Nanking Cherry Wine

• 3 lbs ripe Nanking cherries
• 1-1/2 lbs granulated sugar
• 1 11-oz can Welch’s frozen grape (Concord) concentrate
• 6 pts water
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• 1 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1/2 tsp acid blend
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• Burgundy wine yeast

Bring water to boil and dissolve sugar in it, stirring until completely clear. Meanwhile, wash and destem the cherries and tie them into a nylon straining bag. With hands, crush the cherries in primary fermentation vessel. Add acid blend and yeast nutrient and pour boiling sugar-water over fruit. Stir briefly to aid in dissolving additives, cover primary, and allow to cool to 70-75 degrees F. Add crushed Campden tablet, stir, recover, and set aside 12 hours. Add thawed can of grape concentrate and pectic enzyme, stir well, recover and set aside additional 12 hours. Add yeast, recover and allow to ferment seven days, squeezing bag twice daily. Squeeze well to extract juice, discard pulp, and transfer to dark secondary fermentation vessel or clear one wrapped with brown paper. Top up if necessary and fit fermentation trap. Rack after 30 days, top up and refit airlock. Repeat after 30 additional days and again two months later. Stabilize, sweeten to taste (if desired) and set aside 2-3 weeks. Bottle, store in a dark place and taste after six months to a year. Improves with additinal aging. [Author’s own recipe]