Wineblogging Wednesday – Alsatian Grand Cru ’03 Riesling
into the woods...
A rural country path, leading off into the wilderness….
"dangerous path" - might slip on the wet leaves
…it’s not really that rural but I had to make my urban hike look a little bit adventurous…
…just to keep up with all those other macho bloggers who, I am sure, were scaling near vertical hillsides along the Rhine while blogging about this months Wineblogging Wednesday choice – Riesling, hosted by Russ Beebe of winehiker.
Welcome to Wandsworth Common
I hacked my way thru the perils of Wandsworth Common to get to Northcote Rd, where a quaint little wine shop called The Grape Shop quietly goes about it’s business of selling hidden gems.
Wandsworth Common football field
Wandsworth Common Pond
the way to Northcote Rd
The Grape Shop
I found a fabulous Alsatian Grand Cru from the cooperative, Cave de Turckeim. An ‘03 Riesling from the Brand Grand Cru vineyards. There are only 50 hillsides within Alsace that are qualified to call themselves Grand Cru. According to legend, the hillside of Brand was the location of “an epic battle between a dragon and the sun which set the forested slopes alight. The following spring, vines grew where once there had been trees.” Pretty nifty story, I think. Much more exciting then the usual banal explanations about “sun-soaked” hills, etc.
I didn’t consume my wine on the way home so I don’t get any bonus points for that but I did combine it with pan-seared pork chops in a honey-dijon mustard sauce. How was it? Amazing. I used a bit of wine in the sauce which produced a faint vinous echo on my palate. The sauce enhanced the citrus character of the wine and also brought into focus a gentle orange marmalade character lurking about. The wine, when I first opened it, had vibrant nose of ripe red apple, honeysuckle, wet rocks and a whiff of petrol that you are likely to find in rieslings that have a bit of age on them.
Dry and crisp but with a bit of heft on the hips, so to speak, plenty of ripe white fruits, white peach, a nice dose of minerality and a refreshing lime/grapefruit finish. Well balanced with plenty of zip left in it. I could see this wine lasting for quite sometime, it was nowhere near tiring. I love Rieslings, esp. Alsatian and German ones, it’s too bad they don’t get the recognition they deserve. Then again, maybe it’s not a bad thing, keeps the prices down for those of us in the know.
Cave de Turckheim, Brand Riesling ’03, Alsace Grand Cru – £12.99
Do you think the Brand riesling would work well with a cheese fondue? It needs a good amount of acid for that….
it’s been awhile since I had Brand but from what I remember, it should be able to stand up to a fondue
Such a brilliant idea! Love the sound of the wine and think the outdoor pics really complement it.
Really want to get into these Wine Blogging Wednesday things. Next month for sure!