Johnson Estate Sparkling Traminette

Not to brag, but I make a pretty
awesome apple pie.

Let's talk TURKEY!! Later this month is my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving-- a time for good food and good wine with family and friends. I can't wait!

In the spirit of the season, this week's Wine 101 class at Personal Wine Cellar will be dedicated to pairing wines with Thanksgiving meals. We'll be sampling four different wines that pair well with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner: Dr. Frank Gewurtztraminer, 90+ Cellars Mosel Riesling, Johnson Estates Sparkling Traminette, and Folie a Deux Zinfandel. 

Honestly, if I had to pick just one to recommend to you, I'd probably cry. Cause I can't do it. So, simply because I had it most recently, I'll tell you a little more about the Johnson Estate Sparking Traminette...

alternate label:
Golden Sparkles

This wine has BUBBLES, and here's an interesting fact about that: the Johnson Estates Sparkling Traminette is the only one made in the US using the traditional champagne method. Basically, that means the bubbles don't come from a carbon dioxide injection. Instead, they're created naturally in the bottle during a second fermentation process. While the traditional method comes straight out of the Champagne region of France, Johnson Estate puts it to good use right here in New York State.

 The Sparkling Traminette is also notable for it's great flavors. It's crisp and a little fruity, with some light citrus (maybe lychee) and floral accents. It's not super acidic, like some champagnes, but it's also not lip-puckering sweet, so it's great in a spritzer (you may recall that two weeks ago I mentioned splashing a bit of Chambord in there) and also makes one BOSS mimosa. 

Oh, and another thing: one of the "official" recommended pairings is TURKEY. But personally, I'd pair this one with my Thanksgiving leftovers. I mean, Thanksgiving dinner is great and all, but if you're family's like mine you've been snacking on beer-basted kielbasa and crab oobie doobies* all day, so when actual dinner happens around 2:30-3:00, you're kinda stuffed. And let's be honest: that sandwich you're gonna make at 9:00 Thanksgiving night, you know, the one with the congealed gravy, scooped stuffing and slices of jellied cranberry sauce on top...THAT's gonna taste awesome with some Sparkling Traminette. You're welcome.

Price: $$

Rating: B+

*in case any non-relatives are wondering, this just means "hors d'oeuvres" in Craig.

CWT Field Trip: Johnson Estate Winery in Westfield, NY (Part Two)

Bring on the wine!


After our enjoyable (and incredibly interesting) tour of the vineyard, we brunched in the tasting room with the rest of the guests. While I thoroughly enjoy food (No surprise there; pretty much every post at least mentions food and some form of the word "yum"), I was more than a little excited to start tasting the wines.

The tasting bar, a perfect spot for keister-parking. 

The tasting room is the sort of low-key, inviting space I always feel very relaxed in; I imagine myself swirling a bit of vino around in a cool crystal goblet, talking about flavonoids and somehow sounding intelligent. Ambient lighting that twinkles off of the soft edges of the bottles, lots of finished wood and humongous, shiny stainless steel casks add to the effect (at least for me) at Johnson Estate. In the background of the photo next to this paragraph are those cool casks. Most of the wines are aged in the casks and any oak is added by soaking long strips, NOT by aging the wine in oak. The winemaker, Jeff-- who was unfortunately off duty during our visit-- has a light hand with oak, which I appreciate because I hate it when my tongue feels furry. 

I was more than happy to park my keister in front of the tasting bar and take notes.

I'd like to give a shout out to
Jennifer Johnson, who gave me this
notebook to take notes in because
I forgot to bring mine.
Johnson Estate, 1. CWT, 0.

And oh, did I ever take notes! I think I mentioned this before, but while we were there we sampled 29 wines. 29 WINES!!! 
I scribbled furiously, my handwriting growing less legible with each sampling. I couldn't possibly tell you about all of them. For one thing, even the truest of tongues can tire from that much tasting. Even with palate cleansers (some wonderfully nutty Parmesan, herbed crackers and some kind of sugarcoated hazelnut thing that I couldn't have due the possibility that my face might erupt in hives) it started to get a little difficult to pick out all of the complexities toward the end. Also, I couldn't stop giggling. I needed a big glass of water and at least an hour of sitting-on-a-bench time to avoid possible felony charges were I to drive. It's a good thing we weren't in a hurry, and it's for this reason I suggest renting a limo (or at least enlisting a reliable DD) if you are winery-hopping-- when you're ready to move on you just go; we had to wait it out.

