Choke Cherry Wine

[Jify]

2 BOTTLES WINEXPERT RED GRAPE CONCENTRATE

Can I replace the Winexpert Red Grape Concentrate with Welch's concentrate without suffering a major flavour/body loss? I'd love to give this recipe a "go" this summer, but I'm hung up on spending $20 a bottle for the local homebrewers grape concentrate.

Would this work?

Thank you!

 

[winemaker_3352]

Can I replace the Winexpert Red Grape Concentrate with Welch's concentrate without suffering a major flavour/body loss? I'd love to give this recipe a "go" this summer, but I'm hung up on spending $20 a bottle for the local homebrewers grape concentrate.

Would this work?

Thank you!

That is what i used - I would suggest letting this age a while though - as chokecherries are very high in tannins.

 

[pwrose]

I didn't use anything but chokecherry juice.
Here is my post on what I did.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8775

I certainly learned that you don't need to add any tannins and age it at least 6+ months.
I think winemaker would agree on this part.

 

[winemaker_3352]

I didn't use anything but chokecherry juice.
Here is my post on what I did.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8775

I certainly learned that you don't need to add any tannins and age it at least 6+ months.
I think winemaker would agree on this part.

Oh yeah!!! I made the same mistake by adding in more tannins.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Can I replace the Winexpert Red Grape Concentrate with Welch's concentrate without suffering a major flavour/body loss? I'd love to give this recipe a "go" this summer, but I'm hung up on spending $20 a bottle for the local homebrewers grape concentrate.

Would this work?

Thank you!

As opposed to red grape could you use cherry, or is the grape a hardier juice?

 

[abefroman]

~~~~~~~~~~CHOKECHERRY WINE~~~~~~~~~~~~~

8 QUARTS JUICE [22# STEAMED EXTRACTED CHOKECHERRIES]
2 BOTTLES WINEXPERT RED GRAPE CONCENTRATE
9# SUGAR
6 1/2 CAMPDEN TABLETS
4 tsp LIQUID TANNIN
5 tsp ACID BLEND
4 oz AMERICAN OAK CHIPS [TOASTED]
2 VANILLA BEANS

S.G. 1.087 water to 6½ gallons

12 hours later----
3 tsp PECTIC ENZYME
3 tsp YEAST ENERGIZER
6 tsp YEAST NUTRIENT

12 hours later
LALVIN RC-212 YEAST

Is the 6.5 campden tables a little much? That would be like 1/2tsp k-meta

 

[abefroman]

~~~~~~~~~~CHOKECHERRY WINE~~~~~~~~~~~~~

8 QUARTS JUICE [22# STEAMED EXTRACTED CHOKECHERRIES]
2 BOTTLES WINEXPERT RED GRAPE CONCENTRATE
9# SUGAR
6 1/2 CAMPDEN TABLETS
4 tsp LIQUID TANNIN
5 tsp ACID BLEND
4 oz AMERICAN OAK CHIPS [TOASTED]
2 VANILLA BEANS

S.G. 1.087 water to 6½ gallons

12 hours later----
3 tsp PECTIC ENZYME
3 tsp YEAST ENERGIZER
6 tsp YEAST NUTRIENT

12 hours later
LALVIN RC-212 YEAST

Is the 6.5 campden tables a little much? That would be like 1/2tsp k-meta

 

[J-Gee]

Are any updates on this choke berry wine available?

 

[djrockinsteve]

Mine came out really good however several folks have conveyed to me it makes you fart. Aside from that they love it.

My chocolate choke cherry is very good but I haven't given too many out. It's that good

 

[DirtyDawg10]

lmao...

 

[J-Gee]

I should have planted choke cherries years ago. I'm going to try to get some in the ground this spring.I don't think I have a source for the cherries,but I'd like to try this recipe. Thanks for the heads up on the farting.

 

[pwrose]

I am a few months away from mine being two years old and the last time I tried mine it was still a little harsh. You can tell the flavor is there but still needs another year or so.

