To share the sweetness of life Frey' Salon offers 2 Chankaska Wines Dessert wines Ratafia and Coeur de Colline and 2 exquisite etched wine flutes. Thank you to Frey Salon for their ongoing support of BENCHS' mission.

2017 Ratafia
The 2017 Ratafia is a brand-new style of dessert wine at Chankaska Winery. Ratafia has traditionally been made in the Champagne region of France by taking freshly pressed grape juice and fortifying it with brandy. Using this technique our Estate Edelweiss was picked on September 4th, pressed, settled and then fortified with Grape Brandy before taking it down to barrel for aging. The Brandy addition stops the fermentation from happening and leaves the wine with a natural sweetness.

On the nose, aromas of honey, dried fruits such as golden raisins and apricots, and hints of allspice. On the palate, more honey and golden raisin notes flow into toasted almond paste and sweet pear. The wine finishes with fresh acidity to balance the sweetness.

2011 Coeur De Colline Port Style Dessert Wine
This wine literally explodes with flavors and aromas. Deep ripe red fruits cascade on the palate; dark berries, cherries and ripe plums, the whole lot. Toasty cocoa and sweet coffee notes exude from ageing in heavy-toast Minnesota oak barrels. The wine tastes like the Holiday Season itself; dark caramel highlights, sweet chocolate, and thoughts of “sugar plums dancing in my head.” This is a deeply rich, sweet and flavorful treat best enjoyed when weather gets cold, nights get long, and the body needs something warm and satisfying.

Although Port-style dessert wines are often best enjoyed slowly sipped among good company, a little seasonal fare can be enjoyed alongside: a plate of creamy mellow Stilton blue cheese, a few walnuts, a bit of dried fruit and chocolate, and a cracker or two, can make for a fine yet small mid-Winter’s feast by the fire. And, if you can spare the thought, the wine makes a lovely pan-reduced glaze for hearty roasted meats of all kinds, especially duck and pork. There is also a rumor that just a sip of this wine and a bite of dark chocolate can heal the sick, cure the wounded, and humor the heart,… but that’s just a rumor.

From the Winemaker
Ah, the Coeur de Colline, the “Heart of the Hill”--a wine I really enjoyed making. I can honestly say I have never received more compliments from a wine I had not yet made! That is to say; it is a first for me, and as the wine slowly aged in the new Minnesota oak barrels and was tasted from time to time, it was the one “everyone was watching”, including me. I am so very proud to offer this fine and delicious Minnesota dessert wine to the deserving consumers of this most beautiful region.