Here you will find our various ECoast Dessert Wine reviews
1999 Vintage Port – Horton Vineyard – Monticello, VA
$20.00
I'm a big fan of Ports normally, but I honestly wasn't to impressed with this Port. Now don't get me wrong it isn't horrible and I would probably buy it again, but it's certainly nothing spectacular. On pouring yourself a glass you are hit with a nice floralish smell(again I can't identify exactly what but still its nice). After taking a sip you will be happy to know that its is quite smooth, as good port should be, but you don't get as much of the spice as you'd expect. It does make for a good after dinner drink, and for the price its quite nice for a 10 year old port. So, if you like ports I'd say give it a try but I wouldn't go out of my way.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from Snooth here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
2006 Porto Elena – Villa Bellangelo – Dundee, NY
$23.99
I am a huge fan of all Port style wines, so I had some pretty high expectations for this wine before I even opened the bottle. This expectation was compounded by its price, which is on the upper end of the scale of what I tend to review. Thankfully , this Ruby Port style wine didn’t disappoint, though to be honest it didn’t blow me out of the water either. When you open up a bottle of this wine you are met with some pretty pleasant fruity aromas, of which the only one I can really make out clearly is what I believe to be plum. Besides the fruit you also get a hint of the spirits that fortified this wine, though thankfully this wasn’t overbearing at all. After you take your first sip you are once again brought face to face with that plum aroma you got early on, which does make for a lovely flavour. You also are hit with a nice hint of what I think may be cherry, which would make sense as this is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Now port is a wonderful wine to have on its own, though as this is a lighter Ruby Port this does mean it can go quite nicely with some food. Personally, I had this by itself as a digestif (after dinner drink) but I strongly believe that this would go great with some chocolate cake (and who doesn’t love chocolate cake). In the end, this is a wonderful Ruby Port style wine that I believe you may enjoy if you are a port fan or a fan of sweeter reds. Its price may be a bit off putting for some, but I believe in the end it is worth the price as it is pretty well balanced with some great qualities, so go on and give it a go.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from the Vineyard here or from Americanwinery.com here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
2007 Estate Reserve Late Harvest Riesling – Stony Lonesome Wine Cellars – Seneca Lake, NY
$16.00
From the start I was expecting a fair amount from this wine seeing as how it is a New York Riesling, though it being a late harvest (or ice wine), I tempered that expectation a bit (you know me and sweet wines). But in the end I was quite pleased with this dessert wine and I’ll share with you why. Once you open up this bottle of wine you pretty quickly get the sense you’ll be drinking something sweet as you get a good whiff of assorted sweet fruits. I’m fairly certain you get a bit of apple in the aroma as well as a little apricot (maybe). Besides this you also get a strange smell of powdered sugar (I’ve never smelled that before in a wine, huh). Once you take your first sip those fruit aromas really come through in the flavour, especially the apple. You also get a decent citrus flavour that I quite enjoyed. Now I had this wine as an after dinner wine (or digestif if you want to be a wine geek like me) and thus no food, though I do believe this would go great with some shellfish or strong cheeses. Over all this is a great dessert wine that is thankfully not too sweet and is quite well balanced. So if you are a fan of any sort of ice wines or regular Rieslings I would say to give this a try, It’s definitely worth it.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from Americanwinery.com here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
2007 Late Harvest Vignoles - Swedish Hill Winery - Romulus, NY
$23
Dessert wines always pose an interesting dilemma for me since I do love sweet things but when it comes to wine I prefer them dry. And with a lot of dessert wines the limit of sweetness I can withstand is a somewhat fine line between tasty and mortifying. Thankfully, this wine walked said line quite nicely and made for a nice overall wine experience. When you start with the aroma you are really brought into the whole thing with some pleasing tropical smells, most notably that of pineapple. But you also get an interesting hint of peach as well. Then as you move onto the taste you come right back to that strong pineapple aroma, but this time you are also joined by a hint of grapefruit as well. And to top it all off you also get a nice hint of honey in the aftertaste. As for food, I had this as an aperitif with some pate and it was absolutely delicious. But I also think that this wine would go great with some chocolates, ice cream or just on its own. So if you are a fan of sweet things and late harvest wines then I think that you’ll really love this wine, so go on and give it a go.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from Snooth here (2005 Vintage) or check out the Winery here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
2007 Neubia Nectar – Sugarleaf Vineyards – Monticello, VA
$17.00
