To ring in 2014 we turned to a sparkling friend from New York State: Glenora Wine Cellar’s 2003 Brut. It’s an example of the surprisingly good sparkling wines to come our of the Finger Lakes.
To fortify ourselves for the long evening ahead, we enjoyed a candlelit dinner of King Crab legs and chardonnay. As the midnight hour approached, we fired up the fondue pot and some nice Swiss fondue and popped the Glenora.
The wine is made from 68% Pinot Noir, 19% Pinot Blanc and 13% Chardonnay. The grapes came from the Seneca Lake area.
There is a slight kiss of sweetness with this Brut that registers at 1.4% residual sugar. This wine is made using the time-consuming Methode Champenoise just like Champagne from France.
Glenora’s 2003 Brut, which is their latest release, gives the full celebratory experience. There’s the thrill of popping the cork (don’t put out your eye!), the head of froth and mesmerizing streams of tiny bubbles in your glass.
This wine has won a passel of awards and we agree with the judges. This is a superb sparkling wine for a fraction of the big name California or French sparkling wines. It retails for $24.99. We picked ours up at the winery and we certainly recommend that, since Glenora is a Finger Lakes showcase. It’s available online as well.
We always recommend serving sparkling wines in tall thin flutes. This better allows you to enjoy the strings of exploding bubbles and extends the effervescence. In the glass this has hints of apple and berry. It has a lively and energetic mouthfeel and the sweetness is not overplayed.
If the rest of 2014 is as rewarding as this wine, it will be a sensational year.
Rating: 4 of 5 Value: 5 of 5
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