Great Western Champagne

I've run across these ads for Great Western Champagne from time to time and I always wanted to see who this vintner was.  I used one of their 1935 ads yesterday and this is another from the same year.  All of their ads are great pieces of the deco art form. 
Well after some research I was able to find out that Great Western was made by the winery of the same name in Urbana, NY.  It's also called the Pleasant Valley Winery and was founded in 1860.  Production of sparkling wines started in 1865 earning it the title of "The Rheims of America".  Production goes on to this day but you will be hard pressed to find this wine outside of the North East.  Apparently it was and still is a highly rated wine, being the first "American Champagne" to win medals in Europe and even today it is still rated an 87/100.  Quite an accomplishment for a sparkling wine that falls into the below $10 category.

I ushered in the New Year with the same sparkling wine I always have, St Hilaire.  It's the oldest sparkling wine in the world, having been made by the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of St. Hilaire for over 450 years.  Apparently it was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson and well, it's my favorite as well.  It has a flavor better than champagne and at around $12-14 a bottle I don't have to break the bank buying some. 

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