Beyond the Grape

A new world of fruit wines offers a fresh

harvest of innovations
Dominic Rivard
WinePlanet Consulting
 Why
fruit
wine in a
world of
grapes?
Who is now drinking fruit wine?
 Who Drinks It?

 Young - 80% under 40

 50% male, 50% female
 College educated
 Not stuck in tradition
 Interested in variety
 Looks for locally crafted products
 Less status oriented
Why are they drinking it?

 Refreshing, prefer fresh, fruit forward styles

 Easy to drink, often slightly sweeter
 Pairs well with ethnic and more exotic food
 Short term loyalty to style and brand
 Want increased quality/natural perception
 More health conscious (perception and fact)
ORAC Levels in Fruit Wines

Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity per 100ml of each fruit

1. Aronia (15.8K ORAC)

2. Elderberry (14.6K ORAC)
3. Cranberries (9.5K ORAC)
4. Black Currant (8K ORAC)
5. Blueberries (6K ORAC)
6. Blackberries (6K ORAC)
7. Plums (6K ORAC)
8. Glass of Cabernet Sauvignon (5K ORAC)
9. Glass of Chianti (3.8K ORAC)
10. Concord red grape Juice (1.2K)
Fruit Wines = Opportunity
 A Virtually Untapped
Territory
Producers, marketers and
distributors have a hand in
shaping fruit wine industry
with a clean slate.

Endless opportunities for

creative ways to make fruit
wine compelling and attractive.

Attractive and unusual wines

get attention.
 Production Advantages

• Year round production from either

fresh or frozen fruit.
• Greater production flexibility.
• Less Inventory to hold
• 3-4 production cycles a year
• Less tank space needed
• Greater ROI on equipment and facility.
• Berries require dilution to balance the
juice, so your fruit content can go
further than grapes.
 Geographical Advantages

Fruit wines are not limited to specific geographical areas and can be
produced outside traditional grape areas.
 Challenges and Solutions
Production, marketing and using fruit wine to also overcome grape wine challenges.
Fruit Wine Production Challenges

• Making a drinkable fruit wine –

easy

• Making a GREAT wine – more to it

• There are issues more prevalent in

fruit wine than grape wine,
especially at the higher quality level

• Experimenting with yeast strains

and enzymes has wide influence

• Increased R&D is now occurring

Common Issue: colour stability

 Improper enzyme use

 Fermenting too warm
 Oxidation of delicate fruit
 Use tannins!
 Use frozen fruit – better extraction
 Common Issue: hazes

Colored Haze – caused by certain

metals vessels and instruments –
citric acid
Darkening juice – caused by
oxidation or enzymic action –
stabilize with SO2
Pectin Haze – Most common– treat
with pectic enzyme
Lactic Haze – Caused by MLF –Treat
with So2 and filter.
Starch Haze – Caused by
boiling/heating fruit or too hard
pressing. Treat with amylase
 Common Issue: Stuck Ferments
Caused by:
 Lack of nutrients (improper YAN level)
 Very low pH level
 Dramatic change in temperature disagreeable to the yeast.

Prone to hard to start or stuck ferments:

 High gravity juices – cryo-extracted juices
 Cranberry and black currant wines: low pH/high TA – balance of
acid/flavour dilution and potassium carbonate use.
 Blueberry has very low pH and low TA – hard to adjust for initial
ferment – adjust the pH, start the ferment and adjust the TA post ferment.
 Passion Fruit – Lingering metallic acid finish can be hard to remove.
 Other Common Issues

 Oxalic & Ellagic acid

deposits
 High VA in cryo-
extracted wines
 H2S with heavy lees
wines
 Marketing Challenges: Perception

 Historical perception – Finally changing!

 Perception now - becoming an accepted, viable consumption alternative

 International wine competitions increasingly include fruit wine categories.

