A good glass of wine can be hard to beat, and there’s often no better way to relax and disconnect our brain after working than to indulge the grapes of wrath. One downside to man’s natural enjoyment of alcohol is the obvious affects on our health that drinking can have.
While anything is dangerous in large quantities and when not used responsibly, alcohol is easy to find trouble with. Modern techniques and simple genius have now afforded the causal drinker ways in which they can enjoy their glass of wine without the added anxiety of ill health.
Enter stage left, blueberry wine. Do you love wine but you’re tired of the classic varieties and want to try something new but still crafted with the same love and care?
Maybe you have a dinner party and you want to surprise your guests with something new and interesting? Then read on to explore the new and inviting world of blueberry wine and shock the guests of your next wine tasting session.
What Is Blueberry Wine?
Blueberry wine is a naturally fermented fruit drink, much like classic wine or port. The process of making blueberry wine is very similar to that of regular wine.
The outcome of a long fermentation process results in a dark and sweet wine that is around 100 calories with around 3-5g of carbohydrates per glass.
As blueberries are naturally higher in sugar than other grapes, affording them their sweet and moorish taste, they take longer to ferment which results in a higher alcohol percentage than you may expect.
When you look at a blueberry it does look like a small grape while still having the depth of noir hues that a malbec grape does. So it seems almost natural that it was turned into wine. While the flesh of blueberry is a greenish colour, blueberry wine is as dark as any red out there.
Blueberry wine can vary in ABV, like many wines, from around 12-16% depending on your fermentation process. It keeps well for a couple of years so don’t fear hiding it away for a special occasion, or simply to sample how the taste changes over time.
Homebrewed blueberry wine can be a great endeavor for the home brewer and wine connoisseur to surprise seasoned-veterans of the wine tasting game.
However, if you’re interested in trying some well renowned blueberry wines right now, then you should look for something from wineries in Maine; blueberry wine is the specialty of Maine.
How Does Blueberry Wine Taste In Comparison To Other Wines?
Like most wines, blueberry wine is available in dry and sweet varieties which change depending upon the recipe.
As a result of blueberries’ high sugar content, blueberry wine is often very sweet and can be comparable to a red wine, while most still consider red wine to be the sweeter option.
Yet, while red wine will taste more full-bodied and rich, blueberry wine will actually boast a much darker color as a result of the fruit’s skin.
Some drinkers also report that blueberry wine is potentially more acidic than the usual red wine and as a result pairs well with different foods.
Blueberry wine is actually known for its ability to pair with practically any dessert, so it’s great for after-dinner aperitifs or paired with your specialty dessert at a dinner party.
If you enjoy wine with something more savory snacks then anything nut-related will provide a satisfying surprise. Pecans, almonds and hazelnuts are great for blueberry wine.
In terms of cheese, anything that has a creamy texture would be an ideal counterpart to the blueberry wine’s sweetness. Goat’s cheese is a tried and true favorite among the home sommelier and dinner party veteran.
Like most burgundians and other noir wines, blueberry wine pairs well with the fattier meats such as chicken.
What Are The Health Benefits Of Drinking Blueberry Wine?
Before we go any further, while blueberry wine does have some notable health benefits, it is important to recognize that blueberry wine contains alcohol.
No matter what, alcohol will cause significant health damage to those who choose to abuse it, so please enjoy your alcohol responsibly. Those who resist excess consumption will feel the health benefits a lot more than those who negate it by binge drinking.
The headline of blueberry wine’s health profile is the level of polyphenols in its composition. Polyphenols are naturally occurring and organic compounds which have reported health effects on the liver and intestine.
It’s suggested that sustained intake of polyphenols can prevent common diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
Blueberries are natural reducers of inflammation in your cells, so this will naturally translate through consuming it in wine.
The wine also has an extensive vitamin profile of 17 other different vitamins including natural antioxidants that are rich in Vitamin E and C which also reportedly reduce the ageing process.
In general, blueberry wine has more antioxidants than your regular red or white grape wine, meaning it is potentially more beneficial to your health than drinking the age-old classics.
Not only could blueberry wine boost your health, it could potentially make you smarter. Blueberries are natural boosters for your neuron system.
Regular consumption of blueberries can decrease the level of oxidative stress in brain regions, which results in protection from neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.
Final Thoughts
Blueberry wine is growing in popularity and is a favorite among European home brewers of wine where blueberries grow wild and are easy to access but is slowly making its way across the pond into the US wine market.
So, is blueberry wine a great alternative to red and white grape varieties? Yes!
Not only does blueberry wine offer some interesting and new flavors to the conventional wine pallet, as well as being the centerpiece for a dinner party to remember, but offers some potential health benefits that might make the stubborn drinker budge from their favorite Cabernet.
As with any alcohol rich product it is important to balance our consumption with a healthy diet. The potential health benefits of blueberry wine must be responsibly managed with alcohol consumption, and will be completely negated by excessive consumption.
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