- 6
Ingredients
- 18 lbs. Cherries
- 15 oz. box of raisins
- 7-1/2 lbs. granulated sugar
- 3 tsp. pectic enzyme
- 1 1/2 tsp. acid blend
- Purified water
- 3 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
- 1 package of Red Start Pasteur Red yeast
Preparation
Step 1
Use ripe cherries. Wash, de-stem and remove stones from cherries, discarding any that are not sound and blemish free.
Place cherries in several gallon zip top bags. Squeeze cherries slightly to macerate the fruit. Place fruit in freezer until frozen. Overnight is best. Once frozen, it can be removed and thawed. The freezing will increase the amount of juice produced.
Add sugar to a pan and put enough water to cover the sugar. Slowly heat the water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Add bentonite and 1 gallon of warm,purified water to a 6 gallon(23 liter) primary fermenter bucket. Stir for 2 minutes to dissolve bentonite. Add 1 gallon of cool water, sugared water, yeast nutrient, acid blend. Stir to mix. Fit nylon straining bag over bucket. Pour thawed cherries into bag. Add raisins. Sprinkle pectic enzyme on fruit. Tie bag and place into bucket. Top off with purified water until the bucket is at the 23 liter mark. Place lid on bucket, insert air lock and allow to set for 12 hours in a cool area.
Open the bucket and gently stir. Measure the specific gravity and record. Add yeast and re-cover. Gently stir daily for a week. Ensure the fruit bag is pushed to the bottom several times each time.
After 7-8 days, transfer wine to a secondary fermenter.