It was a tasting made of five wines and five dishes, here are the following:
- Domaine Schlumberger Pinot Blanc "Prince Des Abbes" 2012 (Guebwiller, Alsace)
- Burrata on its crostini
In the XII Century, the region of Guebwiller became one of the most important towns in Alsace. Domaine Schlumberger has been established around that time, monks were taking care of it and producing their own wine, they were also the first to sell wine in the city. Their wines were so popular that they decide after few century to put a certificate on, to prove where the wine was produce.. During the French Revolution the “Prince of Abbots” left the land and settled in Guebwiller city. But because they took care of the vineyard for one thousand years, the family who run the vineyard decided to give honour to them and call this cuvee “Prince of Abbots”.
It is a white wine, the nose is fruity, stone fruit (white peach, pear) and a hint of floral. Palate wise, the freshness that you could not get earlier, comes at the beginning to have middle palate of fruit and to finish with a little bit of sweetness.
The Burrata comes from Puglia, the rind is semi hard with a very creamy texture on the inside. We sparkle some salt on the top of it. Salt is a condiment with white wine where you need to be careful if too much, your will become flat.
The pairing of the two, the creamy texture of the Burrata cuts the acidity of the wine but also brings more fruitiness. Both are light and refreshing.
-Pazo Barantes “Albarino” 2013 (Rias Baxias, Spain)
-Grilled Halloumi with aubergine Imam Bayildi
Pazo Barantes is the largest estate of the valley. It is part of the Marques de Murrieta Family, one of the founding father of Rioja winemaking.. Albarino are small grapes naturally high in sugar and natural acid which will give great subtlety. The nose has a delicate perfume of nuts, mature lemon and some mineralty. The palate is fine and elegant, the fruit come out (pear), almond, lemon which gives a lively acidity on the finish.
Halloumi is one of the oldest cheese, being used in the Ancient Egypt recipes. It is white and hard with a different level of salt depending how aged is. Grilled, it has a semi hard texture, mild and nicely salted.
The aubergine salad will cut the saltiness and bring more flavours with the wine pairing.
-Paul Cluver Pinot Noir 2012 (Elgin, South Africa)
-Sea Bass on Fennel
Elgin is situated south west of South Africa on altitude. The region is actually on a plateau. The cool breeze is perfect for the production of Pinot Noir as it is a very hard small grape with a thin skin. Not mature enough the wine will have too much acidity, too much ripeness the wine will be dark to much jamy fruit and very poor in acidity. It has an earthy nose with some strawberry note also. The mouth is light, elegant, the attack is perfect between the acidity and tannin. And a little smoky note come through on the finish.
Red wine with fish? Yes, but not any red you need to choose perfectly your[L1] red that will suit with your fish. Pinot Noir is the perfect companion, for me! The lightness of the white fish brings the berries of the wine. The tannin are melting with the natural fat of the fish.
It was a surprising pairing! And one of the favourite!!
-Gran Cerdo Tempranillo 2012 (Rioja)
-Angus Beef Burger
Gran Cerdo has a fantastic story! It is dedicated to the bank executives that denied a loan to the winemakers on the basis that wine is not sizeable asset. It is their friends and family who helped them creating their dreams!
It 100% tempranillo, spend some time in French and American barrel. American barrel will bring a light roundness to the wine, compare to the French which will structure the wine and give character to it. It has lovely black berries and black cherries on the nose and palate with a little spice on the finish. The tannin are lively with a perfect acidity.
The Angus burger was just perfect for this wine, it cuts the tannin through, the tomato sauce (not Ketchup) ease the acidity of the wine (acidity plus acidity, give roundness to your wine) ease the acidity and the juiciness of the meat brought the fruit back stronger than before. (Protein is the best friend of Tannin!).
For the final pairing,
-Noble Late Harvest Riesling 2012
-Lemon tart
This one for me, was the cherry on the cake, Paradise….
The late harvest has beautiful note of apricot, marmalade. The palate is even better, the little acidity that you will have balance the wine perfectly, with that lovely orange marmalade note.
The lemon tart is for me, just perfect (I sound very enthusiastic, isn’t it?) the lemon aromas, the acidity that it brings your mouth is watering and just wait for a sip of that elixir to adjust it.
Here are this come to an end of my wine and food tasting, I hope you enjoyed reading it, and please do not hesitate to leave some comment of your thoughts.
Thanks!
A wine & food lover