Big Lost Meadery & Brewery
Sweet Dame
Lemon Mead with Ginger Wyoming & South Dakota
NECTAR WINE STYLE
Sweet Dame is a lemon mead with ginger. It’s beautiful, serene, but sharp and carries a kick that will leave you crying if you’re not careful. Sweet Dame is one of Big Lost Meadery’s more powerful meads that is destined to rewrite your definition of perceived sweetness… you’ve been forewarned!
Analysis: 15% alcohol / volume
ABOUT MEAD: Mead is the world’s oldest fermented beverage. Made from honey, mead was a favorite of every culture that loved to party down. Big Lost’s meads are flavorful, mellow, and perfectly suited for sipping by candlelight.
ABOUT BIG LOST MEADERY & BREWERY: Big Lost Meadery & Brewery began when founder Sam Clikeman and his friend brewed beer from creek water in a remote Forest Service cabin. As Sam’s passion grew, he shifted focus to mead, and in 2014 officially founded Big Lost in his hometown of Gillette, Wyoming. His brother-in-law, Bob Hewitt-Gaffney, joined the team during construction, eventually becoming co-owner. They later expanded beyond mead into brewing easy-drinking German-style beers and built a larger production facility. Their first out-of-Wyoming location opened in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in partnership with the Ranch & Roost restaurant. Despite setbacks like COVID, Big Lost has continued growing distribution domestically and internationally — all while maintaining their rugged, off-the-grid spirit. Learn more here.
It doesn’t always have to be dry! This Riesling captivates the palate with its full fruit aroma of yellow apples, vineyard peach and white blossoms. With its well-balanced sweetness and acidity, this wine is a real pleasure to drink. Tastes great solo or with spicy, hot dishes.
Varietal: Reisling Analysis: 9% alcohol / volume Residual Sugar: 40.7 g/L Total Acidity: 8.8 g/L Quality Level: Qualitätswein b.A. Region: Rheingau, Germany Winemaker: Ralf Bengel and team Vinification: 100% Stainless Steel Vinification Serving Suggestion: A suitable complement to Spicy Asian dishes (soup meat or stir-fry). Well chilled, it also makes an excellent aperitif.
WineStyles’ Wine and Cheese Pairing: Pair with a mild blue cheese to complement the fruity notes of this wine. Learn more about our wine and cheese pairings here.
Terroir: The soil is a mixture of Taunus quartzite, argillaceous shale and calcareous loess soil. Their vineyard slopes are all south facing, allowing them to capture the best sunshine. The Taunus mountain range offers protection from the northern winds with its forests and creates the ideal conditions for their vines.
Vintage/Winemakers Notes: A great comeback of classic Rheingau Riesling. Schloss Vollrads were able to harvest twice in 2021, once in February and once in October. Sounds unusual but it was not due to climate change. It was due to the fact that they were able to conclude the 2020 vintage with an ice wine harvest on February 10, 2021, a chilly day with -9° C, the Riesling ice wine 2020 was harvested with a good must weight of 189 degree Oechsle. As the year progressed, the weather in 2021 turned out to be very capricious and unpredictable. After three exceptionally hot and dry years, it was finally humid and cooler in 2021. As a result, they had a long winter and a cool spring, which led to a late bud break in the end of April. Humid weather, frequent rain and only a few bright sunny days summed up the weather in summer. Vineyard employees were challenged, and through their enormous effort, they had ensured that losses due to mildew could be avoided. Due to the late bud break, ripening also began later than in previous years, in the last days of August. The grapes had taken their time and the harvest did not begin until October. Which is a convenient time, because the ripening phase at cooler temperatures allows the Riesling grapes to develop a finely fruity aroma, and the wines can develop into the typical Riesling elegance and filigree. With a hard-working harvest, the grape quality had developed to the ideal level of Kabinett and Spätlese. With a selective harvest technique, they were able to harvest the vineyards at the right time. The grapes from their prestige sites could be characterized with abundant and mesmerizing aromas, it was then, again with experienced harvest hands, the grapes were carefully selected and picked.
“This unfiltered LBV presents a deep ruby color and has an intense and elegant aroma. Great aromatic richness and a mouthful of ripe black fruits and spices. It has fine but solid tannins that gives it a structure of great amplitude and a long and flavorful finish. It is made to be enjoyed as soon as it is bottled.” – Carlos Agrellos, Technical Director
This wine is a remarkable example of the Noval style. Treated exactly like a Vintage Port with only noble grape varieties that are sourced exclusively from estate vineyards, trodden by foot and unfiltered. This expression differs in its extended aging, seeing five years in casks instead of the typical two years for Vintage Ports. Definitely an LBV with a difference, this wine has fine structured tannins, great freshness and purity of fruit. It is delicious to drink today, but will age beautifully in its bottle.
WINE DETAILS:
Analysis: 19.5% alcohol / volume
Varietal: Blend of six traditional Portuguese grape varieties: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Cão.
