Hi!

I found Sweet cherries real cheap today. Bought 17 pounds to make 2
gallons of port. I'll probably do 17 pints of water so I end up with 2
gallons. Since I've done so many KITS, I added Bentonite at the
beginning like many kits do. Thanks for any insights, I really
appreciate it.

Would love your inputs and thoughts:


Here is what I think is a good recipe:

Cherry Port (2 gallon recipe)

• 1 tsp Bentonite
• 16 lbs sweet eating cherries
• 1 banana (& ½ pound raisins)
• 7 lbs sugar (to S.G. 1.140+)
• 14 ½ pints water
•
• 3 tsp citric acid
• 1 tsp tannin
• 2 tsp pectic enzyme
• 2 tsp yeast nutrient
• Port wine yeast
• Later:
o Sorbate to stablize
o add 75ml brandy? An idea.

Bring water to boil, add Bentonite slowly stirring until dissolved.
Meanwhile, de-stem, wash and crush the cherries in the primary without
breaking any stones. Pour sugar over cherries, mashed banana and
raisins. Pour the boiling water over the mix and stir well to dissolve.
Cover and set aside until cool. Add remaining ingredients except yeast;
cover and set aside for 12 hours. S.G. >1.120-1.150Add activated yeast
and ferment 5 days. Strain juice into dark secondary and discard pulp
and stones. S.G. <1.060 ?Add 1 pound sugar, stir. Rack after 30 days and
again when wine clears. S.G.~1.060 After two additional months (S.G.
1.030) stabilize, wait 10 days, rack, wait 20 additional days, rack
until clear, then bottle, and store in dark place for 1 year.

Dave

No !! The first recipe had only a single mistake that could be
corrected in either of two ways. What you have here is so full
of mistakes I wouldn't even know where to begin !! A real
disaster just waiting to happen.

Go to Jack's site, find a recipe, and follow it. HTH

Frederick

PS - Stem and pit the cherries before you start. You don't ever
want cherry pits in a must.


"Dave Allison" > wrote in message
...
> Hi!
>
> I found Sweet cherries real cheap today. Bought 17 pounds to make 2
> gallons of port. I'll probably do 17 pints of water so I end up with 2
> gallons. Since I've done so many KITS, I added Bentonite at the beginning
> like many kits do. Thanks for any insights, I really appreciate it.
>
> Would love your inputs and thoughts:
>
>
> Here is what I think is a good recipe:
>
> Cherry Port (2 gallon recipe)
>
> • 1 tsp Bentonite
> • 16 lbs sweet eating cherries
> • 1 banana (& ½ pound raisins)
> • 7 lbs sugar (to S.G. 1.140+)
> • 14 ½ pints water
> • • 3 tsp citric acid
> • 1 tsp tannin
> • 2 tsp pectic enzyme
> • 2 tsp yeast nutrient
> • Port wine yeast
> • Later:
> o Sorbate to stablize
> o add 75ml brandy? An idea.
>
> Bring water to boil, add Bentonite slowly stirring until dissolved.
> Meanwhile, de-stem, wash and crush the cherries in the primary without
> breaking any stones. Pour sugar over cherries, mashed banana and raisins.
> Pour the boiling water over the mix and stir well to dissolve. Cover and
> set aside until cool. Add remaining ingredients except yeast; cover and
> set aside for 12 hours. S.G. >1.120-1.150Add activated yeast and ferment 5
> days. Strain juice into dark secondary and discard pulp and stones. S.G.
> <1.060 ?Add 1 pound sugar, stir. Rack after 30 days and again when wine
> clears. S.G.~1.060 After two additional months (S.G. 1.030) stabilize,
> wait 10 days, rack, wait 20 additional days, rack until clear, then
> bottle, and store in dark place for 1 year.

frederick,

That bad, ugh? smile. Well, it was from Jack's site, but I modified it
based on other PORT recipes (guess I should not experiment). Jack's site
says I don't have to remove the stone, but I will if you think it best.
Jack's site doesn't have cherry port, but 4 cherry wines - 2 sweet and 2
dry.

http://www.geocities.com/lumeisenman/chapt21.html
The winemaker's manual above has a Berry port recipe, but not with
Cherry's. If I attempt that one with cherry's, I'll have to get an acid
tester (I knew I should have gotten one prior)

Since my below recipe is fraught with errors, I must continue my search.
I'd rather take a few days to search, than to start a batch with a bad
recipe, so thanks, Frederick for the review. :*)

really...thanks!

