You Can Make Wine From Carrots. Here's How.

If you think all fine wine starts on a grapevine, Yacov Morad would like to pour you a glass of something that might change your mind. Maybe pear. Maybe pomegranate. Maybe, if you're feeling brave, parsley.

Beyond Grapes: How to Make Wine Out of Anything But Grapes is Morad's delightful, eye-opening guide to making wines and liqueurs at home from fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Morad is the founder and chief winemaker at Morad Winery in Israel, and this book distills a lifetime of winemaking experience, with recipes developed over some seventy years, into a practical guide anyone can follow in their own kitchen.

The range of ingredients is astonishing. Readers learn to make wine from raspberries, pears, coconut, dates, papaya, apricots, pomegranates, carrots, potatoes, mint, dill, onions, and even parsley. There are liqueurs, too, made from pineapple, honey, lychee, mango, chocolate, and chamomile. For anyone who has only ever thought of wine as red or white, it's a whole new world.

How is that even possible? The answer lies in the basic science of fermentation. Wine is created when yeast consumes sugar and converts it into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Grapes happen to be nearly perfect for this process, because they naturally contain the right balance of sugar, acid, and nutrients that yeast needs. But they're far from the only option. Almost any fruit, and many vegetables and herbs, can be fermented into wine, as long as the winemaker adjusts the recipe, often by adding sugar to give the yeast enough fuel, and balancing acidity so the wine tastes bright rather than flat. Humans have been fermenting all kinds of ingredients for thousands of years. Mead, made from honey, is often called one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world, and fruit wines have long traditions in many cultures.

What makes Morad's book especially valuable is its method. Every recipe follows a similar formula, and once you've mastered it, you have a blueprint you can use to design your own wine or liqueur from almost any base you like. That's the difference between following recipes and truly understanding a craft. Instead of being limited to what's in the book, readers gain the confidence to experiment with whatever is growing in their garden, overflowing at the farmers market, or sitting in their fruit bowl.

It's also a wonderful hobby for people who love to share. Homemade wine and liqueur make memorable gifts, great conversation starters at dinner parties, and a fun way to preserve a bumper harvest. And in the United States, making wine at home for personal and family use is legal under federal law within generous annual limits, which makes it an accessible pastime for curious beginners.

Most of all, Beyond Grapes invites readers to look at familiar ingredients with fresh eyes. A carrot will never seem quite so ordinary again. The book is perfect for enthusiastic wine lovers who want to explore new flavors, home brewers looking for a fresh challenge, gardeners with more produce than they know what to do with, and anyone who loves learning a hands-on craft. It also makes a perfect gift for the wine lover who thinks they've tasted everything.

As always, please enjoy your creations responsibly.

Beyond Grapes: How to Make Wine Out of Anything But Grapes by Yacov Morad is available now in paperback and hardcover. A revised second edition is also available.