Though grapes are the most widely-used fruit utilized in wine making, many other fruits, such as peaches, are also used to make popular wines. Peach wine is a fruity beverage made with peaches, wine yeast, water, and sugar. A light, sweet drink, peach wine is often enjoyed chilled as a dessert wine.
A good peach wine should be visually clear, with no residues or cloudiness within the liquid. If the wine is completely grape free, it will likely have a semi-dry quality. Sparkling peach wines are also available for those who prefer fizzy drinks. It is typically available in most places that sell alcoholic beverages, though it can be made fairly easily at home as well.
Peach wine can be made from both white and yellow peaches. Depending on the type chosen, however, the flavor will differ. White peaches typically yield sweeter wines while an stronger acidic taste may be produced with yellow fruit. Peaches chosen to make wine should be healthy, ripe, and firm. Rotten peaches, and even peaches that are simply bruised, will produce an inferior wine that will likely suffer a poor taste.
Around 2 pounds (900 grams) of peaches are usually required to make a bottle of peach wine. This usually amounts to ten peaches. Some recipes call for peeling the skin, while many others instruct to leave it on the fruit for the best flavor. The fruit should be finely sliced or chopped before being fermented with water, a campden tablet, and sugar. The campden tablet, made from potassium or sodium metabisulfite, will help prevent the product from growing wild yeast or bacteria.
The winemaker can then use his or her favorite recipe and method for making the wine to his or her liking. As peaches can be very acidic in nature, winemakers should continually test the product with their acid tester and hydrometer, adjusting their recipes accordingly if and as needed. Once complete, peach wine products should be bottled and left to rest for at least one full year in order to attain their best flavor.
Wine drinkers who prefer a full-bodied product may not enjoy peach wine by itself. If they choose to make the wine at home, they might wish to incorporate additional fruits to provide the fruit wine with more body. Adding bananas, raisins, or grapes to a traditional peach wine recipe can often easily incorporate more body into the wine.