DAve

frederick ploegman wrote:
> Dave
>
> No !! The first recipe had only a single mistake that could be
> corrected in either of two ways. What you have here is so full
> of mistakes I wouldn't even know where to begin !! A real
> disaster just waiting to happen.
>
> Go to Jack's site, find a recipe, and follow it. HTH
>
> Frederick
>
> PS - Stem and pit the cherries before you start. You don't ever
> want cherry pits in a must.
>
>
> "Dave Allison" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hi!
>>
>> I found Sweet cherries real cheap today. Bought 17 pounds to make 2
>> gallons of port. I'll probably do 17 pints of water so I end up with 2
>> gallons. Since I've done so many KITS, I added Bentonite at the beginning
>> like many kits do. Thanks for any insights, I really appreciate it.
>>
>> Would love your inputs and thoughts:
>>
>>
>> Here is what I think is a good recipe:
>>
>> Cherry Port (2 gallon recipe)
>>
>> • 1 tsp Bentonite
>> • 16 lbs sweet eating cherries
>> • 1 banana (& ½ pound raisins)
>> • 7 lbs sugar (to S.G. 1.140+)
>> • 14 ½ pints water
>> • • 3 tsp citric acid
>> • 1 tsp tannin
>> • 2 tsp pectic enzyme
>> • 2 tsp yeast nutrient
>> • Port wine yeast
>> • Later:
>> o Sorbate to stablize
>> o add 75ml brandy? An idea.
>>
>> Bring water to boil, add Bentonite slowly stirring until dissolved.
>> Meanwhile, de-stem, wash and crush the cherries in the primary without
>> breaking any stones. Pour sugar over cherries, mashed banana and raisins.
>> Pour the boiling water over the mix and stir well to dissolve. Cover and
>> set aside until cool. Add remaining ingredients except yeast; cover and
>> set aside for 12 hours. S.G. >1.120-1.150Add activated yeast and ferment 5
>> days. Strain juice into dark secondary and discard pulp and stones. S.G.
>> <1.060 ?Add 1 pound sugar, stir. Rack after 30 days and again when wine
>> clears. S.G.~1.060 After two additional months (S.G. 1.030) stabilize,
>> wait 10 days, rack, wait 20 additional days, rack until clear, then
>> bottle, and store in dark place for 1 year.
>
>

David:

Decision:

1. Do you want to ferment to the capacity of your yeast ~18% then
fortify to 20% abv.

OR

2. Halt fermentation at some point (~1.012 SG residual sugars) with
the addition of everclear or brandy to 20% abv. This method is
traditional. Note the addition of spirits will dilute the residual
sugar down to some 'normal' level for port.

My findings for finished port so far are 20% abv and +/- 1.007 SG for
residual sugar. Not sure on the acids but you may have read the
thread I asked about TA.

Ports are aged in oak and they definately can take oaking. Boiling
the fruit may make the cherry more 'port like' in the finished
product. Not sure about that though.

Shoot for 20% abv, 1.006 or 1.007 SG residual sugar. TA to taste and
oak. The rest is up to you.

Steve
Oregon









On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:35:37 -0400, Dave Allison
> wrote:

