Effervescence Unleashed Cocktail of the Month for September 2025: Amaro Spritz

The Effervescence Unleashed Cocktail of the Month for September 2025: The Amaro Spritz. Simply add the amaro to a drinking vessel, add sparkling wine, and top with sparkling water -  in this case the Spindrift® sparkling water.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Amaro: Amaro Salento Classico
• 3 ounces sparkling wine: Iron Horse Vineyards Summer Cuvée 2021
• Top with Spindrift® sparkling water.

The Amaro Salento Classico is comprised of 45 herbs, vegetables, roots, peels, seeds, flowers, and rhizomes, including cinchona, gentian, bitter and sweet orange, elderberry, wormwood, chamomile, pigeon pea, and quassia. 

The Iron Horse Vineyards Summer Cuvée. This Blanc de Blanc is made from selected lots in their Green Valley of Russian River Valley estate known for producing expressive and fruit forward grapes. Interestingly they add a little Pinot Noir along with Chardonnay in the dosage. SRP is $75.

Effervescence Unleashed Cocktail of the Month for August 2025: Sparkling Wine Whiskey Cocktail

The Effervescence Unleashed Cocktail of the Month for August 2025: The Sparkling Wine Whiskey Cocktail. Simply add the rye whiskey, honey, and lemon juice to a shaker. Shake for 10-20 seconds and top with sparkling wine.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Gin: Catoctin Creek Hot Honey Rye Whiskey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey if not using the Hot Honey Rye
• Top with sparkling wine: Russian River Cuvée 2021

The Catoctin Creek Hot Honey Rye Whiskey is comprised of potstilled 100% rye whisky, three types of local Virginia honey (wildflower, clover, and buckwheat), and an infusion of chile peppers. Catoctin Creek is located in Loudoun County Virginia. SRP is $52.

The Iron Horse Vineyards Russian River Cuvée has multiple layers of meaning. Originally named for the historic Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Meetings in 1985, it also refers to the vineyard’s unique location in the Russian River area, and it is a reference to the 19th century taste of the Tsars for richer bubbly that made Cristal famous. The Russian River is the “richest” in the Iron Horse line up, though still technically brut-level dry.. SRP is $58.

Grape Spotlight: The Green Valley of the Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Sonoma County includes multiple AVAs which in turn, include even more sub-AVAs. One of the coolest and foggiest of these is the Green Valley of the Russian River Valley -- situated in the southwestern part of the Russian River Valley, squeezed into the Petaluma Gap between the Coastal Ranges to the west and the urban spread of Sebastopol and Santa Rosa to the east.  The Green Valley AVA was registered in 1983 with the name changed to the Green Valley of the Russian River Valley in 2007, tying the AVA with the region it is a part of. This move helped to distinguish Green Valley from the similarly named Solano County Green Valley AVA on the other side of Napa Valley. -- wine-searcher.com

The Green Valley of the Russian River Valley is cool because it lies on the edge of the Petaluma Gap meaning "that Green Valley is one of the last to have the fog burn off in the mornings, and one of the first to see it develop again in the afternoon. As such, the area's vineyards have a limited amount of exposure to bright sunlight every day, instead being subject to the cool, moist fog." The predominant soil-type is called “Gold Ridge”, a sandy loam that has excellent drainage and is perfectly, inherently balanced, making it one of the most coveted soil types, especially for growing Pinot Noir.

Iron Horse Vineyards takes advantage of this coolness and soil type and have planted approximately 160 acres of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Green Valley.  Their estate is divided into 39 blocks, farmed individually, harvested separately and then each vinified as a "single vineyard". They practice “precision viticulture”: Each block has been planted with site-specific rootstock and clone selections. All pruning, canopy management, irrigation, and cover crop decisions are determined on a block-by-block (and sometimes even vine-by-vine) basis, considering both the vintage and the long-term needs of the land. They use sustainable practices such as seeing hills with erosion control cover crop; mulching with grape prunings; and recycle water to frost-protect the vines as well as irrigate the gardens.

The Iron Horse Vineyards Winery Block Pinot Noir 2020 is made from a single clone, Pommard 5, grown on the four acre Winery Block at the crest of the knoll below the winery and tasting room.  The grapes are hand harvested, then cold-soaked in stainless steel tanks for four to seven days. Before fermentation is complete, the new wine is gently pressed from the skins and transferred to French oak barrels. Fermentation then goes to completion in the barrels, allowing us to stir the lees as the wine goes through malolactic fermentation.  This process crafts a magnificent Pinot Noir where the juicy and silky black cherry fruit flows with integrity to fill the palate.  Hints of spice and minerality compliment the juicy fruit.