Feasibility of producing pear wine: Pears produce premium sparkling wine

• Main Authors: Glenn McGourty, Christian E. Butzke
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources 1998-11-01
• Series: California Agriculture
• Online Access: http://calag.ucanr.edu/archive/?article=ca.v052n06p31

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.