I was recently going through my bank statment, and it became clear as to where a lot of my money goes. One word WINE.
I love wine, the reason I left Canada was to come and work in the UK wine industry, London is a haven for wine lovers. Where else in the world can you get your hands on such a wide range of wines? The UK has been a main importer of wine since Roman times!
Most of the wine I drink is from Vinoteca’s wine list, this is due obviously to convenience, plus my handy staff discount, but mostly because it is packed full of excellent good value wines. I’ve decided to start sharing my thoughts on the wines I drink, and the meals I enjoy them with.
On Friday afternoon I had purchased some veal escalope from the Smithfield Buthcers, planning on schnitzel for Sunday dinner. With this in mind I grabbed a bottle fo 2004 Rolly Gassman Riesling, which I figured would go well with a German inspired meal. I still hadn’t decided on a side dish, and in the end I veered away from Germany and went for a Sicilian side dish Caponata. My Sicilian friend Vicky had mentioned that Veal escalope was a dish they eat quite often in Sicily, so I figured they would go well together. Then it dawned on me, will Caponata go with Alsatian Riesling!?
We sat down to dinner, and I must say it was one of my best meals to date. The caponata was very good, not too oily or vinegary, and with just enough sweetness, which worked really well with the schnitzel. We also had a side of brussel sprouts, a bit of an odd addition, but they are just coming into season, I couldn’t leave them out! What was so astonishing about this meal, was how well the Riesling worked with each element of the dish, even the brussel sprouts! This style of Riesling is a classic one with some residual sugar, but not too much, which was balanced out by the sweetness in the caponata, as well as the the brussel sprouts. The ‘04 Rolly Gassman has a little bit of age, which brought in some complexity, texture, and great depth of flavour, along with fresh acidity, which cut through the fattiness of the fried schnitzel. I was very impressed how well this wine stood up to such a flavourful dish!
Caitlin
No comments:
Post a Comment