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A taste of home: Maine wineries use a variety of local fruits and more

The majority of Maine's approximately 25 wineries are using fruits like blueberries, apple and pear over grapes to create a uniquely local product.

OAKLAND, Maine — The phrase "New England wine" is no longer an oxymoron. More than a hundred wineries now exist within the region.

That said, over the last five years, Maine's wine market has stayed relatively flat, with between 25 and 30 wineries across the state.

That's in large part due to lack of demand for these regional wines-- something producers hope to change. 

"People really have a hard time believing you can make wine in Maine because people associate wine with grapes and it's very difficult to grow wine grapes in Maine," says Bruce Olson, the owner of Tree Spirits Winery and Distillery in Oakland. Olson is also the former President of the Maine Wine Guild.

With grapes being difficult to grow in the region, Olson makes his wine from a variety of other things local to the area. 

"We don't use grapes," says Olson. "We use apples, pears, and actually, maple syrup."

Olson estimates 75% of the wine made in Maine is made from fruits other than grapes. 

A popular fruit to use in Maine wines is blueberries. Another Maine producer is making wine from rhubarb. 

And before you turn your nose up at maple wine, Olson says each of his wines are light and refreshing.

"We always have to tell people it won't be that sweet and that's hard," says Olsen. "People go 'what? what can't possibly be true!'" 

That resistance from consumers to stray from what's tried and true is why Olson is the first to admit the industry has been slow to catch on.

"I would love to see it grow because I think people would really enjoy Maine wines," says Olsen. 

Hundreds of people are enjoying regional wines during this 'Portland Wine Week,' which kicked off Monday at the Falmouth Country Club.

Sommelier and event panelist Coco O'Neill says a taste of Maine wine should be a taste of home. 

"There isn't a lot of sugar added to make it big and jammy. It's briny; it tastes like Kettle Cove at low tide... like a wet forest floor, like Robinson Woods in Cape Elizabeth," says O'Neill. 

"People are being really playful with it," says O'Neill. "They're adding some apples to it, they're adding some blueberries, they're doing co-fermentations… And I think that's sort of speaks to the core of what being and Mainer is, right? Sort of like using what you have around you and making the best product that you can in a way that's thoughtful and anchored to where you're from."

There are still available tickets for a variety of events if you're interested in checking out Portland Wine Week.

To see if there's a winery in your area that you can check out-- head to the Maine Wine Trail website

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