>frederick,
>
>That bad, ugh? smile. Well, it was from Jack's site, but I modified it
>based on other PORT recipes (guess I should not experiment). Jack's site
>says I don't have to remove the stone, but I will if you think it best.
>Jack's site doesn't have cherry port, but 4 cherry wines - 2 sweet and 2
>dry.
>
>http://www.geocities.com/lumeisenman/chapt21.html
>The winemaker's manual above has a Berry port recipe, but not with
>Cherry's. If I attempt that one with cherry's, I'll have to get an acid
>tester (I knew I should have gotten one prior)
>
>Since my below recipe is fraught with errors, I must continue my search.
>I'd rather take a few days to search, than to start a batch with a bad
>recipe, so thanks, Frederick for the review. :*)
>
>really...thanks!
>
>DAve
>
>frederick ploegman wrote:
>> Dave
>>
>> No !! The first recipe had only a single mistake that could be
>> corrected in either of two ways. What you have here is so full
>> of mistakes I wouldn't even know where to begin !! A real
>> disaster just waiting to happen.
>>
>> Go to Jack's site, find a recipe, and follow it. HTH
>>
>> Frederick
>>
>> PS - Stem and pit the cherries before you start. You don't ever
>> want cherry pits in a must.
>>
>>
>> "Dave Allison" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Hi!
>>>
>>> I found Sweet cherries real cheap today. Bought 17 pounds to make 2
>>> gallons of port. I'll probably do 17 pints of water so I end up with 2
>>> gallons. Since I've done so many KITS, I added Bentonite at the beginning
>>> like many kits do. Thanks for any insights, I really appreciate it.
>>>
>>> Would love your inputs and thoughts:
>>>
>>>
>>> Here is what I think is a good recipe:
>>>
>>> Cherry Port (2 gallon recipe)
>>>
>>> • 1 tsp Bentonite
>>> • 16 lbs sweet eating cherries
>>> • 1 banana (& ½ pound raisins)
>>> • 7 lbs sugar (to S.G. 1.140+)
>>> • 14 ½ pints water
>>> • • 3 tsp citric acid
>>> • 1 tsp tannin
>>> • 2 tsp pectic enzyme
>>> • 2 tsp yeast nutrient
>>> • Port wine yeast
>>> • Later:
>>> o Sorbate to stablize
>>> o add 75ml brandy? An idea.
>>>
>>> Bring water to boil, add Bentonite slowly stirring until dissolved.
>>> Meanwhile, de-stem, wash and crush the cherries in the primary without
>>> breaking any stones. Pour sugar over cherries, mashed banana and raisins.
>>> Pour the boiling water over the mix and stir well to dissolve. Cover and
>>> set aside until cool. Add remaining ingredients except yeast; cover and
>>> set aside for 12 hours. S.G. >1.120-1.150Add activated yeast and ferment 5
>>> days. Strain juice into dark secondary and discard pulp and stones. S.G.
>>> <1.060 ?Add 1 pound sugar, stir. Rack after 30 days and again when wine
>>> clears. S.G.~1.060 After two additional months (S.G. 1.030) stabilize,
>>> wait 10 days, rack, wait 20 additional days, rack until clear, then
>>> bottle, and store in dark place for 1 year.
>>
>>

Thanks for the input, this helps. DAve

spud wrote:
> David:
>
> Decision:
>
> 1. Do you want to ferment to the capacity of your yeast ~18% then
> fortify to 20% abv.
>
> OR
>
> 2. Halt fermentation at some point (~1.012 SG residual sugars) with
> the addition of everclear or brandy to 20% abv. This method is
> traditional. Note the addition of spirits will dilute the residual
> sugar down to some 'normal' level for port.
>
> My findings for finished port so far are 20% abv and +/- 1.007 SG for
> residual sugar. Not sure on the acids but you may have read the
> thread I asked about TA.
>
> Ports are aged in oak and they definately can take oaking. Boiling
> the fruit may make the cherry more 'port like' in the finished
> product. Not sure about that though.
>
> Shoot for 20% abv, 1.006 or 1.007 SG residual sugar. TA to taste and
> oak. The rest is up to you.
>
> Steve
> Oregon
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:35:37 -0400, Dave Allison
> > wrote:
>
>> frederick,
>>
>> That bad, ugh? smile. Well, it was from Jack's site, but I modified it
>> based on other PORT recipes (guess I should not experiment). Jack's site
>> says I don't have to remove the stone, but I will if you think it best.
>> Jack's site doesn't have cherry port, but 4 cherry wines - 2 sweet and 2
>> dry.
>>
>> http://www.geocities.com/lumeisenman/chapt21.html
>> The winemaker's manual above has a Berry port recipe, but not with
>> Cherry's. If I attempt that one with cherry's, I'll have to get an acid
>> tester (I knew I should have gotten one prior)
>>
>> Since my below recipe is fraught with errors, I must continue my search.
>> I'd rather take a few days to search, than to start a batch with a bad
>> recipe, so thanks, Frederick for the review. :*)
>>
>> really...thanks!
>>
>> DAve
>>
>> frederick ploegman wrote:
>>> Dave
>>>
>>> No !! The first recipe had only a single mistake that could be
>>> corrected in either of two ways. What you have here is so full
>>> of mistakes I wouldn't even know where to begin !! A real
>>> disaster just waiting to happen.
>>>
>>> Go to Jack's site, find a recipe, and follow it. HTH
>>>
>>> Frederick
>>>
>>> PS - Stem and pit the cherries before you start. You don't ever
>>> want cherry pits in a must.
>>>
>>>
>>> "Dave Allison" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> Hi!
>>>>
>>>> I found Sweet cherries real cheap today. Bought 17 pounds to make 2
>>>> gallons of port. I'll probably do 17 pints of water so I end up with 2
>>>> gallons. Since I've done so many KITS, I added Bentonite at the beginning
>>>> like many kits do. Thanks for any insights, I really appreciate it.
>>>>
>>>> Would love your inputs and thoughts:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Here is what I think is a good recipe:
>>>>
>>>> Cherry Port (2 gallon recipe)
>>>>
>>>> • 1 tsp Bentonite
>>>> • 16 lbs sweet eating cherries
>>>> • 1 banana (& ½ pound raisins)
>>>> • 7 lbs sugar (to S.G. 1.140+)
>>>> • 14 ½ pints water
>>>> • • 3 tsp citric acid
>>>> • 1 tsp tannin
>>>> • 2 tsp pectic enzyme
>>>> • 2 tsp yeast nutrient
>>>> • Port wine yeast
>>>> • Later:
>>>> o Sorbate to stablize
>>>> o add 75ml brandy? An idea.
>>>>
>>>> Bring water to boil, add Bentonite slowly stirring until dissolved.
>>>> Meanwhile, de-stem, wash and crush the cherries in the primary without
>>>> breaking any stones. Pour sugar over cherries, mashed banana and raisins.
>>>> Pour the boiling water over the mix and stir well to dissolve. Cover and
>>>> set aside until cool. Add remaining ingredients except yeast; cover and
>>>> set aside for 12 hours. S.G. >1.120-1.150Add activated yeast and ferment 5
>>>> days. Strain juice into dark secondary and discard pulp and stones. S.G.
>>>> <1.060 ?Add 1 pound sugar, stir. Rack after 30 days and again when wine
>>>> clears. S.G.~1.060 After two additional months (S.G. 1.030) stabilize,
>>>> wait 10 days, rack, wait 20 additional days, rack until clear, then
>>>> bottle, and store in dark place for 1 year.
>>>
>

