Oliver Apple Pie

Oliver Apple Pie is a flavored wine in the sangria category, made in Massachusetts. The name points to a baked-apple, pastry-spice profile rather than a conventional grape-driven wine. The details supplied don't give the base wine, the sweetness level or the alcohol content, so what follows describes what this style usually delivers. Expect ripe cooked-apple fruit with cinnamon-type warmth and perhaps a hint of buttery crust or caramel. Wines of this kind are typically soft and medium-bodied, with little to no tannin and gentle acidity. Because there is no oak structure to speak of, the finish tends to be short to medium, sweet-spiced and apple-led. Serve it well chilled, around 40 to 45°F (4 to 7°C), which keeps the sweetness fresh and stops the spice from turning heavy. Warm it gently and it behaves like a mulled cider, which suits cold weather. In that case, heat it just until steaming and don't boil it, so the aromatics stay intact. It needs no decanting. Pour it straight from the bottle into a standard white-wine glass, whose narrower bowl concentrates the apple and cinnamon aromas. For a casual pour over ice, a stemless tumbler or rocks glass works, ideally with a thin apple slice and a cinnamon stick. For food, think of what you would put next to apple pie. Sharp aged cheddar, brie or camembert, and washed-rind cheeses offer a salty, creamy contrast to the sweetness. Roast pork, glazed ham and maple-brushed poultry echo the fruit, and a slice of vanilla ice cream, a cheese board with walnuts, or a plain butter cookie also work. Skip very spicy dishes, since heat tends to exaggerate sweetness in wines like this. This is a drink-now bottle. Flavored sangria-style wines are made for freshness, and the bright baked-apple character fades with time rather than developing. Store it cool and out of direct light, and finish an opened bottle within a few days, refrigerated and re-corked or capped.