2012 Quady Essensia Orange Muscat, California        $17

To celebrate the holiday season Bishop’s Stock has selected dessert wines as our features. Essensia  may accompany dessert or be a dessert on its own. It  is made from 100% Orange Muscat, a grape variety that is little known. Essensia has an aroma reminiscent of orange blossom and apricot.  The wine is lightly fortified to about 15% alcohol and aged for 3 months in French Oak. On the palate Essensia tastes like fresh fruit with a nice balance. This is a great pairing for chocolate and desserts with almonds, peaches, apples or apricots. Add to sparkling wine to make Essensia Royale. Alcohol: 15%

NV Trentadue Chocolate Amore, California            $22

This is a Merlot-based, port-styled chocolate flavored dessert wine.  Using traditions for port making, neutral grape spirits are used to stop fermentation to trap a percentage of sugar in the wine. Once Chocolate Amore is finished aging and is ready for bottling and a tiny amount of natural chocolate extract is infused to the final blend. This creates the perfect marriage to pair with something as simple as vanilla ice cream or as a stand-alone dessert. Alcohol: 18.5%