Non-grape based wine

The term wine can sometimes include alcoholic beverages that are not grape-based. This can include wines produced from fruits like apples and elderberries, starches like rice, as well as flowers and weeds like dandelion and marijuana.G. Harding "A Wine Miscellany" pg 5-9, Clarkson Potter Publishing, New York 2005 ISBN 0307346358 ] The most common, narrow definition of wine relates to the product of fermented grape juice, though it is sometimes broadened to include any beverage with a fermentation based on the conversion of a sugar solution into alcohol (fermented beverages based on hydrolyzed barley such as beer are often excluded). Some drinks such as cider, mead and perry are also excluded from this broad definition of wine for historical reasons. J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 768 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906 ] In many areas of the world, the commercial use of the word "wine" is protected by law.cite book |last=George |first=Rosemary |title=The Simon & Schuster Pocket Wine Label Decoder |year=1991 |publisher=Fireside |isbn=978-0671728977] In the European Union "wine" is legally defined only as the fermented juice of grapes.

Fruit wine

Fruit wines have traditionally been popular with home winemakers and in areas with cool climates such as North America and Scandinavia. Most fruits and berries have the potential to produce wine. However, the amount of fermentable sugars is often low and need to be supplemented by a process called chaptalization in order to have sufficient alcohol levels. Sucrose is often added so that fruits having excessive levels of acids (usually citric or malic acid) can split the sucrose into fermentable fructose and glucose sugars. Many fruit wines suffer from a lack of natural yeast nutrients needed to promote or maintain fermentation. Winemakers can counter this with the addition of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Unlike some grape-based wines, fruit wines often do not improve with bottle age and are usually meant to be consumed within a year of bottling. J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 291 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906 ]

tarch wines

Sake, and other rice wines are commonly described as wine, although the process for making them is different from that of other wines.

Other wines

In the 21st century there have also been some attempts by Chinese winemakers to make wine from fish. In Scotland, one winery has experimented with making wines from vegetables such as carrots and turnip. In the United States, recipes have been published online demonstrating how wine can be made from marijuana by adding winemaking yeast to a boiled mixture of marijuana, honey, lemons and oranges.

ee also

*Fruit and vegetable beer
*Mead

References