Chocolate Cherry Espresso Port project

[Jstokerjr]

Hello everyone.

I am a first timer to the wine making. I recently attempted my first homemade wine that has become this now port project and sent me out to harvest more cherries to redo the wine recipe.

Please, any suggestions to improve my chances with something good here, let me know.

Started with 12bs hand picked cherries.
Washed destemmed tossed in 6 gal bucket.
Added 2.5 lbs organic raisins.
Mushed up fruit trying not to break any stones. Added 10lbs sugar and mixed well. (Learned this was my first mistake)
Poured 2.5 gal boiled h20 over fruit sugar mix and stirred well.
Waited 24 hrs and through in my yeast starter on 6/9. (Learned a hydrometer is a must)
Bought hydrometer and took the first SG reading about 24 hrs after ferm started. SG1.140 uh oh!

6/16 strained out pulp , racked to 2nd.
Added 5oz dark choc chips and 5 espresso beans.
6/16 SG down to 1.060





Plan to add everclear to bring up to 21% when ferm stops or down to 1.020 which ever comes first.

I'm looking for a very subtle yet noticeable choc coffee . Do I need more? Wait and add later?

Cheers

 

[dangerdave]

Well, Jstokerjr, I don't know where to start.

Let's start with...Welcome to the Forum. We're very glad you've joined us in our obsession.

What I usually tell new wine makers is to get a kit, so you can see how the wine making process is supposed to work, while virtually ensuring that you have a drinkable product at the end, thus instilling confidence in your ability to make wine. But you've already jumped right in, making a port style wine, no less. That's akin to a fourth grader attempting calculus. I'm not saying that it can't be done, just that the outcome is excruciatingly predictable. While I very much applaud your ambition, you may be in over your head.

That being said, I'm not above offering aid. Maybe we can turn this into a learning experience.

First off, is this wine made from a recipe, or are you just winging this one? Because you should have used more like 15-18 pounds of cherries (or more) in the primary. And a few ounces of chocolate chips and five coffee beans are not likely to impart much flavor at all to this soon-to-be cheery jet fuel. I only have a few ports under my belt, but I would suggest keeping your planned finishing ABV to 20% or below. Otherwise---if you don't plan on aging it for ten years---it will just be too "hot". Have you ever heard of or used a Pearson's Square. This devise will be necessary for determining how much Everclear to add to your port to reach the resired ABV.

Ok, here's what I would do at this point. If it's till fermenting, stick with your plan. Let it get down to 1.060 (from 1.140). That will give you an ABV oat that point of 15.75%. Use the Pearson's Square to determine how much Everclear to add based on volumes and the proofs. If you need help with these calculations, let us know.

After that, to get the flavor I think you're shooting for will require some addtions. You are going to need a source for something sweet and cherry, namely, a cherry juice concentrate of some kind. I have no idea where you might aquire this. You want a concentrate, so that you're not adding water to your port---unless you like watered down port. This will add both flavor and body to your port (both of which I suspect it may need). I think you may be shooting for too complex a flavor profile with a cherry-choco-coffee, but if that's your desired outcome, you will also need to add more coffee (possibly in the form of expresso powder or extract) and some more chocolate (cocoa powder or chips). This would be all to taste, I might add. Always start with a little and work up. Remember, you can always add more, but you can't take it back out.

I think you are going to need more than luck to make this one drinkable in the end, but it can be done, I think. Good luck, none-the-less.

 

[Jstokerjr]

Oh man lol. Well let me start with a thank you. After me and my son harvested a bucket of cherries I was tossing around different ideas for them. Decided Cherry Wine could be awesome! Never made wine but I've done a few all grain home brews in the past. Google a recipe and went with the first thing I clicked on. Dur. Lol. Went to get the old hydrometer and it was in pieces. Started freaking out and found this forum but I had already made the jet fuel. Pshh. Grabbed up my 2 year old and went to pick cherries and came up with a new recipe. It's posted in the country fruit section. So far so good. This port is my attempt to salvage that first batch. Took a sample and it's actually pretty tasty and pretty hot. Not sure if I want to do anything to it now... It's been and 1.060 for 3 days now. Wish I could message you a sample. Give it a few years ya never know. Thanks and any more input is always appreciated!

Cheers

 

[dangerdave]

You are very welcome. We've all been there. At this forum, we want to see you succeed. I did see your other thread. You are headed in the right direction, at least.

If it's been at 1.060 for three days, you should proceed with degassing and adding the Everclear as a fining agent. Don't mess with k-meta, at this level of ABV, you don't need it.

What size carboy is that you have it in? You'll need a three gallon carboy, it seems, filled with the wine and Everclear to within two inches of the bung to reduce air exposure and oxydization, especially if it is going to sit for a while (months, likely) before it's bottled.

