Fruit wine

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Strawberry wine during the must fermentation

Fruit wine is an alcoholic drink that is obtained from fruit or fruits - with the exception of grapes  - through a fermentation process . Fruit wine is also known as fruit wine .

In principle, almost any fruit that is suitable for human consumption can be used as the starting material for a fruit wine. The alcohol content of a fruit wine can be up to 18  % vol. achieve, for which sufficient sugar must be added to the fermentation batch. Fruit wines made from "naturally pure" fruit juices fermented without adding sugar rarely have alcohol contents above 10% vol. Fruits that produce such an alcohol yield are, for example, plums and pineapples .

In Germany, “wine-like drinks” include not only classic apple and pear wine but also drinks produced through alcoholic fermentation that are made from other raw materials such as rhubarb , elderflower or honey . In Austria, on the other hand, a wine-like drink may not be made commercially from rhubarb or elderflower. These ingredients may only be used to flavor fruit wines.

In Germany, garden owners like to use the production of fruit wine for fruit processing. In the field of hobby winemakers, there is literature with simple recipes for making fruit wine in the household. Some instructions are partly relatively old (1960) and can be considered antiquarian. Domestic wine-making from garden fruits has a long tradition in England. In the winery trade you can buy simple items for private use, such as pure yeast and sulfur in small quantities.

In the commercial sector one works with machines similar to those in modern wineries. The cellar work is the same regardless of the type of fruit used. If the fruit is not processed directly by the company itself, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates are used . The latter are often used on an industrial scale by international cider producers. Mash fermentation, which is justified in the domestic sector, takes a back seat on an industrial scale.

Manufacturing

Fermentation attachment made of plastic on a fermentation container made of plastic
Must balance: 0… + 130  ° Oe at +20 ° C

The basics for the production of a fruit wine are fruit and sugar, whereby most types of fruit contain at least some of the necessary sugar. The fruit wine is made through alcoholic fermentation.

Production is carried out of the ripe fruit harvested mostly by crushing the fruits of a mash the fruit purée , but not because of the necessary clarification later Mus produced. During the production of the mash, the seeds in the fruit should not be damaged, as these can release bitter substances or amygdalin , which splits off hydrogen cyanide in the presence of water . For the mash to have a sufficiently liquid consistency, it is usually necessary to add water. Exceptions are apples, pears and oranges, where only the juice obtained beforehand is fermented.

If the sugar contained in the fruit is insufficient, sugar is added to the fermentation batch before fermentation , "the fermentation batch is sugar- added". This is the rule with mash fermentation, with juice fermentation it depends on the desired alcohol content and initial sugar content in the juice. The sugar content in the juice or fermentation batch can be determined with a must scale or a refractometer with must weight scale . In the case of juicy fruits in particular, it makes sense to determine the sugar content in the juice in order to be able to determine the amount of sugar required and, above all, to avoid excess sugar, which has a fermentation-inhibiting effect. In the commercial sector, the permissible increase in sugar is regulated by regulations.

The acid concentration is usually adjusted before fermentation by adding water in the case of acidic fruits or the addition of lactic acid or citric acid or lemon juice in the case of low-acid fruits to a value that is comfortable for later consumption. In the commercial sector, the permissible procedures for setting the acid concentration are regulated by regulations.

Fermentation is initiated by adding wine yeast , nowadays usually pure yeast . Yeast cells that can be used for fermentation occur naturally on the surface of many types of fruit . However, since these are wild yeast strains, the result of the fermentation is sometimes difficult to predict, especially with regard to taste and fermentation by-products as well as the final alcohol content. Therefore, pure yeasts are often used for reasons of predictability and reproducibility.

The fermentation batch is filled into a sufficiently large fermentation container. Large quantities can be a wine barrel or a tank. Small amounts for household use are often fermented in a glass balloon . A rise space must remain in the vessel, as the fermentation batches foam during fermentation. With mash fermentation approx. 50% rise space is required, with juice fermentation approx. 10%. It is possible to flush the riser with carbon dioxide to reduce the oxygen content before fermentation. A fermentation seal is placed on the container , through which the carbon dioxide produced can escape and at the same time the supply of oxygen is prevented. Oxygen would prevent the yeasts from carrying out alcoholic fermentation, since in the presence of oxygen they cover their energy needs through cellular respiration . Oxygen also leads to oxidation processes, which are almost always undesirable. In addition, the fermentation attachment prevents the penetration of unwanted microbes, especially Acetobacter , which would form acetic acid from the alcohol and oxygen produced . The risk of oxidation can also be reduced if the fermentation vessel is always kept bulky after fermentation, i.e. is almost completely filled. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can be added as an antioxidant before, during and after fermentation . The so-called sulphurisation , which in fruit wines is usually carried out by adding sulfur dioxide in the commercial sector or potassium pyrosulphite in the private sector, takes place after fermentation and simultaneously acts as an antioxidant and preservative. In the commercial sector, the permitted amounts of sulfur dioxide and vitamin C are regulated by regulations.

During the fermentation process, the sugar contained in the mash or in the juice is broken down into carbon dioxide and alcohol by the proliferating yeast cells . Mash fermentation also allows fruit wines to be made from low-juice fruits such as B. rose hips, because the fermentation process causes color and flavorings from the fruit to transfer into the liquid. If the mash fermentation is carried out for too long, which can take one to four weeks depending on the fruit, undesirable substances such as bitter substances can also migrate into the fruit wine, which is why careful fermentation is necessary for mash fermentation. After the "young wine" has been separated from the mash, secondary fermentation takes place like juice fermentation until the final alcohol content is reached.

