Berry wine has the potential to be really remarkably awful. It tends to be over-sweet, cloying, and just downright unpleasant.

But, given the skill with which Chrisman Mill makes mead, another wine that can be spectacularly terrible, I figured there was nothing to be too worried about. And I was right.

The Chrisman blackberry wine is now available, and it is fantastic. I should have picked up an extra lable, so that I could scan it in and put it here. I’ll try to soak one off after the bottle is empty. It features a wolf from the Wolf Run wolf sanctuary, and looks pretty cool.

The wine is, of course, sweet, but not unpleasantly sweet. Just perfect. And it is a serious wine, not just berry juice + alcohol. It has the sweetness, and pucker/tangyness/wildness of a fresh-picked blackberry. A nice balance of sweet and acidity that promises that it will develop interestingly over time. As always, I should have bought more.

Also, I got a moose, which I have been eyeing on the last several visits out to the winery. I’ll post better pictures once I find some batteries for my camera.