Online - September 27, 2006

Do the Ripe Thing

Schnebly Redland’s Tropical Fruit Wine

Oh, you were classy, all right. There you were on prom night, proudly opting for strawberry-flavored wine over a sixer of Natty Light. And then came the hangover, which put an end to your relationship with wine not made from grapes. Forever.

Or so you thought. One sip of Schnebly Redland’s wines, fermented from tropical fruits, and you may just rethink that policy.

For starters, they’re guaranteed to impress your fancy-pants friends — the ones who actually swirl and sniff before they guzzle. The label’s guava wine has prune and fig on the nose, persimmon and dark caramel on the palate. The full-bodied lychee cries out for seafood dishes, and the passion fruit surprises with its lingering finish. What’s more, the wines’ naturally lower 11.5 percent alcohol content keeps it from going to your head.

Too bad Schnebly’s wasn’t around back on prom night, eh?

To think, you might’ve spent the night hugging your date. Rather than the toilet.

Available online at schneblywinery.com.