A noble wine for beets
July 20th, 2012 by brynn grimleyOf all the noble grapes, Riesling is the most versatile when it comes to pairing with food. (Pretty amazing declaration from a couple passionate red wine drinkers, don’t you think?)
But if you give it a few minutes of thought you’ll see what we mean.
Riesling spans from really, really sweet to dry and everywhere in between. The grape produces elegant wines rich in character with an acidity level that gives it the ability to cozy up to just about any dish whether sweet or savory.
Mary is particularly entranced with German Rieslings with their incredible fragrance and flavors — crisp with apples when young and wonderful apricot flavor and undertones of slate when aged. She’s especially fond of the touch of minerality in the German Rieslings. With age, the mineral notes change to notes of “petrol,” but in a good way.
With that said, we recommend an old friend from Germany: Monchhof. Mary saw it while recently perusing the shelves of the new BevMo store that just opened in Silverdale.
This Riesling has the right components to pair with Ann Vogel’s sweet and tart beet salad: 1) crisp apple flavors, 2) sweet as the beets, and 3) enough minerals to align with earthiness of said beets. The Monchhof Estate 2009 Riesling sells for $20.
But if you’d rather something domestic, go for the Chateau Ste. Michelle 2011 Cold Creek Vineyard Riesling. Wine & Spirits Magazine has declared CSM’s Cold Creek Riesling to be the “Year’s Best U.S Riesling” 16 times.
Despite its name, Cold Creek Vineyards is a warm site and one of the oldest in Washington. This Riesling is similar to the Monchhof in fruit, acidity and balance but it has an off-dry style that lacks the slate of its German cousin. No matter, it does have hints of minerals and will pair nicely with a bowl of golden beets.
Tags: German Riesling, Monchhof
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