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| Cherries in wine |
It's challenge time again!
For those of you who have been playing along at home (or at least watching me do so), you know that I'm referring to Grow It Cook It Can It's Cook It! 2012 challenge. We've made and shared so many awesome staples and recipes so far: pasta, bread, butter, cheese, lactofermented veg (pickles), jam and now fruit canned in light syrup.
I can hear you laughing now: only for the Ninj would wine constitute "light syrup."
But I swear, Caroline gave us permission to booze up our fruit, so it counts!
This has been a crazy busy month for me so, although I had visions of jar after jar of peaches and apricots lining my basem*nt shelves, I wound up only having time to do a small batch of cherries before I missed not only the posting deadline but also all the good summer fruit entirely.
But this recipe, from Eugenia Bone's Well-Preserved, looked very versatile -- how many other preserved foods can you use on both beef tenderloin and ice cream in the same meal?
Yah, that's what I'm talking about.
(Eugenia's book, by the way, is a lot like the Challenge itself: she gives you instructions for making a preserved food and then supplies several recipes that incorporate it. And it's full of really lovely photographs.)
There was quite a bit of pre-canning prep involved in these cherries -- more so than I'm used to with simple jams or with pickling. But, on the plus side, given that the cherries processed in the water bath for longer than 10 minutes, the jar prep took less time.
Here are my lessons learned and/or advice if you try these cherries yourself:
- Wear an apron. And gloves (not kidding). And work over the sink or a surface that can't be stained. Seriously, unless you want a cherry-stained house and hands that make you look like you just murdered a small family, heed my advice.
- Buy a cherry pitter. Pitting cherries is tedious work but the pitter makes it tolerable. Given how often you will use it (read: next to never), even a cheap one is fine. See mine up there? I bought it at the dollar store and it worked like a charm. (Good thing they put the little cherry on it or else we would be confused about what it's for ... snort.)
- Zesters rock! (I just got the one shown below and had a fun time carving stripes in the orange. Mr. Ninj called it "tigery." Just wanted to share.)
- Use pint jars or larger. I decided to use half-pints so that I could spread the love of the cherries amongst friends and family but forgot to take into account that whole cherries are big (this is not jam) so there's not much of the good stuff in my jars. So bigger is better.
- Choose whatever red wine you like -- but make it cheap. This is not the time to be a wine snob because you'll be cooking the bejesus out of it. I went with a lovely pinot noir that came in the jug size with a screw cap: tres classy. I'm sure zinfandel or merlot would also be great choices.
I hope you'll consider giving these cherries a try. The flavor is reminiscent of a spicy mulled wine, so I can envision cracking open jars of these babies quite often when the crisp fall weather arrives (which, scarily, is not that far away now).
As is my way with Challenge posts, I'll give you the instructions with photo steps. And, as with the marmalade, I'm not including complete canning instructions -- I have to assume you already know or can google the basics.
By the way, I haven't adapted this recipe at all from Eugenia's book, so thanks to her. Go buy her book.
Eugenia Bone's Cherries in Wine First, assemble your ingredients:
2 quarts red wine
2 cups sugar
2 cups orange juice
24 whole cloves
16 long strips of orange zest (one large orange will get the job done)
4 pounds Bing cherries, pitted
Make sure you've prepped about 4-6 pint jars and their bands by scalding them (dip them in boiling water). Get your water canner ready and have your lids simmering to soften the seals.
Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the cherries in a large pot and bring to a boil -- be sure to stir continually so the sugar doesn't burn. Add the cherries and simmer for about 10 minutes until soft.
Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon (try to pick out any stray cloves) and pack them into the jars.
Simmer the wine mixture until it is reduced by about half -- about 15 minutes. (At this point, Eugenia claims it will be "viscous" but mine wasn't. Maybe I messed up, who knows.) Strain the wine mixture (to remove the cloves and zest) and pour it over the packed cherries, leaving about 1/2 inch headspace.Wipe the jar rims with a damp cloth, set the lids on the jars and screw on the bands (fingertip tight only). Place the jars into a water bath canner and, once the water has reboiled, process for 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat, remove the canner lid and let the jar sit in the water for another minutes before removing them CAREFULLY.Allow the jars to cool for at least 6 hours. Check the seals and you're done. Once you open them, refrigerate any leftover cherries.
FAQs
Fresh cherries can be dejuiced to make wine. In situations where fresh fruit is not available, cherry juice, syrup, or concentrate can also be used for winemaking. Using high quality fresh fruit gives greater control of the quality of the wine and should be a preferred method.
