Candy Blog

1. 

   I LOVE THESE!
   whenever we go to Canada, I get them in the Duty Free shop…
   YUM. I wish I could find a place in Ohio that sells them!

   Comment by Bev on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
2. 

   I’ve seen these at the Sainsbury’s on Wilshire. I don’t know if it’s still there, but Candy Baron on the 3rd St. Promenade used to carry them too.

   Comment by Bruce Anderson on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
3. 

   I’m pretty sure they’re not those flavours. Loosely speaking the black one is port, the yellow one is champagne, the red one is burgundy, and I’m not sure about the orange and green ones but I think they’re supposed to be Claret and sherry. They do taste more fruity than anything else, but they’re supposed to resemble wines, which is why they’re wine gums!

   Comment by Ed on 12/29/06 at 12:51 am #
4. 

   The only flavor I didn?t like was the green one, which tasted just like floor cleaner smells.

   Comment by wine on 1/22/07 at 5:43 pm #
5. 

   The red ones are supposed to be strawberry and black ones, blackcurrant.  Sometimes you get clear ones which are grapefruit *ick*
   This is a wonderful site, keep up the good work )

   Comment by Nicola on 2/23/07 at 7:29 am #
6. 

   I cant remember when I first tasted wine gums I do remember buying them from Marks and Spencer (uk dept. store) when they were in Canada. And that they were almost rock hard probably from the long boat ride and sitting on the shelf for so long. Now they are fresh and soft as can be and they are not anywhere as good. Dont know if wine is an ingredient but these do get better with time.

   Comment by wes on 11/02/07 at 5:19 pm #
7. 

   Does anyone know if you can find these delicious candies in the U.S.? Specifically in New York City? Thanks!

   Comment by Kari on 1/06/08 at 9:50 am #
8. 

   They may not carry them anymore, but London Drugs also sold Waterbridge wine gums. I prefer the Waterbridge- they made the Maynards’ seem very bland and artificial by comparison. The smell was also a bit odd, but a bit more organic and vinegar-like than the Maynards. I haven’t been able to get any for a while, but I remember that a strong wash of fruit flavors filled your mouth, along with a good, but not overbearing tang, and the muskiness u described, much stronger in some of the flavors, like Blackcurrant.  The citrus flavors are so good I crave them just thinking of them. One thing, though, the Maynards are consistent from package to package. Waterbridge packages sometimes contained one or two flavors that were ‘off’, like orange flavored ones that were short on sweetener. I still enjoyed these packages, however, and miss these winegums a lot.

   Comment by LL on 2/06/08 at 1:47 am #
9. 

   I have been eating Wine Gums since a were a lad here in Canada in 1962. They came in a blue pastel box and cost 15 cents - a premium over a ten cent chocolate bar one had to think long and hard about.

   Maynards also sold licorice babies (gummy babies) in the same size package, which I thought even at the age of 10 to be rather barbaric (and possibly racist!).

   The Canadian product is now manufactured here in Burlington, Ontario, although we do have a smattering of British candy shops that sell the UK-manufactured product. The importation of the British product was interrupted during the BSE (“mad cow”)crisis, since the gelatine in the product was apparently of beef origin, and therefore could not be exported.

   Comment by Chris Thompson on 4/10/08 at 8:39 am #
10. 

    One time I got a pack of nothing but orange ones - the worst! I also hate how they are sometimes really soft, and sometimes really hard. I like harder wine gums, the black ones are my favorite (and of course the rarest ones). The green ones taste like soap.

    Comment by The Poker Jerk on 12/27/08 at 8:46 pm #
11. 

    Maynards were the original people to create these, in 1909, Charles Maynard was the son of a teetotaller (people who don’t drink alcohol) and supposedly created these to help ween people off alcohol! The flavours are meant to represent the flavours of wine as mentioned above which is probably why they are not necessarily ‘fruity’ and sometimes have slightly odd tastes.

    Comment by alan on 10/24/09 at 5:26 am #
12. 

    I don’t like these because to me, they smell like vinegar—which I think is the most disgusting substance imaginable.

    Comment by banana on 12/25/09 at 3:42 pm #
13. 

    These are one of my favourite candies. The black/purple are my fave, with green coming to close second, the clearish ones are good too. Red is alright. Not a huge fan of yellow and orange.
    You can buy them bulk here too, they come in neat shapes if you buy bulk.

    Comment by Allegra on 2/25/10 at 9:02 pm #
14. 

    If anyone is wondering why wine gums smell like vinegar it is because that is the ingredient which gives them their distinct flavor and aftertaste. They were given the name ‘wine gums’ because they were meant to be savored like a fine wine.

    Comment by Mr Wonka on 2/04/13 at 12:59 am #
15. 

    i am looking for a candy harder than wine gums that still have that chewy texture, but still not hard candy. if you’ve ever tried rescue remedy lozenges, like that, but candy…any thoughts????

    Comment by Bob on 3/26/13 at 12:57 am #

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