Most Popular Fruit Wines

Fruit wines are unique wines since they are not made from grapes. They have adopted the nickname 'something' wines, since the word wine is legally defined as a drink made only from grapes. The definition of fruit wines is "fermented alcoholic beverages made from a variety of ingredients other than grapes and having a variety of flavors." Fruit wines can be made from any adequately sweet fruit. It can also be made by the addition of sugar or honey from other and many plant supplies, which are not fruits. In Great Britain, the phrase 'country wine' is the common name for fruit wines.

There are a couple of foods, besides grapes, that have a balance quantity of sugar, acid, tannin, nutritive salts for yeast and water to produce "a stable, drinkable wine." There must be enough natural sugar to support a "satisfactory fermentation and provide bacteriological stability through sufficient ethanol content," then the winemaker adds regular sugar, honey, or sweet sap that has been taken from trees. If the food is too acidic then sugar and water maybe added to water-down the acidity. You may also have to add more tannin or acid to balance out the taste. It may be added as chemicals, or by adding a balance fruit such as crabapples, raisins, or dates to the unbalanced base.

Wines

Plum wine is one example of a fruit wine. It is a popular wine drunk in Japan and Korea. It is also produced in Japan. Another example of fruit wines are pineapple wines. Pineapple wine is made of pineapple juice. The fermentation of the pineapple juice takes place in temperature controlled containers and is stopped when it is almost dry. The end result is a soft, dry and fruity wine with an obvious pineapple bouquet. "It is made in Hawaii by the Tedeschi Vineyards called 'Maui Blanc' located in Ulupalakua, Maui-Hawaii, on the slopes of Haleakala." Its alcohol content is 11.5% by volume. The next example of a fruit wine is pomace wine. It is made from grape pomace. Because of its generally low quality and alcohol content, it can not be stored for long, and generally distilled into pomace brandy.

There are many ways to produce fruit wines. All of which do not have anything to do with grapes. There are many different types of fruit wines, with different flavors that would appeal to your liking.

Most Popular Fruit Wines

Lindsay Alston is a contributing editor for Classic Wines, specializing in fruit wines

Red Wine - Can it Lower Your Blood Pressure?

The French Paradox, the fact that the French eat a diet high in saturated fat but have a low incidence of coronary artery diseases, has been known for a long time. The French diet should normally increase the incidence of coronary artery diseases, not lower it. The suggested explanation for the paradox has been the high consumption of red wine in France.

While alcohol normally increases your blood pressure, red wine has been proved to contain substances that lower the risk of heart diseases. As an additional bonus, red wine also contains substances that slow down ageing process. When the French Paradox was reported in the US back in 1991, the sales of red wine increased by almost 45 percent. White wine is produced in a different way and does not have the same positive health effects as its red colleague.

Wine

So how much is a healthy daily consumption of wine? Medical experts give a wide range of answers. Some don't believe that red wine has any positive effect at all. But most research seems to confirm that one glass of wine a day can be good. Some push it towards two glasses, at least for men. The larger you are the more you can drink, smaller people are generally recommended to stick to one glass wine a day or less.

No medical expert recommends non-drinkers to start drinking red wine for health reasons. If you are drinking wine, it should be for pleasure. But it can be nice to known that in moderate quantities red wines can have some positive health effects as a bonus.

It's worth remembering that while the French have a lower incidence of coronary artery disease they also have one of the highest rates of cirrhosis of the liver in the world. The latter is often caused by excessive drinking of alcohol. So once again, drink and enjoy your wine in moderation.

If you suffer from hypertension, trying more traditional remedies such as relaxation, physical activity and slow breathing, is a safer way of reducing your blood pressure.

Red Wine - Can it Lower Your Blood Pressure?

For more information about high blood pressure, go to http://www.lowbloodpressurenaturally.info

The Vintage Scrapbook - Eight Creative Ideas For Using Vintage Images in Your Scrapbooks

Vintage images can add a nostalgic dimension to your scrapbooking. Whether they are illustrations from an artist's hand, early photographs, or antique paper items like advertisements, newspapers or other ephemera, they lend instant artwork to your scrapbooking project. These pictures from the past also capture the essence of an occasion or an emotion, verifying that the important things in life don't change over time.

Many kinds of vintage images are available digitally through simple online downloads -- just try a Google search for "vintage images." Though most will be in the public domain, be aware of any usage restrictions you find.

Vintage

Here are eight ideas to spark your imagination!

1. Use the full image as a centerpiece. Choose an image that reflects the theme of your page; a photo of an antique car for your page about your son's new car; a jolly Victorian St. Nicholas for a Christmas page; a vintage Eiffel Tower photo for your Paris vacation page. Place the image centrally and lay out your photos around it.
2. Enlarge the image as your background. Many images are perfect for backgrounds, such as handwriting on aged paper or a pastoral scene. If the digital image is high resolution (150-300 dpi), you can probably enlarge it to the size of your scrapbook page. Use the background colors to determine your photo matting palette. Layout your photos, text and embellishments so the background image peeks through.
3. Cut out "scraps" as embellishments. A major pastime for Victorian women was cutting out small illustrations (called "scraps") and pasting them in books - hence, scrapbooks. Many vintage images include comical figures, holiday symbols, good-luck charms, and more. Simply resize and print them from your computer and cut them out with manicure scissors. Glue them onto your page where you need a nostalgic embellishment!
4. Create frames or borders from the images. Many vintage postcards and greeting cards were designed with fanciful decorative borders. Resize and print them on your computer, cut out the center, and you have an ornate vintage frame for your photos or text.
5. Use vintage written sentiments as inspiration for your journaling. Long before Hallmark, Victorian-era postcards were created for all occasions (even Leap Year) with snippets of poetry and flowery sentiments. Incorporate these texts and artwork into your scrapbook page for a touching message from the past.
6. Borrow the colors from an image to set the palette for your scrapbook page. Choose an image that attracts you with colors, bright or subdued, or even a striking black and white or sepia-tone photo. Use those colors and shades in your background, matting and texts to create a harmonized, coordinated look.
7. Alter vintage images with paint, ink, rubber stamping or other treatments. "Altered art" is both fun and trendy. Take a basic image and add your own touches with paint, foil, cutting, folding, stamping, embossing, burning -- pretty much anything. What you add and how you do it can make an image comical, provocative or nostalgic. When in doubt -- it seems -- put butterfly wings on a baby photo.
8. Let your personal photos "interact" with vintage images. Find a vintage photo or illustration that fits your theme -- perhaps a picture of a seated Santa. Now, size and cut out a silhouette of your child, and place her on Santa's lap. Or, start with a vintage beach scene, with everyone posing in long-legged bathing dresses. Add your daughter to the lineup in her bikini. You are limited only by your dexterity with scissors or your prowess with your computer's graphics software.

These eight ideas are just a start. Virtually any scrapbooking technique can be applied to vintage images. Happy scrapping!

The Vintage Scrapbook - Eight Creative Ideas For Using Vintage Images in Your Scrapbooks

Scott Henderson founded Vintage Image Craft (http://www.vintageimagecraft.com) for crafters and scrapbookers who love creating with vintage images. Visit for free ideas, techniques, instructions and vintage image downloads.