Once again we have advent of the summer season in Western New York and Ontario and while some home winemakers limit their endeavors to the grape, others, including myself, anxiously await the arrival of the fresh fruit. Once dismissed out of hand by some as inferior and often quaintly referred to as country wines, fruit wines are enjoying a surge in popularity never seen before, embraced by amateur and professional vintners alike.
And why shouldnt they? Our region has the good fortune to possess a burgeoning agribusiness in fruit other than grapes and, as many fruit farmers have discovered (as indicated by the surge in farm winery licenses), wine returns a much more appealing margin than fruit alone. For those who are still on the fence about the virtues of fruit wine, may I suggest that you take a day to tour some of the local wine trails and try them.
For me, a family outing to the local fruit farms, especially a U-Pick, was always gleefully anticipated as a summertime ritual. The delicious baked goods and the jellies and jams made from the fruit could be enjoyed into the cold winter months. That is, of course, if they lasted that long.
We still make and love all these things, but taking the extra time and expense to produce wine from the strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, and other fruits adds another dimension that will challenge and hone your skills. This is because, unlike grapes (especially those varieties which one may regularly vint year after year), fruits, berries, and other feedstock used to make these wines have less predictable characteristics in their pH, acid, and sugar. Therefore, careful testing and attention to making the proper adjustments is important to producing a good fruit wine.
There is an abundance of websites that have good basic fruit wine recipes, and even recipes to make wine from vegetables and herbs. Simply plug fruit wine recipes into a search engine.
Now for another reason why home winemakers should have a second look at fruit wines. Today, people are more health-conscious than ever. Almost every day for the past decade, starting with The French Paradox, weve been bombarded with one clinical study after another that touts the health benefits of drinking red wine in moderation.
Well, surprise! The same health-promoting compounds found in Pinot Noir are found abundantly in fruits and berries. The polyphenol pigments that impart color to the fruit are known collectively as anthocyanins, a family of powerful antioxidants. The compound found in Pinot Noir called resveratrol is produced in greater amounts in this varietal as an antifungal because the skin of the grape is thin and susceptible to splitting. Resveratrol has been studied for its ability to block cell inflammation and oxidative stress related to arthritis and other degenerative diseases, as well as cancer treatment and prevention. *
Blackberries, mulberries, and especially blueberries are rich in powerful antioxidants like resveratrol. Blueberries also contain phytosterol and pterostilbene, which have recently been shown to be useful in lowering bad (LDL) cholesterol, preventing heart disease, and protecting the body against certain cancers.
None of these beneficial compounds are lost in the winemaking process, so why not raise a glass of fruit wine and drink to your health?
*Joseph, J.A., Shukitt-Hale B., Denisova, N.A. Bielinski D., Martin, A., McEwen, J.J., and Bickford, P.C. "Reversal of Age-Related Declines in the Neuronal Signal Transduction, Cognitive, and Motor Behavioral Deficits with Blueberry, Spinach, or Strawberry Dietary Supplementation," Journal of Neuroscience, September 15, 1999, Vol. 19, No. 18. pp. 8114-8121.]
Winemaking Tips from Ande Pazik of www.bubbleflo.com
E-mail Contact: dkceo@bubbleflo.com
Andre Pazik, Executive Vice President & CTO, is a former teacher with a passion for fine food and wine. During his successful careers in criminal justice and education, Andres interest in winemaking continue to grow. His experiments in monitoring fermentation led to the invention of the BubbleFlo system. http://www.bubbleflow.com
The Popularity of Fruit Wine Making
The process of making wine requires using fruit, mainly grapes, but for some, fruit wine can branch out to other fruits in order to add variety to their hobby. Depending on your own personal tastes, fruit wine can be made from other fruits such as ap...
10 Steps to Making Homemade Wine
Wine has been an important part of any occasion. It is commonly made from fermented grape juice, flowers, and grains. Countries like Italy, Portugal, United States, and Argentina are among the largest exporters of different wines.The most expensive k...
Wine And Fruit Baskets
Lush, elegant and evocative, wine and fruit baskets are hugely popular gift offerings that thrill and titillate. The sight of those colorful fruits snuggled around impossibly mouth-watering wines hits the senses immediately. Who can look at these dis...
Basic Wine Knowledge
It is true that Wine is a beverage that is well known all over the world. You will come across lot of wine lovers, throughout the world. The consumption of wine is increasing a lot.You should be aware about the fact that wines are available all over ...
The Challenging World of Pinot Noir Wines
Pinot Noir may be the grape fruit known as the toughest to grow, yet certainly it is more than worthy of ones investment. They are described as a difficult variety of grape, apart from being tricky to set to in the wineries.Pinot Noir belongs to the ...
Distinguishing Different Types Of Wine Grapes
Grape fruits are the chief ingredient that makes the wine tastes the way it does. While there are considerable differences in the wine grapes produced from a sole grape variety, knowing that there is a certain kind of grape used allows you to determ...
A Short History Of Wine
Humans have been making wine for over 8000 years. It is believed that the first wines were from the Neolithic period and that the first winemakers were women, as the Neolithic cultures were matriarchal. More recently though (get date), we give credit...
What Goes Into Making A Red Wine?
Red wine is definitely distinctively different than white wine. The universe of red wine is full of characters. From the delicate Pinots to the strong, bold Zinfandels, the red wine petulant swings back and forth over a wide range of colors and fla...
Wine Words to Learn
Even if you have blissfully enjoyed wine for years without learning the vocabulary and tasting techniques boasted by oenophiles, you can very easily enhance your wine experience with a little knowledge. By learning the words associated with wine, yo...
What Recent Advancements Allow For A Better Home Winemaking Experience?
In spite of the common belief, winemaking is a very simple process that can be done anywhere with the most ordinary ingredients. This art has come to us, the modern man, though ages and ages of wisdom and experience. In ancient times, winemaking wa...