On Jul 4, 9:30 am, spud > wrote:
> David:
>
> Decision:
>
> 1. Do you want to ferment to the capacity of your yeast ~18% then
> fortify to 20% abv.
>
> OR
>
> 2. Halt fermentation at some point (~1.012 SG residual sugars) with
> the addition of everclear or brandy to 20% abv. This method is
> traditional. Note the addition of spirits will dilute the residual
> sugar down to some 'normal' level for port.
>
> My findings for finished port so far are 20% abv and +/- 1.007 SG for
> residual sugar. Not sure on the acids but you may have read the
> thread I asked about TA.
>
> Ports are aged in oak and they definately can take oaking. Boiling
> the fruit may make the cherry more 'port like' in the finished
> product. Not sure about that though.
>
> Shoot for 20% abv, 1.006 or 1.007 SG residual sugar. TA to taste and
> oak. The rest is up to you.
>
> Steve
> Oregon
>

Are you sure about the residual sugar numbers? I would expect
something between 1.025-1.040 (or 7-10 B). As for oak, the casks used
for port are old wood and 900L volume so they don't really add any oak
taste.

Pp

pp:

Hell no I'm not sure that's why I am asking and reading also. But yes
you're right. I was talking SG and thinking Brix. Good eye, thanks!

Concerning Oaking, Amerine (p161) says about California ports: "...a
period of contact with small seasoned white oak heartwood chips may be
used to give a portion of the wine a slight oaky taste...the prefered
practice is...wooden cooperage for four to six years." Maybe your
thinkin' of 'crusty' port, pp?

My understanding is the Scotch guys use the 'old wood' port cooperage
for their aging. The port guys and the scotch guys can't both use old
port barrels, eh? ;-)

Please tell me what you know!!!!

Take Care
Steve
Oregon




On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:42:38 -0700, pp > wrote:


>
>Are you sure about the residual sugar numbers? I would expect
>something between 1.025-1.040 (or 7-10 B). As for oak, the casks used
>for port are old wood and 900L volume so they don't really add any oak
>taste.
>
>Pp

Dave Allison > wrote:

