be a good amount of cherries to use, and which type? I'm hoping for more like amaretto, not "cherry juice".
Are there other ingredients you think I should use?
What would be a reasonable chemical schedule, and can I add acid blend to-taste after fermentation?
Thanks so much guys!
