Fruit Wines From Around the World
Fruit Wines are basically fermented alcoholic beverages which are made from a variety of base ingredients and not just grapes. Fruit Wines may also additionally combine flavors which are taken from flowers, fruits & herbs.
Quite often Fruit Wines are referred by their main ingredient like Plum Wine or Elderberry Wine since the common definition of wine relates to fermented grape juice. Fruit Wine is also commonly known as Country Wine in the United Kingdom.
Producing Fruit Wine
Fruit Wine can typically be made from any plant matter that can be fermented. Most types of berries and fruits have the potential to produce wines. Procedures generally include extracting juice & flavor from fruits, pressing the juice, stewing and fermenting pulp of fruits are common.
However, there are few fruits other than grapes which provide balanced quality & quantity of sugar, tannin, acid & nutritive salts which can naturally produce a stable & drinkable wine. Nevertheless, some of these produces require addition of honey or sugar in order to make them palatable and for increasing the alcohol content in the beverage.
Most Popular Fruit Wines
Several fruits have natural acid content which can be too high for producing savory & pleasant type of Fruit Wine in undiluted form. Cherries, strawberries, pineapple & raspberries especially fit this bill. However, some of the most commonly made Fruit Wines in the market include plum Wine, Pineapple Wine, Dandelion Wine, Rose Hip Wine, Cherry Wine, and Orange Wine.
- Plum Wine – Most popular in Japan & Korea, Plum Wine is also produced in China. Normally made with distilled liquor & soaked with plum, alcohol level in this Fruit Wine is typically higher because it is fermented with just fruits.
- Pineapple Wine – Made from juice of pineapples, fermentation of Pineapple Wine takes in temperature-controlled vats and which stop at near-dryness. Pineapple Wine is a soft & dry Fruit Wine having a strong bouquet of the fruit named after.
- Dandelion Wine – This Fruit Wine contains moderate alcohol content and is made from dandelion petals & sugar which are combined with acids like lemon juice. However, there are just a handful wineries like Breitenbach Winery in Ohio, Maple River Winery of North Dakota, Hidden Legend Winery of Montana and Bellview Winery of New Jersey which now commercially produce Dandelion Wine.
- Rose Hip Wine – This Fruit Wine is made or fresh or dried rose hips. As part of the procedure rose hips are fermented in syrup with yeast & citric acid in order to create an extract. Wine produced from rose hips is sweet & strong after at least two years of storage.
- Cherry Wine – Usually tart cherries that provide sufficient acid are used for producing this Fruit Wine. Cherry Wine is also most often used for making Fortified Wines & Liqueurs. There are several versions of Cherry Wines which are available, including cherry-grape blends & spiced versions.
- Orange Wine – Orange Wine is not commercially widely available but is produced in the White River region of South Africa. Orange Wine tastes as a pale or golden light-bodied wine which is dry & thin in body. However, since orange juice is highly acidic, great care has to be taken in the making of Orange Wine.
