Wine on the Road

Since Saturday I've been travelling - from Potsdam to Schnecksville, PA and then on to Atlantic City.  Along the way I've had a few wines, most of which were excellent!

Upon my arrival at my parents' house, my dad opened up a 2001 Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese.  We have a thing for Riesling in my family, and, as I've discussed before, 2001 was a special year in the Mosel.  This Auslese was a very good example of the type.  It was fruity but fairly dry (very dry as Ausleses go) with flavors of peaches and apricots.  A nice wine to drink with some cheese as an appetizer. 

We then went out to dinner to the Bake Oven Inn in Germansville, PA.  I had some chilled Potato Leek Soup (I, apparently, don't like chilled soups - it seemed like I would've liked it warm!) and then some crab cakes.  We shared a bottle of a spanish white wine the name of which we can't remember!  I also had some hard Pear Cider with dessert.  Now, Pear Cider is a treat that I've had in Sweden several times (this is one example), but this American Version, Fox Barrel, didn't live up to my memories.  

While in Atlantic City, at the Northeastern Ag. and Resource Economics Conference, there was a wine tasting.  I got to taste 4 $25 bottles of Bordeaux and 1 $100 bottle of Bordeaux, blind.  The idea was to see if we could match the wines we tasted to their descriptions from leading wine publications.  I have to say that I couldn't distinguish the $25 bottles from each other.  However, I am proud that I did pick out the $100 bottle from the rest.  It was 2000 Calon Segur.  It was bursting with different flavors, and stood out for its complexity and depth of flavors.  A wonderful wine. 

Finally, tonight, back at my parents' house, we had a perfectly cooked Flank Steak with a garlic/lemon spice rub.  To pair with it, my dad opened a prized bottle (bought at nearly a 66% discount at the local PA State Store compared to the winery price, my dad is proud to say!).  It was a 1999 Hanna Bismark Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley Proprietor Grown, and it was spectacular.  Heard around the table were blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and tobacco.  It was rich in flavor and complemented the steak perfectly.  We fought over the last drops. 

Now, I have to finish this post so my dad and I can open up a bottle of port.  You'll hear about that later...

Recent Good Wines

So I've been slacking in my blogging responsibilities.  But this week, Louise and I had three wines worth talking about. 

Earlier in the week, after returning from a camping trip, Louise fried up some beautiful Dover Sole (for sentimental reasons, my very favorite fish....that's another story).  I paired a Raats Family 2008 Original Chenin Blanc from South Africa.  It was crisp and tasted of pears and green apples.  A very light, refreshing wine to pair with a light-flavored fish like Sole, and reasonably priced (~$15)

Then, on Tuesday, it was our Anniversary (#8).  To celebrate, and to help us keep up with our diets, Louise cooked a "light" version of Linguini Carbonara.  I wasn't sure what to pair with this, but ended up going with a sparkling wine from the Vouvray region of France.  When I first started drinking wine in Graduate School, I somehow happened upon Vouvray's wines (made predominantly from Chenin Blanc) and enjoyed them - always a little bit different.  Then I heard of sparkling Vouvray's and just had to try one!  I had one by Champalou several years ago that was enjoyable.  This time I pulled out a 2002 Domaine Huet Brut Vouvray Petillant.  It was a golden color with relatively few bubbles, and offered richer and darker flavors than its non-sparkling cousin.  It went perfectly with the Carbonara.  For another review of this wine, see McDuff's Food and Wine Trail. 

Finally, last night Louise roasted a turkey breast and served it with Mashed Potatoes and Spinach Pie.  Traditionally, many people would stick with white wine to pair with Turkey, but I've always preferred a light red wine.  So, Beaujolais came to mind (which many people do serve with Turkey at Thanksgiving).  I chose a Georges Duboeuf 2007 Cru du Beaujolais Morgon.  Louise and I both agreed that it was WONDERFUL.  Bright fruit flavors (especially cherries) dominated, but some mild pepper and spice flavors came through on the finish.  At about $12 a bottle, a great value.