Maiden Rock Royal Cider Wisconsin Apple Dessert Wine

Brewed By: Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery in Stockholm, Wisconsin 

Purchased: 375ml bottle purchased at the Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery in Maiden Rock/Stockholm, WI; 2013 

Style/ABV: Ice Cider/Perry/Wine, 18.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

I'm really excited to open this up and get some legit tasting notes...I sampled this Ice Cider/Wine/blend at the winery, and I really enjoyed it. It's cold as fuck outside and snowy, so this warming apple wine should be the perfect thing to hit the spot. About the Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery: 

Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery is a farm and orchard located in Stockholm, Wisconsin. The farm was purchased by homebrewer, Herdie Baisden, and his wife, Carol Wiersma. The apple varieties they planted included apples more typical to southwestern England, apples that are suitable for the production of cider and wine. They opened the winery/cidery in July 2008. For more information check out their website here.

The Royal Cider Apple Dessert Wine is made from locally grown Wisconsin apples, fermented into a hard cider (I'm fairly sure this is an Ice Cider/Perry), and then fortified with Wisconsin apple brandy. Fuck yes. 

Maiden Rock Royal Cider Wisconsin Apple Dessert Wine

There's not much to see in terms of the appearance...it pours out like a white wine or cider. Transparent, minimal carbonation, and the this has that wine-like yellow/melon/peach color. There's some huge, glossy alcohol legs on this. Which you obviously expect at 18.0%.

The aroma on here is boozy, warm, and has a buttery/oak edge. I'm curious if this spent any time on oak. There'a a huge apple brandy aroma on the nose, with apples and boozy alcohol dancing around. There's also a decent amount of Ice Cider/Cider on the nose...I'm picking up lots of elements of a cider, including apples, apple cider/juice, and even a little clove and cinnamon spice. There is no mistaking the booze and sweetness in the aroma.

Wow. This is ridiculously drinkable...the taste is sweet apples, saffron and sweet white wine, some brandy sweetness, and booze...and then you get that huge warming as it goes down your throat. There are kisses of apple pie in here as I let this sit on my tongue, along with apple cider, and then brandy all the way home. 

This is dangerous at 18.0%...one bottle of this stuff is like drinking four standard drinks, but that's the point. This is a "dessert wine," made out of distilled wine (brandy). You're supposed to sip on this with your apple pie, or on a cold winter day. It's really the perfect winter drink to warm you up. Just drink a bottle of this and walla. This has a moderately dense (medium-bodied) mouthfeel, with low complexity and good palate depth and duration. It's a boozy sipper, but the booze is really well-masked behind the apple cider, white wine notes, and sweetness. The brandy used in this is fantastic. You get white wine with a hint of wood/oak up front, followed by dense stuff that is almost bready; then it's all cider and booze, with apples, brandy; more apples and brandy on the back and boozy warming on the finish.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. This is very good for what it is, which is a Dessert Wine/Cider fortified with apple brandy. It's very simple, which it is supposed to be...I guess at 18.0% I'm looking for a little more complexity, be it some more white wine character, or maybe the addition of stronger barrel/oak flavor. I would heat this up and pour it in my mug to drink at a football game on a cold winter day. This isn't complex enough to pour into your snifter and mull over. You can definitely pair it with dessert though...anything apples. Apple pie, apple cake, bread pudding with apples, and yeah. Check this out if you are ever at Maiden Rock.

Random Thought: Brandy is like the candy of distilled things. I'm not classy enough for that shit, and lord knows my palate is amateur hour.