Traminette

There are a few wines from my 20+ years in the wine industry that stand out in my memory. Wines I can specifically remember how they tasted, who poured them for me, and how they changed my perspective on wine in general. One wine in particular was a Traminette, crafted by two of the most awarded home winemakers in America, although at the time, I only knew them as the warm and kind Barry and Sissy St. Pierre. 

The St. Pierre’s have a few acres of grapevines in the Northeast and craft beautiful wines from their estate grapes. They are incredibly humble about their terrific winemaking skills, always striving to beat the last vintage and improve their craft and knowledge. I have been lucky enough to come to know them as friends over the decades and regard them as mentors in my own professional winemaking journey. I remember trying a glass of Traminette at an American Wine Society event and being blown away by the aromas of fresh spring flowers like honeysuckle and jasmine, exotic fruit notes of lychee and Asian pear, and traces of honey. I had never smelled a wine so fragrant, so perfume-like, and featuring qualities I had never observed in a wine, specifically a hybrid varietal. It had such complexity of aroma that translated beautifully to the palate with rich tropical lychee character, stunning florals, and a subtle nuance of sweetness to balance out the refreshing acidity. 

This example caused me to think very differently about wine. It made me think about the value of the aroma as the gateway to the wine and what really starts to trigger flavor identifications and memories in your brain before the wine even hits the palate. It increased the value of the wine’s aroma as part of the consumer experience in my mind, as your wine drinking experience really does first start with the nose, inviting you in to experience all of the flavors the wine has to offer.

Traminette is a genetic cross of the Vitis vinifera Gewürztraminer and the French-American hybrid Joannes Seyve 23.416. It was originally crossed by Herb C. Barrett at the University of Illinois in 1965. Barrett utilized the grape variety Joannes Seyve 23.416, which was developed by its namesake, a French biochemist, as a cross of Bertille Seyve 4825 x Chancellor. Joannes Seyve is a son of famed grape geneticist Bertille Seyve, and Joannes developed Seyval Blanc, Chambourcin, Villard Noir, and countless other varieties that have contributed to the French-American hybrids that we know and grow today. After Traminette’s development by Barrett in 1965, it was trialed by Cornell University for over a decade before being released for sale in 1996. My first encounter with the grape was in the mid-2000s, making it still a new grape to local professional and amateur viticulturists.

In the Vineyard

Traminette has been named the state grape of Indiana, and is grown all over the northern U.S., most heavily in the Midwest and as far south as Virginia and North Carolina. It has moderate vigor and prefers soils with excellent drainage, such as deep gravel, loamy soils. The vine shows good resistance to both root and foliar phylloxera as well as many of the common cooler climate issues of powdery mildew, black rot, and Botrytis. Some issues with downy mildew have been seen in wetter seasons, but a regular spray program of fungicide should help avoid any damage. 

One of the aspects of Traminette’s makeup that helps with the resistance to mildews is the higher levels of protein within the grape. While a benefit in the vineyard as a defense mechanism against mildews and molds, it must be addressed in the winery as to not cause hazy instabilities later in the wine’s aging process. 

Trellising is often done in the vertical shoot positioning (VSP) style, as green growth is moderate given soils with proper nutrition. In my experience growing it in various colder weather sites, Traminette often does well at the tops of hills to allow for excellent drainage, VSP trellising with moderate hedging needed, and some leaf pulling throughout the ripening season. The extra sunlight on the exposed fruit helps to increase the varietal spicy white pepper character in the finished wine along with its noteworthy florals. Traminette grapevine loss that I have had in commercial vineyards is usually due to some pooling of water in a low spot, creating soggy — then frozen — ground for the grapevines. Frost heaves can disturb the roots and decrease vigor, or even kill the vine. Bud death typically only occurs below -15 °F (-26 °C), according to early studies of the grape done by Cornell University in their development research in the 1980s. 

Traminette has loose, lower-shouldered clusters that show good resistance to Botrytis due to increased air circulation throughout the cluster. Grapes are a rich golden hue upon ripening and their thicker skins hold up well to poor weather and insects. It tends to yield on the lower side of 1.7 clusters per shoot, however maintains tensile strength to stay upon the vine long into the ripening season, making them a popular choice for late-harvest wines. 

In the Winery

There are many options and possibilities when vinifying Traminette into wine. The marked spiciness and floral character desired in the finished wine is largely derived from the skins containing important terpenes, specifically geraniol. Some winemakers allow for some skin contact time before pressing to try to manipulate the amount of terpenes and increase the powerful floral potential of this wine. 

