No, it’s not Chardonnay that tastes like cupcakes, but Cupcake Chardonnay does have a butter-cream and vanilla finish. This wine also tastes of citrus, oak, and subtle spices. It is semi-sweet close to semi-dry, not too sweet and not too dry. At about $10 a bottle, it won’t break the bank either.

Chardonnay has fell a little out of style in American markets. Ever heard of the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) campaign? But Chardonnay is starting to make a comeback, so to speak…it has long been one of the most popular wines in the states.

What I most enjoyed about this wine was the warm, buttery aftertaste, not unlike a cupcake itself. This Chardonnay is well balanced, not too oaky, and reasonable priced.

Cupcake Vineyards also produces a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Moscato D’Asti is one of my favorite wines, very popular in Italy but is not very prevalent the American market. A variation of Muscat grapes, which are used to make dessert wines, Moscato is sweet and lightly bubbly. The flavors are light and fruity. This particular label is available at the World Market, which sells a couple labels of this wine as well as a Moscato Allegro (that I want to try soon).

Because this wine is fresh and bubbly, it can be served in dessert wine glasses or champagne flutes. I enjoy this wine on its own, but it can be stand up to most sweet desserts. In general, your wine should be slightly sweeter than the dessert, but most wine rules were made to be broken.

It’s no secret that I love tea and coffee, but I also have a great love of wine. My tastes are far from sophisticated, I prefer sweet to dry and white to red, but I am excited about trying new wines and discovering new tastes. In this spirit, I bring you my latest special project: Winter Winery. All winter long, I will sample new wines and review them on my website.

A wine snob I am not, and while it sounds nice to sit down to a glass of merlot, this probably isn’t going to happen. Occasionally, I will splurge on expensive wine, but most bottles I buy tend to run in the $10-12 range. The most I have spent on a single bottle is less than $25, and it really wasn’t worth it. My basic rule is more than $5 and less than $20 (though my favorite sangria barely makes the cut at $5.99 a bottle).

This medium sweet wine from Germany is a crisp wine with fruity notes. The wine, in a playful blue bottle with a pink and white label, is clean, bright, and quite sweet. The best part? Polka Dot Riesling is available for less than $10 a bottle. Don’t let the screwtop fool you, this does not taste like an “economy” wine.

Serve this wine chilled, in a small wine glass if possible (the smaller the glass, the slower the wine will warm to room temperature). Riesling, in general, pairs well with chicken, light fish, pork or ham, though drier varieties go well with spicy Asian and Mexican dishes. This Riesling, which is quite sweet, could also be served with a dessert, particularly fruit.

Rieslings also pair well with turkey and Thanksgiving festivities. Try serving it with the pumpkin pie!