Alberta's Field Stone Fruit Wine

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Welcome to another post on Alberta, the province where I set most of my stories!  To check out earlier posts, click here.

This week, I'm blogging about fruit and alcohol!

I know five things about fruit and alcohol:

1. A yukaflux is not your friend.  Eating fruit that's been sitting in alcohol for a long time is a bad, bad idea.
2. There are two exceptions to #1. Exception #1: Cherry tomatoes soaked in rosemary infused gin are wonderful.  Exception #2:  The olives marinated in Napa Valley wines by Mezzetta are also wonderful. (Are olives and tomatoes both considered fruit?  I think so...)
3. My grand experiment of '96 where I made crabapple liquor should never be repeated.
4. Making apple wine from apples picked in your backyard is a very messy process.
5. Alberta does not have vineyards (at least none that I know of--grapes just don't grow very well in our climate), but we do have wineries, fruit wineries to be exact.  (Yes, I know, grapes are fruit, but apparently in wine-making circles this is how they differentiate non-grape wines from grape wines.)

On the weekend, we visited Field Stone Fruit Wines, which is located about forty minutes east of Calgary. Field Stone has five table wines and five dessert wines.  I tasted nine of the ten.  (Yes, I was feeling a little tipsy by the end.)



Field Stone Fruit Wines Entry Sign

Their table wines include:

• Bumble Berry
• Raspberry
• Strawberry-Rhubarb
• Cherry
• Black Currant

Their dessert wines include:

• Black Currant
• Raspberry
• Saskatoon
• Strawberry
• Wild Black Cherry

Don't the flavors sound yummy? 

We came away with four bottles.  I chose the Black Currant table and dessert wines.  My husband chose two table wines: Cherry and Raspberry.  I'm looking forward to enjoying them soon...On the Field Stone website, they also have some recipes I may have to try out.

Each of the wines has a distinct and lovely flavor, perhaps in part thanks to their winemaker, Dominic Rivard. If you want to learn more about fruit wine, he has a blog and has also written the book, The Ultimate Fruit Winemaker's Guide.  Hmmm...I have three raspberry bushes...what if?  No, no, no!  I must remember Items #3 and #4 above!  Besides, with three bushes, I'd probably only have enough of a harvest to make one glass.  I must remember: It is much better if I enjoy a fruit and alcohol product produced by experts!

But, I could have one of my future characters own and operate a winery...Yes, that is a much better idea!



Here are the wines we chose.

Have you tried fruit wine?  What kind is your favorite?