St. James Winery’s Executive Winemaker, Andrew Meggitt, and his team (both vineyard and cellar) have developed a line of specialty wines for your enjoyment. These wines are produced in a small batch and will be available while supplies last. Two whites and two reds make up this limited line of 2017 vintages.

The two sweet whites include our Late Harvest Traminette and Late Harvest Chardonel. The 2017 harvest season in the St. James Winery vineyards presented the ideal conditions for a late ripening season which produced the perfect fruit for these unique wines.

The Late Harvest Traminette was made in the hope of capturing all the best flavors of Traminette, with the concentration that we get from late harvest grapes. Our executive winemaker noted that it is notoriously difficult to get Traminette very ripe, but the ideal growing season for 2017 ultimately produced a high quality wine. It is the first time St. James Winery has ever crafted this wine and we’re in love with the flavors.

For Late Harvest Chardonel, the last time St. James Winery presented this wine was in 2007. The 2017 vintage is a wonderful example of a late harvest Chardonel with concentrated apricot and supple fruit flavors.

Both of these whites are great served chilled with a variety of foods including brie, poached pears or even crème brûlée.

The two reds in the new specialty line are dessert wines that provide warmth with their elevated alcohol levels. These wines are an ideal night cap for a cold winter’s night. Imagine curling up with your favorite book, in front of the fireplace and sipping on one of these reds from a sherry glass.

The 2017 Blackberry Dessert Wine was a research and development project that all the production team contributed to. This dessert-style wine is a 50/50 blend of an experiment of two wine making techniques: one traditional and one innovative. The result is a sweet, warming sensation for the palate.

Our Fiddler’s Duet Dessert Wine is a blend of Norton and Rougeoun combining to create a port-style wine. St. James Winery first crafted this style of wine in 2006. From there, Fiddler’s Duet was born providing a mildly sweet taste to the palate.

Our tasting room associates recommend the process of tasting this wine in three parts. The initial sip will provide the palate with the elevated alcohol, while still presenting the notes of the wine. During the second taste, the wine’s profile develops on the palate revealing the complexity of the blend. With the third sip, we recommend the pairing of dark chocolate. This takes the wine to a new level of decadence.

Visit our Tasting Room and ask about sampling or visit our online store to discover these wines more in depth.