Cherry Wine Recipe

Taken from https://homebrewanswers.com/cherry-wine-recipe/

Cherries are a bold flavour and this flavour really does well even after freezing the cherries. The real difference between frozen or fresh cherries is the texture and for us wine makers the texture is not really an issue for us. In fact freezing cherries is actually beneficial as it breaks down the structure of the fruit which when thawed will release more of the sugars and juices we want in the wine.

Ingredients

Makes 4.5 litres

• 4.2 litres Water
• 1.6 kg / 3.5 lb Cherries destoned (sweet or sour or mix)
• 1.1 kg / 2.5 lb Sugar
• 1/8 tsp Tannin - see What Are Tannins in Wine?
• 2 tsp Acid Blend (for sweet cherry wine only) see 5 Things You Should Know About Acid Blend
• 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
• 1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
• 1 Campden Tablet
• 1 Sachet Yeast (Lallemand EC-1118 is a good choice but experiment with others)

Equipment

• Large Stock Pot
• Small Fermenting Bucket (5l)
• Demijohn
• Airlock & Bung
• Syphon
• Fine Straining Bag
• Potato Masher

It is important to destone the cherries.

You will want to wash them thoroughly and remove any bad cherries. As well as this you will need to remove the stems and destone the cherries. As we are going to be mashing the flesh we do not want the stones in the wine as the insides of cherry pits are toxic if you consume enough.

Cherry Wine Recipe Method

• Gently heat half the water and all the sugar (1.1kg) in a large pan. gently to dissolve all the sugar and stir to prevent any scorching of the sugar on the bottom of the pan. Bring the sugar solution to a boil for a few minutes and then turn off the heat.

• In a sanitized fermenting bucket, place the fine straining bag and add the prepared, washed cherries. Take the potato masher and pulp the cherries to extract the flavour and the juices. Secure the pulp in the straining bag and then pour over the boiling sugar solution. Mix thoroughly and then pour the remaining cool water to bring the temperature down.

• Add the tannin (1/8 tsp), yeast nutrient (1 tsp), acid blend (2 tsp) if using sweet cherries and then the Campden tablet (crushed). Mix thoroughly throughout the must then secure the lid for at least 12 hours.

WAIT 12 HOURS

• After 12 hours add the pectic enzyme and mix thoroughly, secure the lid and leave for a further 24 hours.

WAIT 24 HOURS

• After 24 hours add the yeast by sprinkling onto the surface of the must. Secure the lid and airlock and allow to ferment for around 2 weeks.

WAIT 2 WEEKS

• After two weeks it is time to remove the straining bag and what remains of the cherries. Lift the bag out and let it drain but do not squeeze. Cover the cherry wine again with the lid and let it settle for a couple of days before racking to a demijohn. Once racked into a demijohn allow the wine to condition for at least three months

WAIT 3 MONTHS

• rack to a new demijohn once or twice when sediment builds up. The wine ages well and can be left up to 6 months before bottling.

WAIT UP TO 3 MONTHS

• Bottle the wine

This cherry wine is great as it is but if you prefer a sweeter wine then back sweetening it is the way to go, if you use sweeter cherries you will often end up with a less tart wine anyway so always sample before sweetening.