Sugarleaf Vineyards is quite the new comer to the Virginia wine scene only being in operation for a few years now. They have made a lot of headway in this time and this Neubia Nectar is probably one of their most interesting wines. As a slight change of pace to the normal reviews, the first really noticeable thing about this wine is its highly viscous nature as it really clings to the sides of the glass. This is the first big indicator that you are indeed about to drink a dessert wine. After this you can really put your nose into it and get some very distinct aromas out of this wine. The first noticeable smell is a nice floral honeysuckle aroma followed by a really crisp apple sort of smell. Once you get past these lovely aromas you move onto the interesting combination of flavours that this wine seems to have. You start by picking up a little bit of that apple from the smell of the wine, but this is quickly taken over by intense mango and citrus flavours (I'm thinking orange on the citrus note). Now this is a very highly acidic wine that really makes your mouth water, but is also extremely sweet which makes food pairings interesting. Now, I had this at a tasting with no food, but if this wine was to go with anything I would think it would be a semi-sweet dessert like sugar cookies (a bit strange but I think it would work). But really this is a wine that is best drank on its own after a nice dinner as a dessert all on its own. So, it you are a fan of sweet Vidal Blanc wines or any form of sweet dessert or ice wine I think this would be a good buy for you. And even if you're not I say give it a try, I mean come on I'm not a huge fan of sweet wines but I even liked this one.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it direct from the vineyard here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
Black Jewel Port – Forks of Cheat Winery – Morgantown, WV
$17.75
Ah Port, by far my favourite standalone wine varietal (as I prefer to drink it by itself without food). This particular port was given to me by a friend who was passing through West Virginia and thought I might enjoy it. Thankfully, this friend was right on the money as this proved to be a very tasty Ruby style Port. When you pop the cork on this wine you are instantly greeted by the familiar, and always welcome, aromas of fruit and berries. And since this is a fortified wine (as all ports are) you of course get the ever present smell of alcohol, which though detectable was not overpowering. After taking your first sip you are once again introduced to the fruit and berries from above. This time I’m pretty sure that the fruit was plum, and that the berry aroma was coming through as cherries. You also get a slight hint of caramel to the whole thing which really surprised me, in a good way of course. And to top this all off you get a wonderfully long, smooth finish that gives you this lovely warming feeling (thanks to it being fortified). Like I said at the start I tend to drink ports on their own, though I think this one would go well with some hard cheese or maybe even some brownies. So my opinion is that if you are in West Virginia, or don’t mind calling in an order to the vineyard, get yourself a bottle of this. I am pretty sure you’d enjoy it, especially if you like ports or other types of dessert reds.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from the Vineyard here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
Jersey Devil Port – Valenzano Winery – Shamong, NJ
$14.99
Oh man I gotta tell you, I certainly have some mixed feelings about this particular wine. On the one hand this is a really nice and delicious port style wine, on the other hand it’s dangerous being that delicious and having 19.5% alcohol by volume. You really have to watch yourself with this one as before you know it you’ve been dragged down into the land of overindulgence. So how delicious is this wine? Well, when you open it up you get this wonderful aroma of caramel (and of course alcohol, thanks to being fortified with brandy). After that you move into these fantastic fruit smells of dark cherry and maybe even a bit of raspberry, all with a nice hint of spice and oak to it. When you move onto the taste you get those fruits once again, especially the dark cherry for me. This time though they are accompanied by this interesting hint of chocolate, which doesn’t surprise me as it is made from their Cynthiana which I reviewed a while back. Unlike most ports, especially those with this high of alcohol in them, the burn from the alcohol is quite subtle and goes with the long smooth finish quite nicely. For me I had this lovely port on its own after dinner, though I think it would go very well with chocolate cake (which I now crave). I’m pretty sure if you like ports, sweeter Cynthiana’s or really any sweet red you will enjoy this wine. And to top it all off you get a full 750ml for the price (most ports are half bottles instead of full) so what do you have to lose.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it direct from the vineyard here (Online or by phone) or from Snooth.com here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
Mountain White - Afton Mountain Vineyard - Afton, VA
$14.00
It had been a while since I had paid a visit to Afton Mountain Winery and I was pleasantly surprised to find several new wines that I fell in love with. One of those wines was the white table wine, Mountain White. Being one of the cheaper bottles at Afton Mountain, one might assume this wine to be nothing special. But they would be wrong! While the Mountain White is not my favorite from Afton Mountain, it is in a close second. The Mountain White is listed at the winery as a “sweeter” wine. If you read my reviews, you know I really enjoy sweet wines. But the Mountain White isn’t that sweet to me. Yes, sweeter than a Chardonnay alone - but not overpowering. A blend of Vidal Blanc, Riesling and Chardonnay make up this wine. I first pick up hints of green apple or pear, but the smell doesn’t do the taste justice. Pineapple and citrus are the main components of this wine, with a crisp finish. I enjoyed this wine with pasta in a light Parmesan sauce. This wine would also be great paired with a plate of fresh fruit, think apples and berries. If you enjoy wines that are a little sweet and very smooth, you might just enjoy the Mountain White at Afton Mountain Vineyards. I will be returning to Afton Mountain a lot sooner this time, we had a great experience! The gentleman guiding our tasting was Brandon and he was not only friendly and polite, he was very knowledgeable about the wines and the winery. Stop in at Afton Mountain, taste their wine to find your favorite and tell them we said hello at ECoast Wines!
