Clear, pale silvery yellow. Medium-intensity nose, like a piña colada with added ripe apple. Light-bodied; tastes of light lemonade with a dash of honey, bright acidity with a surprisingly long finish. Will get more complex with another year or 2. A go-to wine to drink with “difficult-to-match” vegetables like asparagus, artichokes and bell peppers.
The world is craving Moscato these days and, while this may not be a serious wine-lover’s cup of tea, it will appeal to the masses. It’s over-the-top sweet but backed up by intense pink grapefruit, tangerine, lime juice, tropical fruits and citrus spritz on the nose and following to the palate. It’s sweet, no doubt, but with only 5.5% alcohol, you can safely sip to your heart’s content.
Kveik ales are a Norwegian farmhouse style made with a unique wild yeast strain. This version mixes in a barnyard Brettanomyces yeast and infuses spent gin botanicals from Ontario’s Willibald Gin Distillery. Farm fresh aromas erupt from the glass with notes of mango and pineapple marking the loose yellow foam cap. The medium body sparkles with small, fine carbonation and on the sip Campari-like bitterness, orange rind and apricot come to the fore with an herbaceously bitter finale.
Soft, ripe and expressive on the broad, waxy palate, with honey, ripe melon, yellow apple, heady florals and ripe nectarine, cut with a herbal and nutty bitterness on the finish. Round and warm, with moderate acidity that lags a little behind the potency of the fruit. Quite expressive, in a lackadaisical style.
Pale green tint. Delicate nose of conifer resin and lime. Bright acidity balanced by a good deal of residual sugar, resulting in a round mid-palate. An archetype of German Riesling; great if you like that style.
Clear deep garnet. Hypnotic nose of sweet amaretto almond, blackberry and vanilla. Medium-bodied, still quite tannic, warm and fruity with plum and cherry flavours. Best now. Well-matched to goat leg roasted with garlic and mirepoix and a Tempranillo jus.
Shy but ripe nose of pear and quince with a hint of sulphur (like striking a match). Acidity is surprisingly low, but it is not lacking. Nice fruity taste; light body for an easy-drinking white wine. Finish is balanced and of medium length. Drink now.