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.

The Aftermath...

This is a really good picture of me...

Wow, what a weekend! It's Tuesday and I am still thoroughly exhausted from the madness of the PWC One Year Anniversary Extravaganza. Lots of people stopped by, but there was so much going on for such a long span of time that it would have been nearly impossible to catch it all. So here's a run down of the awesome day we had:

PWC's Chef in Residence Hillary whipped up some awesome cheese fondue with bread and veggie dippers, then put together a decadent brandy-soaked strawberry trifle.

Yup, these were a hot-ticket item.

John Randazzo from Via Fresca in Guilderland made a scrumptious chicken cacciatore that also made the store smell fantastic for the rest of the day.

We gave away a ton of merchandise...for some reason the Hpnotiq emery boards were the big winner, and we ran out of those first (I would not have ever in a million years seen THAT coming).

Most importantly, we sampled some great wines from around the world:

From Spain:
Casajus Vendimia Seleccionada
Abad Dom Bueno Mencia
Abad Dome Bueno Godello
Cellar Bellsum Red Blend

You may recall my fondness
for the Sassy Bitch Sauvignon
Blanc...

Monta Hiniesta Tinta de Toro-- which is this week's Thirsty Thursday selection, though I don't have time to try it beforehand...

Chile:
Sassy Bitch-- all of them.
Santa Carolina Reserva de Familia
Ritual Sauvignon Blanc

Italy:
Dolia Vermentino
Doli Frizante
Villa Fiorita Chardonay
Villa Firorita Pinot Nero
Villa Fiorita Barbera
Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano D'Abruzzo
Cantina Zaccagnini Pinto Grigio (a new favorite!)

California:
Bogle Chardonnay
Bogle Sauvignon Blanc
Bogle Petite Sirah
Bogle Phantom (a luscious red blend)

New York:
Johnson Estate Sparkling Traminette

DEEP BREATH

Not to mention the Chambord. We served that up a few ways:
all on it's own,
on top of the Sparkling Traminette as a delicious spritzer
and in yummy Chambord Vodka French Martinis.

PHEW. That's a lot of tastings.

Back to my regularly scheduled drinking and blogging next week!