Oliver Winery’s Soft White wine is smooth & light

By Becca On June 15, 2012 · 2 Comments

Vintage: 2009
Wine Varietal: Niagara grape
Producer: Oliver Winery
Price: $7.50
Produced and Bottled: Bloomington, Indiana
Alcohol: 11%
Unique bottle features: screw cap
Website: Oliver Winery
Glass used: Vinum XL Riedel Montrachet glass

Oliver Winery is located in Bloomington, Indiana and is one of the largest wineries in the Midwest. According to their website, Oliver winery was started in the 1960’s as a hobby, and by 2008, Oliver had distribution in 14 states and total case sales exceeded 270,000 cases. Just to give you some comparison, the largest winery in Missouri, St. James Winery, sells 200,000 cases per year.

The Varietal:
Let’s start with – what is the varietal Niagara? Is it anything to do with Niagara Falls? Does the water from the falls magically turn into wine? No, but according to Wikipedia, the Niagara grape was created in Niagara County, New York, in 1868 when C. L. Hoag and B. W. Clark cross-bred Concord grapes with white Cassady grapes. It was first sold commercially in 1882 and to most Americans, is known as the source of most white grape juice.

The Pour:
As you can see in the above photo, you can easily see the deck and grass through the wine. It’s definitely a very clear light yellow wine. Our dog, Shadow, is also trying to get featured in this story.

The Sniff:
Hello fruit & floral! The aromas that stand out the most to me are honeysuckle, peach, and apricot. I did a lot of smelling and saying, do you think that’s peach? Or is that apricot? Or is just fresh grapes smell?

The Taste:
This wine is semi-sweet and oh, so smooth. It has a sweetness that isn’t overpowering, but rather fades into a lingering refreshing taste. The taste is definitely fruity, although I couldn’t quite pin point what it was. I did get the white grape juice taste, but perhaps hints of pineapple, melon, or mango, too?

Description from website:
This semi-sweet wine is luscious and tastes like freshly picked grapes. Remarkably rich and flowery aroma with a long, smooth and satisfying finish. Served chilled, Soft White is delightful when paired with poultry or pork dishes. An excellent accompaniment to fresh fruit, light cheeses or special desserts like rich almond cake!

Normally with sweet wines, I’ll drink one glass & then opt for something else. But this wine, is a perfect balance between sweet and dry and is a great compromise for my hubby and I. In general, he loves sweet wines (he says its because he’s so sweet, ha ha) and I normally choose wines that are on drier side, like Chardonnay or Shiraz. I highly recommend this wine for hot summer nights.

Bonus:
While taking the above photo, my husband was starting a bonfire in our backyard and I was able to catch his amazing fire lighting skills. Notice how both our dog and I are keeping our distance!

Upcoming review:
While perusing the Oliver Winery website, I also spotted the awesome packaging design of the new Oliver Winery Beanblossom Hard Cider. This is definitely going on my list to review next.