Fruit Wine – All You Need to Know | Instacart’s Guide to Groceries

What is fruit wine?

Fruit wine refers to wine not made from grapes. They are made from fermented fruit juice, though floral wine and honey wine-like mead often fall into the fruit wine category.

These wines are typically alcoholic at around 11 percent ABV, which is similar to other wines.

Fruit wines are becoming more commonplace, and more professional winemakers are offering them at their vineyards. Making fruit wine at home is also becoming popular because it only requires fresh fruit, yeast, and patience.

What types of fruit wine are there?

There are many types of fruit wine. These are just a few of them.

• Elderberry wine is a famous English wine. It’s sweet and light and is sold as a sparkling wine too.
• Strawberry wine is a summer favorite with a mild and sweet aroma and taste. It should be consumed shortly after bottling.
• Apple wine is a tart German wine, tasting similar to dry ciders.
• Plum wine is a favorite in Asia. Instead of fermenting the fruit, the plums are soaked in distilled liquor.

Where did fruit wine originate from?

Fruit wine was first made over 50,000 years ago in the Mesopotamian Valley, but it’s not like the fruit wine we have today. The first batch had high alcohol content and was exceptionally sweet. It was made with watermelon, figs, and dates.

What are the health benefits of drinking fruit wine?

Fruit wines often feature more antioxidants and nutrients than traditional wine. The nutritional values and health benefits vary depending on which fruit is used.

• Elderberry wine is rich in antioxidants and amino acids and includes Vitamins A, B & C.
• Blueberry wine is low in sugar and contains Vitamins A & E and folic acid.
• Plum wines are rich in calcium and potassium.
• Apple and peach wines feature Vitamins A & C, Calcium, and Niacin.

How do you make fruit wine?

To make fruit wine, winemakers need to extract the juice from the fruit. While it is possible to crush or stew the fruit, winemakers prefer working with a wine press when they’re working with large quantities of fruit. Generally, at least five pounds of fruit are needed for a gallon of fruit wine. Wine presses do the hard work and transform the chunky bits of fruit into juice.

Then, the fruit juice is fermented, and winemakers add extra sugar. While grapes are naturally sweetened, some fruit wines like dandelion wine need additional sweeteners. These sweeteners help the acidity and alcohol level.

Winemakers add yeast to ingest the sugar and produce ethanol, aka alcohol. They must use a hydrometer to balance the levels and then add additives such as citric acid, potassium, and nitrogen to improve the shelf life of the wine.

After the wine has fermented in a cool, dark place, it is ready for bottling. It’s worth noting that fruit wines do not typically improve with age.

What to look for when buying fruit wines

Whether you are shopping in-store or giving your Instacart shopper tips to select a bottle of fruit wine for you, be as specific as possible. It helps if you know the person or occasion you’re buying for. For instance, do you want the fruit wine for a dessert party? Cherry wine supplements sweets beautifully.

If you are looking to have your groceries delivered, you can easily shop for fruit wine via Instacart. After adding a product to your cart, use the “Instructions” option to notify your Instacart shopper about any preferences or specific directions on how to choose the best products.

How to store fruit wine

Fruit wine, like other wine, needs to be kept in a cool, dry place. If you have a wine cellar, that’s ideal, but if not, here are a few other options:

• The basement: Keep it temperature-controlled and add a wine rack.
• An unused closet: If there isn’t extra space in your apartment, add some additional shelving to a closet for your wine bottles.
• Under the bed: Store the bottles in a dresser under the bed. Keep them out of the way and hidden from direct sunlight.

How to serve fruit wine

Like traditional white wines, fruit wines taste best chilled to bring out the fruity flavors. Serve the wine in a long-stem wineglass since the long-stem will keep the cold wine at a distance from your warm hands.

How to tell if the fruit wine has gone bad

Fruit wines should be consumed within a year of bottling them. While they have tannins to improve the shelf life, they need to be consumed within two years. Otherwise, the wines begin to taste vinegary and become oxidized. Certain fruits, such as dark berries or stone fruits, may have a longer enjoyment period for up to three to five years.

What to substitute for fruit wine

Depending on what kind of fruit wine you want, that will specify what type of substitution will work. If you’re serving wine with dessert, buy dessert wine instead. If you were purchasing an apple wine, try a dry apple cider.

Where to buy fruit wine

You may need to look at several stores before finding the right bottle of fruit wine. To save yourself the trouble, you can buy fruit wine online via Instacart and order the exact flavor you want.

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Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.