In preparation for this article, I asked Barry St. Pierre about his experiments with skin contact time in Traminette processing over the years of crafting award-winning vintages of the varietal. 

“I tried extended skin contact prior to pressing . . . various lengths, one as much as about 12 hours. I kept getting a large bitter finish in all of those instances. Consequently, I do not do any extended skin contact,” said St. Pierre.  

In my own experience of nine vintages with the variety, I have only conducted a few hours of skin contact time. I did not see a massive increase in varietal character, but a deeper hue to the wine and subtle bitterness — which was corrected via an addition of Noblesse — was apparent. For those unfamiliar with Noblesse, it is a yeast-derived nutrient developed by Scott Labs that helps to reduce the perception of acidity, bitterness, or astringency due to the slow breakdown and integration of long chain polysaccharides. The fining with Noblesse post-fermentation can help increase the perception of sweetness and fruitiness of a wine. This product can really help “round out the rough edges” of a young wine. If the vintner would like to experiment with skin contact to create an orange-style wine or more full-bodied version of the white, bitterness will have to be addressed via fining later in the winemaking process.

Cold ferments are essential to preserving the aromatic qualities of the wine. Keeping fermentations well below 70 °F (21 °C), based on the preferred yeast strain’s fermentation temperature window, will maintain the most aromatic character throughout the fermenting process. I tend to cold ferment my Traminette around 56 °F (13 °C). The Traminette harvested from my cold-climate vineyard tends to maintain a higher level of acidity, coming in with a pH of 2.9 to 3.1 and a titratable acidity (TA) of 9–12 g/L. Potassium bicarbonate is a popular ingredient in my cellar for my hybrid wines. I find that raising the pH of the wine to about 3.2 results in the need for less backsweetening. This also moves some of the tart white grapefruit flavors found in the wine with a pH of 3.0 to the more tropical fruit characteristics of apricot, lychee, and starfruit when the pH approaches 3.2 or 3.3. 

Various yeast strains are conducive to the fermentation of Traminette. Select any strain with high rates of thiol release that performs well in a cooler ferment. In past fermentations I have used R2, Vin 13, Steinberger (D228), and Alchemy 1. All have excellent abilities to release aromatic precursors, yet I have found best success with the first two strains mentioned. 

Traminette maintains a bright acidity after fermentation that will help with your sulfur additions to preserve the wine against oxidation. This refreshing yet sometimes bracing acidity often needs a touch of sweetness to bring the wine into balance upon the palate. I’ve enthusiastically sampled Traminette wines in a wide variety of styles across the Northeast and I’ve found graceful and lithe dry samples that dance across the palate like a ballerina, to rich late-harvest styles that envelop the palate in a silky blanket of apricot, honey, and honeysuckle perfume. There is no wrong answer in how a vintner chooses to finish this wine — it is just a matter of what your palate finds in balance with the amount of acidity in your specific wine. With an average recommended target pH of 3.2, I find that 1% residual sugar creates a lovely balance and the sweetness will actually enhance some of the tropical fruit character. 

Fortification is also an interesting option, with the addition of brandy or grape neutral spirits. The addition of brandy mingles in richer caramelized honey, vanilla, and butterscotch notes to the already complex cornucopia of tropical fruit and floral notes, giving Traminette excellent potential for a dessert wine. 

Traminette now has a special place in my heart, palate, and winemaking portfolio. While it is one of the smallest batches of wine that I craft from my estate grapes, I put extra care and effort into its production as I strive to recreate the example I first sampled from the St. Pierres long ago. Traminette has showed me a new world of wine aromas and flavors, and created a threshold of aromatic potential that I strive for in all of my wines. 

Traminette Recipe (5 gal./19 L)

Ingredients
125 lbs. (57 kg) Traminette grapes or 6 gallons (23 L) Traminette grape juice
Sanitizing solution of potassium metabisulfite (KMBS) 
5 g yeast (Vin 13, R2, DG228, or Alchemy 1)
7.5 g Go-Ferm Sterol Flash
7.5 g Fermaid O
5 g Fermaid K
5 g Opti-White (optional, but helps)
5 g Booster Blanc (optional, but helps)
5 g bentonite
Potassium bicarbonate
Distilled water
Table sugar (if Brix is low)
Potassium sorbate
Zenith Uno or Celstab (optional, but helpful)

Equipment needed
Crusher/destemmer 
Wine press 
15-gallon (57-L) fermentation bucket or bin
5-gallon (19-L) carboy
Airlock and bung
Auto-siphon and tubing
Stir paddle
Spray bottle
pH meter
Hydrometer
Spoon and small mixing bowl
Thermometer (digital preferred)
Bulk KMBS sanitizing solution made and stored in water jugs or jars
Glass marbles (optional)

Step by step

1. Ensure all your equipment is clean and in proper working order. Make a fresh batch of KMBS sanitizing solution using 1 Tbsp. of KMBS powder and 1 Tbsp. of citric acid mixed into 1 gallon (3.8 L) of clean water. Fill a spray bottle with the solution and spray down your processing equipment, but ensure there is no pooling of sanitizer in bins or press basins.

