Fruit Wines

Avalon Vineyard

Pennard Organic Wines

   There is an ancient tradition of making wines from a wide variety of fruits, both wild and cultivated.  The history of such wines is unrecorded, but they must have originated as fruit-flavoured versions of mead, (known as 'melomels'), since sugar was not available until 200 years ago. 

   Fruit wines may be looked down upon by serious wine connoisseurs,  but to the wine-maker they can be just as challenging and satisfying to make.  The crucial secret, as with all wine-making, lies in achieving the right 'balance' of acidity and sweetness, so that the true flavour of the fruit comes through.

   Our range of fruit wines depends upon the particular fruits that we have already planted.  Depending on variations in crop-size, delays in fermentation and changes in consumer demand, certain wines may become temporarily out of stock.  The list on the Order Form should reflect current availability.  The list below describes the full range of products:

Elderberry Wine (Dry)  Full-bodied and fruity - this wine holds its own against any red grape wine.. Gooseberry Wine (Dry)  Classic gooseberry sharpness with nicely rounded fruit. Folly Wine (Dry)  Fresh and delicate, leafy tannins give it a characteristic edge.  Surprisingly fruity given that it is made from vine leaves! Apple Wine (Medium Dry)    Selected dessert apples give this full-strength wine its particular smoothness and golden tone. Red Gooseberry Wine (Medium Sweet)  The fruit is actually a hybrid between gooseberry and worcesterberry which gives the wine a distinctive sweet and sharp curranty flavour. Plum Wine (Medium Sweet)   A local variety of cherry plums gives this wine a rich and spicy balance.  A great party wine! Ginger Wine (Medium Sweet)  Based on the Folly wine, but totally different.  Sweet and spicy, with a lingering glow of an after-taste. Raspberry Wine  (Medium Sweet)  A deep red wine that captures the sweet/sharp essence of our Autumn Bliss raspberries. Tayberry Wine (Medium Sweet)  Similar to its cousin, the raspberry, but the flavour has a different dimension.  A very popular wine.

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