Fruit Wines Are Here To Say

Most of us know that wines are made from different varieties of grapes. But there are wines made from  other kind of fruits also. 

Immediately, plum wine come to my mind. I tried this light body wine in UK few years back. It is more common in Japan where it's also referred to as a plum liquor. Even though you can drink it on its own, it is commonly used in cocktails. 

Have you heard of cider? Well, it's pretty similar to apple wine, just a difference in sugar, really. Like cider, apple wine is made from fermented apples and can be made carbonated. While I was in interior part of Pithoragarh on Tibet border, I have seen local Shauka  community making and enjoying fermented apple drink. 

Berries have a good amount of natural sugar, many have a lot of natural acid content, too. Therefore, the acidity might make the wine taste pretty sour, but water can be added to help fix that. 

Because of this, berry wine is more commonly made by home winemakers and artisans and you probably won't find berry wines in most stores. It is, however, commonly sold in USA at farmers markets and Local fairs. 

Wine is also made from pomegranates and it has a surprisingly large number of health benefits. Pomegranate is loaded with vitamins A, C, and E, reduces inflammation and is good for your skin. Even though the pomegranates are fermented in wine, you can still get all of the benefits. It is not usually sold in stores, which is why most people make their own pomegranate wine or buy it online. 

You might be wondering if pumpkins are even fruits, and the answer is yes. Even though you have probably never heard of it, and it is commonly made between Halloween and Thanksgiving Day.  Most pumpkin wine recipes only require six ingredients, but you can make the wine dryer or sweeter by adding extra ingredients like ginger, clove and cinnamon. there are also a few websites that sell pumpkin wine, and pretty cheap.

Like most of these other wines, Kiwi wine can be bought online or made at home. Although you can make kiwi wine whenever you have kiwis, kiwi wine connoisseurs usually like to drink it in the summer time with foods like salad, gazpacho and fresh fruit. Our Maharashtra has its own claim of mango wine.

Since time immemorial, man has used whatever resources he had in hand to create alcohol, In the past, alcohol-making was a home-made affair that typically used any excess produce. It needed time and effort, but fermentation preserves food and gives it a second life. Thus, wine was born.

Fruit-infused fermented alcoholic bevera- ges, then, have always been part of India’s food culture. Any place where there is an abundance of fruit, you will find fruit wines. Wherever the quality of grains or fruits is high, naturally you will convert it into alcoholic beverage. If you think of it from a historical perspective, we have taken coconut and made an alcoholic drink out of it. I can’t think of any country in the world where their local fruit can’t be drunk as an alcoholic bev- erage. So there is a local market for it. 

If fruit wines are so deep-rooted, why aren’t they as popular as, say, a Chardonnay? We have still not been able to market and place fruit wines in that niche segment where the appeal comes from the perception that it’s a premium product. These products don’t yet have that kind of hype. 

The locals in Himachal Pradesh use apricots for brewing fermented alcoholic drink called chulli, and ghanti, made from apples. The literal translation of ghanti is a bell. It means this drink rings a bells and knocks you out, Ghanti, which is not clarified, is traditionally used  in community celebrations like weddings. 

In India a  Journey of fruit wines has just started in a professional manner. Minchy’s Food Products has started  producing fruit wines in Himachal Pradesh. They are offering  apple, plum and peach wine. 

The fruit wines are light-bodied, low in alcohol content and pocket-friendly. Since they don’t have more than 10-15% alcohol, these work better for people who like low-alcohol beverages.

They are also perfect for first-time drinkers familiar with the fruit; for such drinkers, the bitter hoppy flavour of beer can be a put-off and whisky can be intimidating.

Aneesh Saggar owns  17 wine stores in Maharashtra and runs alcohol delivery app Spiritzone. The highest-elling brand in his shops is the Maharashtra- based Fruzzante, which makes wines from chikoo (sapodilla), mango, starfruit, pineapple and strawberry. Fruzzante rebranded its products as sparkling alcoholic beverages last year and opted for millennial-appropriate branding, like a craft beer.

Meghalaya government has recently legalised commercial sale of local home-made wines. Brewing at home was legal as long as it was for personal use, sale was a grey area. The initiative can go a long way in helping farmers producing a variety of fruits in the state to sell their products locally which can then be value added by the local winemakers.

The next level of fruit wine is to develop drier version. The drier fruit wines will be premium segment  they will be able to command longer shelf life.