How do you know what makes a good bottle of wine? Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Wine is bottled poetry.” And, like poetry, wine is a matter of personal taste. Some wine connoisseurs enjoy the sweet, bitter, and sour balance that makes a good bottle of wine.
However, other wine drinkers, while enjoying a glass of wine, don’t really enjoy the musty aftertaste. Some people open a bottle of expensive Bordeaux and don’t really understand what all the fuss is about. If you’re one of these people, you might prefer a version a little sweeter, almost as though it’s an adult version of a good grape juice.
Fortunately, the wine market also caters to those of us who prefer a sweeter, fruiter version of wine. A number of these types of wines have made their way to the market in recent years. The good news is they’re gaining as much popularity as their stronger, more robust counterparts. Read on to find a list of some of the more popular wines that taste like grape juice!
What’s the Difference Between the Classic Wine Taste and the Fruitier Taste?
To give you an idea of the difference between the taste of classic wine and those that taste like grape juice, let’s start by comparing the difference in taste. For starters, classic wine, whether it’s red or white has a characteristic taste.
Aromas of grape, various berries are intertwined with earthy, somewhat acidic flavors to give you that robust, sharp taste. The wines that taste like grape juice have a thicker, sweeter taste. Some brands have a syrupy consistency. They’re often described as an adult version of your favorite childhood grape juice.
Types of Wines Designed to Taste Like Juice
Some of the listed wines are fruitier than others. But, with such a diverse list, you’re definitely going to need help finding your top selection. Read on for a varied list of options!
1. Concord
Concord is by far one of the most popular grape-juice-tasting wines. Unlike other wines that have a combination of grapes, this wine is made using 100 percent Concord grapes. Its syrupy consistency provides drinkers with a sweet and syrupy taste. There’s no bitterness and no dryness.
Concord grapes offer a hint of grape soda and this is why people often call it the adult version of their childhood favorites. Concord grapes contain considerably less sugar than the other types of wine grapes. This often results in additional sugar being added to the wine-making process. It’s this added sugar that gives this drink its syrupy texture.
Often chosen by wine drinkers who prefer something fruitier is the Jewish Manischewitz. This type of wine is made using Labrusca grapes which creates a very unusual aroma.
Large quantities of sugar are added to the production process. This wine is ideal for people who prefer matzo and kosher wines without sacrificing the popular grape taste.
2. Riesling
Made in Germany, this popular wine varies from being very dry to overly sweet. With a light body, this wine offers aromas of apricot, apple, pear and sometimes even nectarine.
With Riesling you can either have a sweet or dry option. Some wine lovers often compare the acidity taste of Riesling to that found in lemonade. Fortunately, the high acidity is balanced out by its sweetness!
3. Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is a French term that means “pine and black” and the wine is made using types of grapes that are generally clustered in pinecone shapes. Pinot Noir tends to have a red fruit aroma of cherries, strawberries and raspberries.
Referred to as one of the most popular wines in the world, this sweet wine is often also categorized as one of the most romantic wines. An extensive range of flavors make up the Pinot Noir range and unlike the Concord, the consistency is much lighter.
4. Beaujolais
Located in eastern France, Beaujolais is a popular wine region primarily using the Gamay Noir grape. With its low tannin and overly fruity taste, this wine isn’t having a lower alcohol content but it also lighter-bodied.
This wine often has an artificial aroma making it smell like a combination of bubblegum and banana because it’s made using the carbonic maceration process. This happens when winemakers use a carbon-dioxide-rich environment.
5. Grenache
Grenache wine is made from the Grenache grapes grown widely across hot and dry climate areas. With its subtle berry flavor, it boasts a soft body with a hint of spice.
While these wines are fruity and flavorful when they’re young, they tend to develop a tart, leathery flavor. For this reason, Grenache is often used as a blending agent to add a sweet and grapey taste to other wines.
6. Merlot
Another French wine on the list, Merlot means The Little Blackbird and often trails second in popularity lists of wines with grapey and fruity flavors. With Merlot, the tannin levels are much lower, giving this wine a softer, easier flavor. Plum and mild traces of chocolate flow through this wine making it easy to see why it’s flavored by wine drinkers who prefer a milder wine taste.
7. Vin Santo
Commonly referred to as the “holy wine”, Vin Santo is a typically sweet dessert wine usually grown in Tuscany. People who love this wine enjoy the intense caramel and hazelnut flavors. In Italy, this wine is served biscotti which can be dunked into the wine!
8. Sangiovese
Made from young Sangiovese grapes, Sangiovese wines provide a fresh, sharp flavor of strawberry topped with a hint of spiciness. As this wine ages in its barrels, it develops an oaky and slightly tarry flavor.
While Sangiovese doesn’t have a strong aroma like some of its fruity companions, it does sport a mild sour red cherry flavor. Tea leaf and earthy notes add to its mild flavor. With a medium tannin, there isn’t that sharp, robust wine taste. This makes it a wonderful alternative to those strong wines we’re so familiar with!
9. Lambrusco
Lambrusco is another Italian wine with a soft rose flavor and frothy nature. The general sweet flavor that makes Lambrusco so popular is achieved by adding rich, concentrated grape. Without the concentrated grape, this wine has a dry and bitter taste with a hint of strawberry.
Related Read: Red Wine Sweetness: What Kind of Red Wine is Sweet
FAQ
What are Wines that Taste Like Grape Juice Made from?
As we all know, some wines taste nothing like the grapes they’re made of. Different wines are made using a variety of different grapes and each grape provides a unique taste. So, if you’re looking for a definitive grape taste, you’re looking for a wine made from Concord grapes. Concord grapes offer a sweet and enhanced grapey flavor.
This type of grapey base is what makes Concord grapes the perfect base for wines that taste like grape juice! According to experts, the easy way to distinguish a Concord grape from any other grape is the distinct “foxy” note. In fact, it’s often described as smelling like an old fur coat!
How do You Know if Your Wine is Made from Concord Grapes?
Fortunately, the labeling laws in the U.S. require that a minimum of 75 percent of the wine in question needs to be made from the grape that’s listed on the label. This means that the other 25 percent could be made from other grapes. This means you could have a wine where the 25 percent is made up of the Concord grapes, giving that wine a sweeter taste.
So, in the Concord case, you might have the bulk of the ingredient being Concord grapes and the other 25 percent is a combination of other grapes or berry types such as strawberries and blackberries.
Also Read:
The 16 Best Champagne for Mimosas
Wine Basics For Beginners: Types, Region, Growing, Winemaking
Final Thought
There’s no denying it. People love a good glass of wine. Whether it’s a glass at dinner or a few glasses to unwind after a difficult day, wine is a popular drink! Many people enjoy the sharp, bitter taste that goes along with this remarkably diverse drink. Other people, however, prefer their wine to taste fruitier.
While wine is made from grapes, the average glass of wine doesn’t taste like a few freshly squeezed grapes. Fortunately, wine lovers who prefer a softer, smoother, and fruitier taste can enjoy a glass of wine without the sharp aftertaste. Our extensive list gives you a whole host of selections to choose from. Some, like the Concord option, are “grapier” than others.
So, it really comes down to how fruity you prefer your wine. You can now enjoy a glass or two of wine without dreading that bitter aftertaste!
Leave us a comment below with your opinion. We’d love to know which of these wines are on your list of favorites!