Gruet Methode Champenoise Brut American Sparkling

Every wine tells a story—from grapes to glass. Have the varietals been growing in local vineyards for millennia, or did the vines originate from another region, or from across an ocean? Did the winemaker follow ancient techniques handed down over generations, or did she employ modern practices learned in her oenology classes? This story only ends when you open the bottle. Did you savour it slowly with family at home, or was it served to you at your favourite restaurant? No two bottles tell the same tale.

The making of Gruet Brut American Sparkling could be written as a book. It’s an American wine hailing from the lesser-known wine region of New Mexico, but made using the same traditional method employed by France’s venerated Champagne houses.

Members of the Gruet family, proprietors of a Champagne house in France, were traveling in the US in 1983 when they discovered that vineyards had been planted in New Mexico by the Spanish as early as the 1600s. The patriarch, Gilbert Gruet, was so intrigued he bought a vineyard and planted the grapes of his home region, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Then, two of his children moved to New Mexico to begin their American winemaking chapter.

Their delicious traditional-method Brut Sparkling, with the notes of lemon, green apple and brioche often found in a fine Champagne, is available at the LCBO at a price well below its competitors from France - $26.95.