 

[Jstokerjr]

Thanks! Got these 3 gal jugs at Walmart. Though the mouths are larger than my 6 gal carboy, I think they are perfect. I'll grab some larger bungs tomorrow. Still 1.060 when reracked. Any suggestions on a coco everclear extract. I saw some Cherry Moonshine 100proof at grocery store this eve and almost bought it for this instead but resisted. Hmm...

 

[Jstokerjr]

 

[Jstokerjr]

Trying to figure the formula:

I have

X=20%
A=14.1% ? Og1.140 fg.999
C=50%
D=9.4%
B=30%

Lost when I get to the volume portion.

 

[Jstokerjr]

Actually mixing notes.

Og 1.140 fg 1.060

 

[sour_grapes]

I have your base wine at 10.5% (That is [1.140 - 1.060]*131.) Use this calculator to find that you should use 30 parts wine and 9.5 parts fortifier.

Oh, I now see that you are misinterpreting "D" and "B" in your post above. They are not percentages, they are "parts." That is, you should add, say, 30 oz. of wine and 9.5 oz. of liquor.

If you want the percentage of wine, you take 30/(30+9.5) = 0.76, or 76% wine. (And, of course, liquor is 24%.)

 

[dangerdave]

Thanks for jumping in, Paul. It has yet to be determined if I make good port.

 

[Jstokerjr]

Thanks! Just got back from a little camping trip. Plan to fortify tomorrow. Tested and tasted again today still 1.040 sweet tasting. Do y'all recommend ever clear, or I was thinking maybe Cherry Brandy or regular brandy and still keep thinking of that cherry moonshine? Still wanting to add chocolate too. Maybe a coco ever clear extract. Hmm. How about adding sulfites? Equation for amount needed?

Thanks again for helping!

Cheers

 

[Jstokerjr]

Jumped the gun again. Fortified with Brandy. 10oz E & J to my 3 gal of must. Also added a 10oz bag of dark choc 62% coca to the carboy. Have another 10oz bag for the next time I rack if it's needed. Must say it tastes pretty good.



Cheers

 

[sour_grapes]

I believe your ABV should now be only about 13.8%. I get this from (384 oz * 13.1% + 10 oz * 40%)/(384 oz + 10 oz).

Glad to hear it is tasty, but this ABV may be too low to provide port-like protection against spoilage. Make sure to use adequate levels of sulfite.

 

[peaches9324]

I'll be following this post to find out how this turns out

 

[Jstokerjr]

This batch was 3 gal I got 20 oz must to 10 oz brandy to get to 20 % being must was 10.6 and brandy 40% . What am I missing in this equation? How often should I rack this?

Cheers

 

[sour_grapes]

This batch was 3 gal I got 20 oz must to 10 oz brandy to get to 20 % being must was 10.6 and brandy 40% .

I'm sorry, I am unable to parse that sentence. What does "I got 20 oz must to 10 oz brandy" mean?

My interpretation of your earlier posts was that you mixed 3 gallons of wine with 10 oz. of brandy. If that is not correct, please very clearly state what you mixed.

 

[Jstokerjr]

Yeah... I suck lol. So I totally added 10oz of brandy to the entire deal lmao. Thinking I need a total of 64oz brandy to the 3 gal batch. So my 3 gal carboy is full, should I siphon out 54 oz and refill with the brandy? Thanks for helping. What a mess this first batch has been. Good thing my cherry country fruit is solid so far.

 

[sour_grapes]

Okay, let me take it from the top.

Your base wine started at SG = 1.140 (Post #1)
Your base wine finished at SG = 1.040 (Post #11)

This means your base wine has about 13.1% ABV [From ABV = (startingSG - finishSG)*131 ]

You desire a final ABV for your port of 20% (from Post #7)
Your brandy has ABV of 40% (from Post #15)

From a Pearson's square, you should use 20 parts wine, and 6.9 parts brandy. This is equivalent to saying you should use 74% wine and 26% brandy, from the facts that 20/(20+6.9)=0.74.

Your original volume of wine was 374 oz. (that is, 10 oz less than 3 gallons.) (Inferred from Post #17).

Therefore, you will need to add 131 oz of brandy in total. This is from 374 oz*26%/74%. You can double check this math by noting that the full volume would be (374 oz + 131 oz) = 505 oz, and 374/505 = 74%.

You have already added 10 oz of brandy. (From Post #17) Thus, you will need to add 131 oz - 10 oz = 121 oz.

This is just less than 1 gallon.

How, and whether, you choose to do this is up to you!

Best of luck,

 

[Jstokerjr]

Oh man. Thanks. Shoot I don't what to do. Ill have to think on it for the day. Thanks again for helping with this.

Cheers

 

[sour_grapes]

No one says it HAS to be 20%. It is just that as long as it is below 20% or so, some hardy yeast could eat the remaining sugar.

If you like it the way it is, you can just drink it! If I wanted to do that, I would add some potassium sorbate, and let it sit the way it is for a long time to make sure the fermentation is truly over before bottling. Or if you decide to use 190 proof Everclear, it will take about 35 oz. to bring your port up to 20%.