The riesling experience through the appetizers had been amazing.
A lot of us were surprised by how much we were enjoying the various
wines.
The riesling experience through the appetizers had been amazing. A lot of us were surprised by how much we were enjoying the various wines. With an occasional exception, most of us in the dinner party would consider ourselves “red wine drinkers” first – in other words, we lean toward consuming more red wine than white. Since this dinner was all about white wines, our expectations were getting blown out of the water!
After standing and moving about during the first course, our group settled down to the table to start dinner. Our host started bringing out plates of food, finally revealing what was creating all the wonderful smells in the kitchen.
The main course consisted of pork tenderloins that had been brined for 24 hours. Brine is water that has been saturated with salt and by letting the meat marinade in the brine, the cells in the tissue will lock in moisture once the meat starts cooking. This is especially true of poultry and pork. First, the tenderloin was seared in a saute pan a couple of minutes on each side and then roasted in an oven until the meat reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees, about medium-rare.
“Remember, rieslings are so versatile, they go with everything, even steak,” our host said. I trust him implicitly. After almost a year of food and wine pairings, he has yet to fail or even come close to letting us down in any aspect. Better put – this guy knows his —-!
The first wine to join us at dinner was a 2002 Reinhold Kniebel – Spätlese from Germany. This probably was the most balanced wine we tried during the evening. It was soft, slightly acidic and slightly sweet, smooth on the palate and ever inviting for another sip. The cost per bottle was around $18.
The next wine was from Austria, a 2004 Bründlmayer – Langenloiser Steinmassel. This wine probably would define the most classic of rieslings. Good strong mineral components, dry, good citrus, hints of apricot and spice. It was low in alcohol and around $18.
Our host reminded us to serve rieslings nicely chilled, but not cold. If the wine is too cold, it restricts the flavors and aromas of the wine.
The rest of the dinner dishes included a medley of roasted potatoes, carrots and onions. These were sauteed on high heat for just a couple of minutes with salt, lemon juice, lemon zest, paprika and extra virgin olive oil. Again, the vegetables were cooked till almost done, leaving a slight crispness to them.
To make up for large amount of bacon that was consumed earlier, some nice, fresh Swiss chard and winter kale were served sauteed in balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. Very healthy, easy to prepare and delicious! We passed around a basket of yeasty, baguette slices that allowed us to clean the juices off our plates too.
Two Alsace wines were presented next, a 2002 Ostertag – d’Epfig (we had the 2004 version earlier in the evening) and a 2001 Ostertag – Muenchberg. The difference between these two wines was not only the vintage, but also the vineyard. The grapes really can absorb the soil, leading to different characteristics that are pronounced, even though the vines may only be separated by a hillside or short distance. Many riesling vines are planted in rocky schist, where soil is almost non-existent. This creates grapes that are small, concentrated and expressive of the minerals in the earth.
I could not tell any difference between the 2002 and 2004 Ostertag d’Epfigs. I tried, but they were too similar for my palate to make any distinctions. However, the Muenchberg, which runs about $40, was noticeably different. Floral notes, flavors of honey, lemon-lime and spice. The high acidity in these wines would allow you to lay down the wine and let it evolve over 5-15 years.
Dessert was simple, with fresh tangerines, dried apricots and Carlos Olivas roasted pecans.
This leads us to the last wine we enjoyed. To allow the group to sample a riesling that had aged for a while, our host-with-the-most pulled out a 1990 Kabner Simon – Auslese – Pfalz from Germany. If you recall from last week’s article, it is recommended that auslese wines get some aging due to the higher sugar content from riper grapes. Sometimes, the grapes are botrytized, which means they have been affected by fungus, sometimes called noble rot. This wine was fruity and vibrant at first, sweet yet dry. The nose was a bit musty, with aromas of lemon and apricots and it had an oily, mineral finish on the palate. With dessert, this wine was perfect.
I am not sure where the next dinner will take us, but you’ll be the first to know.
Cheers!