2. If using fresh grapes, crush and destem and then press grapes. You may choose to allow for some skin contact time to enhance the spicy character of Traminette, but this may cause bitterness in the wine later. 

3. Transfer juice into a sanitized fermentation bucket. Add 50 ppm of KMBS to kill off natural yeast. Utilize the sulfite calculator at www.winemakermag.com/sulfitecalculator to assist in your calculations. If using purchased juice, ask if this has already been done for you to ensure you don’t overdose the juice. 

4. Take measurements of your juice, including volume, Brix, pH, and titratable acidity (TA). Adjust the juice to have a starting Brix of at least 22, a pH of ~3.3, and TA of 8 or 9 g/L. www.wineadds.com has calculators to assist you with Brix and acidity adjustments.

5. To prepare the yeast, warm up 50 mL of distilled water to 60 °F (16 °C) and add to the mixing bowl. Then add the Go Ferm Sterol Flash. Stir well. Then add five grams of yeast and stir well. Allow to sit for 15 minutes. Then mix in thoroughly to the juice with a sanitized stir paddle.

6. Place a lid on the fermentation pail loosely and wait 24 hours to observe yeast activity. Take Brix measurements twice daily via a hydrometer to ensure the start of fermentation. Take temperature measurements daily. Try to keep the fermentation temperatures as close to 60 °F (16 °C) as possible to preserve the aromatic compounds. To do this, you may need to put the fermentation bin in a cool area of your basement, outdoor porch, or refrigerator, or in a larger bin (garbage pail) filled with ice water.

7. After one or two days of fermentation, check the Brix and if it has dropped by one or two degrees, it will be time to add nutrients. Add 100 mL of distilled water to a mixing bowl and add 7.5 g Fermaid O and the Opti-White and Booster Blanc if you are using them. Mix well to create a slurry and then stir into the fermenting juice with a sanitized stir paddle.

8. Continue to monitor Brix and temperatures daily (twice daily is preferred). When the Brix has declined to 15–11 °Brix, add the Fermaid K in the same way you added the Fermaid O.

9. Continue to ferment as close to 60 °F (16 °C) as possible until the wine has fermented to dryness (approx. -1 to -2 °Brix). This should take between 7–21 days. 

10. Rack off the gross lees into a carboy by using the sanitized auto-siphon and tubing. Add 50 ppm of KMBS and stir well into the wine. Affix the bung and airlock and allow to sit for 3–4 days in a cool environment.

11. After 5–7 days, rack off the lees into a clean, sanitized carboy. Affix bung and airlock and allow to sit for a month. If you have an air gap after racking, either top off with a complementary wine such as Riesling or Gewürztraminer, or add sanitized glass marbles to displace the headspace. 

12. When the wine is one month old, rack again into a sanitized carboy and add another 50 ppm of KMBS. At this point the wine should give off minimal lees and should be hazy but not opaque. Consider fining with bentonite to help clarify it and help with heat stabilization. Mix bentonite according to its directions (every formulation may have its own unique preparation). Add to wine and allow to settle over 2–3 weeks. Once bentonite has settled, rack the wine off the lees into a clean and sanitized carboy. 

13. Allow the wine to sit and age, maintaining a free SO₂ level appropriate for the pH.  WineMaker’s sulfite calculator will help you determine the proper dosage given the parameters of pH and volume. You may consider cold stabilizing or adding a cold stabilizing product such as Zenith Uno or Celstab. These products may only be used if the wine is filtered down to 0.5 micron as turbidity will interfere with their effectiveness. If filtration is not available, try to cold stabilize via refrigeration or exposure to cold air.

14. Once cold stability has been achieved via physical or chemical means, taste the wine and see if you desire some sweetness to balance. If you choose to backsweeten, raise the free SO₂ to 50 ppm and add 1 g/gallon (1 g/3.8 L) of potassium sorbate. Stir well, then add the amount of sweetener needed to achieve the desired end result (after conducting bench trials to determine this). 

15. Bottle once you are content with the flavor and stability of the wine. Always add a small amount of sulfite before bottling — 10 ppm beyond the sulfite calculator’s recommended value — to account for oxygen uptake during the bottling process.