The
Pacific Northwest makes dozens of delicious sweet, late harvest, dessert,
and ice wines, all of which are sweet.
Andrew
Rich's Les Vigneaux Gewurztraminer late harvest wine has
to be at the top of my list of dessert wine favorites-this little bottle
packs a wallop of flavor! For one thing, Andrew has brought out the
natural spiciness of the Gewurztraminer grape in a wonderfully balanced
wine that, though sweet, is so much more than just swee
read more
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Huck Huckleberry Wine - Huck is a white wine with huckleberry juice added. A deep rose color leads to aromas of ripe apricots, peaches and essence of huckleberry. Huckleberries are collected from the wild in Washington State and Idaho. They are a ...read more
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Capitello Wines Dolcino Dessert Wine 08 - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Made by Ray Walsh, who was winemaker at King Estate from 1992 to 2005, this is a spectacular dessert wine, rich yet well balanced, with lovely fresh crisp acidity o...read more
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Made in an ice wine style from artificially frozen Pinot Blanc grapes, this Glace is always a big hit and sells fast. Truly a beautiful nectar. Sweet hints of peaches and crisp pear followed by notes of honey with a clean non-syrupy finish. ...read more
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Wine Press NW "Platinum Award" and "Best Buy" - spritzy, spicy, semi sweet, this low alcohol wine is so delicious, and everyone likes it, as the fresh acidity and crisp fruit flavors balance sweetness perfectly....read more
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Tualatin Frizzante Semi Sparkling Muscat 09 - Robert Parker (Wine Advocate) says: 89 POINTS! "The Tualatin Semi-Sparkling Muscat is a clone of an Italian Moscato d'Asti. Its boisterous orange blossom and raspberry aromas lead to a fresh, zest...read more
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Barnard Griffin Port is a dark plum, deep dark cherry flavored sweet wine with hints of bittersweet chocolate and espresso bean. Try with cheese and fruit....read more
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Kiona Gewurztraminer Late Harvest 375ml 05 - Classic late harvest with rich flavors of litchi and grapefruit, honey and spice.
Woehler on Wine: "Distinctively spicy with honey-citrus flavors that make this a great accompaniment to cheese cake...read more
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Kiona Riesling Late Harvest 07 - From the winery: "Aromas of lemon, citrus, flowers and spice, honey, apricots, and peaches, leap from your glass. The residual sweetness and natural acids blend with the flavors to create truly wonderful sensations...read more
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Kittling Ridge's Infusion Ice Wine is a blend of Kittling Ridge's VIdal Ice wine with seven year barrel aged brandy, lowering the sweetness and introducing the subtle oak flavors of brandy without overwhelming the delicate ice wine.
" It is ...read more
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The Montinore Muller Thurgau is a zesty, flowery, off-dry wine. This wine is filled with sweet scents of pineapple, sweet melons, tropical notes and vanilla. Flavors of sweet pear and red apple finish with zest....read more
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Famous Edelweiss light white wine from WVV, has riesling, chardonnay, chenin blanc combined in a crisp, slightly sweet, very refreshing blend. Everyone likes Edelweiss....read more
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Incredibly popular spritzy sweet and super delicious. Now in standard 750 ml bottles. This is a fresh, happy wine that makes a great gift....read more
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Sweet Sydney is a Zinfandel Icewine named for the winemaker's beautiful and, well, sweet daughter, Sydney. Freezing Zinfandel effectively removes water as ice crystals concentrating sugars, flavors and aromas. In 2006 we pulled the juice off at 50+ ...read more
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Wine Spectator rating 90 points: "Rich and thick, with a sweet/tart character, mango, guava and apricot flavors and a vibrant structure. An up-front style that's sure to please. Drink now through 2006."(BS)
From the winery: "An enchan...read more
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Harris Bridge Two to One Pinot noir Dessert Wine
Price: $28.00
$25.20 - Any 12 or more bottles
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Hold your hats on...
We named this 2:1 for the ratio of skins to juice - twice the extraction for this concentrated juice gives this wine an intensity. Rich berry, bold tannins and complexity that will give this wine an incredible life. - the wine...read more
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This soft, fruity blush wine is a wonderful appetizer of "just sipping" wine. Made from a blend of chardonnay, muscat, and cabernet sauvignon with a little over 2% residual sweetness, this wine will be enjoyed by all. The name comes from the French v...read more
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David Hill Winery Sweet Simplicity Dessert Wine
Price: $12.75
$11.47 - Any 12 or more bottles
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David Hill Winery's Sweet Simplicy Dessert wine is made from 68% Semillon and 32% Sylvaner. The aromas remind you of a tropical paradise where bananas, pineapples, citrus and coconuts abound. The mouth feel is creamy and rich with an abundance of...read more
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Ice Wine Case Pack - 15% Off Retail!
