The Witches Brew Pumpkin Spice Apple Wine is a fruit wine I found at Trader Joe’s for $6.99. Made by Leelanau Cellars of Northern Michigan who have been producing fruit wines since 1974. They produce three versions of Witches Brew, a sweet Red Blend (made from grapes), and spiced apple wine, and this offering.
There is not too much difference between apple cider and apple wine; both are fermented, the wine tends to use more sugar. I stay away from Holiday wines, the ones with the specific Holiday packaging and label. Most wine will last for a couple of years, so it never made sense to me to sell a good wine for a week or two. The Witches Brew Pumpkin Spice Apple Wine is different; it is one of Leelanau’s core wines.
The Witches Brew is a Halloween wine, but it is also a harvest wine. This is wine made from apples and should taste delicious. It is medium sweet; apple wine does not have the same acidity as grape wine. While the acidity in a grape wine can balance the sugar content, a fruit wine should taste nectar sweet, which is the same sensation as biting into a perfectly ripe apple.
The one tasting note you rarely find in grape wine is the wine tastes like grapes; every other fruit and citrus is name-checked. Apple wine should taste like apple, maybe more like apple pie in the sweeter wines.
The alcohol content is a low 10%, and the Witches Brew Pumpkin Spice Apple Wine can be served either chilled or warm (with a cinnamon stick). This is not one of those wines where you would finish a bottle while watching Netflix, and it is more that everyone gets a glass to enjoy, and I find that less is more with sweet wine.
The Witches Brew Pumpkin Spice Apple Wine Tasting Notes
The color is amber with a slight pumpkin orange tint. The nose is apple spice, and pumpkin spice would make an excellent potpourri. Fruit wine can be cloyingly sweet, and while this is a wine on the sweet side, it is not overpowering. The prominent flavor is spice apple, not too far from Dutch Apple Pie with pumpkin spice is a secondary flavor and does add a nice counter-point. I am drinking it chilled, but I can see where the Witches Brew Pumpkin Spice Apple Wine makes a tasty hot toddy.
This may not be the best choice for a Halloween Costume Party Bash; it works best after the kids do the Trick or Treating rounds and are hopped up on a sugar buzz. The parents want something in the Halloween holiday spirit that tastes good but is mild on alcohol.
The Summary
- Don’t fear fruit wine, Leelanau has been making fruit wine since 1974 and know what they are doing.
- This wine has a family friendly Halloween label and is an adult family member friendly wine.
