A very interesting fruit wine that is fortified with an aged eau de vie. Not your usual fruit wine in a positive way.
Notes: This wine was produced by Huber winery in Borden, Indiana. They also produce number of other wines and a few brandies which we also intend to review. The raspberry was produced in two parts: first, an Eau de Vie was distilled in a small potstill and rested/aged for one year. Then it was combined with fresh juice and allowed to rest/age for a further year before sale. So in short, this wine is completely different from the standard dessert wines most people are familiar with were the fruit is added to a wine base or Eau de Vie is added to wine (port style). It has about 12% residual sugar.
Appearance: Deep red raspberry color, no sediment whatsoever. On swirling it leaves a thin clear coat on the inside of the glass.
First Impression: Very clean nose of raspberries, but a slightly sweet smell to it – obviously nothing added to it. Well done!
Taste: Sweet and heavy on the tongue, with a plump, round taste to it. Aslight warming of alcohol as it goes down the throat and the slightly bitter tail of raspberry seeds at the end which lets you know this use the real stuff.
Drinks: Like the others, it makes a wonderful ingredient for a variation of the classic Kir Royale (Champagne with Cassis). Unlike most raspberry liqueurs, this is not sweetened to death so it adds to, but does not interfere with the champagne the way a liqueur can. It also yields a somewaht less alcoholic drink by using a wine rather than a liqueur.
Something to sip with the right dessert , but be warned, it is not flavored with a lot of extra sweeteners, this is not the treacle most people are used to. It also makes a wonderful substitute for cranberry juice in a Cosmopolitan – just use a little less than if you were using the cranberry.
Final Thoughts: While I am not a huge fan of fruit or dessert wine, this one certainly is different from most. This one show an immense attention to detail.
Bottle: Tall 375 ML bottle dark blue bottle with attractive silk screened graphics and text. Real cork and sealing wax lend a nice touch, also.
Website:: http://www.huberwinery.com Fast loading, a fair amount ofinformation. Simple navigation, easy-to-read. Well thought-out content and descriptions of products. Simple and to-the-point.