> Hi!
>
> I found Sweet cherries real cheap today. Bought 17 pounds to make 2
> gallons of port. I'll probably do 17 pints of water so I end up with 2
> gallons. Since I've done so many KITS, I added Bentonite at the
> beginning like many kits do. Thanks for any insights, I really
> appreciate it.
>
> Would love your inputs and thoughts:
>
>
> Here is what I think is a good recipe:
>
> Cherry Port (2 gallon recipe)
>
> €¢ 1 tsp Bentonite
> €¢ 16 lbs sweet eating cherries
> €¢ 1 banana (& ? pound raisins)
> €¢ 7 lbs sugar (to S.G. 1.140+)
> €¢ 14 ? pints water
> €¢
> €¢ 3 tsp citric acid
> €¢ 1 tsp tannin
> €¢ 2 tsp pectic enzyme
> €¢ 2 tsp yeast nutrient
> €¢ Port wine yeast
> €¢ Later:
> o Sorbate to stablize
> o add 75ml brandy? An idea.
>
> Bring water to boil, add Bentonite slowly stirring until dissolved.
> Meanwhile, de-stem, wash and crush the cherries in the primary without
> breaking any stones. Pour sugar over cherries, mashed banana and
> raisins. Pour the boiling water over the mix and stir well to dissolve.
> Cover and set aside until cool. Add remaining ingredients except yeast;
> cover and set aside for 12 hours. S.G. >1.120-1.150Add activated yeast
> and ferment 5 days. Strain juice into dark secondary and discard pulp
> and stones. S.G. <1.060 ?Add 1 pound sugar, stir. Rack after 30 days and
> again when wine clears. S.G.~1.060 After two additional months (S.G.
> 1.030) stabilize, wait 10 days, rack, wait 20 additional days, rack
> until clear, then bottle, and store in dark place for 1 year.

Another point, after the initial ferment, I would not add all that sugar
at once. I usually keep a check on the SG as it ferments and add sugar
syrup in quarter pints over a longer period.

--
Thanks and regards, Shane.
"A closed mouth gathers no feet!"
Email: Beware the invalid word! shane at wonk dot demon dot co dot uk
Website: http://www.wonk.demon.co.uk/

Got it, Shane. thanks.

As i stated above, I have to rethink the recipe, but since I can't find
a Cherry Port at the regular sites, I will need to continue my search.

I like the thought of adding slowly all that sugar, as I've killed yeast
before by adding to much. thanks. DAve

Shane Badham wrote:
> Dave Allison > wrote:
>
>> Hi!
>>
>> I found Sweet cherries real cheap today. Bought 17 pounds to make 2
>> gallons of port. I'll probably do 17 pints of water so I end up with 2
>> gallons. Since I've done so many KITS, I added Bentonite at the
>> beginning like many kits do. Thanks for any insights, I really
>> appreciate it.
>>
>> Would love your inputs and thoughts:
>>
>>
>> Here is what I think is a good recipe:
>>
>> Cherry Port (2 gallon recipe)
>>
>> €¢ 1 tsp Bentonite
>> €¢ 16 lbs sweet eating cherries
>> €¢ 1 banana (& ? pound raisins)
>> €¢ 7 lbs sugar (to S.G. 1.140+)
>> €¢ 14 ? pints water
>> €¢
>> €¢ 3 tsp citric acid
>> €¢ 1 tsp tannin
>> €¢ 2 tsp pectic enzyme
>> €¢ 2 tsp yeast nutrient
>> €¢ Port wine yeast
>> €¢ Later:
>> o Sorbate to stablize
>> o add 75ml brandy? An idea.
>>
>> Bring water to boil, add Bentonite slowly stirring until dissolved.
>> Meanwhile, de-stem, wash and crush the cherries in the primary without
>> breaking any stones. Pour sugar over cherries, mashed banana and
>> raisins. Pour the boiling water over the mix and stir well to dissolve.
>> Cover and set aside until cool. Add remaining ingredients except yeast;
>> cover and set aside for 12 hours. S.G. >1.120-1.150Add activated yeast
>> and ferment 5 days. Strain juice into dark secondary and discard pulp
>> and stones. S.G. <1.060 ?Add 1 pound sugar, stir. Rack after 30 days and
>> again when wine clears. S.G.~1.060 After two additional months (S.G.
>> 1.030) stabilize, wait 10 days, rack, wait 20 additional days, rack
>> until clear, then bottle, and store in dark place for 1 year.
>
> Another point, after the initial ferment, I would not add all that sugar
> at once. I usually keep a check on the SG as it ferments and add sugar
> syrup in quarter pints over a longer period.
>

Well, I learned so much this past few days.

I now have a BRIX to S.G. chart (http://www.fermsoft.com/gravbrix.php),
a PH tester (Henna), and more knowledge than I've had on the chemistry
of wine making than ever!

