A visit to Plymouth Bay Winery led to a gift of wines, jelly, and candy, so Widow's Walk and Cranberry Bay table wines are the tasting lineup for today.
Getting revved up about fruit wines
Last week I talked about making Hamantaschen (butter jam cookies) featuring Bad Newz jelly from Plymouth Bay Winery. This jelly is made from their Raspberry Bay wine and contains bits of dark chocolate (and we all know, raspberry + chocolate = perfect match). Not only that, in addition to bringing me the jelly when they went, my older daughter and her husband connected me with Gabrielle Sumner, the winery’s Assistant Manager, who promptly arranged for me to receive a gift of some of their products. My daughter is such a good promoter for me.
Bad Newz raspberry wine jelly is good news from Plymouth Bay Winery
And what a gift it was! Two bottles of wine (Widow’s Walk white table wine and Cranberry Bay cranberry table wine), another jar of jelly (What’ta Pear, made from the Widow’s Walk wine), and Peppermint Bark…my mind practically exploded with ideas on how I was going to use this haul of goodies. I decided that first a wine tasting was in order so we could get a feel for the flavor profiles, then baking with both the wines and the jelly in creative ways because, you know, baking with spirits is kind of my thing (yes, we know). Gentlemen…start your engines!
A generous collection from Plymouth Bay Winery
Well…idle your engines while I tell you a little bit about Plymouth Bay Winery. They’re located in Plymouth, MA (yep, that Plymouth…where the Pilgrims landed. I love New England and its history!), and their lineup of wines are made with locally grown grapes and berries. In addition to the wine, there are a multitude of jellies and sauces to play with. And the winery definitely encourages guests to get creative with the products...Play with Bay features drink and food recipes. Well, you know I’ll be doing just that…
(Side note: I don't normally have tasting notes about wines, but I did write about a Rhenish wine tasting I held for my Outlander Cast column. It doesn't hurt to branch out every once in a while.)
Ok, now rev up those engines…here are the tasting notes!
Plymouth Bay Winery
At home, March 22, 2019
Widow’s Walk
Tasting Notes
- Nose: pears, tart green apples, light minerality, lightly floral
- Taste: soft entry, semisweet, green pears, citrus simple syrup
- Finish: fades to green apples, hint of mint, light sweetness lingers
- Comments: pleasant sweetness to cut the tartness, not cloying, bright green apple flavors; seems similar to a semi-sweet sauvignon blanc. Just the thing to sip on a summer evening.
Cranberry Bay
Tasting Notes
- Nose: lightly floral, tart, hint of green apples
- Taste: medium body, some sweetness, red roses, then cranberry tartness
- Finish: cranberry juice lingers, sweet and tart
- Comments: sweet (but not overly so), tart, and tasty. Would pair nicely with a berry dessert or reduced to a syrup for roasted chicken.
Fruit wines aren’t easy to get right (they’re usually too cloyingly sweet for me), but the two I tasted were surprisingly pleasant and approachable. I’m eager to try the rest of the lineup from Plymouth Bay Winery (we sense an upcoming trip to Plymouth), but first things first…let’s bake! I’ll be writing about my creations using these wines and the jelly (and their success or failure, whichever the case may be) in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. (Oh, and you can turn off your engines now).
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
