Traminette

What do you grow where the summers are fairly warm, the winters pretty cool, and the growing season he rainiest part of an otherwise pretty wet and humid climate? To find out, we're going about an hour mostly south of Indianapolis, Indiana to Bloomington the home of Indiana University. While local wineries experiment with lots of grapes in this area, the grape of choice, at least when measured by amount planted is Traminette.

How Traminette got to Bloomington is a bit of a Big 10 rivalry story. Looking for a grape that they could grow locally, scientists at the University of Illinois, crossed Gewurtzraminer, one of the classic vitis vinifera grapes, with a hybrid grape called Joannes Seyve (do not ever look for a post here on the merits of Joannes Seyve because you have already gotten my entire knowledge of the grape). 

Originally bred as a grape to eat and hoping for something with a bit of spice, Traminette was shipped from Champaign, Illinois to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. There, they found that Traminette could be made into a white wine. And, what's more, the grape with its loose clusters and thick skins could survive less than ideal growing conditions. 

It's interesting that this grape, first bottled in wine in the mid-1990s and grown more in the American midwest than anywhere else actually has tropical fruit flavors. Think yellow and orange with a bit of spice. And, it can be, and is, made into dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wines.

Characteristic notes tend to include mango, honey, passion fruit, peach, pear, pineapple, and melon. As you might expect with an offspring of Gewurtzraminer, it pairs wonderfully with Thai food. But, a really interesting twist might come from its affinity for soft, gooey cheese. What's spicy and cheesy? Think Mexican. If you'd prefer wine to margaritas with your quesadillas, pop open a bottle of Traminette. And, the less you like the heat of the salsa, the sweeter your selection of Traminette should be.