The Cherry Port recipe mentioned below, is intially 1.106 S.G. with a
3.2 PH. I pre-pitched the yeast in 3/4 cup of the must - and it is going
gang-busters! I will add when the must has cooled down from all the
boiling water added. P. Cuvee was the yeast most mentioned for PORT, (or
EC1118) so I used that.

I know I may give fredrick a heart-attack, but here is the recipe, which
I followed almost exactly, thanks to the Home WineMakers Manual - bless
who ever maintains that!
http://www.geocities.com/lumeisenman/chapt21.html

I used the Berry Port recipe and used Cherries instead - watching the PH
and S.G. closely as I added the sugar and other ingredients.

I will add oak essence liquid later to give it the oak flavor... maybe
1-2 ounces. (says 4 oz for 20 gallons, so need only a little) Must and
water is now at 6 gallons in volume.

thanks all for your insights, this helped me a lot. I'll let you know
how it goes.
DAve


Dave Allison wrote:
> Got it, Shane. thanks.
>
> As i stated above, I have to rethink the recipe, but since I can't find
> a Cherry Port at the regular sites, I will need to continue my search.
>
> I like the thought of adding slowly all that sugar, as I've killed yeast
> before by adding to much. thanks. DAve
>
> Shane Badham wrote:
>> Dave Allison > wrote:
>>
>>> Hi!
>>>
>>> I found Sweet cherries real cheap today. Bought 17 pounds to make 2
>>> gallons of port. I'll probably do 17 pints of water so I end up with 2
>>> gallons. Since I've done so many KITS, I added Bentonite at the
>>> beginning like many kits do. Thanks for any insights, I really
>>> appreciate it.
>>>
>>> Would love your inputs and thoughts:
>>>
>>>
>>> Here is what I think is a good recipe:
>>>
>>> Cherry Port (2 gallon recipe)
>>>
>>> €¢ 1 tsp Bentonite
>>> €¢ 16 lbs sweet eating cherries
>>> €¢ 1 banana (& ? pound raisins)
>>> €¢ 7 lbs sugar (to S.G. 1.140+)
>>> €¢ 14 ? pints water
>>> €¢ €¢ 3 tsp citric acid
>>> €¢ 1 tsp tannin
>>> €¢ 2 tsp pectic enzyme
>>> €¢ 2 tsp yeast nutrient
>>> €¢ Port wine yeast
>>> €¢ Later:
>>> o Sorbate to stablize
>>> o add 75ml brandy? An idea.
>>>
>>> Bring water to boil, add Bentonite slowly stirring until dissolved.
>>> Meanwhile, de-stem, wash and crush the cherries in the primary without
>>> breaking any stones. Pour sugar over cherries, mashed banana and
>>> raisins. Pour the boiling water over the mix and stir well to dissolve.
>>> Cover and set aside until cool. Add remaining ingredients except yeast;
>>> cover and set aside for 12 hours. S.G. >1.120-1.150Add activated yeast
>>> and ferment 5 days. Strain juice into dark secondary and discard pulp
>>> and stones. S.G. <1.060 ?Add 1 pound sugar, stir. Rack after 30 days and
>>> again when wine clears. S.G.~1.060 After two additional months (S.G.
>>> 1.030) stabilize, wait 10 days, rack, wait 20 additional days, rack
>>> until clear, then bottle, and store in dark place for 1 year.
>>
>> Another point, after the initial ferment, I would not add all that sugar
>> at once. I usually keep a check on the SG as it ferments and add sugar
>> syrup in quarter pints over a longer period.
>>

Dave:

I used Premier Cuvee as well and got the abv up to ~18% before the
yeast quit. I will be adding everclear to 20% abv. Since I'm not
filtering I fear adding sugar then bottling up port grenades. Yikes
what a mess that would be. Just a thought.

