08 September, 2012

Off to the Land of Rieslings -

 Having recently changed assignments at the day job which converted my work travel from Northern CA 24x7 into "if it's Tuesday this must be Penn Station---or that's where Outlook says I am supposed to be" which to be fair , in this economic climate is more of a blessing than a curse.  And then the Wine Blogger Conferenfce, which inundated me with a host of wonderful material about the glory of all things Oregon.  Stay tuned for more later on the wonder of WBC.

But now I find myself off to Germany courtesy of the Wines of Germany folks to fulfill a bucket list dream of visiting the land where my favorite Rieslings come from.  So please bear with me as I reprint some of my favorite Riesling moments. Looking forward to catching up with you all later!


Credit for this find goes to BrixChico, Vince, who scours the offerings on KQED religiously. Red Sea, located on the corner of Telegraph and Claremont is a simple, unprepossessing location, but watch out: the food is off the hook. Whether you are a vegetarian or like meat with your meat, there is something on the menu to delight. For 16 years, the folks at Red Sea have been putting out authentic and tasty Ethiopian food. Our visit was no exception. Another nice feature for us wineaux, is the $5 corkage. Since BrixChicks/Chicos (emphasis on the CHICO) can be Wine Snarks, this was a nice feature as it freed us to bring some finds of our own, rather than settle for beer or cocktails. We congregated at this spot on cold, rainy evening, but our server/hostess had a smile that lit up the space and was cordial, helpful and fun. In fact, we all got a chuckle as we ordered, when I misspoke the combo I was ordering and she was concerned we would not have enough food. Clearly, she didn't know who she was dealing with! By the end of the order, I think her concerns had shifted to the kitchen---as in would they have enough food! Schedules being what they are, it had been a long time since Xandria and I had hung out, so I picked something I thought she liked and she also dusted off something she thought I would like. BrixChicks rule! So, I brought an '08 Ironstone Riesling I had acquired on a recent trip to Murphys. With a petrolly nose and floral spicy notes, it was the perfect counterpoint to the crispy, fried Vegetable sambusas. The heat of the jalapenos which infused this appetizer were zippy with the refreshing off dry Riesling. The four of us positively hoovered the Riesling and apps, in time to clear the table when our main entry arrived. An afordable edible mandala of deliciousness

A carefully chosen Riesling is your best friend when pairing especially when you know you will get center of the sun heat.  The refreshing sweetness of a sweeter Riesling will tame the heat and the spice will calm any syrupy tendencies.

This Riesling might be hard to find, but try one on for size at your local wine shop.  If you are lucky enough to be by Solano Cellars, they will hook you up!


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