Country wine
"Country wine" is also a common translation of "vin du pays", or "Landwein"Country wines are
fermented alcoholic beverages made from a variety of ingredients other than
grapes (the base of "ordinary"
wine) and having a variety of flavors. Country wines are always called
something wines (e.g.,
plum wine), since the word
wine alone is often legally defined as a beverage made only from grapes. Country wine can be made from any fruit or, with addition of
sugar or
honey, from many plant sources. This term is utilized more commonly in
Great Britain than elsewhere. In France and Germany, "
vin du pays", or "
Landwein" refers to standard grape wine.
Few foods other than grapes have the balanced quantities of sugar,
acid,
tannin and
water to produce a stable, drinkable wine, so most country wines are adjusted in one or more respects. Enough natural sugar is needed to support a satisfactory fermentation and provide bacteriological stability through sufficient
ethanol content, so the winemaker adds table sugar (
sucrose) or sweet
sap tapped from
trees such as
maple,
birch, or
palm; or
honey. If a food is too tart, sugar and water may both be added to dilute the acidity, or additional tannin or acid may be required to round out the taste. These are added as chemicals or by adding a balancing fruit like
crabapples,
raisins or
dates to an unbalanced base.
The other ingredients that give the wine its flavor and character can be
fruits,
flowers,
herbs, etc. Examples are
elderberry wine and
dandelion wine. A wine made from elderberry flowers is called
elder blow wine. If the flavoring ingredients are
leaves or
roots then the beverage is sometimes called a
beer (for example,
ginger beer). (Note that the beverage known as
root beer,
ginger beer and
ginger ale are often non-alcoholic beverages).
|
Apple wine in a 500ml glass |
If the sugar source is honey then the beverage is usually called
mead; if it is
apple or
pear juice then the beverage is called
cider or
perry, respectively.
Cyser is made from apples and honey.
There are two approaches when making country wines: to imitate the flavor and appearance of grape wines, or not to. Some country wines that resemble grape wines are:
*
elderberry*
blackcurrant*
plum*
blackberry*
appleOther country wines made from fruits:
*
apricot*
blueberry*
cherry*
gooseberry*
pear*
raspberry*
redcurrant*
rowan*
persimmon*
pineapple wine*
strawberry*
watermelon wineCountry wines made from
flowers:
*
dandelion*
elder blow*
rose hipCountry wines made from
vegetables and roots:
*
potato*
rhubarb*
parsnip*
Fruit / vegetable beer
