 Aronia juice in a half-gallon jar. Aronia WineAronia berries (Aronia melanocarpa) or chokeberries are berries native to the United States. They grow on a bush known for its ornamental value (red/orange leaves in the fall) and its fruit. The berries are bitter and tannic but are considered by many to be healthy due to their very high levels of anthocyanin, an antioxidant. For more information on the berries see my previous blog post on “Aronia Berries.” I have used the berries in limited quantities in smoothies but wanted to experiment with making 100% Aronia wine. Due to the tannic nature of the berries, I am planning on using the wine to blend with my Marquette wine, which tends to be lower in tannins, to see if blending can improve the wine. In the past, I have also thrown a few berries into my elderberry wine ferments but I would like to do a more controlled experiment where I blend known amounts of the different wines. If you are new to fermenting, I recommend checking out my blog post on “The Basics of Fermenting Wine” and feel free to message me with any questions. Steam Juicing Aronia Berries
To steam juice, you add the fruit to the top colander-type compartment. Add water to the bottom of the juicer and start heating the fruit. Once the fruit softens and starts releasing the juice, it will flow into the middle compartment of the juicer and out of the attached tube. I collect the juice in half-gallon jars. Most juicing takes 1-2 hours to complete. Ensure that water remains in the bottom pan the entire time to avoid warping the pan. Stirring or pressing the fruit is not recommended since it can add small amounts of pulp or seeds to the juice, making it less clear. If I plan to ferment the juice into wine, I do not care about cloudy juice since it will be clarified as it ages. Therefore, I usually stir the pulp or scoop it out, mix the pulp with a little water, and crush it with a potato masher or spoon a second time to release more color and juice. I then add the pulp and water back to the top of the juicer and let the steam extract a little more juice. This will add water to the juice, but I usually add a little water to my fruit wines anyway. The general rule of thumb is 3-5 pounds of fruit per gallon of wine although there is nothing wrong with using 100% juice and it will make a more flavorful wine. Once you have extracted as much juice as possible, let it cool (I put the jar in cool water in the sink to cool it down faster, being careful not to crack the jar) before starting your fermentation. You can also refrigerate or freeze the juice to ferment later.  Aronia berries in the top compartment of a steam juicer. The steam is just starting to extract the juice. When complete the berries will have lost most of their color. Making Wine from Aronia Juice I used 1 gallon of Aronia juice with a starting pH of 3.13 and Brix (percent sugar) of 9.9. I added sugar to get a final Brix of 22.6 which should give an alcohol content of ~12.4% (multiply the Brix by 0.55 to get a rough alcohol percentage). I tried testing the total acidity (TA) but the results did not seem accurate, most likely from the color intensity of the juice (it is a colorimetric assay). My recipe is below: 1 gallon Aronia juice 1 tsp pectic enzyme 1 tsp yeast nutrient RC-212 yeast I did not add a Campden tablet since the juice was sterilized from steam juicing but if you add one, wait 24 hours before pitching your yeast. I used Lalvin Bourgovin RC212 yeast which I have used for elderberry wine with good results. This yeast is typically used to ferment red wines, has an alcohol tolerance of up to 16%, and ferments well at 64-86°F. Other yeast options include Red Star Premier Rouge (64-86°F; 14% alcohol tolerance) or Lalvin EC-1118 (50-86°F; 18% alcohol tolerance). I fermented the juice in a 2-gallon bucket with an airlock. The airlock bubbled for about 2 weeks indicating fermentation was occurring. If you do not see bubbling it is likely that there is a leak in your lid, if you see bubbles when stirring the wine fermentation is likely occurring. When fermentation slowed, I racked the wine into a 1-gallon glass carboy. After racking, I added 1 Campden tablet plus 18 grams of medium toast French oak cubes. The recommendation from the oak cube manufacturer is to oak for 3-4 months.  Aronia juice in a 2-gallon fermentation bucket. After two months I racked again to remove the lees that had settled to the bottom and added another Campden tablet. The pH was 3.51 which is good for red wine (recommended pH is 3.4-3.6). I tasted the wine at this point, it was extremely dry/tannic which given the taste of the berries is not surprising. I used our 2023 Marquette wine to top off the Aronia wine to eliminate headspace in the carboy since I do not have a previous vintage of Aronia wine to use. Since I plan to use the Aronia wine to blend into our Marquette wine anyway, I figured this was the best choice of wine to use to top off. Future PlansI plan to rack the Aronia wine and add an additional Campden tablet every 3 months for about a year. Once lees stop accumulating at the bottom of the carboy I will cold stabilize for a month or two in the refrigerator or outside (if it is still winter). Next fall I will do blending tests with the Marquette wine to see if blending improves the Marquette wine, Aronia wine, or both wines. If blending improves the Marquette wine, I will blend a larger batch and bottle. I will update this post or write a new one when I have those results.
