Sunday was Gloria’s birthday and she asked that we head up north of Durango to the mountains and “check out” some of those places we so regularly drive by without ever stopping. Of course, that also meant a favorite wine with bread and cheese along side. One of Gloria’s favorite wines, if not her favorite, is a German Riesling Auslese. The really good ones are not cheap.

The Schmitges 2005 Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese was $72.00 for a 500 ml bottle. It was a wonderful Auslese and when paired with a good ciabatta from a local bakery, some cambozola cheese and the alpine setting, we found ourselves close to heaven, especially when sitting by ourselves in a mountan meadow above 10,000′.

The wine itself is sweet, which is a noted characteristic of any auslese, but it was balanced perfectly with enough acidity for a smooth mouth feel. Plenty of exotic fruit on the palate. This wine works well for an informal outing such as ours, an opener with soft cheeses for a get together with friends, or as a dessert wine. If you are not one to enjoy a sweet wine, then I recommend that you try a good German reisling auslese. I suspect that you will be pleasantly surprised.

Great company, great surroundings, a really nice wine on a Sunday afternoon. Happy Birthday Gloria.

During our recent Lake Powell trip, July 27 through July 30, we sampled 3 different white wines for a refreshing change of pace. Despite my earlier post about Gloria and I almost always drinking red wine, even in the heat of a Lake Powell summer, we were anxious to try something different. Besides, I owed Kelly a post or two and I was beginning to feel guilty for not having posted anything new for quite awhile. Our original plan was to pair 3 different white wines with our camp meals, write tasting notes, and to photograph those white wines with our meals all neatly layed out at our campsite and against the scenic backdrop of the Lake Powell canyon country. However, the weather changed those plans quickly as we found ourselves regularly running for the tent to get out of evening thunderstorms or hurrying through dinner in anticipation of those thunderstorms as the sky darkened every evening.

We still drank the wine; we just didn’t take the photos.

The weather changed quickly from a benign sky highlighting a beautiful salmon colored distant canyon mesa to a developing thunderstorm to a downright dark and forbidding skyline before the cloudburst.

We had carefully packed and kept on ice a 2004 Sancerre Les Boncandes, a 2005 Sancerre Viellef Vignes and a 2004 Domaines Schumberger Gewurztraminer “Fleur” from Alsace. I did keep the empty bottles in our recycling pile so I could take some pictures when I got home, but by the time I got them home, they were the worst for wear and tear and did not make good photographs.

So, what did we eat? That first night we had escargot, sauteed in olive oil and garlic, to which we added a bleu cheese sauce, and then wilted fresh spinach over the top. We served that with a chewy French bread. We then charcoal grilled ribeye steaks and asparagus. I served a 2005 Tarrica Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles with the steak, but that is a subject for another time. The second night, I charcoal grilled marinated shrimp (soy sauce/hot sauce/ginger/garlic/honey based marinade) and served the shrimp with an Asian slaw. The third night we had smoked chinook salmon with a homemade pasta salad.

Now that I’ve told you what we ate and what wines we drank, here’s the challenge.

I want you to pair these wines with the meals, excluding the grilled steak from the pairings. Be candid and please don’t hesitate to make your own recommendations - I didn’t say they were all necessarliy good or paired well with anything. Although, in fact, I have to say, that all three whites were very good. The 2004 Sancerre Les Boncandes is everything a Sancerre should be, the 2005 Sancerre Viellef Vignes is a personal favorite, and the 2004 Domaines Schumberger Gewuztraminer Fleur was what one would expect from an Alsace gewuztraminer, although personally I did not care for the “flowery” finish - but that is probably a characteristic of that particular wine. I’ll let Gloria do the research and report back.

And, maybe for fun, pair a wine, any wine, with the photos. Just imagine yourself camping at Lake Powell, laying back in a fold out lounge chair and watching the changing weather and landscape.

We are going to do that again this coming weekend!

This one’s a bargain. Good ratings. Budget priced. Buy it by the case. I pay about $10.99/bottle for this best buy.

The 2004 Penfolds Koonunga Hills Shiraz Cabernet (Australia) is a dense purple color and hints of spice, chocolate and pepper on the nose. Plenty of berry and a hint of chocolate on the palate with a distinct earthy quality. It finishes rich and smooth. At times, this wine has a definite cab character, but at other times the shiraz definitely comes through. In the end, it is a well done blend and I think the taste profile is really dependent upon the food pairing. Currently, I am only finding the 2005 where I do most of my wine shopping - not as complex or smooth but it remains well worth the price.

Some of my favorite pairings are a buffalo ribeye, grilled lamb chops or any game meat - or - you may want to try roasted duck. With the steak or lamb try escargot, sauteed in olive oil and a little garlic and served with a bleu cheese sauce and wilted spinach (you may even want to try this right on top of your steak). The combination of red meat, earthy bleu cheese, spinach, and cream no less, will either blow you away or send you home from my house early with whatever excuse you can create on short notice. For the less adventuresome, substitute portabello mushrooms for the escargot.

Given its modest price, this is a great choice for a dinner party —plenty of wine, without breaking the budget. I have purchased various Penfolds wines for a good many years now, and I have never been dissappointed.

Have FUN this summer!

Wilson Creek Winery and Vineyards almond champagne is a great way to add good cheer to any special occassion.

I like to start a party or casual get-together with this champagne served with a warmed brie topped with toasted slivered almonds and a good chewy French bread.

Visit Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyard .

Fritz 2004 Russian River Pinot Noir was a wonderful pairing with both a planked and grilled wild salmon and a roast duck served with a port/fig sauce. Ask Kelly!

…plenty of black cherry, plum, and a hint of spice, with a long finish.

Unfortunately, the 2004 is sold out and no longer available at the liquor store I most frequent in Durango, CO. But, if you can find it, I highly recommend this pinot noir. Look for other Fritz wines at your local store and visit their website.