Save $45.51
The Pacific Northwest offers values like no where else. We offer the rare and authentic ice wines, made from frozen grapes ...read more
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Kittling Ridge Vidal Ice Wine 04
Price: $48.95
$44.05 - Any 12 or more bottles
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Kittling Ridge Vidal Ice Wine is made in British Columbia and is internationally known as one of the higest rated ice wines in the world. A rich, exotic nectar offers up aromas of honey, mango, graham cracker, and ripe melon.
A twenty two time m...read more
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60% Riesling, 32% Gewurztraminer and 8% Muscat. While Riesling supplies the weight of this wine with fresh pear, apricot and honey notes the Gewurztraminer and Muscat add spiciness and aromatics, respectively. We often describe our Ultima as indul...read more
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Kiona Ice Wine Chenin Blanc 06/07 375 ml - Kiona Ice Wine 07 received 93 points from Wine Advocate (Parker) 7/08. They said: "The 2007 Ice Wine is a Chenin Blanc-Riesling blend with 20% residual sugar. The aromatics are quite ...read more
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Gordon Brothers Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 03 375 ml
Price: $15.95
$14.35 - Any 12 or more bottles
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Sweet, intensely flavored wine sith lots of floral and crisp fruit flavors. Bright peach and pear are followed by a refreshing blast of lychee and spice. This balanced wine is dominated by smooth tropical fruit and bright acids. Enjoy the 2003 with f...read more
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From the winery: "Our Ice Wine is made by hand picking Riesling grapes from our Winery Hill Vineyard and pressing the clusters while still frozen. Because the water is frozen, the sugars, acids and flavor components are concentrated."...read more
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Simply exquisite, a small bottle lessens the sticker shock, a wonderful size bottle for gift giving, for taste testing the marvel of nature that is British Columbia Ice Wine. The wines has rich tropical aromas of papaya, mango and apricot. Bold fruit...read more
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Andrew Rich Gewurztraminer Ice Wine 07 375ml - Andrew says: "Seduction in a bottle. Give in. You know you want to. Just give in."
"I hadn't tasted this wine much since it was bottled last spring, so when I brought a sip of it to my nos...read more
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Covey Run Riesling ice Wine 03 375 ml
Price: $18.45
$16.61 - Any 12 or more bottles
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Sweet with a streak of racy acidity, flavors of stone fruit and floral notes from the 20% Gewurztraminer in the blend. Made from frozen late harvest grapes, which makes it affordable and delicious....read more
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Harris Bridge Pinot noir "Story Reserve" Dessert Wine 03
Price: $32.00
$28.80 - Any 12 or more bottles
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Harris Bridge Vineyard 2003 Pinot Noir Story Reserve Dessert Wine offers a hint of chocolate and pepper in the aroma. Blackberry and currant lead into a subtle sweetness on the palette. A touch of oak and plum linger on the finish. Enjoy this wine wi...read more
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HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDFrom the winery: "This wine is both intensely aromatic and varietally distinct, from an incredible Icewine vintage. Portraying aromas of herbs, eucalyptus, strawberry, baked rhubarb and spiced apple. Rich echoing flavors of c...read more
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Inniskillin Ice Wine Riesling 07 is characterized by intense honey, peach and apricot aromas. The palate displays concentrated rich peach honey flavours with a crisp acidity.
Wine Spectator rating 93 points for 2002 vintage: "Racy and inten...read more
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Inniskillin Ice Wine Vidal 06 - The grape is "Vidal" and the flavors are exquisite. The nobility of this vintage shines with an alluring assortment of fresh nectarine, papaya, litchi, tangerine and orange blossoms. These exquisite fruit flavours, ...read more
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Inniskillin Ice Wine Vidal Oak Aged Gold: Wine Spectator rating 90 points: "Rich and thick, with a sweet/tart character, mango, guava and apricot flavors and a vibrant structure. An up-front style that's sure to please. Drink now...read more
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Stag Hollow Wines Tre Dolce 99 375 ml
Price: $12.45
$11.20 - Any 12 or more bottles
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A favorite dessert wine at the Avalon store.
