Nantucket Cranberry

Nantucket Cranberry is a fruit wine built on cranberry rather than grape, so it doesn't follow the usual red or white grape rules. The details on hand don't give a sweetness level, alcohol percentage or vintage, so the notes below describe what cranberry wines of this kind usually show. Expect a bright ruby to garnet-pink color and a tart red-berry nose of cranberry skin, pomegranate and a little citrus peel. Styles like this tend to be light to medium in body. Cranberries are naturally high in acid and low in sugar, so the palate is usually crisp and mouth-watering. Many bottlings are finished off-dry to sweet to balance that tartness. Tannin is typically slight, a faint grip from the skins rather than a structural feature. Oak is rarely part of the style, and the finish usually runs short to medium with a clean, tart fade. Check the label for the sweetness level before choosing a dish. Serve it chilled, around 7 to 10°C (45 to 50°F), which keeps the acidity lively and stops any sweetness from turning heavy. It doesn't need decanting. Pour it straight from the bottle into a standard white-wine glass or a small tulip-shaped glass. The narrower bowl concentrates the berry aromas better than a wide red-wine glass. A short stay in an ice bucket before serving works well, and leftover wine keeps best re-corked or capped in the refrigerator. Cranberry wine goes well with roast turkey, ham and pork loin, where its acidity does the job of a cranberry sauce. It also suits sharp or creamy cheeses such as aged cheddar, brie and goat cheese, and it cuts through the richness of pâté and charcuterie. If the bottle is on the sweeter side, it will also work with spiced desserts like gingerbread or apple tart. Wines of this style are made to be drunk young and fresh, so treat it as a drink-now bottle rather than something to cellar.