White Silo Farm & Winery – The Wines

January 5, 2010 by MTB

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

White Silo has been producing wines for 8 years, and has taken an interesting approach to their wines, creating both a dry and a semi-sweet, which they label “dessert” wines, version of four farm-grown fruits: Rhubarb, Blackberry, Raspberry and Black Currant. This is the first time I’ve seen any winery create contrasting pairs of all their wines, and it makes for an interesting tasting.

A tasting includes your choice of 5 of the wines. And, while I had missed Christy’s presence on the drive over, I found myself really regretting that she had been unable to make the trip once I saw the tasting menu. If she had been with me, we could have coordinated a full tasting menu tasting all pairs (except the Raspberry as they were out of the sweet Raspberry wine that day). As it was, I settled for a tasting of four of the wines (2 dry, 2 sweet) and a tasting of their Blackberry Sangria.

Dry Wines

Rhubarb I wasn’t sure what to expect from a Rhubarb wine, but this was a pleasant surprise. The nose is light and floral, and the wine while definitely dry has a light sweetness from the rhubarb which provides some character to the wine. Both the aroma and taste of the rhubarb are subtle, although there is a very slightly bitter finish to the wine. I’m not sure if that’s from the fruit or from the dryness of the wine. It’s not off-putting, but it was present.

Raspberry The first thing I noticed about this wine is the color, a lovely rosy pink color which sparkles in the glass. The nose has definite notes of raspberry but, like the rhubarb wine, is not overpowering. In the mouth, the wine has a hint of sweetness from the raspberry, which, again like the rhubarb, is definitely present but not overpowering. The wine finishes with a light touch of acid, and again, just a slight bitterness. Having experienced this a second time, I suspect it’s a result of the dryness.

Semi-Sweet (Dessert) Wines

Blackberry A pale ruby color, with a soft nose with light notes of blackberry, the semi-sweet Blackberry is a crisp, pleasant, drinkable wine. The notes of blackberry are noticeable but not overpowering, and the sweetness is balanced by a nice touch of acid. I don’t know that I would call this a “dessert” wine, however; it doesn’t have the rich silkiness that I associate with sauternes, late harvest or ice wines, and while sweeter than the dry wines, it is not so sweet that it precludes it from being paired with food. This would be a great sipping wine for a hot summer afternoon, and I wasn’t surprised to hear that White Silo uses this as the base for their Sangria.

Cassis This is the semi-sweet version of White Silo’s Black Currant wine. A light garnet color, the nose is soft with notes of black currant and plum. In the mouth the wine is soft, velvety and rich with notes of black currant and a hint of raspberry, interestingly. This, more than the Blackberry, struck me as being a dessert wine – the black currants provide a depth and a richness that is very satisfying and would make a great finish to a meal. White Silo also suggests combining this with Vodka for a Black Currant Martini.

Blackberry Sangria Billed as the “House Specialty” on the tasting notes, White Silo’s Blackberry Sangria is “1 part Dry Rhubarb and 1 part Sweet Blackberry Wine.” The result was my favorite of the White Silo offerings that afternoon. An interesting cloudy rose color, the Sangria is a nice blend of both the rhubarb and the blackberry with neither fruit overpowering the other. Served chilled, this is a very refreshing wine and perfect for a summer afternoon. White Silo bottles and sells their Blackberry Sangria in a special two-bottle gift pack.

White Silo sells all their wines through their website, and offers a 10% case discount and 1 cent shipping on purchases of 3 or more bottles.