Alsatian Beauty
Quite a lovely day...cold rain and windy. I just love it. But to cheer myself up, I decided to open a nice bottle of Alsatian and have some trout.
Anyone who regularly reads this knows that I am enamored with Alsatian wines. Give me a Pinot Blanc, a Gewurtztraminer , or a Riesling and I am happy.
This wine is from my secret store, a 2004 Reserve Gewurtztraminer from Huniwihr. Funny isn’t it, that this is French wine when everything about it is rather Germanic. Well Alsace is on the Rhine and it did change hands a few times. WW1 it was German. WW2 it was French. Wonder how the old legion halls were on a Saturday night. It could have been fun.
Music is Mel Torme and George Shearing, Top Drawer. These two made several excellent albums and the quality is wonderful. I have the house to myself so its nice.
Food was trout, just pan fried in butter and rice. Very simple.
The Wine
The aroma reminds me of a tropical garden. All kinds of exotic fruit and spice..very nice and polite. This is not an in your face wine.
Colour is a nice golden and this wine is a wee bit thick but very nice.
The taste is wonderful. It is round, thick and unctuous. The wine engulfs the tongue and just grows. First hit is fruit then a spice kick at the end. This is a finely crafted wine. The taste lingers like a good red and just greets you. I taste all kinds of eastern fruits, like lichees and kiwis (mumsy likes kiwis, so that was about the only fruit we got..not quite true btw)
With the food it just went so well. The wine just cut thru the trout and engulfed it like it should. Similar to the Malivoire Pinot Noir, there isn’t a stand out point, it’s just good.
To me this is similar to really good stereo equipment. When its really good you just don’t notice it there but you enjoy the music. This wine doesn’t shout it just does it’s thing. Very unassuming but good.
I suggest that any fellow Gewurtz junkie venture to get a good bottle at vintages. It may set you back a few quid but it will set up your taste buds and calibrate them. Oh yes you will enjoy it.
The local wine that is similar? Tr a Mastronardi or a Pelee Reserve. I think the Mastronardi is closer in philosophy...yes I really like that wine too!!
