Yea, it's for real.
I only had it once the only time I was ever at my paternal grandparents over the holidays. Grandma insisted on serving it to us one afternoon. We politely sipped it (very small sips) to be polite but it was kinda nasty.
But then, I was young and hadn't even developed a taste for dry wines yet, so maybe it was actually better than I thought then. Anyone else have this unique experience?