California Agriculture (Nov 1998)

Feasibility of producing pear wine: Pears produce premium sparkling wine

  • Glenn McGourty,
  • Christian E. Butzke

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.v052n06p31
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 52, no. 6
pp. 31 – 36

Abstract

Read online

Pear growers and packers continue to need profitable market channels for fruit that is not packed for fresh market or canned. Off-grade fruit that is designated for the juicing market frequently gives growers and packers poor returns unless there are significant shortages of fruit juice concentrates in the marketplace. Finding a use for these fruit in the creation of a higher priced, value-added premium product could greatly strengthen the performance of this segment of the pear market and at the same time use the off-season production capacity of sparkling wineries. Our experiments demonstrate that an ultrapremium-quality cider can be made from juice grade Bartlett pears. Pear fruit should be ripe for optimum flavors and aromas.