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ryangws

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so i am on my 7th kit wine and since its cherry season and i have a huge bing cherry tree on my property i decided to try to make some cherry wine

here is what i have done so far
picked, destemmed, washed 18# ripe bing cherries
put them in the primary bucket, crushed gently not to break stones, added water up to 3 galons.
added 3 campton tablets.
2 1/4 pectine enzime.

let sit for 2 days

i strained (spun) out the skins and stones with a centralfugal juicer, again did not break any stones. thought this was a more efficient process than hand squeezing. but they are still kind of jucy and not dry.

i then added aprox 8 cups of sugar till the SG read 1.090 or 22 Brix

added 3 tsp of yeast nutrient.

the juice looks good and is in the primary. waiting another day to pitch yeast.

questions
1) does this look good?
2) should i add some skins to the primary in a bag?
3) what yeast (going to store tomorrow to get)?
4) i added sugar directly to the juice, didnt dissolve it in boiling water, did i mess this up? should i continue? i serilized everything that touched the juice.

thanks for any help

i dont know how to test acid yet but willing to learn
going to check the Ph tomorrow when my friend lets me borrow her ph meeter.
 
I would keep the skins and stones in a bag and keep in the primary for a few days to keep the pectic enzyme breaking them down and releasing the flavors into the wine more. I would also add a tablespoon of acid blend to the mix. Give the bag a good squeeze once a day until removing it. Other than that it all sounds good to me.
 
pitched yeast today pasteur

pH read 4.0 using test papers, do i need to change this?

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so its been fermenting for 4 days and slowed down quite a bit so i checked the SG and it read .999

so i racked it into a carboy

should i top it up?
most recipes say it should take 3 weeks to get to this SG but mine only took 4 days???
 
How far from full are you? It should still be producing some C02 so if it isn't half empty it should be OK for at least a few days. It isn't unusual at all for wines to get that low after only a few days. It takes longer once it gets down to there to finish going the last few points. Nice color with it. Don't rush it and it will clear up nicely.
 
its about 2.5 to 2.7 gallons in a 3 gal carboy now. its at the level where the carboy starts to narrow up at the top.

when should i stop the fermenting?
 
The level of the liquid is fine. Let the wine finish fermenting on its own. Once you get the same SG reading a couple of days in a row you can use Kmeta & sorbate to stabilize the wine. Don't worry with the speed of the fermentation, some wines are just in a hurry. You did just start this so I would wrap a towel around the carboy and put it out of the way for a month or 2 then rack it and check the SG. While you are waiting start your next wine.
VC
 
ryangws said:
its about 2.5 to 2.7 gallons in a 3 gal carboy now. its at the level where the carboy starts to narrow up at the top.

when should i stop the fermenting?


That level is alright to finish up fermentation. Do not try to stop it- just let it finish to dry. See how low it will go. When it has totally finished (readings the same over several days), You can rack it to a clean carboy add some SuperKleer and let it clear up. Then add adequate k-meta and decide if you want to age a bit in the carboy or bottle. If you want it sweetened, add sorbate at about the same time as the k-meta before sweetening.
 
so its been reading about .996 for 2 weeks now.

i racked it into a clean carboy, but its only about 2 gallons now.

can i add water to get up to 3 gal. or should i wait and some will be added when i sweeten it, or will this just be a small batch.
 
Looks like you have a 2 gal batch there ryangws. It won't take much to sweeten it. Keep us posted on the outcome!
 
It sounds like it is done fermenting...If there is only 2 gals. in a 3 gal. carboy I would get itinto some gallon jugs or something to reduce the air space at the top...Good Luck
 
ok so im racking it off the lees, adding Kmeta and sorbate (how much for 2 gal?) SG is stable, its been a month

then cook down the cherries i froze to add as f pack

do i need to stir/degass like i did with the grape kits?

do i need to add anything to help clear or just keep racking every month till its clear and then bottle?
 
ok, SG was stable at .996

i added meta and sorbate, degassed

now its time for fpack, right? here it goes
 
you are on you way.. how many #'s you using for the f-pac? You gonna backsweeten?
 
well i dont like how it tastes right now...so im cooking down about 1# of cherries right now. it might not be enough
 

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