As wine becomes popular amongst the Indian drinking crowd, new age winemakers are entering the market with their new introductions for the experimentative wine enthusiast. Being sure of a cordial welcome, regional wineries have already introduced fruit wines made from chikoo, pear, mango, peach and other fruits in the market.
As Kerala government has responded positively to the Kerala Agricultural University’s report on producing wines with fruits grown in the state, the cultivators of the 4 fruits mentioned below are looking forward to an interesting future.
1. Jackfruit
Jackfruit is considered an exotic fruit by the rest of the world while Indians make jackfruit chips and a vegetarian meal out of it on a regular basis. Now, it is time to move on from the traditional kitchen and produce wine with it. The high pulp content of the fruit makes it a suitable wine fruit. If fermented right, a jackfruit wine can be bottled at 12% ABV.
2. Mulberry
The cultivation of mulberries has reduced over time. In the past, farmers planted mulberries for the silkworm industry, and today the fruit has some commercial buyers in the food and beverage industry. As the fruit packs a lower amount of calories than other edible berries, it makes for an excellent wine fruit.
3. Nutmeg
The popular spice, nutmeg, is cultivated on a large scale in India. While the seed and mace are used to make spices and pickles in the country, the flesh is often discarded. With new developments in the wine industry, the proposal to make wine from the nutmeg flesh has garnered a hopeful reaction from the wine industry.
4. Cashew Apple
Cashew apples are accessory fruits. Often used to make regional liquors like Feni and Urak in Goa and Kerala, the fruit has found itself in the list of wine fruits too this time. Since the commercial buyers of the fruit seem to discard the flesh after removing the seed that has industrial uses, the proposal to use the actual fruit to make wine has been welcomed by the fruit’s cultivators.
Though balancing the high tannin content in the cashew apple wine will be tricky, I am looking forward to trying the wine as soon as it’s commercially available in the country. Which one of these are you most excited about? Tell us in the comments below.