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Aronia BerriesAronia is a genus of shrubs that reach 4-6 feet high (4) in the Rosaceae or rose family. Aronia plants are commonly called chokeberries due to the tannic, astringent, bitter flavor of their berries. Chokeberries are different than chokecherries, which are also in the Rosaceae family but in the Prunus genus which includes domesticated cherries and wild black cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, almonds, apricots, and more. There are three species of Aronia, red, black, and a hybrid of the two, the purple chokeberry. Black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa, is the most common and can be found (along with several cultivars) at nurseries, greenhouses, and even big box stores. Red chokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia, and purple chokeberry, Aronia prunifolia, are less common, but all three are native to the eastern United States and Canada, extending as far west as the eastern part of the Midwest. A. arbutifolia even extends into Texas in the south. See the Bonap Maps for more details (1). Chokeberries are often grown as ornamental plants due to their pretty foliage, particularly in the fall when the leaves turn orange and red (4). They are also a good replacement for commonly grown invasive shrubs (6). Nandinia is an invasive shrub that produces bright red berries. Red chokeberry is a good native alternative that has similar red berries. The flowers of the Aronia bushes are also useful for pollinators and the berries are eaten by birds, generally in the winter months (4).  A half-gallon jar of Aronia juice after steam juicing the berries from our black chokeberry bushes. The dark color is from the anthocyanin-rich skin of the berries. We planted two black chokeberries several years ago. We occasionally pick the berries to use in smoothies or our wine, in limited numbers due to their bitter taste. This fall (2024) we are experimenting with 100% Aronia wine, which we will likely use to blend into our Marquette or elderberry wine. You can also buy Aronia juice, wine, jam, and other commercial products made with Aronia berries. Chokeberries prefer full sun and moist soil (4). Although Aronia bushes can tolerate drier soil, their berry yield may be lower under these conditions. They are self-fertile so you only need to plant one bush to produce berries (4). Aronia bushes grow well in zones 3-8 (4) and we have had no trouble with winter die-off in zone 4b. We have had a problem with deer eating our plants but as long as you protect the plants when young and the browsing isn’t too severe the plant recovers well. We try to reduce the deer pressure by spraying our bushes with Liquid Fence, which works if you apply it consistently, particularly after hard rains. Rabbits are also supposed to enjoy chewing on the branches, but we have very few rabbits on our property due to high predator pressure. Aronia berries are well known for their high levels of anthocyanins, which gives them their dark color. They have some of the highest levels of anthocyanins known in plants. Anthocyanins can also be found in other berries such as cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, and purple vegetables such as purple cauliflower, red cabbage, and eggplant (technically a fruit). In addition to anthocyanins, Aronia berries also contain many other polyphenols. Foods containing polyphenols, such as anthocyanins, are considered to be health foods due to their antioxidant properties. The berries purportedly help with various cardiovascular diseases (2), diabetes (3), hypertension, cancer, etc. However, as with most nutritional and supplement studies, it is difficult to prove that antioxidants in fruits and vegetables are directly beneficial to the human body. One study that reviewed several randomized clinical trials that looked at berry polyphenols found no significant effect on the gut microbiota or high blood pressure (5). Regardless, I believe most medical doctors would agree that increasing brightly colored fruits and vegetables in the American diet is a good idea. References and Resources
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AuthorIn 2016, my family and I moved from the New York City area to small town Wisconsin. Our move, this website and blog (and our previous Etsy store) is the result of our desire over the past several years to simplify our lives, increase our quality of life, reconnect with nature, and enjoy a more self-sufficient life. I grew up as a country kid in central Pennsylvania working on my grandfather's fruit farm and as a corn "de-tassler" at a local seed farm. My background is in biology where my love of nature originated. I am a former research scientist and professor and have now transitioned to a part-time stay-at-home mom, self-employed tutor, and small business owner. Thank you for taking the time to check out my site. Archives
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