A Flowery Song

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: Well, there's a lot of confusion on that point. Much of the information on the ever-reliable WWW claims that this is made from honey and water at a 3:1 ratio. The Wiki of a Hundred Lies claims that Półtorak mead (which Jadwiga is) is mixed at a 2:1 ratio, which also accords with the description on the bottle. Then there's the question of what's added, which in the descriptions ranges from nothing to raspberries and wild rose to (once again from the bottle) raspberry juice. Then, of course, there's the fact that while the bottle says “Aged six years”, many descriptions claim an aging period in excess of 25 years. (This last point may have formerly been true, but heightened demand resulted in a younger release due to properly aged stocks being depleted).

Okay, so I was exaggerating; there's not really that much confusion. All of the erroneous descriptions can be traced back to the US distributor's website and/or employees. Shame, shame. Distributors, please at least try to know what you're talking about.

Oh, it's made in Poland by Apis, aged in oak, and is 16% ABV.

Appearance: Comes in a fetching brown glass bottle with a wicker enclosure and some wax blobs. Also a piece of shiny red string that the official description calls a ribbon. Pours a very impressive mahogany, and has legs that would put a bicyclist to shame.

Nose: Some alcohol presence, along with a lot of sweetness. Very floral and darkly fruity, but there are also raisiny notes.

Taste: Red fruit (probably raspberries) with the barest hint of oak. Dark dried fruit and sweet floral influences with a hint of nuts. The oak tannins and a medium-low acidity help counterbalance the extreme sweetness while you're drinking it, but they quickly fade and the finish is sugar sugar sugar all the way.

Overall: An interesting and complex (not outstandingly so) dessert wine, though way too sweet to drink regularly or in large amounts. A few ounces to cap off a luxurious evening will do nicely.

Background: Botrytised varietal dessert wine from the Pfalz region of Germany.

Appearance: Tall half bottle, pours a vibrant medium gold. 11% ABV

Nose: Pink grapefruit, plum, apricot, and honey.

Taste: Rich, fruity, and sweet. In addition to the fruits from the nose, presents dark dried fruits, tart lemon, and peach. Light acidity and a long finish.

Overall: Excellently complex. Could do with a tad more acidity, but extremely tough to beat at the price.

Background: Produced from red and pink sports of Muscat, harvested when extremely ripe and often already partially raisined. Fortified with neutral grape spirit after little to no fermentation, then aged and blended.

Presentation: Clear half-bottle. Pours a deep tawny red. 18% ABV

Nose: Toffee, orange peel, and rose petals.

Taste: Slightly cloying, but nuanced and has a nice hit of acidity for balance. Rich and full: dried fruits, marmalade, and spices with a hint of nuttiness. Soft, sweet finish.

Overall: Very nice. Not quite as good as the Antique Tawny, but still serviceable.

Background: Trader Joe's private label rebranding of a Paso Robles dessert wine.

Presentation: Tall, dark green half-bottle. Pours an opaque dark purple. 18.1% ABV

Nose: Huge red fruit, mainly strawberry and raspberry.

Taste: A real fruit bomb, but not overly sweet and has a nice acidic backbone. Has some spice in the front, then the nutty oxidized flavour comes forward to dominate the finish, and there are earthy undertones throughout.

Overall: A nice, inexpensive varietal “port” from California. Well balanced, but somewhat lacking in depth.

Background: Sweet dessert wine from Canyon Ridge Vintners in Paso Robles, California.

Presentation: Clear, smoothly tapered tall half-bottle. Pours a clear, extremely light yellow. 12% ABV, 12% residual sugar.

Nose: Lively citrus and apricot nose.

Taste: Sweet, clean, fruit-forward. Flavour is mainly peach and citrus. Extremely light acidity.

Overall: Sweet, very one-dimensional. Definitely a wine to be served with food, as it doesn't have enough depth to stand on its own. Suggested pairing: lemon meringue pie.

Background: Australian dessert wine blended from a variety of grapes, including Grenache, Mourvèdre, Muscadelle, Touriga, Tinta Coa and Tinta Molle. The average age of the wines used in this blend is more than twelve years. Part of the winery's “Museum Reserve” line, which also includes a 50yo tawny.

Presentation: Clear 375ml bottle. Pours a deep amber. 19% ABV.

Nose: Sweet raisins and figs with caramel toffee notes.

Taste: Rich dried fruit with hints of chocolate and coffee on an oaky background. Though initially sweet, the mouthfeel has a dry edge and the long nutty finish, while rich, is not sticky or cloying.

Overall: Recommended. Shows well even against older ports, and is quite affordable.

Background: Produced at Black Star Farms in (surprise, surprise) Leelanau County in northern Michigan. Apple wine, fortified with aged apple brandy and sweetened with maple syrup.

Presentation: Tall, 375 mL clear glass bottle. Spirit-style cork, rather than the typical wine cork. 16% ABV, pours a medium tan.

Nose: Apples and maple syrup. Hint of raisins and…tar?

Taste: Nice flavour profile. Nutty maple syrup with a background of apples. Definite raisin notes in the middle and a short, caramel finish. A bit too sweet.

Overall: Drinkable. Slightly unbalanced, but might be nice with soft to semi-hard savoury cheeses. I wouldn't pair it with anything sweet.

Background: Leelanau Wine Cellars is located in northern Michigan and produces a wide range of wines. This dessert wine is produced by fortifying their raspberry wine with raspberry brandy.

Presentation: Clear half-bottle displays the colour. Pours a nice deep ruby. 18% ABV.

Nose: Rich raspberry aroma, with earthy undertones.

Taste: Sweet, fruity raspberry. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel and a mild acidic bite. Long raspberry finish that lingers and lingers.

Overall: Mindblowingly good. Makes a very nice digestif or nightcap.