Steve
Oregon


On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:30:04 -0400, Dave Allison
> wrote:

>Well, I learned so much this past few days.
>
>I now have a BRIX to S.G. chart (http://www.fermsoft.com/gravbrix.php),
>a PH tester (Henna), and more knowledge than I've had on the chemistry
>of wine making than ever!
>
>The Cherry Port recipe mentioned below, is intially 1.106 S.G. with a
>3.2 PH. I pre-pitched the yeast in 3/4 cup of the must - and it is going
>gang-busters! I will add when the must has cooled down from all the
>boiling water added. P. Cuvee was the yeast most mentioned for PORT, (or
>EC1118) so I used that.
>
>I know I may give fredrick a heart-attack, but here is the recipe, which
>I followed almost exactly, thanks to the Home WineMakers Manual - bless
>who ever maintains that!
>http://www.geocities.com/lumeisenman/chapt21.html
>
>I used the Berry Port recipe and used Cherries instead - watching the PH
>and S.G. closely as I added the sugar and other ingredients.
>
>I will add oak essence liquid later to give it the oak flavor... maybe
>1-2 ounces. (says 4 oz for 20 gallons, so need only a little) Must and
>water is now at 6 gallons in volume.
>
>thanks all for your insights, this helped me a lot. I'll let you know
>how it goes.
>DAve
>
>
>Dave Allison wrote:
>> Got it, Shane. thanks.
>>
>> As i stated above, I have to rethink the recipe, but since I can't find
>> a Cherry Port at the regular sites, I will need to continue my search.
>>
>> I like the thought of adding slowly all that sugar, as I've killed yeast
>> before by adding to much. thanks. DAve
>>
>> Shane Badham wrote:
>>> Dave Allison > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi!
>>>>
>>>> I found Sweet cherries real cheap today. Bought 17 pounds to make 2
>>>> gallons of port. I'll probably do 17 pints of water so I end up with 2
>>>> gallons. Since I've done so many KITS, I added Bentonite at the
>>>> beginning like many kits do. Thanks for any insights, I really
>>>> appreciate it.
>>>>
>>>> Would love your inputs and thoughts:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Here is what I think is a good recipe:
>>>>
>>>> Cherry Port (2 gallon recipe)
>>>>
>>>> • 1 tsp Bentonite
>>>> • 16 lbs sweet eating cherries
>>>> • 1 banana (& ? pound raisins)
>>>> • 7 lbs sugar (to S.G. 1.140+)
>>>> • 14 ? pints water
>>>> • • 3 tsp citric acid
>>>> • 1 tsp tannin
>>>> • 2 tsp pectic enzyme
>>>> • 2 tsp yeast nutrient
>>>> • Port wine yeast
>>>> • Later:
>>>> o Sorbate to stablize
>>>> o add 75ml brandy? An idea.
>>>>
>>>> Bring water to boil, add Bentonite slowly stirring until dissolved.
>>>> Meanwhile, de-stem, wash and crush the cherries in the primary without
>>>> breaking any stones. Pour sugar over cherries, mashed banana and
>>>> raisins. Pour the boiling water over the mix and stir well to dissolve.
>>>> Cover and set aside until cool. Add remaining ingredients except yeast;
>>>> cover and set aside for 12 hours. S.G. >1.120-1.150Add activated yeast
>>>> and ferment 5 days. Strain juice into dark secondary and discard pulp
>>>> and stones. S.G. <1.060 ?Add 1 pound sugar, stir. Rack after 30 days and
>>>> again when wine clears. S.G.~1.060 After two additional months (S.G.
>>>> 1.030) stabilize, wait 10 days, rack, wait 20 additional days, rack
>>>> until clear, then bottle, and store in dark place for 1 year.
>>>
>>> Another point, after the initial ferment, I would not add all that sugar
>>> at once. I usually keep a check on the SG as it ferments and add sugar
>>> syrup in quarter pints over a longer period.
>>>

Well, I added the yeast last night and it is foaming nicely. As I
monitor the S.G. down to 1.020 and then add sugar over and over, this
takes more care than kit wines. smile.
I'm heading to Tennessee today, maybe they have everclear... hmm.

Once I had Apple Cider wine push the corks out, but didn't explode, just
pushed up the cork and leaked.

