Anthony Gismondi Reviews
The Fort Wine Co. Dessert Wines

Mr. Gismondi is a very well-known and respected Canadian wine critic.

The following are his tasting notes on The Fort Wine Co. Dessert Wines from 2003

Raspberry Portage Dessert Wine- Score 90/100

“Attractive intense fresh raspberry, mineral, jammy nose. Rich, round and sweet with good acidity and lots of raspberry jam, mineral, minty flavours. Excellent raspberry character, drunk straight up, on ice cream, or put a dash in your sparkling wine”

Iced Apple Dessert Wine - Score 88/100

“Attractive spicy cardamom cinnamon bake apple pear nose with honey – like a dessert fresh out of the oven. Soft textures and spicy, honey, baked pear and apple flavours. It reminds us of baked apple in phyllo pastry with vanilla/cardamom ice cream. Not for everyone, but if you like your dessert in a bottle, this is it.”

Cranberry Klondike Dessert Wine - Score 87/100

“Pale raspberry colour, intense canned cherry, raspberry jam mineral nose. Rich, intense, sweet with high acidity and huge cranberry, cherry, raspberry jam flavours. Pretty crisp and intense but unique. Try as a sauce for your turkey or pork.”

Wild Blue Yonder Dessert Wine - Score - 85/100

"The nose reminds one of picking wild berries in the woods with bears in the neighbourhood. Minty, spicy, blueberry jam, sweaty malt nose - quite bizarre. Hot, sweet, spicy, minty, mineral over the top style with jammy notes and soapy finish. Not up to the quality of the other products."

Gold Rush Dessert Wine - Score 86/100

"Big canned peach, apricot, mineral nose. Soft, round and warm with candied, canned peach and apricot flavours. Reasonable balance with high acid finish. Simple straightforward peachy, fruit wine."

Wild West Blackberry Port - 88/100

"The fortified fruit wine has been oak aged for eight months and offers an expressive nose of blackberry jam and warm vanilla spice and chocolate. It is smooth, round and rich with quite a porty alcoholic finish and enticing spicy chocolate blackberry flavours. Clean, well made and tasty."