Remember wine? The thing specialty coffee spent so many of its formative years trying to emulate. We all love wine. And when the heat starts cranking up, as it currently is, there’s nothing that sounds better on a summer’s day than some crushable bubbly wine. It’s cool, it’s crisp, and it’s refreshing.
What you are no doubt wondering is, “can it have coffee in it?” to which I am pleased to report that, yes, of course it can, thanks to the new Panther Cuvée, a limited edition sparkling wine made with Panther Coffee.
As reported by M Live, Panther Cuvée is the product of Mawby, a vineyard and winery in Suttons Bay, Michigan that trades primarily in sparkling wines. They’ve teamed up with Panther Coffee, who is most known for their Miami locations but also operates out of Traverse City just 30 minutes south Suttons Bay.
Together they have created Panther Cuvée, a blend of Leelanau Peninsula Chardonnay, Riesling, and Pinot Gris grapes with Panther’s Wonderland blend dark roast. The brut-style wine is tirage bottled and aged for at least 24 months, then disgorged and “finished with a special coffee infused dosage.” The result is an 11% ABV sparkling wine that “opens with inviting aromas of freshly roasted dark coffee beans,” with notes of vanilla, cocoa, ripe apricot, and pineapple. The “bright acidity and lively bubbles” give way to a “weighty texture that coats the mouth in coffee flavor” and finishes “long and coffee-forward.”
Coming in 375ml bottles, only 100 cases of Panther Cuvée have been produced and they are currently available for purchase from Mawby’s website.
Now, I will be the first to admit that I don’t have the slightest clue if this will be any good or not. On the one hand, espresso and sparkling wine are a delicious pairing. But on the other hand, so are champagne and French fries, but that doesn’t mean I want my Brut to taste like pomme de terre. It’s like the Australians say, you can’t fit a tuber in flute.
Luckily there is one surefire way to figure out if it works, and that is to pony up the $20 and buy your own bottle of Panther Cuvée. For more information or to purchase a bottle, visit Mawby’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
