Fruit wine sounds a little redundant, doesn’t it? After all, wine is made from grapes and grapes are fruit, right? Not exactly. The term “fruit wine” refers to any wine made from fruit other than grapes. Many Missouri wineries make delicious, award-winning fruit wines. Common flavors are peach, cherry, blackberry, apple and strawberry, but as you explore Missouri wine country you’ll find other unique fruit wines such as mango, blueberry, and pineapple. There are so many wonderful ways to enjoy Missouri fruit wine.
- Sipping: A glass of fruit wine is delicious and refreshing all on its own. If you find a fruit wine that’s a little sweet for you, try adding a splash of club soda. It can calm the sweetness, and who doesn’t like refreshing bubbles?
- Mixing: Fruit wines make fantastic mixers for your next cocktail concoction. Whether you’re perfecting your sangria recipe or developing a brand-new cocktail creation, fruit wine is a great way to mix things up.
- Cooking: Fruit wines add fantastic flavor and fun to the most basic recipes, especially in marinades and sauces. Marinades, especially overnight marinades, are great with fruit wines because they are low in acid. Peach wine marinades are great with chicken and cherry is exceptional with pork.
- Baking: Substituting wine for water or part of the fat (oil, butter, etc.) while baking adds flavor and complexity. So, next time you dawn an apron to bake up a treat, don’t forget the fruit wine.
Fruit wines are truly versatile. Look for them the next time you’re exploring Missouri’s wine country, home to more than 125 wineries.