(VinePair) - Can we really make wine from other berries? Or are wine grapes the only fruit that has been bestowed with the ability to turn into delicious wine?

The simple answer to this question is yes, other fruit can be used to make wine. However, technically speaking, wine is usually defined as the fermented juice of grapes, and in the European Union, this is actually the legal definition. Therefore, it’s not as common to see wine made from strawberries or cherries.

That said, wine can and is made from many other types of fruit. The key factor in determining which fruits will ferment the best is ensuring that the winemaking components — sugar, acid, tannin, yeast and water — are in balance within the fruit being fermented. In many cases, additional flowers, herbs and spices could also be added, along with addition of honey or sugar to chaptalize the wine (the process of raising the sugar content to produce a higher alcohol level in the wine. If you don’t have high sugar, you don’t have much alcohol). Finally, water may also be added to balance the naturally higher acidity in the fruit, particularly in strawberries and cherries.