What I'm Drinking: Brown County Winery Traminette

In mid-May this year, we took a family trip to Nashville, Indiana. Nestled in the 'Little Smokies' in the Hoosier National Forest, Nashville has been an artist colony for around 100 years. There are numerous shops in town and a number of Inns. Also in town are two tasting rooms, one for Chateau Thomas and for Brown County Winery. On our trip I stopped at the Brown County Winery's tasting room to try a glass of their Traminette. Impressed with the taste, I bought a bottle to have at home.

This is much like other Traminette's I've tried. It retains the spiciness common to Gewurztraminner.

When opening the bottle, it had a sharp taste to it, not unlike the taste salsa gets after sitting in the fridge for months. But after the wine was opened for a day or two, the taste mellowed and was like I had remembered from the wine tasting. It seems my bottle just needed some time to breath.

Overall, a decent balance for a white wine. For a $10 to $15 bottle, I'd rate this at 75 out of 100. While I think this wine was on par with Easley's Traminette, it's not quite as good as Creekbend's Traminette.

Acid: 2/5

Alcohol: 3/5

Sweet: 2/5

Tannins: 0/5

What I'm Drinking: Forbidden Fruit Moscato

Another bottle of wine that I brought to the Symphony on the Prairie was Forbidden Fruit Moscato from St. Julian winery. I found this bottle in a central Indiana Kroger's store. When browsing for a bottle of wine it meet my two main criteria: it was less than $10 and it had a screw cap. When you have wine at a picnic, screw cap bottles mean one less item to bring and keep track of.

This bottle exceeded my expectations and turned to be an unexpected favorite. It has a nice tropical fruit aroma with a hint of citrus. The wine was ideally suited for the setting; a cool summer evening picnic on the lawn listening to good music.

The wine was not overly sweet with a nice bite of acidity and low level of alcohol. In all, it was a nice, refreshing wine.

Overall, this was a nicely balanced wine. As a sub $10 wine, I'd rate it at 80 out of 100.

Acidity: 3/5

Alcohol: 2/5

Sweet: 2/5

Tannins: 0/5

What I'm Drinking: Brown County Winery Vista Red

Hidden away in the forest of Brown County lies Brown County Winery. Their most popular Red wine is the Vista Red.

In the spectrum of Semi-Sweet Red wines, this one is a little more complex than Oliver Wineries Red, yet a little more simple than French Lick's Table Red. Its a balanced wine with the tones of acid, alcohol, sweetness, and tannins all at about the same level. As with most other Red Table wines from the Midwest, this is made with Concord grapes and has the distinct grape jam aroma to it.

This bottle was a delight to drink. As a sub $10 bottle, it's a nice every day bottle of wine. I'd rate it as similar Semi-sweet Reds I've tasted at 75/100.

Acid: 2/5

Alcohol: 3/5

Sweet: 3/5

Tannins: 2/5

What I'm Drinking: St. James Winery - Velvet Red

On a cool, summer afternoon, with scattered showers in the area, I picked up a bottle of Velvet Red from St. James Winery to enjoy at a picnic at Symphony on the Prairie. In the same vein as other Midwest wineries, this House wine is a semi-sweet. While not as sweet as Oliver Wineries offering, this wine is more complex and fragrant. 

The aroma is fruity, with a slight earthy quality to it. 

The wine itself is sweet, but not overly so like other wines. The Acids and Tannins in the wine play a nice 1, 2 to the sweetness. The alcohol level is low (at 10%), leaving a fairly clean after taste with little bite.

The wine has a light-body with a deep violet hue.

Perhaps it was the setting when I first opened this bottle, but the wine has this bright, summer like air to it. For a sub $10 bottle of wine, I'd rate the bottle 80 out of 100.

Acid: 3/5

Alcohol: 2/5

Sweet: 3/5

Tannins: 3/5

What I'm Drinking: French Lick Red Table Wine

One of a number of wines I received for Christmas was French Lick Red Table Wine. As a table wine, its jammy flavor works well with some of the simple dishes I make during the week after work.

