11/06/06 Fruit Wines

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. I seem to have gotten behind answering questions from the email. So this week we will devote each day to answering your questions. A listener wrote to ask, " Are fruit wines like pear and rhubarb really considered wine?" So a listener asks if fruit wine is "really " wine  well grapes are fruit aren't they? However, I think what he is asking is if the fermented beverages that are made with fruits other than grapes are considered to be wine by the wine snobs. The short answer is yes, of course. Although I would bet that most "snobs" would turn their noses up until they actually give them a try. Grapes are certainly not the only fruit that is fermented to alcohol. The same principles and processes take place with other fruits and the results can be outstanding. There are some beautiful pear wines and I recommend them for the holidays, especially Thanksgiving. There are some delightful sparkling pear ciders that are a delicious accompaniment to Holiday nut pies. A nice aspect of many fruit wines is that they are fermented fairly dry. If made well they retain their beautiful fruit essence and loose most of the sugary sweetness. Unfortunately, really good fruit wines are difficult to find and we don't have many venues to taste them. For now, if you do come upon a bottle of pear wine  give it a shot with some a piece of nutty holiday pie. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.