Jul 10thBlackberry Wine

With blackberry season approaching, it seemed like a good time to discuss one of the most popular non-grape wines. Early Americans produced their own wines with whatever fruits they had available to them. One of the most familiar is blackberry wine. Blackberry vines have been known in history to grow wild and have been found on all continents except for Australia and Antarctica. They are popular because of their sweet fruit. Blackberries have many uses, from desserts to jellies, jams, and preserves. Those early Americans were quick to recognize that blackberries made a very tasty wine. Many people are familiar with homemade blackberry wine. Wineries are making blackberry wine and for many it is one of their best sellers.

Blackberry wines are often sweet and are lovely to serve with desserts. Others are more dry and used as an aperitif. Most Kentucky wineries offer a blackberry wine. While I’m not usually a fan of the sweeter wines, some blackberry wines are appealing to me because I love blackberries. Wight-Meyer offers an aged blackberry wine, aged for three years in oak barrels. Lovers Leap produces a blackberry wine and had a blackberry wine fudge created by a Kentucky candy company. Chrisman Mill’s blackberry wine goes well with many desserts.

Blackberry wine is excellent for cooking as well. One of my favorite recipes (which I shared earlier) is a blackberry jam cake. The wine gives it a deeper, richer flavor.

For those who remember the delight of picking a fresh blackberry and popping in your mouth, blackberry wine will be appealing.