H&M Hofer Bio Grüner Veltliner (2015) Wine Review

Is that a bottle opener on the end of your cork screw? Why would you need that? Some of your friends are beer drinkers – gasp! Perhaps that's why, or perhaps you need a bottle opener to open your wine. 

Seeing the closure on this week’s Wine Wednesday feature, the 2015 H&M Hofer Bio Grüner Veltliner, caused me to add it to my cart.  It’s the first time I’ve seen a wine that you needed a bottle opener to open. I found this at Whole Foods (It’s made with organic grapes) and I couldn’t resist.

To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes. It’s like the first time I saw a bottle of wine with a screw cap, could it be any good?

Well, yes it can be.  I loved it. It’s one of the best Grüner Veltliners I have ever had.  Notes of pear, honey, and orange blossom on the nose presented slightly sweet with big fruit and white pepper on the palate.  It was lively on the tongue, evidence of stainless steel fermentation, and it delighted with a long finish.  It was a perfectly balanced wine, which makes it extremely versatile.

So, do you have to finish it all in one setting? No, not unless you want to. Though you can’t put the bottle cap back on, one of my wine stoppers seals it nicely.  I wrote this blog post last night while sipping on a glass, and have plans to enjoy it with Parmesan Encrusted Tilapia for dinner tonight.  Next time, I’ll plan ahead, and serve it with Wiener Schnitzel Hamburg Style, Lyonnaise Potatoes and Lettuce Salad with Hot Bacon Vinaigrette, and relive some fond food memories of days spent in Austria. Click the links below to print or save the recipe pairing suggestions.

Parmesan Encrusted Tilapia

Wiener Schnitzel, Lyonnaise Potatoes, and Lettuce with Hot Bacon Vinaigrette

Cantine Di Dolianova Dolia Vermentino Di Sardegna (2014) Wine Review

Happy Wine Wednesday! I'm back. I chose to give up wine as my Lenten sacrifice  and decided during that time I would refrain from writing about it as well.

If I had to choose (thankfully I don't), I tend to prefer white wine, crisp and dry and also enjoy exploring alternative whites. One I particularly like is Vermentino. If you like Sauvignon Blanc or Albariño, I would encourage you to try Vermentino.

Half of all Vermentino comes from the Italian island of Sardinia as does this weeks featured wine, the 2014 Cantine Di Dolianova Dolia Vermentino Di Sardegna.

There are generally two styles of Vermentino; one more silky and creamy and the other more crisp and floral. This weeks feature is more like the first and probably the style I prefer, especially with food as pairing options are a little broader.

On the nose, notes of pear and honey, herbs and limestone. On the palate, citrus with a subtle salinity perhaps from the sea air, a touch of pepper on the finish and that slightly silky mouthfeel - the result of malolactic fermentation.

Vermentino is my go-to pairing choice with Mexican food, especially seafood or chicken based dishes. Try with Grilled Squid Tacos or Tempura Fish Tacos. Click the links below to print or save the recipe pairing suggestions.

Tempura Fish Tacos

Grilled Squid Tacos

Machi Torrontes (2012) Wine Review

Could you recommend a wine to serve with salmon?  I’ve been asked this question more than a few times and there are several great options, but upon tasting this week’s Wine Wednesday feature it was the first pairing that came to mind. 

The 2012 Machi Torrontes comes to us from the Salta wine region of Argentina. The name pays homage to Machi, traditional healers and tribal leaders of ancient Indian culture indigenous to the area in the far north of Argentina. Machi relied on medicinal herbs and other remedies for healing and thus inspired the name and winemaker to use natural viticultural techniques to craft the wine.  

Torrontes, pronounced Tor RON tez (roll those r’s) is the most widely cultivated white wine grape of Argentina.

In the glass, a rich golden color. On the nose, bold herbal notes, also floral, though more the leaves of flowering plants, lychee and spice. It has an incredibly silky mouthfeel – a wine with weight – and a beautifully balanced acidity delivering a crisp, clean, yet complex finish of citrus, spice and lastly honey on the roof of your mouth.

The mouthfeel and weight of the wine makes it an ideal pairing for salmon, arctic char or other more oily fish dishes. The complexity of the wine will hold up to the bolder flavors of salmon and other oily fish yet not overwhelm them. The herbal aspect will also nicely compliment my Salmon with Dill Sauce. Also try with spicy Indian food or Thai flavors like those in my Tempura Fish Tacos. Click the links below to print or save the recipe pairing suggestions. 

Salmon with Dill Sauce

Tempura Fish Tacos

2011 Sivi Pinot Populus Wine Review

So I happened into a liquor store I've never shopped before in search of a liqueur for a recipe (which they didn't have in stock) but as long as I was there, I decided to peruse the wine selection. Today’s Wine Wednesday feature the 2011 Sivi Pinot Populus seemed to practically jump off the shelf – well not really, but the label wouldn't allow me to leave without it. 

You see, on the label I saw the map of Slovenia. I've been reading about Slovenian wines but haven’t been able to find much of a selection, well until now, any, in stores. My ancestors on my Father’s side were immigrants from Slovenia and especially during the holiday season we enjoy Slovenian dishes and traditions. So of course, I had to try this. 

Before trying though I had to remind myself that it would be unfair to judge all Slovenian wines by my opinion of this one wine – sort of like judging any other region by a single bottle. Of course I wanted desperately to like it. 

It should be noted that the Vipava Valley (Slovenia) is about 20 miles from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, Northeastern Italy’s most famous region for Pinot Grigio. Sivi Pinot Populus translates as “Pinot Grigio for the People”. So what’s not to like?

With that, I poured. First off, the color was a very dark gold - darker than what I’m used to in a Pinot Grigio In fact, almost the color of a lager; yes beer, though this was wine. On the nose - notes of vanilla and slightly floral. Upon tasting, it had a juicy finish but yet was a little chalky and not as lively as I would've liked. I've read about wine aging in cement lined vats and that is what came to mind when I experienced the chalkiness - it seemed even more neutral than a wine fermented in stainless - as if it had done time in cement. 

We had this with an Alfredo pasta dish and I think it would go well with a cream soup also shellfish – mostly shrimp, scallops and lobster. Though I’d likely reach for other wines before this one, my curiosity for Slovenian wines both white and red remains. Wine tasting in Slovenia ….. bucket list…….

To print or save recipe pairing suggestions, click the links below:

Fettuccine Alfredo with Scallops

Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup