Five Buck Chuck Moscato

As you know, I'm not too fond of sweet wines, but recently I've tasted a few that have almost changed my mind. For four or five bucks per half bottle, we found a 2006 Late Harvest Paso Robles Moscato at 30 Brix from Trader Joe's that is a great Holiday wine to have with pears and blue cheese or even cheesecake. This is a phenomenal bargain. Even better and sweeter is the 2006 Eos "Tears of Dew" Paso Robles Late Harvest Muscato at 40 Brix from Costco for about $18. It is bigger, sweeter and more complex than the Trader Joe's version with hints of honeysuckle and orange. Last, but not least, we found 2005 Jackson-Triggs Vidal Icewine for about $18 at both Trader Joe's and Costco. This is really the most expensive of the three since it is really only a quarter bottle cleverly packaged to look like a half bottle, but it is worth it. Beisdes, you don't need a lot, since you will sip and savor this wine. Icewine is made from naturally frozen grapes picked in the middle of a frosty December night and then ever so gently crushed in a freezing cold winery to extract, perhaps, a drop or two of juice without crushing or melting the ice, so that the wine is very concentrated. Harvested at almost 40 Brix it has the complexity of the Eos, but the incredible lightness of being. This is a magical experience to be sipped and savored all by itself. These wines are the perfect gift for the wine drinker who doesn't like dry wines and gravitates toward Riesling or Chenin Blanc. I'm giving these as my Holiday gifts this year.