Purple Silo Apple Wine 2008

Terry Post,

First, lets get this out of the way: I had no idea what to expect when I opened up this bottle of Purple Silo Apple Wine (2008). I expected the worst. I am not a fan of fruit wine and could only imagine some god-awful concoction I'd drank as a teenager thirty years ago. I was already making up excuses in my mind as to why I didn't like the wine before I drank it: too sweet, too much apple, one-dimensional - you get the idea.

I could not have been more wrong. It is a very pleasant and off-dry with a thin nose that opened up very nicely to fresh apples and pears as the glass warmed. There was excellent acidity which is, in my opinion, essential with a off-dry wine to provide structure and hold the wine together. The finish was crisp and clean with apples (a lot), pears (some) and almonds (a hint).

If I were going to pair this wine with food, I'd treat it like a light-to-medium bodied Reisling. It would be great with grilled shrimp, baked or broiled chicken (but not with butter-based sauces) or with soft fresh cheeses.

All in all it was a very pleasant surprise and may have changed my outlook on properly handled fruit wine. In fact, I have a bottle of Purple Silo "Just A.S.K." chilling and will give it a taste tomorrow. No pressure, Brad. No pressure at all.

~ Terry