Fruit wine is more complex than it gets credit for.
Fruit wine can be produced from a huge range of fruits—in fact, as long as the fruit you’d like to make wine from has enough sugar for yeast to ferment and convert into alcohol, wine can be produced from it. And ambitious fruit wine producers all over America and beyond are crafting bottles of remarkable complexity.
What is fruit wine?
Fruit wine is any wine that’s produced from fruit aside from grapes. And while grapes are of course fruit, grape wine is not typically referred to as “fruit wine,” just simply “wine.”
How is fruit wine made?
Fruit wine is made by harvesting ripe fruit, pressing it, and then adding yeast to the sweet juice. The yeast ferments the sugars in the juice, producing alcohol. Once the wine is fermented to the level that the winemaker desires, it is then either aged in wood barrels or stainless steel tanks. The use of wood—especially new oak barrels—lends the fruit wine aromas and flavors of sweet baking spices.
What fruit can be made into wine?
The choice of fruit for fruit wine is really limited only by the winemaker’s access to high-quality fruit. There is strawberry wine, plum wine, elderberry wine, blueberry wine, blackberry wine, peach wine, apple wine, and more. Sangria is different and shouldn’t be confused with fruit wine: Sangria is a blend of red or white wine, brandy is often added, chopped fresh fruit, and either seltzer water or lemon-lime soda. But since the wine at its core is made from grapes, Sangria is not considered to be a fruit wine, just like all wines made from red or white grapes.
What does fruit wine taste like?
The best fruit wine tastes like a more aromatically complex version of the juice of the fruit that it’s crafted from. Fruit wine is almost always sweet—though there are exceptions—and makes a wonderful accompaniment to desserts and cheeses.
What is fruit wine called?
Fruit wine is generally called by the name of the fruit from which it’s produced. For example, plum wine, strawberry wine, apple wine, and more.
How do you drink fruit wine?
Fruit wine is generally best enjoyed chilled, which allows the natural vivacity of the fruit to shine through. Some people enjoy fruit wine with ice, which is a great option, and others enjoy it drizzled over vanilla ice cream. As with all wine, however you prefer to enjoy fruit wine is the right way!
What are popular brands of fruit wine?
There are many popular brands of fruit wine, including Stella Rosa (blueberry), Arbor Mist, Gallo Family Vineyards / Gallo, Carlo Rossi, Manischewitz, Barefoot, Liquid Popsicle, Bigger Sipper, and Capriccio Bubbly Sangria, among others.
Browse our full selection of fruit wine online for a great new fruit wine to try this week!
