Strawberry wine falls under non-vintage wines category, and are
typically categorized under ‘Fruit or Rose’ wine. Strawberry
wines are also known as sipping wines . Strawberry wine is made
from, what else but strawberries.
Strawberry is known scientifically as Fragaria which is part of
the Family Rosaceae (Rose Family). The name Strawberry is
derived from Old English streawberige which is the combination
of streaw meaning "straw" and berige meaning "berry". The reason
for this could be from the practice of placing a layer of dry
straw on the ground under the developing fruit to protect them
from slugs and from being splashed by mud in wet weather.
Meanwhile is was also discovered that in some Germanic countries
there is a tradition of collecting wild strawberries by
threading them on straws.
Many winemakers will stand their
ground to stand by their beliefs that grapes are the only fruit
suitable for winemaking and any other fruit that is used to make
wine does not fall under the category of wine but rather
alcoholic beverages.
If you have never tasted strawberry wine, you may think that
it is thick and sweet similar to some perception of Sherry. The
special aspect of Strawberry wines is it’s ability to taste good
even when it’s completely dry. This is a rare case compared to
other fruit wines as they usually need to be sweetened with some
amount of sugar to keep their fruity characteristics and to tone
down some rough edges if any.
Strawberry wine has many different detectable flavors that
come out cleanly and pleasantly without the need to of sugar or
conditioners to tone down any rough edges. On top of that
fruitiness is always present.
Your first taste of strawberry wine will drive your senses
into high gear as you are immediately experiencing many
different flavors at the same time. Believe it or not all those
flavors are contained in a strawberry, the distinct character of
strawberry is always present even in lighter versions. Another
feature that makes strawberry so well loved is the distinct and
yet agreeable aroma which can be described as light, sweet and
‘perfumery’. This enhances the wine’s complexity and
sophistication.
Many people prefer to make their own version of strawberry
wines. Strawberry wine making is not as complicated as
grape-based winemaking and with some few essential ingredients
you can blend up your favorite wine to suit your exact taste in
a short time.
The recipe below is just one of the many variety of home
Strawberry wine making readily available. Making your own wine
allows you to experiment with combining other types of fruits
with your main ingredient to see where it leads you.
• 3 1/2 lbs. fresh wild strawberries
• 2-1/2 lbs. granulated sugar
• 1 gal. water
• 1 tsp. acid blend
• 1 tsp. pectic enzyme
• 1/4 tsp. grape tannin
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• Champagne yeast and nutrient
Place fruit in nylon bag and tie. Crush fruit with your hands.
Add all other ingredients except the Campden tablet, pectic
enzyme and yeast in a crock and cover with 3 quarts of boiling
water then stir well to dissolve sugar. Cover and add the
crushed Campden tablet after about 2 hours. After an additional
10 hours add the pectic enzyme followed by the yeast after 12
hours. Remember to cover and stir daily. On 7th day remove the
bag collect the juice in a bowl. Allow it to drain thoroughly
and naturally without squeezing for about 2 hours. Then pour all
liquids into secondary fermentation vessel, fit the fermentation
trap, and set it aside. Rack every 30 days until wine clears
which will take anywhere from 3 to 6 months, finally when the
wine clears, transfer it into a bottle and let it age for about
6 months to a year.
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