 

[Wade E]

From what I hear about these is that the ones from way up north tend to be stronger then others. Its what Ive read a few times as this was a reecipe from a very nice lady there and had a lot of discussions about this wine.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

My Danube cherries were a big dissapointment, we got like 10 cherries off of our 5 year old dwarfs, they were really good with red juice but they couldnt stand the disease pressure over here. We pulled them out and put in their place chokecherries just to see if some natives would do better in the winegarden, and we have several cherry orchards around here we can pick in June but nowhere to pick chokecherries. We havent even tasted a bottle of the wine yet but have 25 new bushes planted and under irrigation to get a fast start. Cracked in WV

 

[hannabarn]

I have made chokecherry wine using the recipe that Wade posted. I, too am familiar with the very nice lady he is referring to. I'm from northern Wisconsin and chokecherries are plentiful usually. I have found that the wild chokecherries are rather harsh tasting. If we get lots of rain they tend to be less harsh. I mix them with something else. I made a chokecherry apple grape wine which turned out well. I'll have to try adding chocolate. That sounds interesting. By the way, I think the chokecherries that this lady used from Mn are different that the ones here in Wisconsin!

 

[Bert]

Hi Barney; I use mostly tame chokecherries [Canadian red something] Barney and I have traded wines in the past and his chokecherry apple blend is really nice.....As Barney said wild chokecherries can get a bit harsh and need about 2 yrs. in the bottle to mellow out.....A blend might be the way to go...

 

[Logwerx]

I just got done putting together a batch from the recipe at the start of this thread. I am kind of worried, as no one has posted in over a year, did you all die from your batches? The wife I picked a cattle tub full of berries 150#, then juiced them all, got 14 gallons of juice. We now have 6 6-1/2 gallon carboys and 2 3 gallon carboys working their asses off. The 3 gallon carboys we did not use the grape concentrate in them, just adjusted with sugar to 1.085. Wanted to see what the difference in taste would be.

We are just now starting to see the Valiants starting to change color, have to go to town and get a few 20 gallon Brutes for the next batch. Might even have to do some hard apple cider this year too, as we have an over abundance of apples this year too.

 

[fabrictodyefor]

I have read and re-read this thread a couple of times, my first batch of wine ever, is a choke cherry/apple, using frozen apple concentrate and choke cherries growing along a bar ditch. If I would have read this thread before I started I may have been worried! But I tasted mine yesterday....started it Aug 8/18/13 and it is really good! It is still bulk aging and I plan on leaving it there a couple more months. I made so many mistakes on this wine, I am overjoyed it is as good as it is! But I do have 7 more quarts of choke cherries and plan on doing Wade's recipe...when I have carboy space!

 

[Boyd]

choke cherry

Made a 6 gallon batch of chokecherry in 2011, my first try of choke cherry.

Turned out really harsh, lots of pucker power, so I used the egg white trick to settle out some of the tannins

Did 1/2 egg at a time for 3 times.

Ended up blending it with 12 gallons of 2 year old elderberry.

My wine loving daughter pronounce it to be very good.

I may get around to bottling it in the next couple weeks.

 

[fabrictodyefor]

~~~~~~~~~~CHOKECHERRY WINE~~~~~~~~~~~~~

8 QUARTS JUICE [22# STEAMED EXTRACTED CHOKECHERRIES]
2 BOTTLES WINEXPERT RED GRAPE CONCENTRATE
9# SUGAR
6 1/2 CAMPDEN TABLETS
4 tsp LIQUID TANNIN
5 tsp ACID BLEND
4 oz AMERICAN OAK CHIPS [TOASTED]
2 VANILLA BEANS

S.G. 1.087 water to 6½ gallons

12 hours later----
3 tsp PECTIC ENZYME
3 tsp YEAST ENERGIZER
6 tsp YEAST NUTRIENT

12 hours later
LALVIN RC-212 YEAST

I know you posted this some time ago....my first ever batch of wine, was a choke cherry apple and I did not add tannins. I started it Aug, 2013 and it is very tasty. I had canned more choke cherry juice to make another batch later...Later is now! My question is: is the tannins necessary? I seemed to recall reading that choke cherries had tannin, but I've read so much about making wine in the last 5 months, I could be wrong. Thanks for the help