Fruit of the Commonwealth Vine - Plymouth Winery Cranberry Wine NV

I was innocently visiting Plymouth Massachusetts and viewing the eponymous ROCK last November when my boyfriend and I happened upon Plymouth Winery in what looked like a ye olde towne village area. There was a promising looking candy store on one side (that's what initially drew us over). It was an incredibly windy and unpleasant day in MA - made even more unbearable (yes, it's possible) by the water. We took refuge in Plymouth Winery against my better judgement. Now, I am a fan of tasting the local flavor, but what good can come from Massachusetts when it comes to wine? When I saw Blueberry Wine and Cranberry Wine I silently shuddered, but then I saw the sweetest Chocolate Lab padding towards me and decided to stay awhile.

I tasted through the wines. There was an unpleasant woman who poured the wines for me. I don't remember who she was, but I was not impressed with her hospitality. Thinking back, I should have reminded myself of where I was. I tried their Mayflower Red, their Cranberry blush that I remember. They were as unpleasant as the woman's personality. What I didn't try was their award winning blueberry wine and their Diamond wine - which i discovered later is a native grape to America (vitis labrusca) and I would have been curious to sample. I'm guessing it tastes pretty grapey - like Concord grapes.

At any rate, being the consumer/brat I am, I purchased a bottle - Cranberry Wine for $9.99. I was planning on bringing it as a joke (does that sound familiar) to my Frank and Julie's house for Thanksgiving dinner. I thought it would be somewhat appropriate, that it might be okay with turkey, and that cranberries are a part of Thanksgiving anyway. Ultimately, I decided to bring wine that I would enjoy drinking. That's mean. Julie had bought a few Pinot Noirs and so I brought a few too so we could do a comparative tasting whilst gorging.

It is a somewhat blustery day today in NYC, a little reminiscent of that day in the Commonwealth - I decided to crack open said bottle. Boy am I glad I didn't bring it over to our hosts!!!

It's pretty much what you'd imagine a "fruit wine" to be - and an under $10 at that. It's drinkable. Here are my observations/notes on the Plymouth Winery's Cranberry Wine NV (note to self - stay away from NV's in still wines!!!)

color: gorgeous dark rose, fruit punch

nose: unpleasant, bitter, wet tarmac, some sweet cranberry/cherry trying to peek through

palate: off-dry, no tannin, medium acidity, cranberry fruit, tart

The nose is pretty off-putting, but the palate is okay for what it is. It's definitely not a remarkable beverage at all - and I'm assuming it's more to have a product using the local produce. The Blueberry version is probably a touch better.

Final Verdict: Pass!!