Let's start with plums themselves. Some scientists think that plums may actually be the first fruit that was domesticated by humans, perhaps as long as 2500 years ago, probably in China. However, the Shiro plum is considerably younger, being developed only in 1898 or 1899. We even know its exact creator's name--Luther Burbank. Burbank was an amazingly prolific botanist and horticulturalist. He created over 800 new species of plants--mostly fruit, but also some ornamental flowers, grains, vegetables, and grasses. But plums see to have been his favorite, as he invented 113 new kinds of this fruit. The Shiro was developed from the pre-existing Wickson, myrobalan, and Robinson varieties. And some of these were based on the imported Japanese and Chinese Prunus salicina species of plum. The Shiro plum is yellow, and known for its heavy fruit yield and exceptionally juicy nature. According to the translation feature I found online, "shiro" means "white" in Japanese. Which is a little confusing, since it's yellow, but maybe it's because the yellow color of its juice is reminiscent of "white wine," which is usually more of a yellowish hue. Alas, Burbank himself had his feet of clay, as reportedly he believed in the ugly racial tenets of the eugenics movement of his time. Also, some modern botanists criticize his lack of record keeping, and say he wasn't a scientist in the academic sense. Although, some point out that maybe he deliberately didn't keep careful records, in order to maintain his trade secrets, since patents worked differently in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
As I learned online, Japanese plum wine is a bit more complicated than I thought. One of the most common types, called umeshu, isn't technically a wine at all. Instead it's plum and sugar added to a pre-existing liquor, usually a grain-based one called shochu. I was curious about what the story was with the drink I bought, so I checked the official website of Chestnut Run Farm. They provided a "contact us" link, so I took advantage. Co-owner Robert Clark quickly answered my question. Their Shiro plum wine is not the umeshu-style, as Clark said this style is illegal to make here. Instead, it's an actual wine, made from fermented plums. Robert and Lise Clark have owned their farm since 1986, and have been selling wine since 2007. They specialize in growing Asian fruit species, and making wine from them. Alternate products include wines made from Fuji apples, and Asian pears, and wine styles ranging from dry, semi-sweet, to sweet.
Chestnut Run Farm Shiro plum wine: Came in a corked, 375 mL bottle, and the alcohol content was 12%. The odor was strong, and obviously plum-y. The color of the wine itself was yellow, rather like apple juice. The taste was rather reminiscent of apple juice, too, although it did have a sour-ish tang to it. Overall, it was okay, but not great. It did hide its alcohol content well--it didn't taste 'boozy." I had mine chilled.
Therefore, I don't think I 'll buy this one again, but I don't regret trying it. As I mentioned in the past, when it comes to alcoholic beverages, I have a distinct preference for beer, and after that, certain liquors. I'm not a wine guy at all. Thus, Shiro plum wine had little chance of dazzling me enough to make it a regular purchase for me. That said, folks who do like wines in general, and plums in particular, may really enjoy this. And I'm willing to try some of Chestnut Run Farm's other offerings, when I see them for sale. And just to be thorough, the Shiro plum wine I had is a Japanese style plum wine, made from a plum invented in the U.S., partially parented by a Japanese kind of plum, but grown in the American state of New Jersey. Is that convoluted enough for everybody?
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