Review: Easley Traminette

I make no secret of the fact I enjoy Traminette, the cross between Gewurztraminer and Johannes Seyve 23-416, a close relative of Seyval Blanc. Part of the reason is that semi-dry whites are my favorite demographic. The other part is that Traminette is a variety that is well-suited for Indiana’s climate. There’s versatility with Tram as well, you can run the range from sweet to dry. I find that sweet Trams can sometimes be cloying, but the varietal really hits the spot in the semi-dry category.

Therefore, imagine my delight when I was gifted with two bottles of Easley Winery’s Traminette. I had not yet tried Easley Winery's Traminette, and I just know the giver didn’t expect to me wait until Christmas to open one!

Color is that of pale straw, and the nose does not give up much. Slight apple and apricot notes. The palate showed moderate mineral tones with a nice fruit and floral balance, and the finish was crisp and smooth. Trams can clear the palate, and thus would be appropriate with spicy Asian food as well as seafood. I enjoyed it with a big pot of ham and beans I cooked up. A little unorthodox, and while I usually prefer a hearty red on a cold winter night, the combination of comfort food and comfort wine hit the spot.

The second night, the downside of Traminette happened-the wine lost much of its luster. Ironically, the nose was much fuller, with fruit giving way to floral notes, particularly honeysuckle. However, the taste was barely there, with the mineral tones dominating, too much in fact. I could taste what was, but it was only a flabby shadow of itself.

Overall, I enjoyed this wine. You can not really blame the wine for petering out after the second day when most semi-dry whites do. Perhaps something to spice up the frame to give it a little staying power would be welcome. I would certainly recommend this wine-but would make sure it was going to a function where it would be consumed that night.