Yesterday we posted tasting notes on the incomparable beers we’ll be serving at our Oktoberfest German Beer & Wine Dinner this Friday. Today you get an inkling of the luscious grapes you’ll be tasting.
1st Course: Pretzels, Mustard, Sausage – Weigut Stadt Krems Gruner Vettliner “Wienzierlberg” Aromas of green bananas and citrus. Classic juicy character with persistent minerality on the palate medium to full bodied with yellow apple and spice flavors.
Digestibility is the main objective of Weingut Stadt Krems. Their wines are intended to be sipped with pleasure, as a perfect accompaniment to meals, and to have nerve and vivacity even after several years of aging. They want to develop and uphold the special special characteristics of Austrian white wine and, in particular, of wines from the Danube region: freshness, spiciness, finesse and complexity. With this in mind, the grapes at Weingut Stadt Krems are handpicked and carefully selected through several passes of harvesting.
2nd Course: Wild Mushroom Soup, Bacon, Potatoes – Alois Lageder Muller Thurgau. Brilliant straw color with a green shimmer. Medium bodied with a noticeable grapey fruit forward note. Crisp clean finish.
Alois Lageder (pronounced “ah-loh-IS lah-GAY-der”); founded in 1823 in Northeast Italy, is now run by the 5th generation of family ownership. The principles of holistic thinking and sustainability guide everything they do in the vineyards and winery. Respect for nature is their highest priority and is expressed through their commitment to biodynamic agriculture, resulting in exceptional wines. Their holistic thinking is the sum of sustainable agricultural and business practices, respect for nature, appreciation of the surrounding environment, and responsibility to future generations.
3rd Course: Smoked Trout Roulade, Dumplings – Spaetzle – Kesseler “N” pinot noir Spatsburgunder. A delicate, fine and elegant pinot noir. Light in style but well structured. Nice cherry flavors with a hint of black currant and lots of spices.
Situated in the Assmannshausen in the Rheingau region, the wine estate of August Kesseler consists of vineyard sites in Lorch (for Riesling and Silvaner wines), on the slopes of the hills around Rüdesheim and in the area called “Assmanshäuser Höllenberg”. August Kesseler took over the estate from his parents in 1977 as a young man, and has qualitatively expanded the best area under vines to 18 hectares (44.48 acres). The manor house and cellar are situated directly on the slate outcrops of the “Assmanshäuser Höllenberg”. Experience gained in winegrowing regions in the USA and France has taught August Kesseler the value in placing great importance on quality – improving measures in the vineyard and in the cellar.
4th Course: Duck, Braised Cabbage – Alois Lageder “lagrein”. Red wine- aromas of black cherry and dark wild berries with dark chocolate and spice. Nice lingering finish.
5th Course: Chocolate Dessert – Whidbey Island Winery Lemberger. A medium bodied red wine with spicy black pepper, toasty oak and creamy cherries and blackberry flavors. In Germany known as both Blaufrankisc and Lemberger.
Certainly much closer to home, Whidbey Island Winery in Langley planted the first grapes in 1986, and opened the winery doors in June of 1992 with 400 cases of wine. They now produce about 3,500 cases a year and distribute throughout western WA. As you probably know, the growing season on the islands is quite dry, our northern latitude gives us long summer days with cool nights, our proximity to water gives us mild winters, creating unique conditions for grape growing. They plant varieties from the cooler parts of Europe-France’s Loire valley and Alsace, Germany and Eastern Europe, and have won numerous awards for their efforts.
All in all, it’s going to be a DELICIOUS night!