Like the hits in a baseball game gone wrong, the sweet wines keep coming. Dry wines on dealers’ shelves are giving way to the explosion of sweet wines now entering the marketplace, and most are from well-established, well-known producers.
American wine drinkers were introduced to the dry style by soldiers returning from World War II, where they first encountered French wines and fell in love with them. They then passed their love for the style to the baby boomers, who in turn passed it to the hippies and flower children of the 1960s.
All went well until the introduction of the sweet blush zinfandel in the '70s, which attracted a whole new class of wine drinkers. By the 21st century, sweet wine sales were booming. It took some economic bumps and diminished dry wine sales for producers to finally realize a major change had occurred - they needed to mend their ways and recognize sweet wines' popularity.
One of the popular dry wine producers, Turning Leaf, has just expanded their portfolio to include four new sweet wines. The Turning leaf vintners have crafted wines that will appeal to people who are just tired of the same old thing.
Wine is a sensual thing, not just a simple beverage, and that is why there are so many brands and varieties to choose from. When one tires of a dry wine variety or brand, there are others in the wings waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. Sweet wine drinkers had long been denied that privilege. We thank Turning Leaf and the rest of the new sweet wine producers for tearing down the centuries old, snobby wall that had isolated a sizable portion of the public from the enjoyment of wine.
2011 Turning Leaf Moscato Refresher ($8)The moscato grape is one of the few varieties that lends itself perfectly to the making of sweet wines, a service it has been performing admirably for centuries.
There is nothing subtle or benign in a Moscato wine. Everything - its flavor, its aroma and even its finish - is presented, as the modern expression goes, “right in your face.”
Apricot and lilac roar at you from the aroma and the flavor is just as boisterous, stressing orange, pear and apricot with a background of lemon blossom, which delightfully continues on to the finish.
If you have not tried a moscato, try this one; if you are a moscato fan, go for it.
2011 Turning Leaf Pink Moscato Refresher ($8)This is a moscato with a slightly different twist; it has been blended with other varieties to offer a different theme on a familiar melody.
The wine is a blend of 76 percent moscato, 8.3 percent chenin blanc, 11.3 percent French colombard and 4.3 percent red grape. The red grapes were used just to add a bit of color and a hint of dark summer fruits. This wine is an interesting alternative to the blush zinfandel in both price and enjoyment.
2011 Turning Leaf Red Moscato Refresher ($8)With everybody touting the health benefits of red wine, here is an alternative to the dry reds. Made by blending a moscato wine with several red varieties, it serves the purpose of introducing a sweet red wine into your diet.
The wine features all of the flavor and aroma attributes of a moscato with the inclusion of summer's dark fruit flavors.
2011 Turning Leaf Refresh Crisp White ($8)Crisp white is just that. Made from a blend of white grapes consisting of French colombard, chenin blanc and riesling, but no moscato, this wine is about half as sweet as a moscato.
This slight petulant (bubbly) wine offers the traditional white grape aromas and flavors of apple and citrus, which extend to the finish.
This wine is easily the beginning of a whole series of sweeter wines made from the more familiar varieties of grapes.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and manages ArticlesOnWine.com. He can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.
