If it doesn't come from a grape, can you call it wine?

My family is originally from the Caribbean island of Jamaica, home of rhythmic reggae music, providence of delicious food, and the birthplace of beverages like Red Stripe beer and Appleton Estate rum. Jamaica's national fruit (yes, there's a national fruit), the ackee, is native to West Africa and comes from the same plant family as lychee. The sunburnt orange colored ackee pods (pictured below) are allowed to ripen on the tree before picking, and naturally open when they are ready for consumption. If forced open and consumed before ripe, the fruit is actually poisonous!

Although a fruit, ackee is most commonly served in Jamaica as part of the country's national dish, Ackee & Saltfish, a savory dish in which the ackee is sautéed with spices, fresh herbs, onions, garlic and dried saltfish that is boiled before being incorporated into the mix. The dish is pretty delicious and looks like something akin to scrambled eggs, depending on how you prepare it.

In 2010, a Jamaican company called the Journey's End Wine Company launched with the flagship product of ackee wine. Juice from the ackee fruit is fermented and ultimately served as a slightly sweet alcoholic beverage. Though initially skeptical, I eventually tried the product and can confirm that it is very refreshing . The company has gone on to produce wines from other fruits and flowers including sugar cane, sorrel, ginger, pineapple, passion fruit and beyond.

       

Though tasty, the product made me wonder: what can we call wine, and what can't we? Evidently, although fermented grape juice has come to claim the official title of "wine," juice from other fruits that are fermented with yeast are simply referred to as fruit wines! Technically, even apple cider can be though of as a fruit wine. 

Fruit wines are estimated to be less than 7% of the total U.S. wine market. However, in continental Europe, wines made from fruits other than grapes cannot have wine in the name, by law. Though many wine consumers skeptically view fruit wines as a cheap alternative to the "real stuff" fruit wines, though sweeter and lower in alcohol content, can be just as flavorful, complex, and fun to drink. Historically, it has even been common for some winemakers to produce fruit wines for family consumption at home.

If you're interested in learning more, take a look at the links below. Also, if you ever find yourself in Jamaica, give ackee wine a try and report back!

https://www.formosawinery.com/an-introduction-to-fruit-wine/

http://www.winepressnw.com/2017/05/22/4156125/non-grape-fruit-wines-growing.html

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/fruit-wine-market.html