International Food Receipes

Levi Reiss asked:


If you are looking for fine German wine and food, consider the Mittelrhein region of southwestern Germany. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local Riesling Kabinett.

The Mittelrhein is castle country. It starts out just south of the former West German capital of Bonn and then follows the Rhein River for about 60 miles (100 kilometers). The area was named a World Cultural Heritage site in 2002. It contains some of Germany’s steepest vineyards, in effect some of the steepest vineyards in the world. This is a problem; the shortage of farm workers who are willing to break their backs on these slopes is probably the major reason that Mittelrhein vineyard acreage has shrunk almost by half in the last forty years. This region now ranks 11th out of the 13 German wine regions for vineyard area and 12th for total wine production. About three quarters of its wine is Riesling, quite a good sign. In fact, after the Rheingau region, the Mittelrhein has the highest percentage of Riesling in Germany. Less than 2% of Mittelrhein wine is low-quality table wine, almost 60% medium-quality QbA wine, and almost 40% higher-quality QmP wine. The yield per acre is also one of the lowest in Germany, which is also a good sign.

Koblenz, population slightly over one hundred thousand, is a real river town. It is situated on both banks of the Rhine River and on the Moselle River. The rivers’ meeting point is known as the Deutsches Eck (German Corner). Besides these two magnificent rivers there are three mountain ranges and a third river, the Lahn nearby. The name Koblenz means confluence or merging rivers.

Koblenz recently celebrated its two-thousandth anniversary. During the Middle Ages Koblenz took advantage of its strategic location to control both Rhine and Mosel trade. Most of the city is situated on the west bank of the Rhine. On the east bank, facing the city, is Festung Ehrenbreitstein, Europe’s largest fortress after Gibraltar. This fortress sits on a mountain four hundred feet above the river. It’s hardly surprising that the site has been fortified for more than three thousand years. We are happy that Festung Ehrenbreitstein was not destroyed as it passed from one country to another during many wars. It now hosts a youth hostel and a museum.

In the old town make sure to see the Pfaffendorfer Bridge, the Weindorf, a wine village constructed in the 1920s for a giant German wine exhibition, the Rheinanlagen (Rhein Gardens), a 6 mile (10 kilometer) river promenade, and the mid-Ninth Century St. Kastor Kirche (St. Castor Church) which, shortly after its foundation, hosted talks for the Treaty of Verdun that divided Charlemagne’s empire into present-day Germany and France. The Schaengel is a famous statue of a boy who spits water.

Before we review the Mittelrhein wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are some suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Hinkelsdreck (Chicken Liver Pate). For your second course enjoy Wildschwein Sauerbraten (Wild Boar Sauerbraten-Marinated Meat). As a dessert indulge yourself with Feigenmus (Fig Puree).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Toni Jost Riesling Kabinett 2004 9.5% alcohol about $20

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. From the little-known-in-our-market Mittelrhein region comes this superb Riesling. There is pronounced varietal character here with special emphasis on peach, apricot and floral notes (particularly lilac). It is off-dry with very good fruit notes surrounded by crisp acid tones. Light- to medium-bodied, this long-finishing wine would be an excellent match for Thai spicy noodle dishes, crab legs or scallops in a saffron cream sauce.

My first tasting included a commercial chicken pot pie perked up by a spicy Jalapeno-based salsa. The wine was quite acidic and lemony with some taste of apple as well. The wine was very flavorful; a little bit went a long way. Frankly this Riesling was too good for such a pedestrian meal. Dessert was a slice of top of the line chocolate mousse cake that suffered somewhat by being too sweet. The cake was too sweet for the wine. I had the feeling that the wine and the cake were fighting. In the end the wine emerged as the winner; it was only a little injured.

My next trial involved a home made barbecued chicken marinated in a sweet and sour Thai sauce. The side dish was a specialty of the local supermarket, roasted potatoes cooked in chicken fat, reheated in foil on the barbecue. Yummy. To complete the meal I barbecued Portabello mushrooms and slices of red pepper. The whole meal was a great match for the Reisling. The wine was light (but far from weak), refreshing, and pleasantly acidic. I loved the meat’s grease - I removed most but not all of the skin. And I loved the way the wine cut the meat’s grease. The Riesling’s fruit intensified when matched with the sweet barbecued red pepper. I tasted a lot of apple and lemon.

The final meal consisted of an omelet with tasty local Asiago cheese, green and black Greek olives, and grape tomatoes. The wine had a gossamer quality and an excellent balance of acidity, sugar, and fruit, mostly lemon. That was the wine. It overwhelmed the omelet, which essentially added nothing to the mix in spite of the relatively strong cheese. Not surprisingly the wine did better with the acidic grape tomatoes than with the salty olives. As is my policy, I never blame the wine for an unorthodox food pairing that just doesn’t make it. I finished the meal with a high-quality but oversweet chocolate ice-cream bar. The sugar weakened the wine and made it taste sour. But I waited a few minutes and finished the final sips without any food. And this wine was as good as it had ever been.

I paired this wine with two imported cheeses, a German Edam and a French Camembert. The Edam was soft and buttery. In its presence the Riesling was pleasantly acidic with a lot of fruit. The French Camembert was probably past its prime. At the first sip, the Riesling seemed a bit weaker than in previous tastings, but later on the wine managed to hold its own.

Final verdict. I am really a fan of this wine and plan to buy it again. However, I won’t want to waste its power and delicacy on pairing it with the wrong foods.

Levi Reiss asked:


If you are looking for fine German wine and food, consider the Mosel region of central western Germany on the border of Luxembourg. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local white Qualitaetswein (read inexpensive) Riesling.

