Minnesota Port?

For the final day of Regional Wine Week, I picked up a bottle of Hastings Reserve, made by Alexis Bailly Vineyard in Hastings, Minnesota. This is a port-style wine made in Minnesota, and is called a “Minnesota Port.” Strictly speaking, this is not Port wine since it does not come from the Douro Valley in Portugal.  (US laws allow the labeling of US wines with names that are typically reserved for a particular region in another country in some cases. For example, you can find a “Chablis” from California.) It is, however, made in a similar style to Ruby Port, and the Port designation does make it immediately clear what type of wine it is.

Port-style wines are fortified wines, meaning that some type of distilled spirit has been added to increase the alcohol level. Port-style wines also have some residual sugar. Unlike non-fortified wines, we generally do not finish a full 750 ml bottle of Port in one or two days. Fortunately, the high alcohol content allows the wine to keep for some time after opening without degradation. I have had open bottles of Port wine for several weeks without problems.

The winery describes this wine as “a delicious and sweet fortified dessert wine [...] made in the style of a ruby Port[.]” It is made from several grape varieties including Frontenac, Marechal Foch and Leon Millot. The wine is made from several vintages and aged for at least 2 years in French, American, and old whiskey barrels.

The nose is wonderful, with deep, jammy fruit and chocolate.

The taste is even better. It’s a rich, fruity flavor with notes of chocolate. It’s smooth, complex, and delicious. This is absolutely wonderful. I’d put this up against many of the Douro Port wines I’ve had in the past.

I’m giving this an “Excellent” rating.

Wine Details
Producer: Alexis Bailly Vineyard
Vintage: Non-Vintage
Appellation: Minnesota
Variety: Blend
Alcohol: 19.0% ABV
Price: $18.99 at the winery website (750 ml)
My Rating: Excellent