Tart Cherry Wine Spec Question

[DansWinemaking]

Hi All,
Quick question about Tart Cherry wine. I'll keep it short as the key specs are looking good but......

I pitched a 2 gallon batch of Cherry wine with Tart Cherry concentrate and Sweet Black Cherries. Cold soaked for 5 days, used EC 118 yeast.
> SG at start is 1.090 with sugar added. I also added tannin and yeast nutrient
> PH looked to be a tad over 3 w a PH stick.
> Fermentation went well, died down after 6 days.
> Racked off the fermenter into glass; SG was 1.020
> Today I racked a second time to get off the lees ( 16 days since initial fermentation ) and the SG looks a tad over 1.00, call it 1.010. That would put ABV around 9.8%
> I've added K&C for clearing but no stabilizer as I'd like to airlock this batch and let it age out for awhile.

2 questions:
1. Is that Alcohol level high enough to age without sulfites or sorbate and
2. Is that a typical ABV for cherry fruit wine?

My first cherry batch was low as well, down in the 7% range when I first started this hobby. Some of that was impatience and some rookie mistakes.
Most of my wines are clocking in at 11- 12%, so I'm curious if this is just what alcohol level cherry wine develops or am I missing something.

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[winemaker81]

10% is considered the threshold for wine to be long term stable.

Sorbate prevents a renewed fermentation is sugar is added, but is not used to extend shelf life.

K-meta is not a requirement, but IME wines stay fresher longer and have a longer shelf life when it's used.

At this point, I'd put the wine under airlock and ignore it for 3 months

 

[Rice_Guy]

Q1; Is the alcohol high enough? We have examples of natural French apple beverages that have several years of shelf life at 5% ABV. To do them well requires that we shift the rules as as use French apples that are high tannin (antioxidant). In your case by running a pH of about 3 you have put in a preservative that substitutes for 12% ABV. Your continuing risk is going to be oxygen exposure so minimizing head space and splashing and starting with high free SO2 (metabisulphite) will produce shelf life. A guess is that you used something like Stanton 7x Montmercy which had pH 3.66/ TA 6.74%, when I looked at it. I hope that pH paper is accurate in which case you are fine. Many of the sour cherries I have looked at fall at 3.3 to 3.5. If the pH is actually above 3.5 you have a risk of a bacterial infection, one of the malic acid metabolizing organisms. The risk I see is that the red pigments in cherry has colored the pH paper enough to give an inaccurate reading. Sorbate won’t stop a lactic acid bacteria.

Q2; is 9.8% typical of cherry? No, you put enough sugar in that you should have fermented to 11 to 12%. Again, if the pH is low you could have stressed the yeast so that it stopped. A rhubarb at pH 2.8 may stop at 1.015 gravity since this is at the edge of where they live. A citrus soda at pH of 2.5 with no alcohol and carbonation (ie no oxygen) has shelf life. If I pick Montmercy on the pink side it can be pH 2.8. If I pick on the bronze color/ some bird damage side Montmercy can be pH 3.7, and have bacterial risk.

You are above 5% ABV therefore you shouldn’t ever have food poisoning organisms. With processed ingredient you will have been heat treated so you shouldn’t have significant bacterial population so you probably are OK. A sweet cherry comes in at pH 4 and if fresh fruit this gives some off flavor (bacterial) risk. A traditional cider at 5% ABV might pasteurize for shelf life, your concentrate would have been pasteurized. Conclusion; pH is like a fence which prevents growth, it provides safety. A pH meter gives reliable readings on dark colored fruit and is useful in this hobby.
Sorry for the long winded answer.

 

[DansWinemaking]

Thanks much for the feedback. I will invest in a more accurate PH measurement device for future batches. Right now I have three batches in jugs aging and don't plan on starting my next one til April 1.

I lucked out on a recent Blueberry, which clocked in at 11.8% and a Chardannay that's at 12.8% ( this one is a Winexpert kit that I upped from 1.075 SG to 1.090 with some cane sugar).

Great hobby. Since I'm limited by space, making 3 gallon batches work best for me. I may test drive making a 6 gallon batch of Italian wine, fermenting in the juice bucket, this fall. I'm an old bastard and 6 gallon carboys are in my distant past.

 

[winemaker81]

I'm an old bastard and 6 gallon carboys are in my distant past.

Invest in a pump. It doesn't matter how big the container is, you won't be lifting it.

 

[DansWinemaking]

Thanks much for the feedback. I will invest in a more accurate PH measurement device for future batches. Right now I have three batches in jugs aging and don't plan on starting my next one til April 1.

I lucked out on a recent Blueberry, which clocked in at 11.8% and a Chardannay that's at 12.8% ( this one is a Winexpert kit that I upped from 1.075 SG to 1.090 with some cane sugar).

Great hobby. Since I'm limited by space, making 3 gallon batches work best for me. I may test drive making a 6 gallon batch of Italian wine, fermenting in the juice bucket, this fall. I'm an old bastard and 6 gallon carboys are in my distant past.

Rice Guy, BTW, the ingredients were Knudsen's Tart Cherry juice and a Store Brand frozen pitted dark sweet cherries. There was also cane sugar added to bring the must up to 1.090. This combo was cold soaked for 5 days as stated above. That was the base, with the other stuff added when I pitched.

 

[DansWinemaking]

Invest in a pump. It doesn't matter how big the container is, you won't be lifting it.

That's a great point, I do have the AllInOne. Like i said, I'm an old bastard and sometimes my common sense is left in the 80's.........

 

[BPL]

1. Is that Alcohol level high enough to age without sulfites or sorbate

Bryan's answer pretty much nails it IMO. To address the term "age", it's helpful to put a number on the length of time. For example, is aging 3 months, 12 months, or 3 years? Sulfite and sorbate work together with the alcohol level and tannins in the wine to allow the wine to mature and maintain maturity through the time of reasonable (or expected) consumption.

Is that a typical ABV for cherry fruit wine?

Referring to the ABV% of a wine, I consider "typical" similar to what is trending at the time. An example would be the differences of a Chardonnay in the late 70's versus what's generally accepted today. In the late '70's and early '80's, the accepted practice for a Chard was heavy oak and/or a buttery flavor. While those characteristic are not a bad thing, most Chard's today are produced cleaner, not as buttery and aged in stainless vessels. So, typical then, not so much now. At least, that is my experience when visiting liquor stores and some wineries.

My guess is the "typical" 9% ABV of a cherry wine is more related to the balancing of the wine and how it's made. IMHO, a more intense flavor and mouthfeel, and making it off dry can balance out a higher ABV in the 11% to 12% ABV range.

My comments are for your consideration and food for thought.

Barry