Grappling for Gruet
The other night I opened the bottle of NV Gruet Blanc de Noirs I bought a few weeks ago (at Beltramo’s for $11 or $12). Now, I admit I’ve been a bit in the dark as to what Gruet signified for this New Mexico sparkling wine…grape? producer? style? Turns out, the family responsible for Gruet et Fils in Champagne decided to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in New Mexico in 1984, after stumbling upon other Europeans who’d found wine luck in the state. These years later, Gruet makes seven sparkling wines and two each Chardonnay and Pinot.
And though New Mexico might not be your first stop for wine, this one was pretty good. It was dry, very light, and slightly bready. The fruits were pretty muted but they hinted at raspberry and lemon. I served this particular bottle with an old favorite, but changed up the preparation. This time the smoked salmon went along with citrus-vinaigrette-dressed greens, and was highlighted with a mascarpone-dill spread, finished with capers and red onions.
Happily, I’ve found a new favorite salad and a new go-to in sparkling wine.
NV Gruet Blanc de Noirs, New Mexico sparkling wine, smoked salmon salad
Farley Walker




June 7th, 2007 at 10:39 am
I think Gruet’s success in New Mexico is an indication of the enormous potential of undiscovered/underappreciated North American wine regions. Wine-friendly microclimates are out there; we just need adventurous winemakers to take advantage of them.