Sour Cherry Wine: Intense, Characterful & Deep Red

Sour cherry wine – a gem among fruit wines

Morello cherries and other sour cherry varieties are famous for their acidity – exactly what makes them the perfect base for a characterful fruit wine. The finished wine has a deep ruby color and an aroma reminiscent of cherry liqueur.

Ingredients for 5 liters

• 2.5 kg sour cherries (pitted)
• 1.0–1.2 kg sugar (depending on desired sweetness)
• 3.5 l water
• 1 packet of red wine yeast or Burgundy yeast
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 Campden tablet
• Juice of one lemon

Preparation

Wash the cherries, pit them (important: the pits contain cyanide compounds and should not be fermented along). Lightly crush the cherries or blend them briefly.

Tip: If you use frozen sour cherries from the supermarket, you save yourself the pitting – and get more juice thanks to the freezing process.

Fermentation

1. Put the cherries, sugar water (cooled), Campden tablet and lemon juice into the fermentation bucket.
2. Leave covered for 24 hours.
3. Pitch the yeast, add it along with the nutrient.
4. Primary fermentation: 6–8 days at 20–22 °C, stir daily.
5. Racking: Press the pulp through a sieve, transfer the juice to a demijohn.
6. Secondary fermentation: 6–8 weeks until clarified.

Aging & maturity

Sour cherry wine benefits enormously from aging time. Freshly bottled it's still rough and acid-forward – after 6 months it develops into a round, harmonious wine.

Adjusting sweetness: After fermentation, you can back-sweeten with sugar or cherry juice. Always sulfite when doing this to avoid re-fermentation in the bottle.

Serving suggestion

Serve slightly chilled (14–16 °C) as a dessert wine or digestif. Pairs excellently with dark chocolate and game dishes.