Black cherry port

[leondz]

I put a batch of this together around December last year, bottled in march and am drinking now. It's great - stiff, a bit fruity and great with cheese - none of the sweetness of a port, really, though.

Ingredients:
2x tins of Young's Black Cherry Wine Kit
half a jar of honey
Vitamin B1 nutrient
Port/high alcohol yeast (I think I used SB3 or HA1001)

Method:
Put it all in a plastic bucket, top up with campden-treated water to a gallon; leave for about 10 days
Siphon off into a DJ
Leave for three months
Add a teaspoon bentonite and de-gas
Leave for another fortnight
Bottle
Drink after four more months

Tada! Cheap and really delicious, not too heavy on the tannins, no dominant acid, hints of dark cherry, and strong (~17%).

 

[graysalchemy]

I find if you sweeten port with demerara sugar you will get that sweet rich port taste. I have elderberry port some of which is 10+ years old which was a bit sharp so I just sweeten to taste. Only problem to sweetening with demerara is that it is hard to get it to disolve in a demijohn full without making a syrup which will obviously dilute the alcohol. However perseverance and a lot of stirring/shaking will dissolve it.

:

AG

 

[pollymorph]

this sounds really nice, once I have an empty DJ might have to give this a go

 

[pollymorph]

got this on the go tonight and in less than 30 minutes I have bubbles in the airlock