Friends invited us again for a night at the opera at their home. This time it was a German opera, Der Rosenkavalier, so we had Alsatian food with one German wine and one wine from Alsace (almost Germany).
We started with an Alsatian-style tart flambe. It’s a crisp pizza like flatbread topped with caramelized onions, cheese and ham. With it we had…
Trimbach Gewurztraminer 2011 Alsace Contrölé made from 100% Gewurztraminer. The vines are planted on the Ribeauville fault line that fractured 50 million years ago between the Vosges Mountain range and the Black Forest offering a mosaic of terroirs including the complex calcareous limestone and bio-degraded seashell fossils called Muschelkalk. The wine is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel and concrete vats. There is no secondary malolactic fermentation in order to keep as much natural acid as possible. The wine is released after two years of cellar aging. This is a rich wine with a deep golden color with hints of honey, cinnamon, a touch of spice, a long finish and pleasing aftertaste. The wine was drinking very well and could last for a few more years.
For the main course we had Choucroute Garni. A mix of different types of sausages, pork, potatoes and sauerkraut slowly cooked with wine and spices.
To accompany it, there was a special rye bread studded with caraway seeds.
Cornichon pickles, mustard and horseradish accompanied the Choucroute.
On the plate
With the main course we had
Bockstein Kabinett 2018 Village Ockfen Classification Nil Weis VDP Grosse Lage. Region Mosel Saar Ruwer. The soil is Gray Devonian slate and there are 9,500 plants per hectare. The wine has hints of green apple, pear, and citrus and has a well balanced acidity. It has a steely finish with dry herbal notes.
Dessert was a cool and creamy Coeur ala Creme with raspberry sauce.
Charles Scicolone on Wine 