Wine and Food Adventures

Schweigen, Pfalz
13.0 % Alcohol
Tasted 2014-05-29

Dark ruby red with some garnet red rims. Medium color depth and very clear. Pure fruity aroma mix of strawberries and red currants but also some hip. Complex and claiming. All the aromas are reflected also on the palate in a smooth and succulent way. Super-long finish ending a little bit furrily which is for me an indicator that the wine is still at the beginning. Already very well drinkable, but in two years the wine will be on the top. Potential up to 2020 and longer. Outstanding!

In Germany there is still the opinion that Pinot Noir is the perfect wine for game dishes, e.g. goose. I see this differently. I love to pair Pinots like the Steinwingert with a nice tenderloin. But during the last months I tried something new. My wife likes Indian style curry (not too spicy). Today she prepared one with turkey, potatoes, red pepper and yellow zucchini. Delicious! With dishes like this Pinots offers something what I call the other side. In addition to the fruit aromas spicy notes from different pepper styles arise. I know that this is not what Pinot gurus like. But for me this is a great pairing. The trick is to prepare the curry not too spicy and to wait around 10 seconds after a bite before taking a sip.

The "Weingut" Friedrich Becker (Weingut means Vineyard) in the Pfalz is located very near to the French border. This leads to the situation that the wines of this winery grow on German and French areas. A rare situation. The region and of course especially the winery is worth to visit. Due to the closeness to the Alasace region two countries can be visited in one day. And the food (but also the wine) in the whole region - on French and German side - is really good. Unfortunately the information on the website (http://www.friedrichbecker.de/) is in German only. But tastings are possible Friday and Saturday.

Sonoma, California
14.3 % Alcohol
Tasted 2014-05-25

Nearly three months ago I tasted the Estate Chardonnay from the Nicholson Ranch of the same vintage. Today I opened the little bit more expensive variant from the Sonoma Coast.

Like the Estate Chardonnay the wine also offers a bright golden yellow color. The vanilla and oak tones in this Chardonnay are more subtly paired with notes of honey and pineapple. In total the bouquet is more complex. Racier. In the mouth a wonderful creamy texture. Gentle with perfectly integrated alcohol. A wonderful Chardonnay with supple acidity. Medium to long finish with a very good aftertaste feeling.

I opened this bottle more or less only because I was in the mood for a nice Chardonnay. I didn't think about the food pairing. We prepared a Greek style Bifteki dish with rice and a home-made Ajvar. The pairing with the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay was very, very good. Worth to taste it and to leave the traditional pairing paths. The wine is on the top and will hold this quality for another two years.



I mentioned already before that the Nicholson Ranch is one of my favorite places in Carneros. Later this year I will visit the area again. And then I will give a more detailed report about this wonderful place with its extrordinary good Chardonnays.

Napa Valley, California
13.8 % Alcohol
Tasted 2014-05-16

Cherry red with some garnet red tones. At the beginning wet foliage and forest floor aromas dominate. Later more and more plum butter, ripe black berries and walnuts become present. On the palate the berries are dominating. Medium long finish. In total very pleasant and a very good example of how good a mature California merlot can be.

This wine is perhaps a little bit over the top but still very, very good. I'm quite sure it will hold this quality for another two years.

I paired the wine with a classic, not so spicy US burger. I prepared the burger as a variant with Comté and Tyrol streaky bacon which is a little bit "smoother" than the original one. The wine harmonized wonderfully with the very smooth smoke aromas of the bacon which surprisingly brought the fruit aromas more into the foreground. A knockout. Together with the food the Duckhorn Merlot offered its real strength. So together with this dish 90/100.

Russian River Valley, California
15.4 % Alcohol
Tasted 2014-05-11

Bright golden yellow with some green reflexes. Very clean aroma of bananas, pineapples and some vanilla. Banana also on the palate paired with toffee notes. Long finish where the high alcohol is of course present but in a not unpleasant way. Surprisingly young.

Arrowood Vineyards & Winery is a nice winery located at the Sonoma Highway in Glen Ellen. My last visit was in September 2013 and I was really impressed of the wine's quality, especially the white wines. After four years I visited the winery again because Arrowood had a Viognier on the menu - my wife's favourite grape. Indeed she didn't like the Saralee's Vineyard Viognier so much but I bought some bottles for two reasons: First I saw a good potential in the wine and second exactly for this wine the vineyard offered a special price this day.


Today the wine presented itself in a better way than in September last year. We paired it with some wonderful paté we bought the day before in the Alsace area. Great "cross-over" cuisine. Unfortunately it was my last bottle. My feeling is that the wine is absolutely on the top at the moment but it can hold the quality for another four years.

Napa Valley, California
14.2% Alcohol
Tasted 2014-05-01

Medium dark cherry red with ruby red rims. Aromas of dark chocolate, broom and black forrest cake. Very pleasant taste of cherries mixed with red and green pepper. Perfect integration of alcohol and the smooth tannis. Medium long to long finish. Very good. After two hours decanting the fruit aromas are more present. We paired this elegant wine with a medium-rare sirloin steak served with fried potatos, mozzarella with cherry tomatoes and cole slaw. Wonderful.

The wine is on the top and will hold this quality for a minimum of another two years. I bought it at "The Wine Reserve" in the UK where it is still available (£ 35.99). I had not known Cafaro so far and - to be honest - I didn't expect too much. But this wine is really, really good. It pairs the - let's say - old world elegancy with the new worlds "Lightness of Being". Kudos to Joe Cafaro.

Napa Valley, California
15.1% Alcohol
Tasted 2014-04-30

Very deep and dark cherry red with purple rims. Nearly impervious. Still very young and strong. The high alcohol is clearly noticeable. Some aromas of dark fruits present, but currently balmy notes, chocolate and tobacco predominate. On the palate cherries, some vegetable notes of green pepper but also black pepper. Now I decant the wine: After some hours the wine becomes more smooth and the tannins are not any longer so aggressive, also some cassis notes arise. However even the next day the alcohol is (too) present.

The data sheet of the producer denotes the wine as "full-bodied wine with ripe and silky tannins". At the moment it seems to me that the wine is in a very difficult phase and with the silky tannins I don't fully agree. I hope that in some years the tannins as well as the alcohol will be better integrated. I would wait for another three years. The potential for a long life (> 2020) is given.

One pairing recommendation of the producer is Blackened Fish. I fully agree, this could be a sensational pairing.