A Flowery Song

Background: Made from clover, wildflower and buckwheat honeys along with fresh-pressed Michigan apple cider, cinnamon, and cloves. Aged at least partially on American oak.

Nose: Crisp apples and floral honey with mild pie spice influences. Faint hint of acetone.

Taste: Medium sweetness, hints of malic tartness. Dark, sweet flavours from the buckwheat and earthy apple cider. Middling amount of cinnamon on the finish.

Overall: Very competently done. Not too sweet, with a good balance of flavours where the spices complement rather than overwhelm.

Background: Low-alcohol (6% ABV) dessert wine from the Golan Heights in Galilee. Kosher for Passover.

Nose: Floral and fruity; peaches, mangoes, and papaya.

Taste: Lightly effervescent, which helps to offset the sweetness. Fresh tropical fruit with citrus influences.

Overall: Very light and refreshing, plus it tastes good and has some acidity. Good accompanying a dessert or on its own as an aperitif.

Background: Spiced pear melomel from Sandhill Crane Vineyards in the lovely prison town of Jackson. If you’re wondering, melomel is a category of mead made with fruit, but that fruit is not grapes (which would be a pyment) or apples (cyser). Ah, the wild and wacky world of mead categories. This particular mead is made with local honey, locally grown pears, and some cinnamon (spiced meads are also called metheglins).

Nose: Lovely aroma of honey and cinnamon. Very fruity, with lightly floral influences.

Taste: Smooth and spicy. Hard to pick out any specifically pear influence, especially with the high amount of residual sugar. But there’s soft fruit there, along with musky honey, citrus, and some cinnamon.

Overall: Very nice, but unless you fancy going into a sugar coma this is best enjoyed in small amounts.

Background: This resinated white is made from a blend of Savatiano and Roditis, according to the winemaker’s website. At least I think that’s what it says; I don’t actually speak Greek, so other than picking out Σαββατιανό and Ροδίτης I’m at a loss.

Nose: Fresh mown grass, with fir tree overtones.

Taste: Musky and floral, with a lightly acid bite. Earthy, resinous…resin.

Overall: Possibly the best retsina available locally, well balanced and pairing well with fatty fish (or even leftover pizza).

Background: Apparently one of the most popular wines in Greece, though that could just be marketing bumpf. Like most retsina, it’s made from Savatiano and like all retsina, it’s additionally flavoured with pine resin.

Nose: Musky floral scent.

Taste: Fruity and lacking in acidity, with a bit of pine.

Overall: Not impressed.

Background: Aged on French oak for eight months.

Nose: Cherries and strawberries, earthy hints of mushroom.

Taste: Light red fruit, light hints of oak. Grapefruit pith on the finish.

Overall: Not great. The most disappointing wine I’ve had from St. Julian, particularly a disappointment since the Braganini Reserve are supposed to be their showcase wines. It’s light and drinkable, but lacks the spicy richness of a great Pinot Noir.

Background: Made from a blend of local Massachusetts apples including McIntosh.

Nose: Floral apples and earthy wet leaves.

Taste: Clean appley taste, light acidity and a hint of sweetness.

Overall: I like it.

Background: Yes, it’s another cider from the folks that brought you Newton’s Folly. According to the website, this is made from a blend of Granny Smith and European cider apples.

Nose: Slightly appley.

Taste: Lightly effervescent, fairly dry with a nice malic tartness and decent apple flavour.

Overall: Light and refreshing, but there’s not much to it.

Background: Inexpensive white wine from the Rías Baixas region of Galicia in northwestern Spain.

Nose: Apple and nectarine.

Taste: Crisp and cleanly fruity, with a rich mouthfeel and a mild acidic backbone.

Overall: Clean crisp wine for a cool crisp evening. Decent.

Background: Dry white representative from St. Julian’s line of inexpensive wines; the “St. J” wines are generally priced in the $5-$8 range from the winery, slightly higher from a retailer (not that any of their wines are likely to break the bank). Fermentation in 80% stainless steel, 20% neutral oak; aged five months on the lees.

Nose: Musty nectarines and lemons.

Taste: Fruity and dry, with notes of tart green apple and cherry. Plenty of acidity.

Overall: Nothing outstanding; food-friendly and easygoing.