Wine Recipe Sharing Corner

[Scott Young]

Do you have a favourite wine recipe you'd like to share?

Here's the place to share it with fellow community members!

[Scott Young]

Here's the cherry wine recipe that I am following for my batch wine that will be featured as part of The Cherry Wine Project (as found on page 8 of the "Winemaker's Recipe Handbook" by Raymond Massaccesi):

CHERRY, Sweet:

>> Please note that this recipe produces 1 gallon of wine so multiply as appropriate to the size of batch you would like.

6lb Mixed Cherries
1/2 pt Grape Concentrate (we used both red and white)
7 pts Water
2 3/4 lb Sugar (granulated)
3/4 tsp Pectic Enzyme
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 Campden, crushed
1 pkg Sherry or Port Yeast

Starting S.G. 1.100 - 1.110

Method:

1. Wash, remove stems and leaves, and remove pits (use a pitter -- either mechanical or a couple of extra hands from around the house). Be careful not to break the bitter pits.

2. Using a nylon straining bag mash and squeeze out juice into straining bag, tie top and place in primary.

Note: We used an actual fruit press to press the cherries and to remove the juice. We then added the cherry skins to a cheese cloth "sock", which we then put into the primary.

3. Stir in all other ingredients EXCEPT the yeast. Cover primary.

4. After 24 hours add the yeast.

5. Stir daily, check S.G. and press pulp lightly to aid extraction.

6. When ferment reaches S.G. 1.030 (about 5 days) strain juice from bag. Syphon wine off sediment into carboy (secondary). Attach airlock.

7. When ferment is complete (S.G. has dropped to 1.000 -- about 3 weeks) syphon off sediment into a clean secondary. Reattach airlock.

8. To aid clearing syphon again in 2 months and again if necessary before bottling.

Cherry Varieties:

Most cherry trees do not adapt well to a mild winter climate. The handsome trees, the crown of flowers in spring, and the fruit, whether sour, sweet or crosses, make them highly desirable.

Sour varieties include: Montmorency, North Star, Early Richmond and Meteor.

Sweet varieities include: Bing, Royal Ann, Van and Lambert.

[Roger Jochen]

Are you using black or red cherrys?? I have red cherry wine now, and my friend has black cherry on so I should have two types sometime. We tax each other 20% so it works out nice for us (since neither one of us is lazy, and we both exparment and make a wide array of wine) & we pick together. If we only get enough fruit for one batch, whoever has carboy space is who gets the fruit. Wild cherries will be ripe here in a month or so, (since that is the only thing I've ever messed up) I am a little gun shy. I am stubborn, so will try it again! I will only try 3 or 5 gals this year though. My carboys will be used for blue & black berries right now and apple wine and applejack later.

[Scott Young]

We're using red cherries from the Okanagan in British Columbia.

[Scott Young]

Here's a Peach Wine recipe for you folks (from Raymond Massaccesi's "Winemaker's Recipe Handbook" - if you don't have this little purple book you really should get it as it has a lot of excellent recipes. You can buy it on Amazon.com for under $10)

Here’s a recipe to try (makes a gallon)

2 ½ lb peaches
7 pts water
2 lb sugar
1 ½ tsp acid blend
1 tsp pectic enzyme
¼ tsp tannin
½ tsp energizer
1 Campden tablet, crushed
1 pkg wine yeast

Starting S.G. 1.085-90

Method:

1. Wash fruit, remove stones and any brown patches, and weigh out correct amount
2. Mash and strain out juice into primary fermentor. Keep all pulp in nylon straining bag, tie top and place in primary
3. Stir in all other ingredients except yeast. Cover primary.
4. After 24 hrs. add yeast. Cover primary.
5. Stir daily, check S.G. and press pulp in bag lightly to help extract juice.
6. When ferment reaches S.G. 1.040 (3-5 days) strain juice lightly from bag. Syphon wine off sediment into glass jug secondary. Attach airlock.
7. When ferment is complete (S.G. has reached 1.000 – about 3 weeks) siphon off sediment into clean secondary. Reattach airlock.
8. Syphon again in 2 months and again if necessary until clear before bottling.