Steve, let me know how your's turns out.
DAve

spud wrote:
> Dave:
>
> I used Premier Cuvee as well and got the abv up to ~18% before the
> yeast quit. I will be adding everclear to 20% abv. Since I'm not
> filtering I fear adding sugar then bottling up port grenades. Yikes
> what a mess that would be. Just a thought.
>
> Steve
> Oregon
>
>
> On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:30:04 -0400, Dave Allison
> > wrote:
>
>> Well, I learned so much this past few days.
>>
>> I now have a BRIX to S.G. chart (http://www.fermsoft.com/gravbrix.php),
>> a PH tester (Henna), and more knowledge than I've had on the chemistry
>> of wine making than ever!
>>
>> The Cherry Port recipe mentioned below, is intially 1.106 S.G. with a
>> 3.2 PH. I pre-pitched the yeast in 3/4 cup of the must - and it is going
>> gang-busters! I will add when the must has cooled down from all the
>> boiling water added. P. Cuvee was the yeast most mentioned for PORT, (or
>> EC1118) so I used that.
>>
>> I know I may give fredrick a heart-attack, but here is the recipe, which
>> I followed almost exactly, thanks to the Home WineMakers Manual - bless
>> who ever maintains that!
>> http://www.geocities.com/lumeisenman/chapt21.html
>>
>> I used the Berry Port recipe and used Cherries instead - watching the PH
>> and S.G. closely as I added the sugar and other ingredients.
>>
>> I will add oak essence liquid later to give it the oak flavor... maybe
>> 1-2 ounces. (says 4 oz for 20 gallons, so need only a little) Must and
>> water is now at 6 gallons in volume.
>>
>> thanks all for your insights, this helped me a lot. I'll let you know
>> how it goes.
>> DAve
>>
>>
>> Dave Allison wrote:
>>> Got it, Shane. thanks.
>>>
>>> As i stated above, I have to rethink the recipe, but since I can't find
>>> a Cherry Port at the regular sites, I will need to continue my search.
>>>
>>> I like the thought of adding slowly all that sugar, as I've killed yeast
>>> before by adding to much. thanks. DAve
>>>
>>> Shane Badham wrote:
>>>> Dave Allison > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi!
>>>>>
>>>>> I found Sweet cherries real cheap today. Bought 17 pounds to make 2
>>>>> gallons of port. I'll probably do 17 pints of water so I end up with 2
>>>>> gallons. Since I've done so many KITS, I added Bentonite at the
>>>>> beginning like many kits do. Thanks for any insights, I really
>>>>> appreciate it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Would love your inputs and thoughts:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Here is what I think is a good recipe:
>>>>>
>>>>> Cherry Port (2 gallon recipe)
>>>>>
>>>>> • 1 tsp Bentonite
>>>>> • 16 lbs sweet eating cherries
>>>>> • 1 banana (& ? pound raisins)
>>>>> • 7 lbs sugar (to S.G. 1.140+)
>>>>> • 14 ? pints water
>>>>> • • 3 tsp citric acid
>>>>> • 1 tsp tannin
>>>>> • 2 tsp pectic enzyme
>>>>> • 2 tsp yeast nutrient
>>>>> • Port wine yeast
>>>>> • Later:
>>>>> o Sorbate to stablize
>>>>> o add 75ml brandy? An idea.
>>>>>
>>>>> Bring water to boil, add Bentonite slowly stirring until dissolved.
>>>>> Meanwhile, de-stem, wash and crush the cherries in the primary without
>>>>> breaking any stones. Pour sugar over cherries, mashed banana and
>>>>> raisins. Pour the boiling water over the mix and stir well to dissolve.
>>>>> Cover and set aside until cool. Add remaining ingredients except yeast;
>>>>> cover and set aside for 12 hours. S.G. >1.120-1.150Add activated yeast
>>>>> and ferment 5 days. Strain juice into dark secondary and discard pulp
>>>>> and stones. S.G. <1.060 ?Add 1 pound sugar, stir. Rack after 30 days and
>>>>> again when wine clears. S.G.~1.060 After two additional months (S.G.
>>>>> 1.030) stabilize, wait 10 days, rack, wait 20 additional days, rack
>>>>> until clear, then bottle, and store in dark place for 1 year.
>>>> Another point, after the initial ferment, I would not add all that sugar
>>>> at once. I usually keep a check on the SG as it ferments and add sugar
>>>> syrup in quarter pints over a longer period.
>>>>
>

On Jul 5, 10:59 pm, spud > wrote:
> Dave:
>
> I used Premier Cuvee as well and got the abv up to ~18% before the
> yeast quit. I will be adding everclear to 20% abv. Since I'm not
> filtering I fear adding sugar then bottling up port grenades. Yikes
> what a mess that would be. Just a thought.
>
> Steve
> Oregon
>

If you get that high in alcohol (18%), you don't need to worry about
refermentation, especially if you're still adding alcohol. The high
alcohol level together with the high residual sugar and depleted
nutrients make the environment hostile to the remaining yeast. I
wouldn't add any sorbates, just keep it in bulk over one summer at
least, that should make it fully stable, and it help the wine anyway.

Pp