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  • Black Cherry Port

    BLACK CHERRY PORT

    This is my version of the black cherry port Rich and I brought to Grapefest 2010. There is no point giving an exact recipe because the grape skins and the yeast used to ferment the red grapes will vary year by year. This port was made very much by 'feel'.

    It relies on you having a quantity of red grape skins, preferably fresh from pressing.


    Ingredients
    Youngs Black Cherry Wine kit
    Red Grape skins (I used Ciliegiolo)
    Sugar
    Yeast nutrient
    Oak
    Glycerine


    Method
    Wait until your red wine is ready to be pressed. Make up the kit concentrate to 5 litres with water, in a 10l bucket, and make sure the temperature is in the 18 - 25c range.

    Add as many pressed grape skins as you can fit into the bucket.

    The fermentation should fire up very quickly - you have a large, active yeast colony in the skins.

    After a couple of days I added a teaspoon of yeast nutrient. In theory everything should be in the kit must, but this was belt-and-braces.

    Once the SG drops to 1.010 or below, rack into a demijohn or a 5l fermenter. Be warned - in may only take a couple of days to reach this point!

    Once the SG drops to 1.000 or below, start sugar feeding: remove some of the wine into a sanitised jug, dissolve 3 - 6oz sugar and add back to the fermenter. Wait for the SG to drop again, then repeat. Eventually the yeast will reach its alcohol tolerance and the SG will no longer drop. The point at this takes place will depend on the yeast you used inthe red wine fermentation.

    Once you are sure the wine is no longer fermenting, rack and degas as normal. Don't add sulphite yet because you are going to be tasting it in a minute.

    Now, transfer to a 10 litre bucket. Add the black cherry flavouring sachet from the kit. Add sugar and brandy to taste. As a guide, add sugar first, up to an SG of around 1.020, then add a little brandy. I ended up with an SG of 1.024 and added 170ml brandy.

    Transfer back to your DJ and add sulphite. Now add some oak. This port is meant to be quite fruity, so don't add too much. I added a handful of Brupaks french medium toast oak and left it in the DJ for 6 months (although the oak had probably done its job after a month or so).

    After 6 months, I racked off the lees and off the oak, and left for a further couple of months. I found I didn't have to rack earlier than this, because the recipe uses a kit, and the grapes have already given up much of their solids, there was only a small layer of lees.

    After a total of 9 - 10 months, the port should be clear enough to bottle. If not, you could fine it at this point.

    Just before bottling, I filtered the port and added a little glycerine. 15ml was enough to really smooth it out and improve the mouth-feel.



    This year (2010) I may have to make an adjustment. The 2009 version used skins from grapes which had been fermented with Lalvin K1V-1116, which has a high alcohol tolerance. This year I am using different yeasts. I may get the concentrate going with a sachet of K1V a day or two before pressing the red, then add the skins to an already-fermenting must. With any luck, the K1V will gradually overpower the yeast in the skins and it will ferment out at around 18% alcohol. If that doesn't work, I'll have a lower-alcohol port!
    Last edited by goldseal; 30-09-2010, 11:09 AM.
    Pete the Instructor

    It looks like Phil Donahue throwing up into a tuba

  • #2
    Pete, you say you used a Youngs Black Cherry PORT kit, I wasn't aware they did one.

    I have a youngs black Cherry WINE kit at home, do you think this would work just as well, or did you mean that you used a wine kit?

    I'm confused now...



    PS - Thanks for the post, I was going to ask you for it but I don't need to now. Seemingly Rich's "notes" have failed again!
    Last edited by Her Lushness; 30-09-2010, 11:10 AM.
    HRH Her Lushness

    Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

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    • #3
      Oops - it is the WINE kit. My mistake
      Pete the Instructor

      It looks like Phil Donahue throwing up into a tuba

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by goldseal View Post
        Oops - it is the WINE kit. My mistake
        Oh good, in that case I'm all set to go, and may get another kit at lunch time so I can make 2 gallons... hic...
        HRH Her Lushness

        Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

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        • #5
          ... or make 2 x 1 gallons, using different grapes in each one.
          Pete the Instructor

          It looks like Phil Donahue throwing up into a tuba

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by goldseal View Post
            ... or make 2 x 1 gallons, using different grapes in each one.

            I've only got 3 + 2 boxes worth of skins, so I may struggle, I was thinking of splitting them 2.5 into each, but thats a good idea, I'll see how it pans out. Thanks again Pete xx
            HRH Her Lushness

            Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

            Comment


            • #7
              I think from memory Lidl sell big jars of black cherries. Does anyone reckon you can get enough black cherry flavour by tipping one of those in near then end of the 2nd run pulp ferment? I did like the Black Cherry port last Saturday.
              Simon
              "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

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