Today on Happy Hour with Hannah and Otto's Wine & Spirit's it's all about celebration. Whether you're celebrating the start of the fall season, your kids going back to school, a new Packer's season or really anything, the best way to celebrate is with Gruet Sparkling Wine! Of course if you're not celebrating anything specific, bubbles are still great for any ole night of the week! Gruet Winery was founded in 1984 in New Mexico and specializes in Méthode Champenoise sparkling wines. They are family owned and run which you know I love and more than 25 vintages later, Gruet Winery remains a favorite of the nation's top sommeliers.
I wasn't super familiar with the words "méthode champenoise" but it turns out that the best sparkling wines are made by méthode champenoise which requires a secondary fermentation in the bottle. This process is accomplished by adding a mixture of sugar and yeast to still wine. The wine is then bottled and capped with more of a bottle cap similar to what is found on beer bottles instead of a cork. The yeast and the sugar of course do their thing, sometimes up to six years, and at the end of the process the cap is removed and replaced with the traditional cork and wire cage.
The two flavors we got to sample on Happy Hour with Hannah and Otto's Wine & Spirits are Gruet Brut and Gruet Brut Rose. Gruet Brut was the winery's first wine released in 1989. You'll experience aromas of green apple and toasty cinnamon leading to crisp flavors of lime and mineral. Wine Spectator named it as one of their top 100 best buys. Gruet Brut Rose is made solely form Pinot Noir and gets its gorgeous pale salmon color from the extended time the wine spends in contact with the skin. It offers wild strawberry, plum and floral aromas complemented by zesty acidity and a delicate mineral finish.
On the homepage of their website is a quote from the Dad in the family business which I just love. It reads "Dad's philosophy was that you work really hard at what you do and reap the rewards...If you think it's going to fall from the sky, you will wait your whole life." Their hard work paid off because their sparkling wines are amazing! Otto's Wine & Spirits is always looking out for their customers of course and has these Gruet Sparkling Wines on-sale! Normal retail price is $17 per bottle but you can pick them up at any Otto's Wine & Spirits location for $11.99 for Gruet Brut and $12.99 for Gruet Brut Rose. Click here to find the Otto's Wine & Spirits location nearest you and pick it up today to celebrate something special or just any ole night.