Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Arthur Przebinda on March 25, 2008 at 10:23pm

I would say that cider has very much a following in the U.S. pub culture.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Paulo Prado on March 26, 2008 at 12:09am

I feel very strong that I should call my sparkling from Epernay, Champagne, my fortified from Douro, Port, my sticky from Tokaji, Tokaji Aszú, fermented apple juice, Cider and my fermented (vitis vinifera) grape juice... Wine. Branding a beverage goes beyond of what defines a common process. It is a little bit more elusive.

I believe that force feeding the consumer that one drink, with its own characteristics, should fit in a category that it clearly does not belong to, is a disservice to its own market. Blackberry, raspberry and plum are different fruits that should produce different characteristics as they are fermented. And whatever that characteristic is, if it is horrible or heavenly, it should not taste like Wine. And it just does not make any sense to forge it to taste like it. This product will live in the shadow of what you want to copy. This producers should define on the process and make a brand for themselves. With that, build their own market, find its niche with the consumers and the respect in the industry.

Branding is not exclusive for the capitalistic marketing guerrilla. It is a tool of communication. You should be able to communicate what your product is all about.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Alex Prichard on March 26, 2008 at 1:40am

I'd be tempted to treat cider & perry separately to other fruit wines, as they're (in the UK at least) a lot more mainstream.

As far as fruit wines go ... a lot of people make them themselves. My great aunt and uncle used to be great wine makers, making wine from pretty much anything (apparently their parsley wine was like vodka ... that seemed to be a good thing?!).

Commercially, in the UK at least, there seems to be quite a bit around on the web: www.thesussexwinecompany.co.uk to start with. I'll have to see if I can spot some on the high street and see what it's like, as I've never tried it!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Peter Wood on March 26, 2008 at 2:34am

The central belt of Scotland is a perfect location for growing berries and a farm produces 'wine' from an array of fruit. I tasted them and wrote an article which you can find here

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sonadora on March 26, 2008 at 6:15am

We get an array of fruit wines in Virginia. I have a few kicking around in my cellar. I've had apple wine that's not cider, raspberry wine, raspberry infused dessert wines, and blackberry wine. Some are good, some are mediocore, and some are simply awful and taste like spoiled fruit to me.

The wines I see here made of other fruit are usually non-vintage. We drink them in small amounts when they lean to the dessert side and as a regular wine in the case of the apple ones we've had.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ian on March 26, 2008 at 10:03am

Though I don't typically drink fruit wines, I have had experience making raspberry, plum, and peach wines. I've also been told by wine judges who regulary judge fruit wines that the main paramater for judging is that the wine smells and taste like the fruit it was made from. In a nutshell, clean winemaking. I think that most of the folks who we sell these wines to are people who are visiting the winery more for the excursion than for any actual love of fine wine. It's essentially wine for non-wine drinkers. That said, I once had a blueberry wine from Maine that was fermented on the skins, dry, and aged in French oak barrels. I was told it's often mistaken for Bordeaux, but I find that hard to believe, as the acid and tannin both at very low levels. To me this was a wine didn't even have a niche, because fine wine drinkers would eschew it, as would those looking for a sweet, fruity drink.

Steven...it seems like you're curious by fruit wines but embarassed to buy one. I don't think you'll lose any street cred by drinking fruit wine, or even liking it. And I'm sure you can purchase it anonomyously if you need to, though I don't think fruit wine drinkers feel much shame about admitting that they drink them.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Steven on March 26, 2008 at 3:38pm

Nope - not embarassed, just it was not a category I had any experience with. As we have added wines to our online store from non-Californian wineries I have noticed an increase in the number available. Will be interesting to see how they sell.

Thanks for the input though.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Diane Letulle on March 27, 2008 at 11:17am

There are a good deal of fruit wineries in New England. For example, in Vermont if you visit a "winery" you might be drinking apple or maple wine. I visited Williamsdale Winery in Nova Scotia that made four types of wine from blueberries. The dessert wine was delicious, like liquid blueberry pie (without the crust). It was really intriguing to drink their dry blueberry wine...almost impossible to describe. The owner told us some people mix the sweeter wines with soda and a twist of lime for an aperitif. He grows low-bush blueberries (sweet, small berries) in some of the prettiest countryside anywhere. I think these wines are best as dessert drinks, where I would substitute them for dessert, rather than serve them with something sweet, because they are almost cloying. My personal favorite is raspberry dessert wine.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Steven on March 27, 2008 at 1:51pm

That is interesting, you see it was the listing by Moonrise Bay Vineyard of Knotts Island North Carolina on our site of their Raspberry wine that started me off on this whole thing anyway. I am sure I will be trying a number of these over the coming year. I saw a Cherry Port out there also and so was intrigued by that as well.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Diane Letulle on March 27, 2008 at 4:39pm

I'm headed to the Blue Ridge Wine Festival in NC in April. Wonder if Moonrise will be there? NC does have some delicious wines (from grapes). To me the fruit stuff is fun to pick up when I travel...like the way you'd buy peach preserves in Georgia or maple syrup from VT.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Catie on March 28, 2008 at 5:21pm

In Washington State we see a little bit of fruit "country" wines. It is almost zero in the Columbia Valley regions and Walla Walla, but we see it up north in the heart of apple country near Lake Chelan and Wenatchee where there are lots of orchards. I have seen pear, plum and cherry wine up there.

Interesting side note - - I have trained my mother well when it comes to wine grapes and the designated AVAs. She was visiting New Mexico last fall and there was a large winery she visited that had a few vitis vinifera wines, but it was mostly "country wines." They tasted all kinds of wines from grape to pistachio. She asked the "winemaker" if they had any designated appellations in New Mexico to which the winemaker answered, "Ma'am, we don't make any apple wines in New Mexico."

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Winenegress on March 29, 2008 at 4:11pm

Oh my. There is a blueberry wine made here in New Jersey, which has three AVAs at last count. The blueberry is the state fruit and the tomato is the state vegetable. If you mention that the tomato is also a fruit, Tony Soprano will break your face....

▶ Reply to This