This wine is clear, un-aged, and has a light purple hue. It has a strong aroma of grape jam, so I was unsurprised to find on the back label that the wine is made from Concord grapes. It has a low acidity and a medium-low alcohol content from what I can taste. The wines body is dominated by its sweetness, which is semi-sweet, and the tannins, which are present, yet far from overwhelming.

The wine is made at the French Lick Winery in French Lick, Indiana. Despite the odd name, French Lick and its sister town, West Baden, have a rich history. Its heyday was in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when it was known for its mineral waters and catered to the well-to-do with spas and other amenities, including a casino. Today, French Lick and West Baden are still a destination, but of a different sort with Train Rides, bowling, horseback riding, go karts, hiking, an indoor water park, and of course, a casino. My wife and I have made a few trips to French Lick and while it might not have the glitz of Las Vegas, it also doesn't come with the big price tag.

I've found the 'French Lick Red Table Wine' a refreshing wine. And at the sub $10 price range, this wine offers simple yet pleasant tastes. Overall, given the price range, I'd rate this wine a 70 out of 100.

 

Sweet: 4/5

Alcohol: 2/5

Tannins: 2/5

Acidity: 1/5

What I'm Drinking: Easley's Warm Mulled Wine

While the vast majority of wines should never be heated or served above room temperature, there's a small class of wines that thrive being warmed. In October I had a bottle known as Witches Brew which went wonderful on a cold fall day with its mulling spices. Today, I'm drinking a similar wine from Easley Winery, their 'Warm Mulled Wine'.

From the label, it is a mixture of a Red table wine, mulling spices, honey, apple cider, and lemon juice. Together, this makes for a wine with a medium level of tanins, low level of alcohol, a medium level of acids, and a fairly sweet wine. Its a balance that truly tastes better warmed up on the stove or in the microwave than at room temperature or served cold.

The wine itself is a dark reddish-purple hue and is well mixed. From the appearance, I would not guess that spices and other things were mixed in with the wine.

Overall, I'd rate this wine a 65 out of 100. It contains some complex tastes, but these come from the spices, honey, cider, and lemon juice and not from the wine itself. But the wine itself runs less than $10 and for the price, is a great warmed wine for a winter night.

What I'm Drinking: Oliver Winery Moscato

After drinking a couple spicy Traminettes from Easley Winery and Creekbend, I have gone to a more fruity, bright, floral wine in Oliver Winery's Moscato. While Traminette works well in a cold winter climate, the Moscato, with its tropical fruit flavors, would seem more at home relaxing outside on a warm summer day.

Oliver's Moscato, made from the grape Muscat Canelli, has a slight bubbly texture when opened. The color is clear and light, like dried summer straw. Despite being billed as a semi-sweet wine, I found it to be a quite sweet wine. Being so light colored, there were no tannins to give the wine richness. The wine has only slightly bitter taste. The alcohol level, though present, could not balance out the sweetness alone.

Muscat Canelli is known under a wide varieties of names for a simple reason: it is one of the oldest grapes used to make wine. Originating in Greece, it is quite common in Italy, where it is called Moscato (and thus where Olivery Winery takes the name from).

But despite the name, Oliver's Moscato may pair better with chicken or fish dishes with a more southwestern flare to play on its tropical undertones. 

In all, Moscato was a refreshing wine and contrasted greatly with my previous wines (link). In all, I would rate the Moscato a 75 out of 100. It is light, refreshing, and efferfescent, but a bit simple in flavors. Sweet is the dominate taste, and judging America's fondness for sweet foods (and my own), the sweetness of this wine will not turn people off.

What I'm Drinking: Creekbend Traminette

After drinking Easley Winery's Traminette, I was won over by this hybrid grape which has gained popularity in the midwest and especially Indiana. But had I just found one bottle that I loved, or had I found an entire grape?

With that, I searched for another bottle of Traminette, which was no easy task. I lucked out and found the Easley Winery's Traminette in my local Grocery store, but there were no other bottles to be found. I finally found a couple bottles at a local wine store, Vine and Table. The first was Huber Orchard's Traminette, and though I'll have to return to try it, I opted for Creekbend's Traminette (2011 vintage). 

Creekbend is actually a sub-label of Oliver Winery, but aims at a higher end market, which is evident by its vintage bottles, 'Estate bottled' text on the label, and higher price tag. While some bottles can fetch upwards of $50 new from the winery, their bottle of Traminette is still reasonably priced at $15.