What does putting fruit in wine do? ›
Some wines, such as fruit wines or sangria, are traditionally made by adding whole or crushed fruits to the wine during fermentation or as a post-fermentation addition. In general, adding fruit to wine can impart additional flavors and aromas and can also increase the sugar content of the wine.
Do you have to pit cherries before making wine? ›
If you choose not to pit your cherries, be careful not to break the pits or it will make your wine bitter. Boil half the water and dissolve sugar. Put cherries in a straining bag and hand squeeze into primary fermenter. Place bag in fermenter and pour hot water over the cherries.
Do cherries go well with wine? ›
Just try to find one that's full and fruity, like pinot noir, Zinfandel, or Beaujolais. Those wines are especially good when paired with cherries and when it's cooked down, often have a little bit of the aforementioned spiciness to them.
What is the most used fruit in wine? ›
Grapes make for fast, clean fermentation, which at least partly explains why they're the top fruit for winemaking. You can harness their power by blending with other fruits. Peaches are messy to use, but peach wine delivers great aroma in a full-bodied white wine.
What kind of fruit can you put in wine? ›
Strawberries, plums, watermelons, peaches, blackberries, gooseberries, boysenberries, grapefruits, pears, pineapples, persimmons are all very suitable for fruit home wine making, but this list is far from complete. You can see a full list of recipes by visiting our wine making recipe page.
What is it called when you add fresh fruit to wine? ›
Sangria is made from wine, red or white. It is mixed with fruit, usually citrus but you can use berries, apples, oranges, limes and limes, plus some juice and simple syrup to sweeten it up.
Do winemakers add fruit to wine? ›
From a common question asked at the cellar door, Winemakers don't directly add flavours to wine. A wine that we say has 'strawberry' characteristics has never had strawberries added, for instance. The tastes and aromas in wine come from a combination of the grape, the fermentation process, and oak ageing.
How long can you soak fruit in wine? ›
So you can soak them even for a month, 15 days, 5 days or even the night before you bake. I would recommend, if you don't have much time and want to soak the fruit asap, you can warm the alcohol, ever so gently as you don't want to evaporate the alcohol in the liquid – before adding it to the dried fruit.
How long does cherry wine last? ›
We do also recommend that you should drink your cherry wine within a week of opening the bottle.
Cherries make the perfect summer snack, but they also make a fantastic summery fruit wine. If a deep, red wine with the characteristic floral, fruity, and tart flavor of a cherry sounds good to you — you're in luck.
What does cherry wine taste like? ›
Ripe cherries are fermented to make a cherry red wine. The fruit's bold flavor profile typically produces a sweet, tart, and acidic flavor. This type of wine is typically more narrowed and unique in areas with ideal cherry growing conditions.
How do you add fruit to wine? ›
Combine the wine, apple juice, and grapefruit pieces in a large pitcher. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate overnight. The following day, add the orange and lemon slices to the wine. Refrigerate for another 3 hours.
What kind of wine goes with cherries? ›
A New Zealand Pinot Noir, known for its bright red fruit flavors and medium acidity, can match the cherries' sweet-tart profile. The wine's light body and smooth tannins can provide a nice contrast to the cherries' juicy texture. A Lambrusco, a sparkling red wine from Italy, can also be a good match.
Is red wine made with cherries? ›
The short answer is no. Not unless you are drinking a wine made of cherries (which do exist but is a story for another day.) But for grape wines – the wines you know and love such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, et al. – the flavours get into the wine in three very distinct, but harmonious ways.
Is there alcohol made from cherries? ›
Brandy is the most common, so cherry liqueur is often called cherry brandy. Then there's kirsch or kirschwasser, which is an unsweetened eau de vie distilled from cherries. But sometimes kirsch is called cherry brandy. You can't use kirsch and cherry liqueur interchangeably, since one is sweet and the other isn't.
What kind of cherries are used in alcoholic drinks? ›
The first question: sweet or sour cherries? Either can be used, but bright-hued sour, or tart, cherries like the Morello and Montmorency varieties are the traditional choice. They tend to be smaller than sweet varieties, and their flavor holds up against the sugar syrups used typically to preserve co*cktail cherries.
Does cherry wine have alcohol? ›
Cherry wine usually has an alcohol content around 10 percent, and is therefore deserving of your respect.
What are cherries in alcohol called? ›
Maraschino cherries are used in many alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and co*cktails, including the Tequila Sunrise, the Queen Mary and the Shirley Temple, giving them the nickname co*cktail cherries.
