Arbor Mist Flavors Ranked Worst To Best

Arbor Mist has been serving up fun, fruity wines since 1998. Each flavor of Arbor Mist starts with grape wine and has additional fruit flavors mixed in. Some are simple, such as strawberry and peach, and others are more complex, such as Exotic Fruits. The company doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should you. Arbor Mist is meant to be a fun, friendly, affordable wine. The company suggests opening a bottle with friends and enjoying your time, whether that be at a cookout or just an informal get-together.

Arbor Mist, as a whole, makes sweet, approachable wines that may be a good option for people who do not like other wines. In fact, it is often considered a good introductory wine for those who are new to the drink. In addition to being much sweeter than a standard wine, each Arbor Mist flavor we tried is just 6% alcohol, as compared to the standard 11% to 13%, which makes it closer to the content of beer. Each is also lightly carbonated, which gives it just a little fizz. We tried all the Arbor Mist flavors so that, whether you are buying for yourself or for a crowd, you can pick the best possible wine.

We hoped we were off to a good start with the Raspberry Pink Moscato. Unfortunately, it did not follow through. This bottle comes in a lovely and inviting pink color and offers an aroma of strawberry sorbet. Then we tried it.

Reviewing wine is always fun because you get to suss out the different tasting notes from different bottles. These can be wide-ranging. We were still a little surprised to find that the best way to describe this bottle is "notes of PEZ." Yes, PEZ — like the candy that comes out of little toy dispensers. Let us explain.

Moscato already tends to have a thick mouthfeel and is sweet on its own. Then there's an added raspberry flavor. This, however, does not taste like real raspberries, which are light and contain a bright burst of flavor. Instead, this wine tastes thicker and muted. The end tastes almost chalky, which really drives home the flavor of having a bunch of PEZ dissolved into an already sweet wine.

We knew going into this that Arbor Mist is an affordable wine, but this was the only flavor that truly felt cheap. We wish the raspberry flavor was more consistent with actual fruit.

The mango strawberry wine comes in a pale yellow color. While mango and strawberries are both delicious, neither is known for being particularly aromatic, which is why we were surprised by the strong smell. Not only is the scent of this wine strong, but it is somewhat off-putting. Something about the competing fruit scents mix in an unappealing way and end up smelling like old fruit salad.

The nice thing about this drink, though, is that while it has a pungent aroma, the mango and strawberry flavors are mellow on their own. When you taste it, neither fruit overtakes the other, and you instead end up with a fruity combination that also offers notes of melon. The rich mouthfeel makes it taste luxurious and would make a pleasant dessert wine.

While Moscato can be heavy, mango and strawberry both work to brighten the palate and bring a lightness to an otherwise syrupy drink. While there were other flavors that we enjoyed more than this one, once you get past its initial aroma, this drink would make an excellent sweet and fruity addition to a party.

There was a bit of hesitation going into this one. From the aroma, we were getting those notes of PEZ again, which we did not love the first time. However, once we tried it, our fears were relieved. This hot pink drink is fruity, mildly acidic, and ultimately refreshing.

What fruits make up this "exotic" mixture? Well, the label has a picture of limes and raspberries. We definitely get notes of both. Once again, the raspberry tastes a smidge artificial, but not nearly so much as the Raspberry Pink Moscato. Instead, we have a much lighter flavor that incorporates plum and citrus.

Even with these tangy flavors, the drink is easy to consume. The sweetness and light carbonation make it refreshing enough to just kick back and enjoy. The combination of fruits creates a more complex and interesting flavor than the straight-up raspberry.

Ultimately, this flavor and the pineapple strawberry were neck and neck, but the pineapple strawberry just barely beat this one out.

Weirdly, the Pineapple Strawberry Pink Moscato's most recognizable smell is that of strawberry. This is not the only aroma, though. There is a distinct floral smell coming from this wine, which matches perfectly with its pale pink color.

Part of why this flavor works is the combination of pineapple and strawberry. The strawberry is sweet and subtle, whereas pineapple adds some acid to the mix. In addition to the tastes of pineapple and strawberry, you also get notes of raspberry.

The end result is an easy to drink wine that tastes bright and sunny. Because Arbor Mist chose to use pink Moscato for this wine instead of its other favorite, white Zinfandel, the brightness is pleasantly softened. Instead of tasting like the beating sun in the summer, it tastes like a ray of light first peeking out in the spring.

The thing to remember is this is still Arbor Mist: It is still sweet. Even with astringent pineapple, this is an easy-to-drink beverage that is smooth and enjoyable, especially when chilled.

The Strawberry White Zinfandel comes in a shocking deep pink color that is indistinguishable from the Exotic Fruits flavor. Put next to each other, you would not be able to tell the difference between the two. Thankfully, you definitely can taste the difference.

The strawberry aroma is not quite as strong as the aroma from other flavors, but that suits this wine well. White zinfandel is already a sweet and subtle wine, and strawberries, while delicious, are not pungent in the way that fruits such as blackberries are. That said, there is no mistaking the flavor of this wine.

With your initial sips, you get a subtle sweet flavor of strawberry, but this flavor grows consistently with a stronger aftertaste. While not as pungent as some of the other flavors, the Strawberry White Zinfandel is approachable. We see sipping on a glass of this wine at the pool on a hot summer day.

The first thing we noticed was the nearly clear color of this wine. There is just the faintest yellow hue. We appreciated that the company didn't try to give this a pink "peach" color. The peach aroma, though, is quite strong with this wine.

Right off the bat, we appreciate that this wine does actually taste like peaches, not artificial peach flavor. There is a certain acidic tang that even the sweetest fresh peaches possess that often gets lost when translated to peach-flavored things. This is where the low alcohol content comes in handy, providing a hint of acid without trying to compete with the sweetness.

In addition to peach, this wine had notes of lychee. It brought a rounder mouthfeel, which made it almost like drinking the juice from canned peaches, with its viscous consistency. The Peach Moscato is a friendly and approachable wine we could see drinking on a warm summer day. It is probably even too easy to drink, and it would be easy to consume a lot in a short amount of time without realizing it.

The Blackberry Merlot Arbor Mist is the most surprising flavor. This is the only flavor to utilize a red wine — specifically a dry wine — as the base, and it works incredibly well. Merlot may be dry, but it naturally has undertones of fruits such as plum and blackberry. This is likely why this flavor works so well with the added blackberry flavor. 

This wine is the least sweet of the bunch, but let's remember that is in the context of Arbor Mist. It is still pretty sweet. However, there is also a lovely roundness to the flavor and mouthfeel. The merlot blackberry may not have the same over-the-top party persona as some of the other flavors, but it still embodies the fun-loving, free-spirited nature that makes Arbor Mist approachable and enjoyable for so many people. This wine could even be a good way for some to branch into the world of red wine. 

We appreciate that with this flavor, Arbor Mist reaches beyond its usual choices and brings us something interesting and delicious.