Tasting and note-taking.
What an awesome job!

Back to the wine. Johnson Estate Winery grows 11 grape varieties and bottles 32 unique wines, including a port, a sherry and North America’s only sparkling Traminette made in the traditional champagne style. They do some of the standard New York State fare, such as Riesling and Concord (you're in Welch's neck of the woods), but are also branching out into new territory. The most recent addition is a Pinot Noir which won't be completely added for some time; right now the grapes they're practicing with are purchased from a Long Island vineyard, while their own vines mature in a Washington State nursery.
My favorite wine was (not surprisingly) their best seller: The Marechal Foch; a robust, jammy red with a woody, peat smell and a smoky strong smack at the back of the mouth. Not far behind the Foch is a much different but just as iconic wine, the Freelings Creek Reserve Riesling (which I described a little in Part One of the field trip). Very different, just as delicious.

I could probably go on and on, but I won't. I will, however leave you with this recommendation: if you do decide to head out to Lake Erie and pay Johnson Estate a visit, ask Fred what the difference is between the House Red and the Proprietor's Red. There's a great story there; you won't be disappointed!

This concludes our tour. Please mind the gap as you exit the
vehicle and don't forget to tip your driver!

Next week we're back to a regular wine review (my tastebuds should be fully recovered by then). I'll be tasting a Peter Brum wine; which one will be a surprise for the both of us!

Announcing the CWT "Field Trip" series!

Today I'm excited to introduce a new feature on the blog which I hope to continue on a semi-regular basis: the CWT Field Trip Series! Every now and again instead of reviewing a wine, I'll use my descriptive powers (and a little imagination) to take you with me on a tour of a great New York State winery. If you've never been to one, winery tours and tastings are a great way to spend time learning about and trying the great wines our region has to offer. 

There are literally hundreds of vineyards and wineries around the Empire State, many (most?) of which offer tastings, tours and in some cases restaurant fare for your gastronomic pleasure. If you live in the tri-city area, there are many that would make easy morning/afternoon jaunts or day trips. For weekend trips and longer, you can drive one of New York's regional wine trails to check out what each area has to offer. If you like wine and/or want to learn more about it, trips like these are a blast. Check out Uncork New York for a list of NYS wineries (or grab a FREE brochure next time you're in Personal Wine Cellar), then just hop in the car and go! For a worry-free --though less wallet-friendly-- wine-tasting adventure, rent a limo and cruise to your destinations in style. The built-in designated driver is handy if you'll be hitting up several wineries in one day.

Check out the Casual Wine Taster this Friday for a virtual visit to our first destination: Johnson Estate Winery in Westfield, NY—and don’t forget your signed permission slip (kidding). To whet your whistle, here are some photographic highlights of our visit...

New York's oldest estate winery, Johnson Estate has been going
strong since 1961, and the farm has been in the family since 1911.
Pretty impressive!

We did a whole lotta tastin'! 29 wines to be exact; that's almost
as many wines as I am years old. I said almost...

We took a 2.5 mile tour of the vineyard...

we "ooohed" and "aaahed" at the gorgeous panoramic views that my
camera phone just does not capture well...

we saw this awesome Firebird with a giant luggage carrier resting
on a zebra-print blanket being held in place by a hand stuck out the passenger's side window.
(side note: we did NOT see this at the winery.)

In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that my visit to Johnson Estate was also a business-related excursion; soon I will be representing their fantastic wine portfolio in the Capital District as their brand ambassador (how cool is that?!). But I won’t lie to you; I had more fun visiting them than any working stiff has any right to have on the job. Oh, and their wines are top notch. Several are highly rated and have won awards. Deets (or as human beings call them: “details”) coming Friday...