Wilkinson Black Cherry kit

[Titus A Duxass]

I did one of these kits in March.
I substituted 2 lt of water with Aldi's finest grape juice.

When I last sampled it it was drier than a nun's chuff and had nearly no taste.

It's been sat in a demijohn since then and has cleared down a treat, if I remember I'll try it again on the weekend.

 

[Scots_Pagan]

Heh, I just posted a thread on this in the general discussion area....

Feel a bit stupid now, as I picked this as my first kit (and first brew)...

Started it today, and it's already, after only five hours, going at about a bubble every 20 seconds...
Sugar hasn't even all dissolved...
Tried to use the hydrometer on it before it went in but it wouldn't even reach the 1200 mark, so I'm guessing that's because the thing has you add more water later, right?

What's the consensus? Really want it to taste of cherry, should I get some cherries/cherry juice and add that instead of the water?

 

[Vossy1]

Having tried the 1st bottle of this kit the other day I totally agree with you regards no hint of cherry...bit disappointing really...maybe it'll mature with hints :hmm:

 

[Pakman]

We had the first bottle of our brew today - a lovely, very drinkable red wine but someone has definitely nicked all the cherries

Still at under £1 a bottle it went down very well.

Graham

 

[Slid]

As Van the Man (Morrison) once sang, somewhere up on Cyprus Avenue:

I think I'll go walking by the Railroad
With my Cherry, Cherry wine

A great song, from a great album (Astral Weeks).

Unfortunately, cherry does not have great vinous qualities and a wine that does not taste overly of cherries is actually quite a good thing.

Morrello cherry makes quite a passable dessert wine, and Morrello is much the best for winemaking. But in the cold light of day, this is not the taste for a table wine. A good deal of sweetness is necessary to overpower the rather nasty residual taste from cherry.

Maybe it gets better with age, though, as "yer mon" suggests:

"So young an' bold
fowerteen years old".