6 to Try: Fruit Wines

Fruit wines have never been taken quite as seriously as their vitis vinifera counterparts, either regarded as a novelty or a literal, if lighthearted, joke. But in our July/August 2025 issue, wine writer Betsy Andrews explores the winemakers working with a veritable bounty of fruits. From light sparklers to ageable, full-bodied bottles, this new wave of fruit wines are high caliber and wholly unexpected.

Bluet Sparkling

Growing in abundance in Maine are wild blueberries. So much so that California winemaker Michael Terrien founded the blueberry-specific winery Bluet. There he crafts bright, sparkling wines from the native fruit, as well as supports the local, small-scale growers. Sold in cans and bottles, the easy-drinking (7 percent ABV) Bluet Sparkling is light and dry, with fruity, floral notes. $19.99/750ml, bluet.me

C. Cassis Cassette

Originally crafting a botanically laced cassis liqueur from New York-grown black currants, Rachael Petach realized there was still liveliness to be found in the pressed fruit. Using rehydrated blackcurrant pomace co-fermented with marigold, chamomile, or lemongrass, she makes a traditional-method sparkling wine dubbed Cassette. Dry and zippy, the wine clocks in at a very easy drinking 9 percent ABV. $30/750ml, ccassis.com

Chateauneuf-du-Fargosonini Plum Noumena

While Alejandro Fargosonini and Andrea Spaziani craft a variety of red blends, rosés, and single-varietal wines in California’s Central Valley, they also look beyond the bounds of vitis vinifera. In the name of reducing food waste and experimental play, Chateauneuf-du-Fargosonini has fermented everything from apricots to nectarines and persimmons. Their Plum Noumena, made with Damson plums, offers up baking spice and bright fruit, held together with a solid tannic structure. $14/375ml, vinoshipper.com

Eighteen Twenty Wines Victoria

In Portland, Maine, Amanda Denniston finds inspiration in one of the state’s cash crops: rhubarb. This vegetable has been used to make wine since the 1800s when Maine farmers would simply ferment their excess produce. Denniston uses the bright, acidic juice in a range of wines. But the Victoria, named for the popular varietal, offers the purest, sweet-tart expression of the rhubarb. $20/750ml, eighteentwentywines.com

Hermit Woods Winery Hermitage

In New Hampshire, vintner Ken Hardcastle strives to create wines reminiscent of classics. He co-ferments and blends a variety of fruits for bright, balanced, ageable wines. Comprised of blackberries, blueberries, elderberries, and black currants, the cheekily named Hermitage is a “swarthy, Rhône-style red” says Andrews. Each fermentation is barrel aged for 24 months before blending. $38/750ml, hermitwoods.com

Hula o Maui Pineapple Sparkling

Made from 100-percent Maui Gold pineapples harvested just slightly underripe, the Hula o Maui captures the heady aromas of the tropical fruit in a crisp sparkling wine with a “briny, bracing, bitter acidity,” says Andrews. The wine, produced in the méthode champenoise and aged on the lees for 6 to 8 months, features a creamy texture with bright notes of the fruit. $26/750ml, mauiwine.com