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Fruit Wines

Fruit wines have been around as long as wine made from grapes. Long popular in China, Japan and Slavic countries, strawberries, plums and cherries have been some of the more popular ingredients in these overlooked wines.

On a recent tasting tour in the Finger Lakes, we were confronted with one of the most surprising wine tasting experiences at a place called Torrey Ridge Winery.

Owners John and Esther Earle have been making wines from honey, grapes and various fruits for a long time, and their experience is evident in the glass.

Nestled up to the tasting bar, we opened up to the standard repertoire of Finger Lakes wines, savoring their Seyval, Riesling and Pinot Noir with pleasure.

But, when the Peach Wine hit my glass, the waters parted, the sun shone bright and choirs rang in my ears.

Sound a bit over the top? O.K., I’ll admit it, but this is a great wine.

Torrey Ridge Peach Wine is a beautiful hue of Brazilian rose gold, a solid 24K visual treat. A big fruit nose lets loose with the olfactory essence of ripe peaches, carrying wisps of honey and even distant pineapple in it’s bouquet.

On the palate, this wine is nothing less than a refreshing departure from grape wines. Served cold, you’ll suck this beverage down, allowing it’s mellow texture to light up your palate with the round flavors of peaches and cantaloupe that mixes with elusive honey notes.

The 8% alcohol level makes this perfect summer wine when refreshing your thirst is the objective.

On a second tasting at home, I couldn’t get this wine out of my wife’s hand. We both had fun slowing down our evening to savor and assess the pleasurable aspects of this wine. While some fruit wines can be just too sweet, this selection is a real treasure, made from locally grown, fresh peaches culminating in a truly sophisticated liquid masterpiece.

Another Torrey Ridge selection to seriously consider for a taste trip is their Ruby Red. The semi sweet wine is created from 80% cherry wine and 20% honey wine. Its alcohol is 9% by volume. Poured in a glass, the wine is red, crisp, clear and very attractive. The nose surrenders sour cherry fragrance with hints of honey in the distant. Take a sip and the round, almost buttery texture cascades over the palate with a wonderful sour cherry hit that graduates to a palate enveloping impression of cherries. Its finish is dry, with additional fruit notes.

At the winery, Esther had us sip some of the Ruby Red, then, offered some semi-sweet chocolate mini bites, then some more wine. It was like eating a chocolate covered cherry.

It was nothing less than fun.

My suggestion for your next out door party is to offer some Torrey Ridge Peach Wine as an aperitif, have a wine of your choice with the entrée and finish the evening with some Ruby Red and semi sweet chocolate bites for a simple and interesting dessert.

See how that sits with your friends.

"They say wines gets better with age. I do find that the older I get the more I like to drink wine." -- Floyd Misek

Posted by Floyd at June 8, 2005 08:47 AM