Fermentation also produces numerous fermentation by-products such as glycerine , various acids, higher alcohols, aldehydes and esters , which contribute to the overall aroma of the fruit wine. After reaching an alcohol concentration of about 12% vol. The fermentation process slows down until it finally comes to a standstill at up to 16% vol., in exceptional cases up to 18% vol. The yeasts are finally inhibited by the alcohol concentration ( inhibitor ) that is too high for them and stop their metabolism. In addition, the composition of the fermentation batch and the fermentation process play an important role. A significantly lower alcohol content can be achieved with a correspondingly reduced sugar content in the fermentation batch. Fermentation ends when the sugar has completely fermented. The result is a dry fruit wine with no residual sugar. Such fruit wines are mainly made from apples and pears, and more rarely from other fruits such as red currants. As a rule, they are not sweetened after fermentation because, on the one hand, the dry taste is usually desired and, on the other hand, without special precautions, the risk of secondary fermentation is very high. The fermentation can either be ended by pasteurization or microfiltration , whereby a residual sweetness can remain in the fruit wine, or a fully fermented and sweetened fruit wine can be prevented from secondary fermentation.

After fermentation has ended, the now inactive and dying yeast cells and with them many turbid substances sink to the ground and the fruit wine can be separated from the sediment, colloquially "pulled from the yeast", so that the wine is bright in the cellar . This should be done quickly in order to prevent the yeast from putrefying, which can spoil the wine. Another phase of self-assessment follows , which can take a few weeks to several months. However, self-clarification does not always lead to a visually satisfactory result, and especially wines made from fruits such as apples, quinces or pears can remain significantly cloudy even after a long period of rest. There are various methods to artificially bring about clarification, on the one hand fining with additives such as gelatine or silica sol , which bind remaining turbid matter, causing them to sink to the bottom, as well as various filtration processes .

With some fruit wines, it is an advantage if they mature for some time through storage. This is strongly recommended for plum and quince wines, for example. On the one hand, flavor-enhancing storage aromas can develop here ; on the other hand, volatile acids can escape or high tannin concentrations can be reduced through oxidation. Over time, the tannins become more digestible through esterification , which means that the wine tastes "rounder" and more harmonious. In the case of fruits containing malic acid, spontaneous malolactic fermentation can also occur during this storage , which can convert the "hot" or "hard" tasting malic acid in wine into lactic acid, which is perceived as significantly milder . Once the maturation process has ended, the wine can be bottled, if necessary after fining and filtration. In particular, if the wine has been filtered, it should rest for a few months before consumption so that it can recover from the filter shock, which is caused by contact with air in some filtration processes.

Fruit wines with a high alcohol content as well as a sufficient content of antioxidants such as acids, tannins, vitamin C and sulfur dioxide (the content of "free SO 2 " is decisive for the latter ) can be stored in bottles for ten years or longer, similar to red wines, without "tipping over" - without losing their aroma, oxidizing or suffering other wine defects . In general, the longer the storage period, the fruit bouquet decreases and the storage bouquet unfolds increasingly. Fruit wines with lower alcohol content and volatile aromatic substances such as B. Strawberry wines are mostly intended for immediate consumption and their shelf life is limited. Similar to grape wine, the shelf life depends crucially on the external conditions. Above all, the storage room should be dark and have moderate, constant temperatures ("basement temperature") and constant, moderate humidity. On the one hand, this allows the storage bouquet to form better and the wine is protected from premature aging, on the other hand, darkness protects against oxidation caused by incidence of light, and moderate humidity protects the cork in the bottle from drying out and from mold growth.

Fruit dessert wine

In addition to the expansion into fruit wine and fruit wine, there is also the option of producing fruit dessert wines. In Germany these are fruit wines with more than 12.0% vol.

In Austria, these wine-like drinks are 13.0% vol. in contrast to Germany in the Wine Act (section: fruit wine). Your total alcohol content may also be increased by adding alcohol, fruit brandy , sugar, fruit juice and fruit juice concentrate. Fruit dessert wines can thus resemble classic dessert wines such as sherry or port wine . It is also possible to produce fruit vermouth or other fruit wines flavored with herbs and spices.

Seen worldwide, there are different production methods for fruit dessert wines. In Canada you can find Apple Icewine, which is produced by cryo-extraction ( freeze concentration ) of apple juice or apple cider (ice cider). Oxidative expansion is used, for example, in sherrisizing apple dessert wine. Mutage with alcohol ( port wine method ) can be found about the French Pommeau or cherry wine and other fruit dessert wines eg from Denmark. For fortified wines that are legally between wine and spirits, an intermediate product tax is usually payable in accordance with the country-specific regulation.

Legal

In Germany, fruit wines belong to the category of " wine-like drinks " under food law . Wine-like drinks do not fall under wine law, but rather under the general provisions of food law. In particular, the second section of the ordinance on alcoholic beverages, wine-like, sparkling wine-like and sparkling wine-like beverages and alcoholic beverages processed from these ( AGeV ) regulates the manufacture, composition and designation of these products.

“In order to avoid confusion with products of the wine law, drinks similar to wine may only be marketed as '… wine' with phrases that identify the raw materials from which they are made, such as: B. 'cherry wine' or 'pear sparkling wine'. In contrast, designations such as 'wine made from cherries' or 'sparkling wine made from pears' are not permitted. It is customary to add sulfur dioxide or its compounds to stabilize the products. As this substance is incompatible with some people, a residual content of more than 10 mg / l must be indicated. On prepackaged items, this is usually done in the form of the so-called allergen label 'contains sulfites'. In the case of openly distributed products, however, the note 'sulphurized' must be attached. "

- Investigation offices for food control and animal health Baden-Württemberg

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