Appellation: Douro Valley, Portugal
Aging: Matures for 5 years in French Oak
Fermentation: Grapes were trodden by foot to obtain the must, then during fermentation macerate to obtain the best possible extraction in the “lagares”, the traditional stone vats from the Quinta
Farming: The vineyard is farmed sustainably
Critical Acclaim:
90 points – Wine Advocate
90 points – Wine Enthusiast
Vineyard: All grapes come from the Quinta do Noval vineyard, in Pinhão – the heart of the Douro Valley. A blend of these higher quality varieties are planted throughout the vineyard due to the major replanting project of the early 1990s. At this age, the fruit at the estate is entering the prime of quality.
Vintage Note: 2014 is characterized by heavy rainfall that was well distributed throughout the year. With reasonable temperatures in winter and a fresh month of August, the vines were able to maintain a healthy appearance, with lots of leaves throughout the cycle; this protected the grapes from the peaks of heat during the summer, safeguarding the health of the bunches. At the end of August, the harvest was looking wonderful, with beautiful, healthy grapes and an excellent sugar and acidity balance, ideal for making great Port.
WineStyles’ Wine and Cheese Pairing: This LBV Port from our ‘Nectar’ section will pair well with a strong cheese, such as a blue cheese. Learn more about our wine and cheese pairings here.
About Quinta do Noval: Open since 1715, Quinta do Noval is one of the oldest Port houses known around the world. Today, Quinta do Noval is part of the international viticultural group of AXA Millésimes. It is unique among Port houses in that most of the Ports are made from estate-grown fruit and all of the vintage Noval wines are from the single Quinta Do Noval vineyard on magnificent old terraces. Their team is devoted to looking after their great vineyard terroir, and strive to make wines worthy of the Quinta do Noval name every year. Learn more about their history here.
This full-flavored chocolate port was hand crafted for those who love two of the best delights in the world: chocolate and port. Designed for the aficionados of dessert wine and rich chocolate, this port-style wine is a very sophisticated infusion. Enjoy this wine after dinner with dried fruits, nuts, and all types of chocolate.
Food Pairing Recommendations: Try it with dried apricots and cherries, chocolate-covered strawberries, pecan pie or anything chocolate.
ABOUT SAN ANTONIO WINERY: With over 100 years of winemaking, San Antonio Winery is the oldest and largest producing winery in Los Angeles – making it an essential component of the city’s cultural and historical landscape. The winery still sits on its original location on Lamar Street, and it is the last vestige of the rich winemaking tradition in greater Los Angeles. Learn more about the winery here.
A little tart and a little tangy, it can’t get better than that! This refreshing wine reveals a vibrant blush color and is combined with the natural cranberry flavor. It is lively with the perfect blend of sweet and tangy. Give yourself a little boost in your day with this semi-sparkling wine. Serve with fresh fruit, cheese, spicy cuisine, and desserts.
Food Pairing Recommendations: This flavor pairs wonderfully with roasted herb butter potatoes, honey glazed BBQ chicken, Arugula salad with apples and walnuts, brie and green apple grilled cheese or cranberry pie.
ABOUT STELLA ROSA: It all started in 1917, when the Riboli family founded Los Angeles’ historic San Antonio Winery. Back then, Los Angeles was the prime location for wine growing in all of California. For some time, the wine industry reigned as one of Southern California’s most economically significant and popular industries of that time. After surviving Prohibition and about a century later, the Riboli family has continued its artisan winemaking tradition through four generations. From within the tasting rooms of San Antonio Winery, customers repeatedly requested a sweeter, light, refreshing wine. The Riboli family took this unique opportunity to create a new semi-sweet, semi-sparkling wine style, which today, they are a leader of. And so, Stella Rosa was born. Learn more here.
MADE AND IMPORTED FROM ITALY: To create the Stella Rosa wines, their family chose the region of Asti, a province in Piedmont, Italy, as the source for its aromatic grapes. The area of Asti has particular significance to the Riboli family, as it is the birthplace of their family matriarch, Maddalena Riboli. Their first Stella Rosa wine was Moscato D’Asti, which has become a flagship of their line. Soon after, Stella Rosa Rosso was created – the brand’s first semi-sweet, semi-sparkling red wine blend, and first wine of its kind to be brought to America from Asti. The rapid phenomenal successes of these two wines began the lineage of Stella Rosa, which now boasts over 20 distinctive flavors.
WineStyles’ Wine and Cheese Pairing: These sweet wines from our ‘Nectar’ section will pair well with a soft cheese, such as a brie. Learn more about our wine and cheese pairingshere.
A fizzy moscato dedicated to wine lovers without complexes looking for fun and to get a party started.
This Moscato is bright lemon-gold in color with a light pearliness in its appearance. The nose is clean and youthful with heavy floral and fruity notes of mandarin peel, honeysuckle and sweet orange blossom. The palate has a sweetness that coats the mouth, then refreshes itself with the airy bubbles. It is luscious and harmoniously balanced.
Analysis: 11% alcohol / volume Varietal: 100% Moscatel TA: 5.47 g/L pH: 3.23 RS: 51.2 g/L V. Acidity: 0.15 g/L Region: D.O. Valencia, Spain Vineyard: Valley Valentino & Alto Turia in the heart of Valencia Age of Vines: 15-20 year-old vines Yield: 50 hl/ha Altitude: 200-650 m. Climate: Warm Mediterranean Harvest: First fortnight of September Vinification: Cold Maceration Fermentation: 53.6-60.8ºF Aging: Stainless Steel
WineStyles Wine and Cheese Pairing: Sweet wines from our ‘Nectar’ section pair well with an aged cheese. Learn more about our wine and cheese pairings here.
