Wine gums are a classic sweet, but they can be too intense for children - after all, they were designed with adults in mind. Wine gums were designed to be the confectionery choice for adults, with bolder favours and less sugar. Wine Gums have been around since 1909 (over 100 years ago), that's the ultimate retro sweet, and they have been one of the nation’s favourite traditional gummy sweet since. These sweets aren't coated in sugar, so they're softer on the outside but still have a chewy centre that's a lot stronger than the consistency of jelly sweets.

Over 100 years later and Lion Wine Gums are still created with the original recipe – don't fix what isn't broken right? Best of all, with their all-natural colouring and no artificial flavours, our Wine Gums are suitable for the whole family to enjoy. If you're not a fan of them or looking for something children will love, there are plenty of alternatives.Jelly babies are a junior version of wine gums, but they're softer and have a more jelly-like consistency. Made by Lion, who has been producing gum sweets since 1909 these Wine Gums are harder and more flavourful than other Wine Gums on the market. Maynard's father was teetotal, and he created wine gums as a rich flavoured sweet that would serve as an alcohol-free alternative to traditional wine.

Comparing to old classic retro sweets such as Fruit Pastilles and Fruit Salad Gums, Lions Wine Gums are arguably above them all. Making wine gums at home means you can control the amount of sugar that goes into them and use natural flavours instead of artificial ones. You are advised to always read the product label for ingredients, nutrition, dietary claims and allergens. You can also go more traditional with Lion wine gums or enjoy a more cost-effective solution from Taveners and De Bron. Now we wouldn't advocate feeding these to your dogs regularly or giving them a full packet to munch on, but the odd one as an extra special treat should be fine!In contrast to their name, Wine Gums contain no alcohol, but it is thought that their long-lasting fruity flavours are an attempt to make them almost like drinking and experiencing fine wine. Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Beef Gelatine, Water, Modified Potato Starch, Acids (Citric Acid, Acetic Acid),Palm Oil, Flavourings, Colours (Lutein, Vegetable Carbon, Paprika extract, Carmines, Chlorophyll,Curcumin), Glazing agent (Carnauba Wax), Plant Concentrates (Safflower, Spirulina). Although widely available in the UK, believe it or not, it can be slightly harder to get your hands on Wine Gums in other countries such as the United States. Gummy bears are softer than wine gums and have a more jelly-like consistency, but they offer a fruity flavour perfect for children.