Tea & Wine: The "Twine" Meet

The folks at Paradocx Winery in Pennsylvania's Brandywine Valley make serious wines, but they also have a great sense of humor and an eye for branding.

The owners are two couples, all four being physicians, so they decided to name their winery "Paradocx." And even though they make serious varietal wines such as Chardonnay, Merlot, and Viognier, mostly from their own 30 acres of vines, they early on decided to make lower-priced jug or box-style wines — except they packaged them in paint cans with dispensing spigots. And called them "Barn Red," "Whitewash," and "Pail Pink."

Paradocx even established a legitimate CSA (community supported agriculture) with family subscriptions to newly released wines, just as nearby farms do with produce fresh off the vine.

The latest Pardocx paradox is "Twine" — a combination of white wine and tea — produced under the winery's PDX label. Owner/winemaker David Hoffman says he's always drinking tea and wine and thought "why not combine the two?" The result is a North Carolina-style concoction — a mildly sweet tea flavor mixed with a fruity moscato/peach twang and a tart finishing acidity. It tastes slightly more of the white wine than tea, although the brew is certainly detectable among the ferment.

The alcohol is a respectable 11.3%, which brackets Twine nicely between teetotalers (0%) and Long Island Tea (about 22% and up). Presently, there is only a caffeinated version, which keeps you from falling asleep at the bar. Twine is non-vintage, but comes with a cork. The price at the winery in Landenberg and Mid-Atlantic retail stores is $13.99.

Twine is a pleasurable drink, with or without ice, and — after the mild shock of the first taste — I found myself finishing the whole cup. It goes well with chicken, small un-crusted mayo and watercress sandwiches, and shortbread biscuits (without marmalade).

In fact, if you're tired of afternoon tea parties, you can always switch to Twine.