Today’s fruit wine spotlight shines on cranberry. Here at Robinette’s, we love to experiment and create new wine flavors, including cranberry, as well as our two most popular wines, chocolate and Passionate Peach Spumante. Let’s explore what cranberry wine is and what the best pairings are.
A Balance of Flavors
Many people think of tart flavors when they think of cranberries, which is certainly true. But when made into wine, this poses the perfect balance of light sweetness and tart cranberry, making for a burst of flavor that is pleasing to the palate. This wine is commonly produced with cranberries grown in bogs, whereby the whole fruit is fermented after running it through a crusher. This breaks down the tough skins of this tart fruit.
The brilliant natural ruby colors and tart/sweet taste make cranberry wine one of our best sellers.
Cranberry Fruit Wine Pairings
High-acid foods such as salads with soy sauce, balsamic vinaigrette dressing, or fish served with lemon will only make low acid wines seem quite flat. That’s why you should pair these foods with wines higher in acid, such as chardonnay or cranberry wine. You can’t go wrong with fresh fruit-based salads or some goat’s milk cheese rolled in dried cranberries.
Cranberry wine makes a great complement to holiday meals, from Thanksgiving and Christmas to New Year’s and Easter. Baste a turkey or ham with cranberry wine, or use it in your stuffing mix instead of water. For a fun treat, add some frozen fruit in your glass, pouring this wine over the top. You can even use cranberry wine in a variety of recipes, such as cranberry chutney, brownies (replace the water), and mulled as a warm drink.
This tart and fruity wine typically pairs well with rich, fatty meats, such as pork, lamb, and duck. That’s because the acidity in the wine cuts through the meat’s richness, while its sweetness complements the natural meat flavors. Pair cranberry wine with meats featuring herbs and spices such as sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Remember, food reacts to wine, and likewise, wine reacts to food. That means when you drink wine on its own, it tastes a certain way, but after taking a bite of food, the wine can taste a bit different. That’s why it’s important to choose the right pairing of food to wine for a complementary sensation.
Visit the Winery at Robinette’s Apple Haus & Winery
Here at Robinette’s, we have more than 20 Michigan-made wines to sample in our very own winery, including fruit wines like cranberry. Wine tastings are $8 per person, where you can savor our house-made favorites. To learn more, call us at (800) 400-8100 today.