Thursday - Wine Drink
Wine Making Tips from Andre: Fruit Wines and Fruit Winemaking -Part 1 of 2
Once again we have advent of the summer season in Western New York and Ontario and while some home winemakers limit their endeavors to the grape, others, including myself, anxiously await the arrival of the fresh fruit. Once dismissed out of hand by some as inferior and often quaintly referred to as "country" wines, fruit wines are enjoying a surge in popularity never seen before, embraced by amateur and professional vintners alike.
And why shouldn't they? Our region has the good fortune to possess a burgeoning agribusiness in fruit other than grapes and, as many fruit farmers have discovered (as indicated by the surge in farm winery licenses), wine returns a much more appealing margin than fruit alone. For those who are still on the fence about the virtues of fruit wine, may I suggest that you take a day to tour some of the local wine trails and try them.
For me, a family outing to the local fruit farms, especially a "U-Pick," was always gleefully anticipated as a summertime ritual. The delicious baked goods and the jellies and jams made from the fruit could be enjoyed into the cold winter months. That is, of course, if they lasted that long.
We still make and love all these things, but taking the extra time and expense to produce wine from the strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, and other fruits adds another dimension that will challenge and hone your skills. This is because, unlike grapes (especially those varieties which one may regularly vint year after year), fruits, berries, and other feedstock used to make these wines have less predictable characteristics in their pH, acid, and sugar. Therefore, careful testing and attention to making the proper adjustments is important to producing a good fruit wine.
There is an abundance of websites that have good basic fruit wine recipes, and even recipes to make wine from vegetables and herbs. Simply plug 'fruit wine recipes' into a search engine.
Now for another reason why home winemakers should have a second look at fruit wines. Today, people are more health-conscious than ever. Almost every day for the past decade, starting with "The French Paradox," we've been bombarded with one clinical study after another that touts the health benefits of drinking red wine in moderation.
Well, surprise! The same health-promoting compounds found in Pinot Noir are found abundantly in fruits and berries. The polyphenol pigments that impart color to the fruit are known collectively as anthocyanins, a family of powerful antioxidants. The compound found in Pinot Noir called resveratrol is produced in greater amounts in this varietal as an antifungal because the skin of the grape is thin and susceptible to splitting. Resveratrol has been studied for its ability to block cell inflammation and oxidative stress related to arthritis and other degenerative diseases, as well as cancer treatment and prevention. *
Blackberries, mulberries, and especially blueberries are rich in powerful antioxidants like resveratrol. Blueberries also contain phytosterol and pterostilbene, which have recently been shown to be useful in lowering bad (LDL) cholesterol, preventing heart disease, and protecting the body against certain cancers.
None of these beneficial compounds are lost in the winemaking process, so why not raise a glass of fruit wine and drink to your health?
*Joseph, J.A., Shukitt-Hale B., Denisova, N.A. Bielinski D., Martin, A., McEwen, J.J., and Bickford, P.C. "Reversal of Age-Related Declines in the Neuronal Signal Transduction, Cognitive, and Motor Behavioral Deficits with Blueberry, Spinach, or Strawberry Dietary Supplementation," Journal of Neuroscience, September 15, 1999, Vol. 19, No. 18. pp. 8114-8121.]
Winemaking Tips from Ande Pazik of www.bubbleflo.com
E-mail Contact: dkceo@bubbleflo.com
About the Author
Andre Pazik, Executive Vice President & CTO, is a former teacher with a passion for fine food and wine. During his successful careers in criminal justice and education, Andre's interest in winemaking continue to grow. His experiments in monitoring fermentation led to the invention of the BubbleFlo system. www.bubbleflo.com
A synopsis on Wine Drink.
Wine Making Tips from Andre: Fruit Wines and Fruit Winemaking -Part 1 of 2
Once again we have advent of the summer season in Western New York and Ontario and while some home winemakers limit their endeavors to the grape, othe...
Click Here to Read More About Wine ...
Wine Drink Items For Viewing
Decanter Drying Stand
Keeping your decanter free of water spots has always been a chore—until now. This heavy metal stand was designed in Germany and will hold any standard-sized decanter after it has been washed. Because the decanter is held in an inverted position even long funnel-neck designs are air-dried to a dazzling spot-free finish. 10'H x 71⁄2'W.
Price: 29.95 USD
Headlines on Wine Drink
REVIEW: El Cerdo Restaurant
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:56:09 PDT
Talk Bits: The MTV Asia Awards excite me, mega-ly. However, I am not going to sleep overnight/line up since morning just to get good seats - yes, it's free seating: oh the horror. Nevertheless, Click Five, Panic! and Pussycat Dolls will be there. Where are my priorities? Mid sems next week! P.S: I joined "Doing The Karen Cheng" Facebook group :) Long post ahead! Just a few days ago, I had dinner at El Cerdo. Two nights later, for Sister No.1's birthday - El Cerdo again! ..but I wasn't complaini
Question of the Day
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:00:01 PDT
Yay for crops! I love this time of year and walking outside for something to eat. What veggies, herbs, or flowers are you enjoying from this year's harvest? Though I lost a couple of plants, my San Marzano and Roma tomatoes are ripening on the vine. This first batch (pictured) will end up as spicy pizza sauce. I am excited about pizza as my favorite pizza to make consists of: my own pizza sauce, thinly sliced zucchini and tomato fresh from the garden, goat cheese, buffalo mozzarella, and sprin
206: alabama
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:06:05 PDT
a dress from the new collection + patterns on this wednesday morning, my mind and fingers are still filled with excitement and inspiration from my weekend in florence, alabama for the alabama chanin stitch workshop. it was such a wonderful experience. i'm not sure even where to begin in telling you about it, so i'll just start at the beginning and let the photos do some of the talking... i flew from new york to memphis (non-stop: yay! on-time: yay!) on friday afternoon, then drove almost 3 ho
Blueberry Lemon Basil Cupcakes
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:44:25 PDT
Hubby and I are in a cooking club. We meet once a month at someones house. The host picks a theme and we all make something from that theme and watch a movie that also fits into the theme. This month, hubby and I hosted and our theme was "Stuff It!" (and we watched The Right Stuff). I decided to make Stuffed tomatoes, Bacon wrapped goat cheese stuffed dates, Stuffed strawberries, and of course Stuffed cupcakes. I'll be posting about the rest of those goodies soon... So for the cupcakes, I wante
Cebu Team wins best main course in Canadian cook-off challenge (Sun Star)
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:31:13 PDT
OTHER choices for breakfast include the slightly more-filling tartines (sandwiches) or the crispy salads, such as the goat cheese and arugula salad served with pine nuts and tomatoes.
Iron Wine
Sweet Wine
Wine Advertisement | Wine Aficionado
Labels: Wine Racks
