Quick Review: Tess Winery Red & White Blend

US, CA, Napa, Tess Red&White Blend
++ // Spicy - Sweet // Maraschino cherry, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove, Candied apple // Cinnamon, Cherry, Rose petals // Medium

How-To: Pair Sweet Wines with Dinner

Sweet wines may be the go-to drink for dessert, or for casual sipping for some people. But they can be a good addition to some meals as well.

The most obvious may be the pairing we talk about fairly regularly: sweet Riesling with spicy food. The thick fruit flavors of a Riesling can calm all but the most severely spicy dish.

Floral, aromatic whites like Gewuztraminer can have sweet flavors. They tend to be lighter wines, but they work well when paired with herbal dishes.

Red wines can pick up the flavor of sweet berries and red fruit. A sublty sweet Pinot Noir can work well with a pork dish. A brighter, more delicate red wine like a Rioja can work well with a cheesey dish.

And the truly sweet wines, like an Ice Wine or Sauternes are typically best as a dessert as they will overwhelm most flavors, but they can work with anything that has enormous funky flavors of its own, basically anything that includes blue cheese.

Quick Review: Glenora "Lake Series" Riesling

US, NY, Finger Lakes, Glenora "Lake Series" Riesling

+ // Sweet // Apple, Wild flowers, Fall leaves // Red Delicious apple, Super ripe strawberry, Hint of mineral // Light

Light bodied for such an abundance of sweet flavors. Felt like a semi-dry, with a slight mineral edge at the finish to help round out the sweetness.

Photo retrieved from www. glenora.com

Quick Review: Wines at Vitae pt 2

Chile, Curico Valley, Echeverria Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2007
++ // Sweet // Forest, Leaves, Grass, Floral // Burnt Carmel, Honey // Light

Quick Review: Vinhos Barbeito 'New York Malmsey' Madiera

Portugal, Vinhos Barbeito 'New York Malmsey' Madiera
++ // Sweet // Caramel, Nut, Buttered Toast // Nut, Honey, Molasses, Grape // Medium

An excellent dessert wine. Imported by The Rare Wine Company. So why call it "New York Malmsey"? That's just a fun "proprietary" name for this wine. In other words, there is little about New York in this bottle.

Quick Review: Finger Lakes Tasting -Part 2

US, NY, Finger Lakes, Thirsty Owl Cabernet Sauvignon Ice Wine 2012
++ // Sweet // Nutty, Cherry, Berry // Raspberry, Cream // Full

Raspberry Ice Cream in a glass. The result of a happy accident, as the winemaker tried to make the best of a nvintage.

US, NY, Finger Lakes, Standing Stone Vidal Ice 2011
+ // Sweet // Cardamon, Almond // Honey and Blue Cheese, Peach, Hint of that Noble Rot funk // Full

US, NY, Finger Lakes, Wagner Vineyards Riesling Ice 2012
++ // Crisp/Sweet // Delicate, Old Flowers, Cloves // Perfect summer peach, Hint of Forrest Floor, Petrol, Salted Peanuts // Full

Balanced flavor, between sweet and crisp.

Quick Review: Finger Lakes Tasting -Part 1

US, NY, Finger Lakes, Goose Watch Winery, Brut Rose
+ // Crisp // Candied Red apple, Cherries, Bread // Bread, Macoun Apples // Medium

A good starting wine, gets the taste buds flowing. Red fruit and fall flavors makes for a good cool weather wine. Made from Pinot Noir. The $18 price point makes this an exceptional deal for a sparkling wine.

US, NY, Finger Lakes, Glenora Wine Cellars, Brut 2003
++ // Smooth // Apricot, Peach // Nectarine // Medium-Full

Creamy with delicate bubbles. Maybe a hint of bitterness from the stems. The price point ($25) is slightly higher but another exceptional deal.

US, NY, Finger Lakes, Fox Run Vineyards Hedonia
+ // Sweet // Lemon // Lemon meringue, a hint of bitterness // Full

A big, grapey wine, but a undercurrent of other balancing flavors. The winery recommends you serve it like a fine whiskey - on the rocks. To be even more festive, add a slice of orange, lemon, or other citrus. This is a fortified wine made from the Traminette grape and comes in at 20% ABV. The price point is a surprise: $9.99 for a quality wine.

Quick Review: Chateau Villefrance Sauterne

France, Chateau Villefrance, Sauterne 
+ // Sweet/Funky // Floral // Bitter Apricot, Grape, Stone // Full
With blueberry hazelnut tart, brings out the funk.