Let me know how it goes!

Scott

[Richard Leswing]

Well its a bit closer to beer, but I like to make hard cider. I use pastuerized only Apple Cider from local orchard, add English Ale yeast for postive yeast results (if one desires, pectic emzime may be added too) it also adds a bit off a sweet & nutty taste. Bulk age for 3 months (rack every month) in that time it should be crystal clear. Bottle with 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon sugar (any type sugar, white brown or honey (a bit more then 1/2 teaspoon if you use honey) if carbonation is desired). Side note is due here; I sometimes use plain Apple Cider with nothing added but chances are 50/50 on outcome using uncontroled wild yeasts along with the other nasty's found in unpastuerized Cider. Hope this isn't to far off subject, like bad chart reading.

Semper Paratus

[Scott Young]

Thanks for the comment Richard. I've made apple wine but not cider. Is there really a difference? This is a debate I'm having with one of my other readers. Interesting that you used English Ale yeast. Certainly shows that your choice of yeast makes a difference!

If you're feeling a little adventurous here is a chili wine recipe I found on the Internet:

http://www.allwinemaking.com/WordPress/2008/09/01/chili-wine-recipe/

[peter lowe]

Hi scott i see you have another cider maker here as in my recent email to you it is a laboursome job of juicing the apples if you dont have a press but its well worth it.
i am going to give your peach wine recipe a bash sounds quite good
cheers peter

[Dianne]

Hi Scott:

I have this recipe book as well and just made Cherry wine for the first time. I got a cherry wine kit from Brewery Lane (found the link on your site) and decided to try this first. Everything is pre-measured - you just add the cherries and the sugar. This recipe only calls for 500 mls of grape base. The recipe in the book call for 1/2 pint which is roughly 250 mls...hopefully I am converting correctly! Can you please clarify how much grape base you used to make a full recipe of 23L based on the book ingredients.

Scott Young said:

Here's the cherry wine recipe that I am following for my batch wine that will be featured as part of The Cherry Wine Project (as found on page 8 of the "Winemaker's Recipe Handbook" by Raymond Massaccesi):

CHERRY, Sweet:

>> Please note that this recipe produces 1 gallon of wine so multiply as appropriate to the size of batch you would like.

6lb Mixed Cherries
1/2 pt Grape Concentrate (we used both red and white)
7 pts Water
2 3/4 lb Sugar (granulated)
3/4 tsp Pectic Enzyme
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 Campden, crushed
1 pkg Sherry or Port Yeast

Starting S.G. 1.100 - 1.110

Method:

1. Wash, remove stems and leaves, and remove pits (use a pitter -- either mechanical or a couple of extra hands from around the house). Be careful not to break the bitter pits.

2. Using a nylon straining bag mash and squeeze out juice into straining bag, tie top and place in primary.

Note: We used an actual fruit press to press the cherries and to remove the juice. We then added the cherry skins to a cheese cloth "sock", which we then put into the primary.

3. Stir in all other ingredients EXCEPT the yeast. Cover primary.

4. After 24 hours add the yeast.

5. Stir daily, check S.G. and press pulp lightly to aid extraction.

6. When ferment reaches S.G. 1.030 (about 5 days) strain juice from bag. Syphon wine off sediment into carboy (secondary). Attach airlock.

7. When ferment is complete (S.G. has dropped to 1.000 -- about 3 weeks) syphon off sediment into a clean secondary. Reattach airlock.

8. To aid clearing syphon again in 2 months and again if necessary before bottling.

Cherry Varieties:

Most cherry trees do not adapt well to a mild winter climate. The handsome trees, the crown of flowers in spring, and the fruit, whether sour, sweet or crosses, make them highly desirable.

Sour varieties include: Montmorency, North Star, Early Richmond and Meteor.

Sweet varieities include: Bing, Royal Ann, Van and Lambert.