Home made cherry wine anyone?

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choclatechef

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Since I mentioned it when talking about making my Drunken Smoked Ham recipe, I thought I would let you know what led up to it.

I didn't rebel in high school; but I was not an angel. What I did, I did in my 30's.

I had planted a hedge in front of my house with nanking, and the other kind of bush cherries. I had made wine out of the the year before [5 gallons]. The next year there was twice as many, so I wanted to make 10 gallons. The stuff was good.

My parents went out of town for a few weeks and asked me to watch the house, I had my own. So, I stayed at their house. While I was there, I started my wine.

I wanted to keep it cool, inside while it fermented in the 5 gallon jugs I had. I had no fermentation locks, so I put large balloons over the top of the jugs, so I could keep track of the rate of fermentation. The main bathroom was real large, and had a stall shower nobody ever used, so I thought it was the perfect spot. Just in case there was an overflow accident I mean.

When my folks came back, the wine was not finished, and I didn't want to move it. So, I figured if I kept quiet, nobody would ever know. Well, shortly afterward, I moved away, leaving my wine to work in peace.

My poor parents kept asking me, "don't you smell something funny?". I kept saying no, I don't smell a thing. Pretty soon, that working wine smell was overpowering the entire house! The minister and church board members came over.

That is when all of a sudden the balloons burst. Dad went in the bathroom, and found my wine. I got this crazy phone call from him - he was yelling and screaming. I said calm down, and put another balloon on it [I was safely 60 miles away].

He did, and in another couple of months, I had 10 gallons of the best homemade cherry wine! I bottled it, and put it in their basement, and by the next year, the sweetness was gone, and it was some tough stuff.

Then, mom and dad were serving it to guests!

Does anybody else make wine?
 
I know this is going to come as a shock to a lot of people on the board, but I do! ;)

Most of the fruit stuff though, is mead (a blend of honey and fruit/juice). Got a very nice sour cherry mead going in the basement right now, almost ready to botle. Can't wait.

Did you juice the cherrie or just crush them and ferment it all together?

John
 
I juiced the cherries with a steam juicer. Really easy to do.

I have some mead recipes I am just dying to try out one day! I mean, I want to make some mead.
 
choc, great story. and the cherry wine sounds good. the baloon idea was genius. did you think of that one, or is it a normal thing to do to check fermentation?
 
I read about the balloon idea somewhere bucky. Don't ask me where, I forget!

I had a neighbor -- a relative who would come over everyday to drink that wine! I don't drink myself much of anything. That relative's wife got so mad at me! I heard later, she was jealous!
 
Mead? Isn't that some kind of honey wine? I find if I drink couple glasses of Port wine I can make the food seem to taste better. Isn't that strange? Plus you can' t believe what it does for me! I feel so happy when I drink couple of glasses. Does anyone else have this problem? I feel so good right now. Wish you the same. Being in the kitchen too long kind of makes you want company!!1
 
In the Kitchen said:
Mead? Isn't that some kind of honey wine? I find if I drink couple glasses of Port wine I can make the food seem to taste better. Isn't that strange? Plus you can' t believe what it does for me! I feel so happy when I drink couple of glasses. Does anyone else have this problem? I feel so good right now. Wish you the same. Being in the kitchen too long kind of makes you want company!!1

Yep, mead is fermented Honey.

As for the port, it seems to have the same effect on my wife! (Maybe that's whay we have about 8 bottles of it at the house?? :twisted:

John
 
ronjohn55, way to go. As long as it helps with work in the kitchen, I am for it!! Only 8 bottles? Only 4 more than I do. I drink Taylor Port, is that the kind you got? Anyway, it just seems to make the preparation of the meal go so much smoother. I kind of relax after all finished and just like sitting in a warm tub relaxes me same way with the port. Glad I am not alone. Thanks for making me feel like I am still normal ronjohn55! Keep the wife happy and that makes you happy too.
 
In the Kitchen said:
ronjohn55, way to go. As long as it helps with work in the kitchen, I am for it!! Only 8 bottles? Only 4 more than I do. I drink Taylor Port, is that the kind you got? Anyway, it just seems to make the preparation of the meal go so much smoother. I kind of relax after all finished and just like sitting in a warm tub relaxes me same way with the port. Glad I am not alone. Thanks for making me feel like I am still normal ronjohn55! Keep the wife happy and that makes you happy too.

LOL! Well, at about 18% alcohol, we don't need that many (plus all the other desert wines). Plus, we like to rotate through brands to try the different ones. Not sure what we have right now.

As for keeping the wife happy, I have no illusions - It's her house, I only live there.. ;)

John
 
You have the right idea about keeping wife happy. Makes a difference. I am happy for her being kept happy. Life too short to do otherwise. Wish you all the best. What good guys you are!!!
 
When I met my boyfriend in college I bought him a beer making kit for his birthday. I thought he needed a hobby. Of course you can make wine as well with it. We have been making apple wine lately. Some batches come out ok, but we are trying to tweek it because most of them are too bitter.

One day he decided to try and make Guiness with it. I asked him to put it out on the patio just in case, but as you guessed it, he didn't. He kept the container in the kitchen up on the countertop. When I woke up the next morning the house reaked of Guiness. I went into the kitchen to find that the guiness had exploded and everything including the ceiling was covered with the stuff.

I am happy to report that we haven't had any explosions since, knock on wood.
 
We are a pair aren't we?

At any given time, our houses can reek of the "demon rum"!
 
choclatechef said:
We are a pair aren't we?

At any given time, our houses can reek of the "demon rum"!

At any given time? Heh, more like MOST of the time at my place!! :D

John
 
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