Quick Review: Knapp Winery Dry Riesling 2012

US, NY, Finger Lakes, Knapp Winery Dry Riesling, 2012
++ // Sweet // Floral, Peach, Melon // Honey, Petrol, Melon, Very ripe peach // Light
Light on the nose, sweet flavors but not too heavy.

Quick Review: Lamoreaux Landing Red Oak Vineyard Riesling 2012

US, NY, Finger Lakes, Lamoreaux Landing Red Oak Vineyard Riesling 2012
++ // Sweet // Peach, Honey // Honey, Apricot // Light
Balanced sweetness.
More fruit flavors come through with dinner.

Quick Review: Clos Siguier Malbec 2009

France, Cahors, Clos Siguier Old Vine Malbec 2009
+ // Sweet // Strawberry // Berry, Oak // Medium

Quick Review: Fox Run Hedonia Port

US,  NY, Fingers Lakes, Fox Run Vineyards, 'Hedonia' Port
++ // Sweet // Floral, Nut // Orange, Bitter Orange, Floral // Medium

Serve over ice to unlock the full potential of this rich dessert wine.

Quick Review: V. Sattui Vintage Port 1998

US, CA, Santa Barbera, V. Sattui Winery, Vintage Port 1998
++ // Sweet // Caramel, Toasted Almond, Walnut, Fig, Whiskey // Fig, Raisin, Nutmeg, Jalapeno, Cherry // Full

Easy drinking, perfect for a casual evening.

Quick Review: Benmarl Catawba 2011

US, New York, Hudson Valley, Benmarl Winery Catawba 2011
/ // Sweet // Apricot Preserves (with some oxidation) // Sweet Grapes // Medium

This highlights the simplicity of some Labrusca grape varietals, and how it can be difficult to coax anything other than sweet grape flavors out of them.

Quick Review: Cocktails at Hill Cafe

The Gates 
Made with Sapphire rum, ginger, sorrel, St Germaine, soda
++ // Spicy // Ginger, Sweet Booze

Kraken Millionaire 
Made with Kraken spiced rum, sloe gin, apricot brandy, lime juice
+ // Sweet // Sugar, Lime

Quick Review: Gerard Bertrand Legend Vintages Port Part 1

1974 Rivesaltes
++ // Sweet // Floral, Nutty // Carmel, Honey, Berries // Medium

1969 Rivesaltes
++ // Sweet // Nutmeg (subtle), Nutty, Brown Sugar // Cola, Cinnamon, Caramel, Sweet Cherry // Full

1951 Banyuls
++ // Funky // Flowers, Fruit // Bitter Flowers, Tart Cherry, Brown Sugar // Full

Quick Review: Hosmer Riesling 2011

US, NY, Finger Lakes, Hosmer Winery, Riesling 2011

++ // Sweet // Old Flowers, Sweat // Honey, Clover, Earth // Medium

A big, full flavor, full of fresh sweetness. Simple sweet notes were balanced with a bit of funk, making an interesting complex wine.

Check out our review of the 2008 vintage for a comparison of how different years change the final product.

Quick Review: Castello di Amorosa Dolcino

We tried a trio of Gewurztraminer from Castello di Amorosa with some friends.

Comparing our notes, it was interesting to see what we each found different about a trio of similar wines.

US, CA, Napa Valley, Castello di Amorosa, Dolcino, 2011
R: + // Sweet // Ripe Berry // Peach // Light
S: + // Sweet // Sugar // Citrus // Light
T: + // Sweet // Peach // Honey // Light
N: + // Fruity // Rose // Ripe Berry, Apple Pie // Light

Quick Review: Glorie Farm Winery Peach Wine

US, NY, Hudson Valley, Glorie Farm Winery, Peach Wine 2011

+ // Sweet-Fruity // Bruised Peach // Peach, from the end of the season, Bitter Peach Skin // Medium

This wine shows how a fruit wine can be well crafted, with flavors above and beyond the simple, sweet fruit-juice wine one might expect.

Quick Review: Hermann J. Wiemer Late Harvest Riesling

NY, Finger Lakes, Hermann J. Wiemer, Late Harvest Riesling 2009

+ // Sweet // Peach, Overripe Peach // Peach, Mineral, hints of flowers // Medium

Late Harvest wines are typically sweeter and serve as dessert wines. By allowing the grapes to stay on the vine as long as possible, they ripen and produce more sugars. The resulting wine is sweeter and usually more alcoholic. If you order such a drink at a restaurant, it's likely to come in a smaller glass, the portion being much smaller than the traditional wine (but at the same price, normally!)