Kramer Vineyards Makes Sparkling Muller-Thurgau, You Should Drink It!

I've been talking to Kimberley and Becky Kramer of Kramer Vineyards via Twitter for a while now. It was one of the stops I had wanted to make when I was up in Oregon last September but unfortunately I just didn't give myself enough time. That being said, I'm planning another trip to Portland in late May or June and will make a point to stop in and hang out. The Kramer sisters and their folks know I'm a big Oregon wine fan, and they were gracious enough to send me some samples to try. I've got a bottle of their 2008 Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir to taste soon, but tonight I wanted some bubbly.

The Kramers make a sparkling muller-thurgau, which I bet most of you have never tried before. Heck, I bet most have never tried muller-thurgau in any version. I know I've had two mullers (as the cool people call them) in my life, this is the third and has bubbles! After a long work-week capped off by an utterly horrible day today, I needed something to pick me up. I'm always amazed at how sparkling wine can do that, the pearlescent bubbles, the pop of the cork, that fizzy tickley feeling in your mouth..How can you not smile? I'm sure from the tone of my post, you can tell that this was a much needed treat for my taste buds and perhaps more importantly, my pysche.

Imagine smelling some freshly cut apples, ones you bought at your local farmers market in June. Also imagine someone left a bouquet of jasmine and honeysuckle on the table where your apples are. Finally, think of how yeasty bread dough smells. There you go, that's how this wine smells. Beautiful, accessible, fun, friendly are all  words I'd use to describe the Kramer Vineyards Celebrate Muller-Thurgau.

How does the wine taste? A lot like bottled deliciousness. More of the ripe apples, creamy yeast, a touch of sweet flowers too. I figure there's some residual sugar here but the combination of acidity and bubbles keeps that as a supporting flavor versus the wine becoming too sweet. I think it would be interesting to experiment even further with a drier version though, to see what pure, mineral driven flavors muller-thurgau is capable of.

Put simply, the Kramer Vineyards Celebrate Muller-Thurgau flat-out rocks. It's drinking incredibly well right now and is a way for you to experience a fresh twist on a very sparsely planted (and vinified) species of grape. This costs all of $15 from the Kramer Vineyards website. At that price, it's easy to buy an armful of this to have on hand to wow your guests and create some fun pairings. I made some simple quesadillas and the crisp tortillas, creamy cheese, and bubbly muller-thurgau went together like Beau and wine! A nearly perfect pairing if there ever was one. So give the bubbly a shot, support a family owned and operated winery, and drink good wine!

This was sent as a sample from Kramer Vineyards.

Beau Carufel