Pomegranate wine is an alcoholic beverage made from pomegranates, often used to enhance the flavor of standard wine. It is popular in fruit-growing regions and has health benefits comparable to red wine. However, it is not marketed as a healthful product and can be deceptive. It can be served like any other wine and is sometimes used as a mixer.
Pomegranate wine is an alcoholic beverage made wholly or in part from pomegranates. In some cases, pomegranate juice or extract is used to enhance the flavor of the standard wine, resulting in a pomegranate-flavored version. This is the only type of pomegranate wine that can strictly be called a “wine,” as that term can usually only apply to beverages made from fermented grapes. A beverage made from pomegranates alone, or from pomegranates in combination with other non-grape fruits, is more properly known as a “fruit wine” or “vine product.”
Most pomegranate wines on the market are actually made from pomegranates, not grapes. Part of the reason fruit winemakers gravitate towards pomegranate is its chemical makeup. Pomegranates and grapes are similar in this respect. Both are relatively acidic, have high sugar concentrations, and contain a lot of nutrients in their flesh. Wines fermented from pomegranates alone are somewhat unique in the fruit wine industry in that they often don’t need other fruits or flavors to balance them.
Pomegranate wine is generally most popular in fruit-growing regions: throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean, as well as parts of the Southern United States, especially California and Texas. The fruit tends to do best in hot, arid climates. Usually, the best wine is made at the peak of fruit ripeness and usually needs to be drunk relatively soon after bottling for maximum taste.
Although the finished wine looks a lot like standard red wine, the taste is completely different. Pomegranate drinks are very sweet with a distinctly fruity edge. In most cases, however, the health benefits of red wine and pomegranate are comparable.
Medical professionals generally agree that moderate consumption of red wine can offer a number of health benefits for most people. Pomegranate varieties have the potential to be even healthier. Fruits generally contain far more antioxidants than grapes, and most of the nutrients and vitamins are retained during fermentation.
Pomegranate wine is never marketed as a healthful product, though producers rarely shy away from pointing out all the potential benefits of the occasional drink. This marketing can be a little deceptive, though. Although red wine has protective elements that aren’t usually present in grape juice, there is little in pomegranate wine that isn’t equally accessible through non-alcoholic pomegranate juice.
Fruit winemakers typically recommend serving pomegranate wine the same way as any other wine. Sometimes it’s cold, but not always. The drink also does well when used as a mixer or base for fruit cocktails.
Less frequently, the phrase “pomegranate wine” can also be applied to grape wine that has simply been flavored with pomegranate juice, either during fermentation or immediately after. This type of wine often tastes vaguely of pomegranates, but lacks the flavor intensity of its pure fruit cousins. The health benefits of pomegranate are rarely transferred to this type of preparation.
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