Remodeled car sparks inspiration for two new dessert wines
Naples, N.Y. - There is a running joke at Arbor Hill about how Owner John Brahm met his wife Katie. It is said that John fell in love with her Model A Ford, before he fell in love with her. This family joke and the tradition behind it has inspired the newest set of wines released from Arbor Hill Winery, a set of two dessert wines dubbed the "Speedster Series".
The two new wines, the Noiret and the Black Currant, were started about three years ago around the same time Brahm began remodeling the old Model A classic to a speedster. As both the car and the wines were developed, the idea of the "Speedster Series" began to take shape. Artist Daryl Abraham of Naples, N.Y. took on the project to create custom bottle labels, which depict Brahm and the Arbor Hill wine dog Ambrosia cruising down a country lane in the newly remodeled Speedster.
The wines are the first two in a growing series. The Noiret was aged 3 years in American oak, which gives it a toasty oak flavor with a hint of Noiret fruit. The Black Currant is highly aromatic with fresh black currant flavor. Both are available by the bottle, or in a 375 ml retro "hip flask" style bottle. A third wine, a white, is still in the making.
Though these wines are considered "dessert wines", they pair well with assorted nuts, medium-strong cheeses, and of course dark chocolate. "Wines like the Noiret and the Black Currant can be enjoyed anytime," says Brahm, "but I recommend them after a long day of winter activity, sitting around a fire with friends. A glass of our Speedster wine will warm your spirit."
This Saturday, Dec. 21, the Arbor Hill wine shop will open for extended hours from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Brahm, as the winemaster and creator of the Speedster series will be in the shop doing specialty tastings of the new wines. The Noiret and the Black Currant can be sampled throughout the weekend, and bottles are available for purchase in Arbor Hill Winery's gift shop in Bristol Springs, N.Y, just three miles south of Bristol Mountain.