The wine has a light straw color to it. It is very clear in appearance and unclouded. The aroma has a strong hint of summer flowers. Despite it being a white wine, which I prefer in warmer months, the spice and floral aroma are a nice reminder in winter months of warmer days to come. While Easley Winerie's Traminette was certainly semi-sweet, this wine is much more on the dry side, but still retains some sweetness. 

I bought this bottle of wine to determine if my previous bottle of Traminette was indicative of the grape's style, and thankfully it is. Overall, Creekbend's Traminette is more complicated and an overall better bottle, but given its higher price point, I'd have to only rate it slightly higher at 80 out of 100.

What I'm Drinking: Oliver Winery Soft White Wine

Oliver Winery has three 'Soft' wines Red, White, and Rose. All of these are Semi-sweet wines, with a gentle taste. I've heard these wines described as Kool-Aid wines due to how easy they are to drink. The acidity, bitterness, and alcohol levels are all low. When present, the tannins are low as well.

Right now, I'm drinking the Soft White, which is made from Niagra grapes, a North American variety which is a cross between the Concorde (which is used in their Soft Red wine) and the Cassady grape. This wine is the sweetest I've had yet and if I were to classify the wine, I'd call it a Sweet wine.

The wine's is very clear with a light hay color and a fruity scent. Complex, this wine is not. Yet, it is refreshing, tasty, and affordable. For all these traits, I give the wine a 65 out of 100 for its price point ($6 to $8 a bottle).

But for me, the best feature of this bottle is that its sealed with a screwcap so that the wine has stayed fresh for the first few glasses from the bottle.

What I'm Drinking: Apothic Red Blend

While I tend to drink wines from the Midwest out of economy and preference, Midwestern wines contain only so many tastes. And besides, every once and a while, its nice to step outside.

But on this particular day, I'm drking a bottle my wife picked up for me without reading the label. The 2010 Apothic Red has a startling bold bottle (which is how my wife shops) which fittingly goes along with the bold flavors inside. This California blend of Zinfandel (California's signature grape), Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.

Since purchasing this bottle, I've started to notice this bottle all around town: the local super market, Target, CVS, and Sam's Club. Vivino ranks the Apothic Red globally in the top 20,000 out of 350,000 wines. in the United States. At around $10, this is becoming a popular wine.

And for all that, I'm not a huge fan. The tastes are aggressive and complex. I drank this wine on its own, but the acidity and tanins screamed for food to be paired with like none of the other wines I've had. But what to pair it with? Take the fruit flavors from the Merlot, the intensity of the Cabernet Sauvignon, the pepper flavors of the ripe Zinfandel, and the spiciness from Syrah, and you have an intriguing wine, but one with conflicting favors to pair with food. Perhaps a spicy seasoned cut of steak with grilled asparagus. Or a spice rubbed a pork steak and roasted corn. Or something Asian to play with Syrah's Strengths.

The nose of the Apothic Red is as complex as the taste. Any fruit seems muted, though others claim to pick up a black curranty smell. Personally, I've never meet a currant, so I cannot be say myself. But I do catch a hint of butterscotch and summer flowers.

The taste, as I said before, is complex and aggressive. The wine is rather dry, but with a medium to high level of acidity and tannins and a higher level of alcohol than most wines. Perhaps this wine would age well?

Overall, I would rate this wine a 60 out of 100. It runs around $10 a bottle and can be found in a large number of places such as grocery stores, convenience stores, and warehouse stores.

What I'm Drinking: Witch's Brew

Conventional wisdom says that wine should not be warmer than room temperature. But then, conventional wisdom hasn't meet Witch's Brew by Leelanau Cellars from Northern Michigan. In addition to the red wine, spices have been added that are reminiscent of traditional mulling spices including cloves and cinnamon. According to the Lealanau Cellars website, nutmeg and other spices have been added.

The best way to serve this wine is warm. With the spices, it has a smell very reminiscent of warm apple cider. The taste, however is dominated by the spices and the grapes play second fiddle to the cinnamon, cloves, and other spices. The weight of the wine was tremendously heavy, heavier than any other wine I've tasted. This is largely due to the spices in the wine, but overall, the wine has a chewy feel.