From the winery: "White Dessert/Aperitif Wine
Made from a blend of early muscat, Muscat ottonel and chardonnay (Tre = three grape varieties).
Styled after Mediterranean muscat dessert wine...read more
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The King Estate Vin Glace Ice Wine is a crowdpleasing apricot and peach flavored "stickie" with nice citrus hints that refresh....read more
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Eola Hills LBV Port is a dark red sweet wine with plum and black cherry flavors....read more
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Eola Hills Vin d'Ete Dessert wine is essence of ripe raspberry....read more
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Eola Hills Vin d'Epice is a Late Harvest Gewurztraminer. Wine Press NW says: "A delicious late-harvest wine with aromas of poached fruit and flavors of baked apples dripping with spicy honey. Hints of orange zest complete the wine. Won gold at the D...read more
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Eola Hills Vin d'Or dessert wine is a Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc.
It is a sweet, viscous "sticky" with intense peach and apple flavors....read more
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Hogue Late Harvest White Riesling - Their most popular wine, a sweet, fresh, fruity wine with a clean, tangy finish. Aromas and flavors of dried apricot, tangerine, and powdered sugar with a hint of cocoa and mint on the finish. The wine has exce...read more
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Paradise Ranch Late Harvest Pinot Blanc 06 - An ice wine in all but name, this delectably rich dessert wine is full of scents of peach, melon, and pear, and flavors of fruit, toasted nuts, and a nice crisp acidity that finishes fresh and sweet in ...read more
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Paradise Ranch Late Harvest Merlot - Although not called an Ice Wine, this is not a typical "Late harvest". It is intense and rich as an ice wine, just does not fit the strict requirement of having been picked, frozen, off the vine. Quite an exper...read more
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The Harris Bridge Shortline Dessert Wine is delicately sweet with an aroma of lilac and honey. There's a hint of apricot and sweet must on the finish....read more
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Kestrel Merlot 37.5 Brix Dessert Wine 375 ml
Price: $36.99
$33.29 - Any 12 or more bottles
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From the winery: "The color is that of a dark rose or garnet possessing light color. The presentation is profound and penetrating. Flavors and aromas are honey, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries and a fabulous streak of ripe mango. At times ther...read more
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Van Duzer "Windfall" Pinot Noir Port 500 ml has a dark garnet color, opaque and full-bodied. The Windfall is made from Pinot noir - this ruby port's sweetness is restrained, emerging as fresh black raspberry, red cherry, and cassis flavors. Inte...read more
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Beautiful amber color. Aromas of apricots, white raisins, acacia honey, lychee, rose, Turkish Delight, and roasted nuts explode out of the glass. Thick and viscous on the palate, the wine is very sweet, but balanced by the strong phenolic and acid...read more
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Belle Vallee Pinot noir Port 375 ml
Price: $43.95
$39.55 - Any 12 or more bottles
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Chocolate raisin, hints of sweet tobacco with light caramel flavors with black cherry undertones. Candied orange peel and hazelnut finish. 100% Cherry Hill Vineyard Pommard Clone Pinot noir fruit....read more
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Powers Port Quinta da Rancho Mercer Ranch 00
Price: $19.99
$17.99 - Any 12 or more bottles
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Just wonderful and very reasonably priced, this port, in an attractive bottle, is great with chocolate. Inky purple color, with aromas of black plum, cassis, anise, cocoa and baking spice. The flavors are consistent, with dark fruit and spicy nutmeg ...read more
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MORE INFORMATION
The
Pacific Northwest makes dozens of delicious sweet, late harvest, dessert,
and ice wines, all of which are sweet.
Andrew
Rich's Les Vigneaux Gewurztraminer late harvest wine has
to be at the top of my list of dessert wine favorites-this little bottle
packs a wallop of flavor! For one thing, Andrew has brought out the
natural spiciness of the Gewurztraminer grape in a wonderfully balanced
wine that, though sweet, is so much more than just sweet. Far too
many late harvest-style wines seem to offer intense sweetness as
the measure of quality, when in fact it is varietal flavor that is
the hallmark of greatness in late harvest wines.
Andrew's wine serves up a wonderful example
of Gewurztraminer's apricot and nectarine fruitiness, along with hints
of tart orange and a tangy allspice and clove-infused honey character
that is simply delicious. Thankfully, the sweetness in this wine is
balanced by an acidity that keeps it from becoming heavy and overbearing-like
so many sweet wines that are simply, well . . . sweet. In fact, the
sweetness in this wine acts not as a bludgeon of sugar, but rather
as a soft backdrop upon which the flavors of the grape can be painted.
