The St. James Winery's Web site suggests that it's hard to tell the difference between the taste of freshly picked blackberries and this Missouri winery's Blackberry wine. I can save you the consternation. Take the freshly picked blackberries.
Maybe I should have taken it as a sign when the young-ish female
cashier at the liquor store took a look at my purchase and said, "I bet
that's a good wine." I suspect I would have gotten the same reaction
had I brought a four-pack of wine coolers to the register.
This sweet wine is meant to be served chilled. Just to be sure, I tried it straight from the fridge and at room temperature -- yep, this is definitely a wine that should be served cold. The taste does not improve with a lower temperature.
The Blackberry wine had the characteristics of a port or berry liqueur. It sat heavy on the tongue and had the texture of syrup.
The sweetness is right up front and only grows if you hold the wine in your mouth. The blackberry tartness I was hoping to find was lost in that first sugary punch.
The good news is that if you're looking for an alternative to Manishewitz for a Passover seder at the end of the month, I've got a candidate for you.
The winery's Web site has a recipe for blackberry cake made with this wine and pecans. Although I'm not sold on the taste, I'll give it a try just to use up the remaining portion of the wine on my counter.
St. James Winery Blackberry Wine is widely available for between $8.99 and $9.99 in Kansas City.
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