Delightful and refreshing wines can be crafted from many different sources, such as from dandelions, watermelon, mulberries, cherries, etc.

Grapes are the most frequently used source for wine for many reasons, but partially because grapes come off the vine with all the correct levels of sugar, acidity and other factors that can result in the most balanced wine. Many other fruits tend to need a bit more manipulation and “cellar work” (or “kitchen work” for smaller batches) to make a proper wine. But such minor effort can create not only a pleasant beverage, but one that can be ready to drink in as little as 4 weeks (which is much sooner than the 8 to 10 months of processing before most or our white wines are drinkable, and the years of time that must pass for some red wines). But do consider that, like any wine, some bottle time (about 6 to 12 months) is also beneficial for many fruit wines. So while it may be hard, always try to save some for later.

There are many web sites describing how to ferment a fruit like cherries into wine. While all our cherry wine comes from our cherry trees, anyone can make wine from even commercially available frozen whole fruit. Thus making fruit wine a good starting point for anyone interested in trying their hand at wine making.

Cherry wine is a refreshing fruit wine that I enjoy both on warm summer evenings and as a basis for a Christmas warm spiced wine. Truly a touch of summer to be enjoyed the year round.