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any place online to purchase this wine but please check out the page for the Winery here.
NV Red Rapture - Haight-Brown Vineyard - Litchfield, CT
$30.98
I have been a fan of Port style wines for quite a while, as a matter of fact it was one of the first styles of wine that I really got into. So, whenever I find a new one to try I tend to get quite excited. And of course adding to that excitement for this wine is that it come from a state I have issues getting wine from, Connecticut, and is also made of a varietal that I rarely ever see, Marechal Foch. So why don’t we just jump straight into it then.
When you pour yourself a glass of this wine you quickly notice just how dark in colour this wine is, as it seems to be of a deep inky-ruby hue. Then once you get your nose into the glass you start to pick up some interesting aromas of spicy black cherry and strawberries. Along with this you also seem to get some hints of mocha with a bit of smoke. As for the taste you really get those berry notes from the aroma, especially the dark cherry. besides this though you also get some lovely hints of chocolate along with a nice light minerality. And of course being a port, this wine had a lovely reserved sweetness to it along with a good long finish. Now I had this port on its own as a digestif, but this wine would go splendidly with an assortment of fruits and nuts or perhaps an apple or pecan pie (really any semi-sweet dessert in my mind). To sum up, basically if you are a fan of Port style wines, semi-sweet reds or heck even Beaujolais then I think you would really enjoy this one. And I know the price may be a bit steep for some, but I really did find this wine delicious and if you like what you read here then perhaps you would too.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from the
Vineyard site here or Americanwinery.com here and remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
Port – San Sebastian Winery – St. Augustine, FL
$19.95
One more wonderful wine from my tour at the San Sebastian Winery and one which is in my opinion one of the best ports I have ever had (granted it's technically not a port seeing as how it's not from Portugal). The colour of this wine is just this beautiful dark purple, with an amazing aroma of raisin with a slight spice to it. And to top it all off you get an interesting smell of brandy that really gives this wine something special. As for the flavours, that spice and brandy smell carries over amazingly into the taste. There are also some fruit flavours to it as well, cherry maybe ... it's a possibility, as well as something else I can't quite pin down. This is a wine that in my opinion should be drank by itself being sipped and enjoyed thoroughly. Forget about food pairing, this is a sit by a nice fire with some good friends drink (though if you must a simple risotto tends to go well with ports as well as milk chocolate things). So if you are a fan of any form of port then this is a must try for you, and honestly to the rest of you please give it a try as it is an amazing wine and well worth your time.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it direct from the vineyard here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.
NV Port of Chambourcin – The Winery at Wilcox – Wilcox, PA
$19.99
Port style wines have been a favourite of mine for many years now, and because of this I can sometimes be a bit picky as to what I enjoy. But still I always seem to have an insatiable urge to try new ones. And thus in comes this interesting 100% Chamourcin port from the fine state of Pennsylvania. This is certainly a non-traditional port style wine, which intrigued me, so let’s see how it fairs.
When you open up a bottle of this particular port you immediately notice the strong smell of alcohol, as with any port. The difference here though is that it’s not quite as strong of a smell as you might see with traditional ports as this is fermented to its alcohol content rather then fortified (a bold move in my opinion). But after a few good swirls in the glass you begin to notice the other aromas coming through, the first of which being that of cherry. You also get some interesting hints of plum and tobacco. After your first sip you are brought back to the high alcohol content, but you also get some subtle hints of licorice. Along with this you may also get some lovely berry flavours as well as a nice smooth, almost velvety finish to it all. As for food pairing, I had this wine as an after dinner digestif but I believe that it would go well with a rich chocolaty dessert or perhaps even a hearty beef stew (oddly I think it would work). Overall I did truly enjoy this wine for its lovely aromas, flavours and even its strange non-traditional creation. So, if you are a fan of port style wines, chambourcin or sweeter reds in general then I think you may also enjoy this wine. And the price point certainly isn’t too bad so you might as well give it a go.
If you would like to purchase this wine you can get it from the Winery here or from Snooth.com here. Remember to make sure they can ship to your state.