The boy king now has his own wine

A special wine for the boy king? I’ll drink to that!

Today, the de Young Museum launches a new sparkling wine, Tut Cuvée, to commemorate their Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition. Tut Cuvée is a limited edition sparkling wine produced by Iron Horse Vineyards.

Tut Cuvée retails for $29.99 and one dollar of the purchase price of every bottle will go towards sending school children to see the Tut exhibition for free. The de Young expects over 350 Bay Area school children will benefit from the fundraiser.

Iron Horse Vineyards Winemaker David Munksgard crafted Tut Cuvée from a 2006 vintage Blanc de Noirs made from predominantly Pinot Noir grapes with a splash of Chardonnay. The dosage, or finishing element, for the sparkling wine was selected through a special tasting session conducted at the winery in Sebastopol in August.

The panel consisted of David Munksgard, Fine Arts Museums Director John Buchanan and Spencer Christian, host of KGO-TV’s View from the Bay and a celebrated oenophile. “We crafted Tut Cuvée to embody all the qualities one would ascribe to the boy king – regal, elegant, and very dry!” quips John Buchanan.

Only 500 cases are available for Tut Cuvée. You can buy it by the glass in the de Young Museum Cafe, by the bottle or case at the Iron Horse Vineyards in Sebastopol, online at ironhorsevineyards.com, and at fine wine shops throughout the Bay Area.

Curious how sparking wine is made? Check out the video below in which Iron Horse Winemaker David Munksgard explains the process.

So now Tut has his own gold card and sparkling wine. What’s next?

Sarah B.