Making cherry wine at home using a simple recipe is not at all difficult. You don’t need fancy equipment for this; you can get by with ordinary kitchen utensils. If there are plenty of berries, compotes and jam have been prepared, then trying it in winemaking is a must. If this is a new matter, then you should carefully study the technology and follow its instructions.
Subtleties of making cherry wine
Cherries have low acidity and weak aroma; they cannot be used for winemaking; additives are needed. As a rule, more sour berries are added. Can add:
- cherry;
- currants;
- yoshtu (hybrid of currant and gooseberry).
If you decide to make wine only from cherries, then spices are used for flavoring:
- cloves;
- cardamom;
- star anise;
- Bay leaf.
If you're new to winemaking, try to use spices sparingly.
Rules for choosing ingredients
Sweet cherries are not a simple berry. It's super delicious fresh, but the wine can end up tasting mediocre. As a rule, substandard fruits are accepted for processing. However they must be:
- quality;
- without rot and fungus;
- ripe.
The entry of pathogenic microflora into the product will lead to the fact that the wine will have to be disposed of.
How to make cherry wine at home
To prepare an intoxicating drink, use the suggested options.
Classic simple recipe
To prepare dry wine, follow this recipe:
- cherries - 5 kg;
- sugar - 1 kg;
- water - 1 l;
- tannin - 15 g;
- raisins - 100-120 g;
- citric acid - 20 g.
The technological process is as follows:
- Remove the pit and mash the pulp with your hands.
- Pour water over the pulp, bring to a boil and boil for 10-12 minutes.
- Cool and strain.
- Add the ingredients from the recipe to the resulting juice, close with a water seal and send for fermentation.
- When fermentation is complete, decant the supernatant using a tube.
- Leave the semi-finished product to infuse at room temperature.
- After 6-7 days, decant again. And so on until the top layer is completely lightened.
- Pour the wine into bottles and seal tightly.
- Store in a cool place in a lying position.
Wine prepared in this way will be ready in 2-3 months. It does not require long exposure.
Option with bones
You can make wine with seeds, but only taking into account some nuances. The pit produces bitterness. Wine made with the stone will have an unpleasant odor and a bitter, astringent taste. When harvesting berries, as a rule, the seeds are removed, leaving only 100-200 g per 5 kg of fruit.
From yellow cherries
The step-by-step process for making wine from yellow fruits is no different from the classic version. If you use only one variety, you will get a product with a beautiful amber hue.
Option with cherries
Assorted wine with cherries is the most common product. However, it is recommended to do it only if the cherries are late ripening, and the cherries are early.
Using classic technology and recipe, the amount of citric acid is reduced by half. The proportion of ingredients is taken at the rate of 1:1.
From compote
To prepare a noble drink, you need a concentrated compote. And even in this case, it is very difficult to balance it in terms of acid and sugar.
With strawberry
The ripening periods of cherries and strawberries often coincide. For wine, take berries in equal proportions. You can prepare it in two ways:
- Boil the berries all together and get juice, as in the classic version.
- Boil only the cherries, and add strawberry juice from fresh berries.
With vodka
If you use vodka, then we will talk about liqueur. Fill the jar 2/3 full of berries, add a glass of sugar and water, and then top up with vodka. Keep in cold for 2-3 months.
Sugarless
Prepare wine without sugar it is forbidden.The fermentation process is the transition of sugars into ethyl alcohol. No matter how sweet the berry is, sugar is needed to make an intoxicating drink.
With raspberries
Wine with the addition of raspberries turns out aromatic, beautiful and very tasty. However, raspberries ripen a little later than cherries. Craftsmen have learned to use frozen berries from last year, which are always in stock.
The preparation of this wine is no different from the classic version. The berries are taken in a 1:1 ratio and boiled.
Storage of the finished product
The resulting product is stored in basements at low temperatures. Cherry wine does not require long storage or aging.
The drink has sediment - this is normal, it proves its naturalness. Do not shake the wine before serving.
