Review: Windy Knoll Peach

I have been drinking Windy Knoll's Peach Wine for the last few days. Windy Knoll, just outside of Vincennes on Highway 50, makes a wide variety of wines, but does trend towards the sweeter and fruit varieties.

Before getting to the review, I would note the wine pictured is not Windy Knoll's peach, but their Cayuga. They have no mention of their Peach Wine on their website, probably due to the fact that it appears the website hasn't been updated since 2005! A wretched business decision that does great disservice to what is otherwise a fine winery with an owner who seems to take delight in introducing wine lovers to his creations. I will certainly discuss this winery more in the future.

The color of the wine is vibrant, that of a luminous wheat. I noted no sediment in any glass I poured.

The bouquet was strong-almost overpowering in it headiness. The smell of peaches overwhelmed me, so much so that I could not pick up any other notes. And make no mistake, it is the smell of tree-ripened peaches that hits you. There is no confusing this with any other fruit wine. While this may seem self-evident, not all fruit wines have such clarity of purpose. But that can be both a blessing and a curse.

Upon first taste, I realized I had left this wine in the fridge too long-it bit back more that it should have. This is not a wine to leave in the fridge, pull out when wanted, and drink immediately.

After fifteen minutes, a second taste was much improved. Upon that taste, again, no mistaking this for anything other than a peach wine. This is not a subtle wine, the only flavors I could taste in this wine were peaches and the nuances of cinnamon that become somewhat more evident when the wine warms. The sweetness was strong, but not too cloying for one who likes fruit wines.

The finish was lasting, the sweetness lingered on the lips and could be remembered for some time, and was not unpleasant.

Other than that, my impression of this wine on it's first night was pretty bland. Just fine as far a peach wine goes, but nothing spectacular. Eric, who prefers somewhat drier wines, took a sip, and his reaction was short, "That's really sweet and really strong!" He did not ask for a glass.

On the second night, this wine took on an unexpected metamorphosis. The bouquet is not nearly so pronounced, in fact, you have to strain to really get a nose on it. When one does, you can smell fruit blossoms, though I won't go so far as to identify the blossoms as peach.

The sweetness and sharpness in the taste has mellowed and is much more appropriate. The wine has taken on a heavy, almost mead-like quality on the tongue, and the finish is much smoother to savor. It still is undeniably peach wine, but also begins to resemble Traminette.

I was much happier with this wine after the second night. On the first night the wine IS dessert, on the second night, it could simply be drank with dessert.

I would even cook with this wine, and can picture now a recipe for a peach mango reduction to top some high-quality vanilla ice cream.

An above average peach wine. Let's see if Windy Knoll can build on the foundation of this wine and bring some nuances to future vintages.