Wines from fruits other than grapes: Current status and future prospectus

Several tropical, subtropical and temperate fruits although they differ in shape, colour, taste and nutritive values, provide numerous health benefits. Some of the edible fruits ripen within a very short period, usually leading to an overabundance of the fruits when harvested. Many of the fruits are consumed fresh, but large quantities of harvested fruits are wasted during peak harvest periods, due to the high temperature and humidity, poor handling, poor storage facilities and microbial infections. Therefore, winemaking from such ripe fruits or their juices is considered as an alternative of utilizing surplus and over-ripe fruits for generating additional revenues for the fruit growers. This review summarizes current knowledge about the usage of fruits other than grapes for winemaking and elaborates their properties; mainly quality, consumption, nutrition, sensory evaluation and health benefits. Hence, production and commercialization of non-grape fruit wines is the basis for the standardization of technologies for reducing post-harvest losses and contributes to the economy of the existing wine industry.