ABOUT THE WINERY: Piquitos is intended to mean “little kisses” in Spanish, as their wines are designed to share their love. Sourced from sunny Mediterranean Coast in Valencia, Spain, Piquitos is made by the team from Hammeken Cellars – an innovative producer and exporter of Spanish wines. Their philosophy is to gather the best local grapes and traditions in Spain and pair those with the “New World” winemaking techniques and styles to produce high quality, fruit forward and fresh wines. Learn more about their company here.
Delightfully fizzy and slightly sweet, an irresistible combination.
The third generation Tintero family continues the traditions of winemaking in Gramella. “Sori” in Piedmontese indicates the south-facing slope of a hill, that pampers the grapes with 20% more sunshine. Cantine Elvio Tintero are the only producers to sustainable farm and commercially bottle from this striking single-vineyard, limestone amphitheater. Vines were planted in the late 1980’s. Grapes are harvested and pressed, then kept at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks to provide the freshest wine possible.
Analysis: 7% alcohol / volume Varietal: Moscato Appellation: Moscato d’Asti, Langhe RS: 110 g/L Vine Age: Average 30 years Soil Type: Clay, limestone with rocks Vineyard Area: 25 hectares Producer: Marco Tintero Founded: 1900 Annual Production: 41,000 cases Farming: Sustainable
WineStyles Wine and Cheese Pairing: Sweet wines from our ‘Nectar’ section also pair well with an herbal cheese. Learn more about our wine and cheese pairings here.
ABOUT THE WINERY: The winery’s legacy began in 1900 when a Frenchman named Pierre Tintero set out to Piedmont in search of work. Here, he found a job helping a widow, Rosina Cortese with her small estate, and just a few years later the couple fell in love, married and continued to grow their estate. Passed down from generation to generation, the family eventually took over the adjacent vineyard plots and began growing a small production of Moscato. It wasn’t until 1980, when grandson, Elvio, began experimenting with frizzante wine production, allowing the family to take advantage of the grape’s special affinity to the local terroir. Today, Elvio help’s his son and daughter-in-law run the estate producing fresh, easy and fun wines to drink with friends. Learn more about their story here.
Love the Sweet life? “Wine” not try our Sweet Club!
Kiona Vineyards Chenin Blanc Ice Wine Red Mountain AVA Washington
NECTAR WINE STYLE
While the Red Mountain AVA is known for big, powerful red wine, it’s also an exceedingly good place to grow white varietals. The Kiona Estate Vineyard has four acres of Chenin Blanc planted in a depression, ensuring a consistent freeze year-in, year-out. We don’t pick Ice Wine until the grapes are naturally frozen in the vineyard, typically picking in the early morning hours before the sun rises.
Ice Wine is one of the world’s most elusive and delicious elixirs. Kiona prefers to use Chenin Blanc, a varietal that allows for robust acidity and intense green and tropical fruit flavors. Kiona’s philosophy with this wine is to emphasize acidity over outright sweetness, a tactic that ensures a balanced, crisp wine that dances on the tongue. Food Pairing Recommendations: Ideal with fruit desserts, including pastries and tarts.
WineStyles’ Wine and Cheese Pairing: Sweet wines from our ‘Nectar’ section pair well with an herbal cheese, such as a gorgonzola. Learn more about our wine and cheese pairings here.
PRODUCTION: Heat accumulation tracked slightly behind the previous vintage on Red Mountain. Bloom occurred slightly ahead of historical averages, and during ideal weather conditions. Crop loads were heavy going into the summer, resulting in the need to perform additional thinning. Weather during harvest (September-October) was ideal. It’s a stellar high acid and high sugar vintage.
Photo by John Vitale of Washington Tasting Room Magazine
ABOUT THE VINEYARD: While Red Mountain is known for big, powerful red wines, it’s also an exceedingly good place to grow white varietals. The Kiona Estate vineyard has four acres of Chenin Blanc planted in a depression, increasing the likelihood that we are able to produce Ice Wine. They don’t pick the grapes until they are naturally frozen in the vineyard, a process that concentrates the sugar and flavor to unprecedented levels.
ABOUT THE WINERY: In 1975 John Williams and Jim Holmes’ families planted the first vineyard on Red Mountain, an area now known for producing some of the world’s most powerful, opulent wines of distinction. For three generations their families have worked side by side, hand in hand to craft exciting, vineyard-driven wines that capture the essence of Red Mountain. Learn more about Kiona Vineyards here.
Photo by Mark Roberts
Photo by: Kiona Estate Vineyard
Photo by: Kiona Estate Vineyards
Photo by Kiona Vineyards and Winery
Love the Sweet life? “Wine” not try our Sweet Club!
Big Lost Meadery & Brewery
Schloss Vollrads Estate
WineStyles Tasting Station 