Cherry Wine - Sweet Cherries

I love cherry wine! I wish I had a cherry tree in my yard that would grow cherries. It would definitely make it easier to make this wine.

This recipe uses sweet cherries and it goes really great with light foods and fruits. Maybe some soft cheeses.

Cherry Wine Recipe

15 pounds fresh cherries

11 pounds sugar

6 tsp acid blend

1 1/4 tsp grape tannin

5 tsp yeast nutrient

10 drops liquid pectic enzyme

10 Campden tablets

1 pkg Mead Yeast

Water

Clean your cherries and pull the stems off and take the pits out.

Place your cherries into a nylon straining bag and crush your cherries. Place the bag into your primary fermenter.

Add your sugar, acid blend, tannin and nutrient.

Add 1 gallon of hot water and stir until your sugar is dissolved.

Add enough water to make your 5 gallons

When your mixture has cooled down to at least 70 degrees add your pectic enzymes and stir.

Cover your primary fermenter and wait 24 hours.

Now add your yeast and stir.

Let your mixture set now until your Specific Gravity (S.G.) gets down to 1.040. This will take about 5 days. You can stir your mixture daily if you like. When you have reached the proper S.G. pull your bag of cherries out and squeeze as much liquid out as you can.

Rack your wine into a clean glass carboy and add 5 crushed Campden tablets.

Attach your airlock.

Wait for about a month and rack your wine again. Add 2 1/2 crushed Campden tablets to the wine and replace your airlock.

Let your wine set for another 3 months or so. Rack your wine again and add 2 1/2 crushed Campden tablets.

Replace your airlock and let your wine set until it is clear.

Taste your wine and sweeten if you need to.

Bottle and store your wine for at least 6 months before drinking.

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