Sophie’s Choice

Schramsberg J Schram 1998
Calistoga, California

his beautiful sparkling wine has brought nations together, literally. When the trading embargo was lifted between the United States and China in the early seventies, this wine was lifted in a toast and the name Schramsberg was internationally known. Now the J Schram is used for most of the White House special gatherings, not a bad choice. This wine is made in the traditional Methode Champenoise, just like the champagnes in France. This method is time consuming and extremely hands on, each bottle is turned an eighth of a turn by a person called a ‘riddler’ and this person might turn up to 40,000 bottles a day. You can tell they take great pride in making their wines and the finished product really shows their commitment to making spectacular sparkling wines is paying off. I could write so much more but you really need to try this one for yourself. With New Years approaching, this wine should be raised at the stroke of midnight. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to everyone!
December Wine Tastings:
2nd – Holiday Whites
9th – Holiday Reds
16th – Holiday Sparkling