As for taste, this wine runs on the sweet side, with a medium level of alcohol and low acidity. The tannins are present, but are a bit overwhelmed by the spices.

When tasting this wine, I tried heating it up to a tad past luke warm and also to a nice simmer, and I thought it tasted better when it was steaming some. But never heat it to boiling, as the wine's structure would start to breakdown and concentrate into a syrup.

Overall, I'd rate this wine as 80 out of 100. Grapes are not the star in this wine. This wine is meant for fun to drink at a party, on a cold fall day, or on Halloween night.

What I'm Drinking: Oliver Winery Soft Red Wine

This month I've 'uncorked' a bottle of Oliver Winery's Soft Red Wine. And by uncorked, I actually unscrewed, as Oliver Winery has switched to using screwcaps for their Soft wines. Screwcaps offer a few advantages over traditional corks, but the main is that it better preserves the taste of the wine. For wines which taste better with age, a traditional cork is the way to go, but for a wine like this Soft Red wine, the bottle will not taste perceptibly better a year or more from now then what it does today.

A nearly empty bottle of Oliver's Soft Red Wine

The aroma on this wine is light. It has a rather clean scent to it with a light hint of grapes. Aerating the wine, did not intensify the simple bouquet a considerable amount.

As for the taste, picture a glass of grape juice which contained alcohol in it, and you would have a good idea of the taste. Concorde grapes, which is used to make most grape juices in America is the main grape of this wine. This taste is the strongest, with a light tannic taste. It is sweet, but not as much as a dessert wine. It has a light finish and all around is a very accessible wine. In fact, these attributes make this a good starter wine for those unaccustomed to drinking wine.

Like most red wines, this wine tastes best around room temperature. Tasting it chilled mutes the flavors a bit. Overall, this is a simpler wine than last month's wine, though they both have the same level of sweetness.

For next month, a different comparison: Oliver Winery's Soft White Wine.

Oliver Winery Black Cherry Wine

About each month, I uncork a new bottle of wine. It takes a month for me to drink a bottle by myself, but that gives me many opportunities to taste the wine. The first glass is the best in this setup, but the others are also delicious. And in this way, I can try 10 to 12 wines a year at home.

Of the various wine brands that I've tried, my favorite is Oliver Winery. Oliver Winery is also the first winery that my wife and I have visited. It's a great little winery with lots to see and do, but that's for another day. Started by Bill Oliver Senior, an IU Law Professor at the time the Winery was founded. He was instrumental in jump-starting the Indiana Wine industry by authoring Public Law 77, which was passed on April 8, 1971 thanks to his many connections as a Law Professor. With this law, Indiana Wineries can sell wine directly to the public instead of relying solely on distributors.

Oliver Winery makes a wide variety of wines including blends, and single grape wines, but have a variety of cheaper fruit and honey wines, including a Mango Honey Wine and a Blackberry Wine. I'm fond of their Sweet Red and Sweet White blends, but right now, I'm enjoying a bottle of their Black Cherry Wine, made with honey. With a dark red hue and a fruit odor, it's a sweet, yet not too sweet wine with a bit of a spicy bite to it. To me, it tastes best chilled to around 40 degrees, but not as sweet when tasted at room temperature. The addition of Black Cherries to the grapes make for a refreshing wine with a unique character. The alcoholic content of the wine is on the low side at 12%. This, along with a note on the back label stating that grape concentrate was added for color points to one of the differences of Oliver Winery: some of their wines contain a small amount of grapes, if any. Since the added grape was concentrated, it is likely the grapes came from lower quality grape, either those grown at Oliver Winery not fit for their wines, or other cast-offs from other vineyards.

Oliver Winery's current list of wines does not include a red wine labelled Black Cherry, but they do have a Black Cherry Honey wine that would be categorized as a white wine. I haven't tried the white version yet, but stay tuned. It might appear in my wine rack soon...

While the quality of the grapes included in the wine are questionable (if even necessary), the wine is still pleasurable, sweet, tangy and for around $8 from a few online sources, a good deal. Overall, I'd rate the Oliver Winery's Black Cherry wine a 65, out of 100 possible points.