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Before I talk about our featured wine, I wanted to say happy holidays from the winemaking team. We really enjoyed spending time with everyone who participated in one of the tours at the winery during harvest. In particular, thank you for spending time with Ed and I in the vineyard, the barrel room, and crush pad. I hope everyone enjoyed some new wines, learned a little bit, and saw how an estate winery functions.
For the holidays, we are revisiting one of the most versatile wines that we produce at Grand Island Vineyards. The 2019 After Dark is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the estate vineyard and fortified with neutral grape spirits during fermentation. The fermentation finished with a light residual sugar and sat on skins for the next 7 months in an open bin. This technique allowed this wine to gain an impressive complexity. I use this wine as a pre-dinner aperitif, a pairing with dessert, or a cocktail component. In particular, this wine works very well with cheese or milk chocolate desserts.
This wine pours a beautiful brick red with a hint of orange in the meniscus. The initial notes are grape pomace, cacao nib, and jasmine. This moderately sweet wine demonstrates a firm tannin profile and zippy acidity that flow into a clean finish. The wine lingers on the palate with notes of cedar, dried fig, and lavender.
Here is one way I use this wine as the base of a great pre-dinner cocktail. This cocktail provides a hint of herbal note with juicy fruit and a delightful bittersweet finish.
After Dark Cocktail
2 oz After Dark (On Sale)
1 oz cointreau
1 oz lemon juice in glass with ice
top with sparkling water
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