Oregon wines and fruit are a great musical combination.

Dan Rink and Kim Hamblin of Art + Science in Dayton are experienced hybrid wine and cider practitioners. Grapes and fruit from the farm can combine to create refreshing drinks with lower alcohol content.

The ingredient list on the back label of Proxies x Division "Cluster".

Kelley Fox Blueberry Wine 2022

Dry, delicious and recommended by bears around the world.

"Beautiful Strangers" by Stray Cider

is a co-fermentation of several heirloom apple varieties on viognier and pinot gris peel.

Art + Science "Strata" 2021

is a blend of grüner vertliner and Mirabel plums in equal proportions. When the juice or skins from grapes are used to ferment with farm fruit such as apples, a drink often referred to as a hybrid of wine and cider is produced. In more formal circles, they may be called wine ciders.

Whatever you call them, these drinks can be refreshing, tasty and lower in alcohol content. And, of particular relevance here, hybrids also pair well with turkey and other dishes that guest on holiday tables.

The other day I visited The Place in Southeast Portland to see what's new in the world of hybrids. The first three bottles I will talk about are what I purchased. As always, the staff at The Place are very knowledgeable about cider.

In addition, I added two surprises to my list. One is a non-alcoholic blend of grapes, fruit and various herbs and spices. The other is a blueberry wine that will shoot down your preconceptions about sweet fruit wines.

Kristof Farms Noir Cider

The Christof family took cider made from mixed apple varieties from their allotment and fermented it with the skins of their 2022 bunches of pinot noir. The result is a marvelously pink Noir.

Noir is a fragrant compote of caramelized apple and banana. This refreshing cider is tart and dry, with bright acidity and flavors of sliced red Pink Lady apples and a cup of rooibos tea.

Noir goes great with leftover turkey sandwiches and cranberry sauce.

Stray Cider "Beautiful Strangers "

Stray Cider is a side project of Deron Davenport, head cidermaker at Portland Cider Co. His Beautiful Strangers is a co-fermentation of heirloom apple varieties, such as Dabinette and Porter's Perfection, with pinot gris and viognier skins.

Fresh aromas of lemon zest and white pepper give Beautiful Strangers the scent of freshly laundered laundry. Notes of apple butter and fresh, crusty bread are felt in the background.

When it comes to flavor, this semi-dry hybrid impresses with pears, sage and smoky spices of cumin and cinnamon grains.

2021 Art + Science "Strata" Fruit Wine

I owe my introduction to wine and cider hybrids to Dan Rink and Kim Hamblin of Art + Science in Dayton. They've been doing this as long as anyone in the Willamette Valley, and they're very good at pairing grapes with other fruit.

Strata is a 50/50 blend of gruner vertliner and Mirabel plum. The grapes and plums were fermented separately in barrels and then blended after nine months of aging.

Aromas of Fuji apples, oak leaf and pumpkin spice fill you ahead of the Strata. The wine feels light and dry in the mouth, with notes of mango, ginger, nutmeg, Earl Grey tea and lemon.

Proxies x Division "Cluster "

Cluster is a new collaboration between Division Wine Co. in Portland and Proxies, a Canadian brand specializing in non-alcoholic alternatives to wine.

This is not a wine from which the alcohol has been industrially removed. This is instead juice from chardonnay grapes, apricots, apples and pears blended with a variety of ingredients including ginger, fennel pollen and bamboo tea.

Cluster offers a flavorful circus with notes of melissa tea, ginger jelly and honey. Then ripe Gravenstein apples and bee pollen flavors collide with notes of clove and an herbal bitterness similar to Cynar's Italian amaro.

I don't have much experience with this kind of drink, but I really enjoyed it.

Kelley Fox Wines Blueberry Wine

I wouldn't spend $50 on a blueberry wine if it wasn't made by two of the most respected winemakers in the Willamette Valley - Kelley Fox of Kelley Fox Wines in Gaston and Jim Anderson of Patricia Green Cellars in Newberg.

I'm glad I decided to go for it.

This blueberry wine is dry, not sweet. Fox and Anderson made it just like their other wines, using blueberries from 35-year-old bushes instead of grapes.

The wine's flavors include blueberries, of course. But they are more like Merlot, not a jammy smell. Additional aromas of violets, rosemary and tart sassafras are conveyed in the blueberry wine's flavor, which is reminiscent of dried blueberries, strawberries and a note of bitterness similar to arugula.

-$51.50 at E&R Wine Shop - 11% alcohol.

- Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive and Wine Enthusiast magazine. He can be reached at [email protected]. To read more of his material, go to oregonlive.com/wine.