**Classification and Labeling**:
– Fruit wines are typically named after their main ingredient.
– In the European Union, wine is legally defined as the fermented juice of grapes.
– In the United Kingdom, fruit wine is commonly known as country wine.
– Different terms like ‘vin de pays’ in French and ‘made wine’ in British legislation distinguish grape wine and fruit wine.
**Production of Fruit Wine**:
– Fruit wine can be made from various plant matter, with most fruits and berries suitable for wine production.
– Various methods are employed to extract flavor and juice from fruits.
– Adjustments are commonly made during fermentation, with chaptalization used to supplement fermentable sugars.
**Specific Fruit Wines**:
– Plum wine (plum jerkum) is made from fermented plums and is popular in Japan and Korea.
– Pomegranate wine, first developed in Israel, is now produced in countries like Cyprus, Turkey, and Georgia.
– Pineapple wine, made from pineapple juice, is popular in Southeast Asian countries and has varying alcohol content.
– Dandelion wine, made from dandelion petals and sugar, is produced by select wineries and often includes lemon juice for acidity.
**Other Fruit Wines**:
– Various other fruit wines include banana, lychee, blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry wine.
**Fruit Dessert Wines**:
– Many homemade country wines and fruit wines are made in a dessert wine style, varying in sweetness levels.
– Fruit dessert wines in Germany require over 12.0% vol, while in Austria, they need at least 13.0% vol alcohol content.
– Production methods like cryo-extraction, oxidative vinification, and fortification are used for different fruit dessert wines, resembling classic dessert wines like sherry or port wine.
Fruit wines are fermented alcoholic beverages made from a variety of base ingredients (other than grapes); they may also have additional flavors taken from fruits, flowers, and herbs. This definition is sometimes broadened to include any alcoholic fermented beverage except beer. For historical reasons, mead, cider, and perry are also excluded from the definition of fruit wine.
Fruit wines have traditionally been popular with home winemakers and in areas with cool climates such as North America and Scandinavia. In subtropical climates, such as in East Africa, India, and the Philippines, wine is made from bananas.