2014 Cherry Wine

The first cherry wine that I made, in 2009, was the best. We said that it tasted like Christmas, and it looked like Christmas too -- bright Santa Claus red. The subsequent wines have been drier and honestly better for blending than for drinking straight up.

This year, I am going to back to the original recipe, and making it very strong. The hope is that we get a dessert wine -- almost like a liquor.

I saw cherries were on sale for $2.99/lb at Meier, and I went back to get some on Saturday. I saw a neighbor there, and she said, cherries were $1.99/lb at Kroger.  I drove over to Kroger, and the cheap cherries were from Chile rather than Washington or Michigan. On the other hand, the cherries were sweet and flavorful.

2014 Cherry Wine Recipe

27 lb Sweet Cherries (crushed but not pitted)
3 to 3.5 gal water
6 bags of black tea
1 small orange with peel
14.5 lb of sugar (!)
2 t yeast energizer
2 t pectic enzyme
yeast - Red Star Crevee

The yeast had previously been opened, but the yeast started the fermentation almost immediately.

The pH was 4.5, and I added the orange to help control the pH, and the skin to give a little bitterness.