Fruit wines are quite often viewed as being a less complex drink to make than their grape counterparts, but the process of making them is almost identical. So, for cherry wine, the juice and flavour of the fruit is extracted by pressing, stewing, and fermenting the pulp of the fruit. From there, sugar (or honey in some instances) is added to increase the alcoholic content during fermentation, while also producing a more polished and palatable final product. How Should Cherry Wine be Enjoyed?

Over the years this bold approach to producing category-defining drinks has paid off. Since we opened our doors 30 years ago we have seen the success and reputation of our products soar, winning awards from prestigious competitions including the International Wine and Spirit Competition, the International Wine Challenge, the Decanter World Wine Awards and many more. When raw honey gets moisture into it, there is a chance that natural yeast will start a fermentation process that converts the sugar in honey into alcohol. Nowadays, the yeast used in mead making is often identical to that used in winemaking.When the pubs closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, we’ve all had to become DIY mixologists, and, as you’ll see, this has given us the chance to expand our horizons and create some genuinely creative tipples. The alcoholic content of mead ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 18%. Mead may be still, carbonated, naturally sparkling, dry, semi-sweet, or sweet. During the 2020 harvest, Sarah worked the day shift and was astounded at the quality of the fruit, crediting it with a ripeness she has never seen in English grapes before and was really proud of the wines we created from this harvest – and the harvests following this. How about a touch of sophistication for the discerning? Not just for gentlemen. Definitely gender non-specific! The earliest recorded evidence of mead’s existence dates from 7000 BC, where archaeologists discovered pottery vessels in northern China showing chemical signatures consistent with honey, rice, and organic compounds associated with fermentation.

Unlike wine made from grapes, fruit wines aren’t designed to be “aged”, so it is best to drink them within a year of when they were bottled. However, this is not a hard and fast rule, it is just recommended so you can get the best out of your product. We do also recommend that you should drink your cherry wine within a week of opening the bottle. Cherry Wine in Music Since Rodgers, a range of artists from Van Morrison and Prince to the Foo Fighters and Sheryl Crow have referred to the drink in their songs, with the sweet wine used to highlight feelings of romance, and we couldn’t think of a better suited drink! Get in Touch If you are new to the world of cherry wine, we have explored the fruity number in a bit more detail here, so you can experience it in all its glory. Cherry Wine Profile Experimenting with fruits and producing wine is something which has continued through the years, with cherry wine being one such example. Cherry wine was reportedly first produced as a form of homebrew following World War I where people became more experimental and resourceful with their winemaking. Thankfully, processes have advanced quite considerably since then, resulting in a more polished final product with a much more modest alcohol content!Sarah joined Lyme Bay in 2019, just before harvest. Before that (she describes herself as a ”travelling winemaker”), she worked at wineries in California, Australia and Burgundy. She wasn’t planning on staying for longer than one harvest at Lyme Bay Winery but enjoyed it so much she decided to lay her hat down.