hist-brewing: Cider/Wine question

[Marc Shapiro]

Rachel,

Historically speaking, I can't say, but I can tell you why the bottle 
that you purchased is labeled "Apple Wine."  U.S. regulations allow 
for "cider" to be produced without going through all of the 
regulatory hoops of wine.  For the product to be called "cider" there 
can be NO ingredients other than apple juice and that means NO SUGAR 
added (I believe that cultured yeast can be used).  If ANYTHING else 
is added it must be labeled as wine and meet all of the regulations 
for wine.

The U.S. has lots of regulations of this sort which class things 
other than you would expect.  This is why sake is sold as wine in the 
U.S. when it is actually a beer.  The alcohol content is way to high 
for beer in this country and it is not carbonated.  Therefore it MUST 
be a wine.  Right?

HTH

Wassail!

Marc

On 19 May 98 at 23:43, Rachel Trigg wrote:

> I'm in the midst of fermenting apple cider mixed with cranberry
> juice and it occured to me to wonder whether it is technically a
> cider or a wine?
<SNIP>
> Can anyone tell me what the difference is, given that I have bought
> a commercial product made solely from apples that called itself
> "apple wine"?
Marc Shapiro                                      m_shapiro at bigfoot.com
                          Visit 'The Meadery' at:
                     http://www.bigfoot.com/~m_shapiro/

"If you drink melomel every day, you will live to be 150 years old,
unless your wife shoots you."
--Dr. Ferenc Androczi, Winemaker of the Little Hungary Winery

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