West Bend Vineyards Lucky Lucci

Two words sum it up: Fun, Dangerous. The gentleman who poured our tasting referred to this as a porch wine. I can't remember what grape it is founded on, perhaps chambourcin, but raspberry wine is added. It is somewhat sweet, but not cloying. We bought a bottle ($10.95). It has a sangria-like quality without the citrus peel and spices.

Hanover Park Vin D'Orange

This is another fortified wine, but it is an amber/honey color. The aroma is of orange marmalade, with a bit of vanilla and a very Christmas-like aspect to it. This is the first time I used the word "wow" in my notebook. It's rich and nectar-like, as a cordial would be. It's almost oily in texture. It made me instantly imagine myself sipping it after a sumptuous holiday meal; it has a candied citrus peel overtone that is very pleasing. We got a bottle to put away for Thanksgiving or Christmas ($25.00/375ml).

Hanover Park Port Hanover

As a port lover, I was curious to try this one. It has a rich bouquet that is redolent with prunes, ripe cherries, plum preserves and toasted nuts. The palate mirrors this, with a rich texture. There is a bit of an edge from the alcohol, but I really enjoyed this. This port is made from Chambourcin, but my tasting guide did not know precisely what type of brandy was used to fortify it. I've had smoother ports, but they were made by companies that have been doing it quite a few decades longer. We bought a bottle ($16.99/375ml).

Hanover Park Blueberry

This wine involves a Chardonnay base and blueberry juice. It smells like blueberry jam, and it tastes much like it smells. A nice little acidic tang keeps it from being cloying. This is an instantly gratifying dessert wine.

Hanover Park Early Twilight

This has a wonderful, perfumy nose of apricots, jasmine and vanilla with a fresh grape note (one of the grapes used here is Niagara, a type of vitis labrusca). It's very accommodating, with a bit of a grape Jolly Rancher character. Not complex on the palate, but very pleasurable.

Hanover Park Rosé

No vintage is indicated. This smells of strawberries and cotton candy. It is semi-sweet and punch-like. It is uncomplicated and probably dangerously easy to guzzle down. It would probably make a very enjoyable sangria.

Hanover Park Courtney Red 2004

This one was really fun. It conjures up strawberries and ripe watermelon from a roadside produce stand. It's quite nice, and it is not cloying. We were also served a sample of a sangria made with this wine; it was absolutely delicious.

Raylen Pale Red

Quite fun, and only ten bucks. It's not cloyingly sweet, but I wouldn't drink a lot of this one by itself. Strawberries and ripe watermelon are what this wine are all about. The gentleman who led the tasting was talking about someone who makes fruit smoothies with this. You could get into all sorts of trouble with this one.