Tart Cherry Wine

[pkcook]

Just racked 9.5L of Tart Cherry wine into secondaries. I used a mixture of Oregon canned Tart Pie Cherries and 1 pint of cherry concentrate from Brownwood Acres. This is the first troublesome batch of wine that I have encountered. I used a packet of Red Star Red Pasteur yeast (first time for this yeast)and pitched it dry as I always have. Two days later nothing! Noticed that my room in the basement was cool, but I didn't have a thermometer. Waited another day and used a packet of Lalvin EC-1118, which I have used many times. I purchased a thermometer and the temp in the room was a cool 62 degrees, so I pulled out my dehydrator and put it on the lowest setting and two days later fermentation was very active. Not sure if it was the yeast of the heat, or maybe a combination of both.


I made a similar version of this in Oct 05 and used the concentrate as part of the sweetening process and the taste was remarkable! It turneda so-so wine into a WOW wine, but left a notable haze that would not clear after 2 months. I wanted to ask if pectic enzyme can be added to a finished wine to help clear(I added 3 tsp in this batch to start), or is this something that can only be used in the primary fermentation process? I intend on sweetening with the concentrate again on this batch, but would like to have the wine clear. Any ideas?

Edited by: pkcook

 

[pkcook]

Here is the racked Cherry Wine.

Edited by: pkcook

 

[pkcook]

Here is a photo of the primary using the dehydrator on the lowest setting as a heat source. Not ideal, but works when a brew belt is not available.

 

[PolishWineP]

Glad to see people being inventive!

 

[pkcook]

I took a temperature reading from the must about a day into it and it was almost 80 deg, so I shut it down and left it off for the rest of the initial fermentation and the SG was about 1.000 when I racked it this morning. I would love to find a warming tray that would go as low as 70-75 deg for the small jugs.


The brew-belt for the carboys in the winter will be my next investment.


Pat

 

[Big Port]

I also have about 2 gallons of cherry wine that I had planned on using the concentrate as part of the sweetening process and would love to see what comes of this post. I'm about a month away, maybe two, depending on how much lees drop after the last racking.

 

[pkcook]

Love those Michigan cherries! Thisconcentrate is wonderful stuff, just like fresh fruit. I have used bothRed Raspberry and the Cherry as sweeteners, but both were cloudy.I just drink it in low lighting

. The Raspberry was outstanding, much like a comercial desert wine that I have purchased for years. Brownwood Acres now offers Concord grape in concentrate. I'm thinking about trying a 6 gallon batch from this and add some oak.


Here is another link to a concentrate site in Suttons Bay, MI that I found, but have never used:


www.leelanaufruit.com

 

[Big Port]

I do love the Michigan cherries. I have a friend who's father owns a cherry farm in Northern Michigan (About 3 hours from me) who said to call him at harvest time and I can come up and pick what I need.

 

[masta]

I would suggest adding a fining agent when adding the concentrate to help clear the wine. I am using the cherry in a Melomel so we will see how it clears.

 

[pkcook]

I moved to OH from New Mexico and we would pick the Bing variety each year up in the mountains from my home and they were wonderful. I didn't make wine then, but sure wish I had

.

 

[pkcook]

Thanks Masta,


What fining agent would you recommend?

 

[masta]

I have had good results with Super-Kleer K.C. which i used a few times.


http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=6383

 

[pkcook]

So add the Super-Kleer K.C. as I'm adding the concentrate?