Tabor Hill Blueberry Demi-Sec

The Tabor Hill Blueberry Demi-Sec is a mix of a White wine blend and blueberry wine from a winery in Southwest Michigan that has produced different types of wine for over 50 years. The White wine is Tabor Hill Classic Demi-Sec, a blend of Vidal, Vignoles, Riesling, Traminette, Seyval, and Gewürztraminer grapes. Demi-Sec translates to half dry, which means wine terms means medium-sweet.

The grapes used in the Classic Demi-Sec portion are hybrid or German varietals that are hardy and will ripen in Michigan’s growing season. The vineyards in Michigan are along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. The lake is large enough to predict the vineyards from cold and snowy winter weather. The lake causes most of the snow to fall inland while protecting the shore.

Michigan wine is varied; there are fruit wines, hybrid and German varietal wines, and Pinot Noir and Bordeaux varietals. There are many excellent wineries in Michigan, but most are small, boutique size wineries that produce a modest amount of wine, especially when compared to wineries on the West Coast of the US.

I have been noticing more fruit wines on store shelves lately, and Southwest Michigan has been a destination for orchards and fruit for decades; I thought Tabor Hill out of Buchanan, Michigan would be an excellent start. I did a little research on fruit wines and found a few interesting facts. Fruit wine is not vintage-dated; only grape wine gets a vintage year. The main difference between fruit and grapes in wine is that fruit typically has a lower natural acidity.

Blueberry is wine is made in the same manner as Red and White grape wine. Acidity is an internal component of wine and blueberries have some of the highest acidity of the types of fruit that lend themselves to winemaking. Since the Tabor Hill Blueberry Demi-Sec is a blend of White grape wine and Blueberry wine, there shouldn’t be any issues about a lack of acidity.

As a medium-sweet wine, acidity is needed to balance what can be a cloyingly sweet wine. Acidity can make a sweet wine seem nectar sweet (like biting into a piece of ripe fruit) rather than sugar sweet. This is a wine best used to accompany dessert. Sweet wine is always used to pair with sweets; a dry wine would clash.

This is the first fruit wine we featured on CWF, and I am looking forward to giving it a try. I am not a sweet wine guy; a little goes a long way for me. I am not typically interested in aperitif wines, but I am interested in what the Tabor Hill Blueberry Demi-Sec offers. The alcohol content is 12%.

Tabor Hill Blueberry Demi-Sec Tasting Notes

Since this is a blend of White grape wine and Blueberry wine, the color is reminiscent of Rosé. It is dark pink with an orange tint. The nose is a mix of citrus hard fruit candy and berry hard fruit candy, along with candy spice and Mountain Dew.

It tastes of soft citrus, and ripe blueberry, a little ripe, juicy apple, a little mineral water, and the blueberries come back strong on the finish. This wine has good acidity; it is very close to that lip-smacking acidity that beckons you to take another sip.

The Summary

• I am surprised by the Tabor Hill Blueberry Demi-Sec; I thought it would be just the wine to serve with blueberry pie or double chocolate cake.
• But this is a sitting and sipping by the pool or a late-night watching Netflix wine.
• It is a sweet wine, but the acidity balances the sugar.
• This is a fun, tasty wine.