The process of turning grapes into wine is seemingly a simple one: the grapes are pressed, and the juice that comes out is essentially a liquid with sugar. In the second stage, yeast is added whose job is to eat the sugar, and in return for eating the sugar, they produce CO2 and ethanol, which is the alcohol we know.
At the same time, they produce several other by-products, some of which evaporate, and thus sweet, alcohol-free grape juice becomes a dry wine with alcohol and no sugar.
This process, which God established in creation, is not unique to grapes and grape juice, but is characteristic of all types of fruit, with the formula being simple:
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Liquid + sugar + yeast = liquid + alcohol -
Of course, such a process must be controlled throughout the entire operation without interruption, as the yeast requires certain conditions while converting sugar into ethanol (no less than 12 degrees and no more than 37 degrees). At too low a temperature, the yeast goes dormant, and at too high a temperature, they die.
In addition, the fermentation process causes the liquid to heat up, so among other monitoring actions, the liquid is constantly cooled during fermentation.
So what is wine?
As mentioned, this phenomenon exists in nature in all products, not just grapes. The big question is, is every sweet liquid – transformed from fruit into an alcoholic beverage – called wine?
So it is. In the Torah and Talmud, ordinary wine is just a drink made from grapes. And when the Sages talk about an alcoholic drink made from fruits that is not wine, the Sages write apple wine, fig wine, or pomegranate wine.
That is, the fruit is related to wine, but not wine alone. In Tractate Terumot (13:11) it is written that wine made from other fruits cannot be brought to the Temple, but only from grapes. From this we see that the Sages recognize alcoholic beverages that are not made from grapes.
Another possibility we found in the secondary sources is the word "shichar", meaning an alcoholic beverage not made from grapes is called shichar. Another name from the same family is given to pomegranate extract, also called "pomegranate juice".
In the Hebrew dictionary, wine is defined as an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grape juice or an alcoholic fruit beverage similar to wine, made from grapes.
In the European Union and the United States, the law restricts the use of the word "wine" only to wine made from grapes, although some other additives are permitted to be added to the wine.
Meet Erez
There are wineries whose specialty is fruit wine, or as Erez tries to call them, "fruit ale.".
Erez is a third generation farmer who works with the land and its produce in the Sharon region. He grew strawberries, various vegetables, flowers, turkeys, and even tended the family's orchards.
The idea, which later became a winery, began as a hobby of Erez's, and tastings with family and friends, and continued to progress in jars on the kitchen counter. The jars in the kitchen produced fine fruit wines and liqueurs from natural fruits.
At first, family and friends enjoyed them, and soon the business grew into a good commercial winery - "Erez Wine Fruits and Liquors" located in Binyamina.
Erez studied at Ariel College in a course on "Wine Production and Boutique Winery Management." (By the way, that's where I also met him.) Over time, Erez developed his skill and the preferences for the flavors of the audience of tasters around him. Thus, at Erez, you can find many different types of beers and liqueurs: mango, loquat, passion fruit, pineapple, sabres, plums, and even special and exotic ones like: lychee, kiwi, marula. An amazing surprise I came across was a wine made from tomatoes, basil, and mint.
The liqueurs contain fruits that are soaked in alcohol and do not contain added extracts. The most special of the liqueurs: mint liqueur, Louisa liqueur, etrog liqueur with honey. The natural colors of the fruits and the special textures are clearly visible through the transparent bottles.
For the young at heart, there is also vodka in various flavors, with the most notable being Bazooka-flavored vodka.
• Shraga Gebhard is a consultant in the field of kashrut and professional wine. +972-52-6176201