 Story of: California Grape Wine Co. – Southern California, USA

 Story of: Forbidden Fruit Winery – Similkameen Valley, Canada

 Story of: Wildberry Fruit Wines – Wai, India

 Story of Wicklow Way Wines – Wicklow, Ireland

 Marketing Challenges: Export
Markets
 Export potential - in Asia, a
wine is a wine, it doesn’t
always matter what fruit it is
made from
 Quality fruit wines in India,
China, Korea sold in
supermarkets, 3-5* hotels and
restaurants
 Fruit wine already part of
some Asian cultures of China,
Japan, Korea and Taiwan
 Asians tend to have a sweeter
tooth – attracted to fruit.
Marketing Challenges: “Snobbery”

The Merriam-Webster
dictionary definition for
“wine”:

“the alcoholic usually

fermented juice of a plant
product used as a beverage”

Thankfully, the attitude that

wine can’t be drinkable unless
its from grapes is going fast.
Overcoming Grape Wine
Challenges with Fruit
Wine Alternatives
 Solutions using Fruit Wines

Fact: Red wines does not always go well with many

foreign cuisines
Examples of China mixing red wine with coke
Fact: Spicy cuisine of India and Thailand needs
lower tannic and fruity wines
In fruit-forward cuisines such as Thai, Vietnamese,
Moroccan, Hawaiian and Caribbean, fruit wines can
match perfectly.
Fruit wines offer variety to match distinct varieties
of cuisine.
 Versatility of Fruit Wines
Can be produced in any style to fit any market and any application.
 General
Fruit Wine
Types
 General Production Types

Raw material source determines the target market and price point.

Grape base + fruit extract/flavours added – “Arbor Mist Style”

Grape base + juice – RTD, “Wild Vine Style”

Grape base + Fruit wine base – Fruit Fusion – accentuate varietal character

Fruit Juice or Concentrate – “standard” fruit wine

Whole Fruit – Premium, more “serious” fruit wine

Low Alcohol Style

• 2-7% alcohol – “Fruit Cider”

• Usually made with an apple
base and blended with fruit.
• High dilution ratio
• Geared for the high volume
• Lower price due to lower
taxes in some jurisdictions
• Light and refreshing
Fruit Fusion Wines

•7-12% alcohol
•Usually made with an grape base and
blended with fruit juice or fruit wine base
•Used to accentuate varietal character
•A “transition” wine, entry-level
•Light and refreshing, summer application
Off-Dry Style

• Usually between 8.5-13.5% ABV

• Under 30g/L RS
• Has the highest appeal for the
casual wine drinker.
• Made to be “food friendly”
• Having a good balance is key. A
little less forgiving if the balance
is wrong (acid, flavor
concentration, sugar)
Sweet Fruit Wine

• Well suited for higher acid fruit

such as raspberry or currants
• Easier to balance the wine, more
leeway in production
• Less dilution, more intensity can
be achieved.
• Aimed at a RS of higher than
40g/L
• TA levels higher than 7-8g/L
• Can be “cloying” if not done right.
• Popular style in the US
Cryo-Extracted Style

• Geared for the premium and export

markets.
• Made by freezing juice and freeze
fractioning it off. Starts at about 36’B
• Gaining in popularity very fast
• High intrinsic value – good profit
• Aim for an RS of >140g/L and TA of
9g/L depending on fruit.
• Should use tree fruits for this or
blend berry wine with tree fruit
base.
Fortified Style

• Depending on local laws, can be fortified to

24% alcohol.
• RS levels of >80g/L
• Excellent for raspberry, blackberry or currants
(Cassis).
• To pair with desserts, chocolates
• Use high acid fruit, no dilution needed as
alcohol dilutes it.
• Can ferment a few % then fortify for port style
• Age in neutral oak for higher complexity.
Sparkling Style

• Can be made by CO2 injection,

Charmat or Traditional
• Can easily be made dry to sweet
with the same wine base.
• Made “frizzante” or “Sparkling”
• Sold to weddings, celebrations,
summer
• Champagne corks or crown caps.
 Wineries with:
Fruit Centric Themes
 Fort Wine Company, BC -
Cranberry Festival
 Domaine Pinnacle, Quebec – Ice
Apple Wines in Duty Free
worldwide
 Muwin Estate Wines, Nova Scotia –
Blueberry wine
 Wildberry, Wai, India – Strawberry
wine
 Mythical Garden, Thailand –
Mangosteen wine
The World Wants More Options!

Our world embraces

diversity

Preferences are trending

towards the fruit forward
and sweeter options

Today’s consumers want

more variety than their
parents did.
The World Needs More Flexibility and
Adaptability

Ecologically, the world is

changing and adaptability
plans that translates to raw
materials used to make
wine needs to be
considered.
Let’s drink more fruit wines!
Dominic Rivard
dominic@wineplanet.org