San Sebastian - Vintner's Red @@@@ (4 corks!)

Retails: $7.99 (Total Wine)

This post is a follow-up to a previous post about Lakeridge Wineries here in Florida. San Sebastian is the sister winery, located in historic St. Augustine -- you may remember Ponce de Leon's quest for the Fountain of Youth and apparently he found it in St. Augustine, Florida.

It may seem peculiar that wine is made in Florida but apparently the humidity helps in grape production, however the soil tends to be poor so wine production in Florida is limited to a few varieties. Vintner's Red is made of muscadines, a native grape to Florida. They can be almost black in color, a characteristic that muscadine wines carry with them--this one is a very deep crimson color. Wines created by muscadines are pretty relatively uncommon, definitely not something you'll find in your local grocery store. Fun fact: apparently they contain more antioxidants than more common wine varietals. Muscadines traditionally have more than five times the amount of resveratrol than common varietals. Resveratrol is an organic compound that plants create as a defense against bacteria and other pathogens, but has also been found to halt cancer formation in clinical tests---hence why red wine has been touted as an aid in cancer prevention.

Vintner's Red has a very mild and sweet flavor, almost like grape juice---with a kick! The consistency of the liquid feels silky on the tongue, more so than common reds. There is absolutely no dryness, no tannin flavor in this red. It's so sweet it's almost like a muscato. Many muscadine varietals are, in fact, dessert wines -- like port or sherry.

Last Words: Muscadine wines, in general, are hard to find in local shops. If you'd like to try this one for yourself, I'd suggest ordering straight from their website : http://www.sansebastianwinery.com/ If you're ever in the St. Augustine area, the winery offers tours and tastings free to the public and also holds periodic events throughout the year. Lakeridge Winery, their sister winery who also makes interesting varietals from muscadines, (http://www.lakeridgewinery.com/), located in Clermont, Florida, is also a good destination for tastings, tours and events.