If there is an Oregon wine that signifies Christmas to me, it is this
one!
Sineann's
CJ Port
A wonderful sweet wine of a different
kind is the lightly sweet Silvan Ridge Semi-Sparkling Muscat.
This delightful wine offers a very light-bodied (around 6.5% alcohol)
and lightly sweet style that makes it great for serving at holiday
parties regardless of the time of day. The semi-sparkling Muscat style
was originated by Oregon winemaker Joe Dobbes, some years ago.
The
softly sparkling style is great for bringing out the earthy-sweet
character of the Muscat grape, while still offering a certain verve
through the
soft, barely detectable fizz. Personally, I think it is a wonderful
way to get through all the fruitcake offerings of the season; just
sip the semi-sparkling Muscat and then quickly down the fruitcake.
If you do it right, you'll enjoy the wine and won't even taste the
fruitcake!
Delicious
Van Duzer Port- highly Recommended
Contrary to popular belief, not all late
harvest wines are intensely sweet. An excellent example of this phenomenon
is the Amity Vineyards late harvest Oregon Riesling.
Fairly bursting with apple and peach flavors, this wine delivers a
wonderful uplifting fruitiness whose sweetness acts as a resonant tune
to the fruit, rather than a singular note of its own. Though residual
sugar is above 9%, this is not a wine that feels dramatically sweet.
The balance is superb, making it an excellent choice of a variety of
sipping situations, from aperitif to dessert-in-a-glass.
It is also true that not all Oregon sweet
wines are of the traditional "late harvest" style. One of
the most popular sweet wines of Oregon is made from raspberries, to
which has been added neutral grape spirits. The "Raspberry
Framboise Vin d' Ete" produced by Eola Hilla
Wine Cellars is a perennial favorite. Made by crushing ripe
raspberries, and then stopping fermentation by the addition of grape
spirits, the result is an intensely concentrated, intensely raspberry,
syrupy sweet wine. Pouring a glass of this is like pouring pure raspberry
puree!
While this wine is more like a fruit liqueur
than a wine, it has an undeniably appealing, in-your-face raspberry
concentration and an incredibly lingering finish as the essence of
the fruit stays in your mouth seemingly forever. This is great stuff
for pouring over ice cream, adding to tonic when the hearthside gets
too warm, or simply enjoying by itself.
This is certainly a wine for sipping, with a warming character that lulls you into contemplation
or romance, depending on your inclination!
Oregon's sweet wines have become popular across the country over the last few years. There are many more wines showing
complexity and balance, and fewer showing simple sweetness. There are
also more winemakers trying different styles, giving us consumers a
wider variety of sweetness to choose from. This is a wonderful trend
that I hope will continue! In any event, I think you'll be happy with
any of the wines reviewed here-they are great to give or get this holiday
season!
About Muscat
by Jim LaMar
Of the four principal varieties of the muscat
grape, including Muscat of Alexandria, Muscat Blanc, Muscat Hamburg,
and Muscat Ottonel, the most widely propagated and also most representative
of the family character is Muscat Blanc, known as Muscat Frontignan in
France and Moscato di Canelli in Italy.
Each muscat produces, with subtle variation,
wines with the distinct, intense, aromatic, sweet, and easily-recognized
scent of muscat and, unusual for most wine varieties, that actually taste
like grapes. Muscat of Alexandria and Muscat Hamburg are, in fact, cultivated
as table grapes, as well as for making wine.
Muscat is a very ancient variety and, with
its strong and distinctive perfume, was probably one of the first to
be identified and cultivated. Nearly every Mediterranean country has
a famous wine based on muscat and varying from light and bone dry, to
low-alcohol sparkling versions, to very sweet and alcoholic potions.
The muscat vine is not very vigorous in
most soil types, especially sandy mixtures, and seems to prefer damp,
deep soils. It also falls victim quite easily to any of several vine
diseases. Normally early in budding, muscat may also suffer from Spring
frosts. All things considered, muscat would not seem to be a grape that
would be cultivated so widely as it is.
The full name is Muscat Blanc à Petits
Grains and the berries are quite small and round, but not always white.
The spectrum includes pale green, pale yellow, golden, pink, red, brown,
and black berries. Some vines produce fruit that can be different colored
each vintage.
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