The Mosel Valley is felt to be one of the most beautiful river valleys in the world. This region, previously called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer in honor of its three rivers, is famous for its Riesling wine. Some of the greatest Rieslings in Germany and in fact in the entire world come from the Mosel Valley. Experts can often identify Mosel Rieslings because of the slate in the local soil, which may impart a taste of flint. The slopes are among the steepest in the wine-producing world, and sometimes attain 70 degrees. The soil is so precious that every spring local workers lug pails of soil up these steep slopes, temporarily reversing the effect of the rains that wash the soil down every winter.

Mosel ranks number five among the thirteen German wine regions when it comes to both vineyard acreage and total wine production. Slightly over three quarters of the regional wine is classified as QbA and somewhat less than one quarter is higher quality QmP wine. Only one percent is table wine. More than half of Mosel wine is Riesling. The German hybrid white grape variety Mueller-Thurgau represents about 20% of the wine production. In third place is the historic Elbing that dates back to Roman times. Only about 2% of Mosel wine is red.

The Mosel Valley pretty well stretches from Koblenz which isn’t far from Germany’s former capital Bonn to the city of Trier sitting very close to the border with Luxemburg. These two fine cities are linked by the Mosel Weinstrasse (Mosel Wine Road) which is approximately 140 miles (224 kilometers) long on the eastern side of the river and somewhat less on the western side. Of course, you could take the autobahn to travel between Koblenz and Trier at breakneck speed. If you do, you’ll miss the interesting little towns and vineyards along the way.

Cochem lies about one third of the way from Koblenz to Trier. It’s a fine little Mosel River Valley town. This medieval town is long and narrow. You should take a boat trip as well as a walking tour. Outside the town gate is the Kaiser Wilhelm railway tunnel, which at 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) is the longest in all Germany. After about a fifteen minute walk you will reach the Reichsburg (Imperial Fortress), a thousand year old castle that overlooks Cochem. The castle hosts a medieval banquet which features period costumes and music on Fridays and Saturdays but you must reserve in advance. North of the city is a larger castle, the Burg Eltz a few miles inland from the Mosel.

Before reviewing the Mosel wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Aalsuppe (Eel Soup). For your second course enjoy Rolladen (Beef rolls with Bacon and Pickles). As a dessert indulge yourself with Moselweintorte (Chocolate and Wine Cake).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Moselland Bernkasteler Kurfurstlay 2005 9.5% alcohol about $8.50

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Pale straw yellow colour; citrus, mineral and dried apricot aromas and flavours; balanced with crisp acidity in the finish. Serving Suggestion: Serve chilled with pork, turkey or appetizers. Spicy asian dishes.

My first pairing was with a homemade pizza with lots of tomato sauce, vegetables, and cheese but no meat. This wine displayed refreshing acidity that worked well with the pizza sauce. It had good fruit and was surprisingly long.

The next meal included a barbecued chicken marinated in a commercial Mediterranean-style light sauce, red-skinned potatoes, and a somewhat spicy Turkish salad. The wine’s acidity cut the fat very well and yet complemented the tomato’s own acidity which largely defined the salad. This little and lightly alcoholic wine (9.5% when 13% plus seems to be the new norm) was quite assertive, especially with the potatoes. And yet it was somewhat flat with dessert, some orange fruit-juice candy.

The final meal was whole-wheat pasta in a sauce that started out with your basic commercial pasta sauce. I livened it up with a fried medley of garlic, red onions, red and green peppers, topped with anchovies and shredded (local) Asiago cheese. The wine was light and fruity and the combination was quite tasty. I was happy that this Riesling was low-alcohol (and inexpensive) so that I could drink quite a bit without any negative effects, including to my pocketbook.

The initial cheese pairing was with a mild Italian Pecorino Fruilano. The wine was sweet but didn’t impress me very much. Then I tried it with a nutty Dutch Edam cheese. Once again the wine was sweet but it was round and the combination went quite well.

Final verdict. Great bargain. The wine really goes well with simple food. I didn’t get a chance to try it with gourmet specialties but wouldn’t be surprised if it did as well as many wines including Rieslings at twice the price. If I weren’t saddled with so many wines to taste (talk about problems) I’d buy half a case and drink one every two months or so. Then I’d try one from the next vintage and hope to repeat the process.

Levi Reiss asked:


If you are hankering for fine German wine and food, you should consider the Pfalz region of southwestern Germany. You may find a bargain, and I really hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local Pinot Noir.

The Pfalz is a narrow region about 80 kilometers long, close to the river Rhine. The Church owned the best vineyards until Napoleon redistributed them. There are about 25,000 vineyards whose average size is less than a hectare (about 2.5 acres). Given their small plots, most vineyard owners work elsewhere to make a living. While Pfalz was once the number one German wine producing region, it now ranks number two in both total wine production and vineyard acreage behind its northern neighbor, Rheinhessen. In the Pfalz, sometimes called the Tuscany of Germany, temperatures often climb into the mid ninety degrees Fahrenheit (mid thirty degrees Centigrade) and many farmers raise “southern” crops such as figs and lemons.

About 80% of Pfalz wine is white. The most widely grown grape varieties are the German developed hybrid Mueller Thurgau, and the generally higher quality Riesling. Local red grape varieties include Portugieser and to a lesser extent Pinot Noir, better known by its German name, Spaetburgunder. About 10% of Pfalz wine is classified as basic table wine, over 70% as middle of the road QbA wine, and the remainder is classified as higher quality QmP wine.

The German Wine Road crosses the Pfalz region. Virtually anywhere you go on this road you can find something worth seeing, worth tasting, and I daresay worth eating. The city of Neustadt and its suburbs are close to the halfway point of this road. Every October they host the Deutsches Weinlesefest (German Wine Harvest Festival) with many, many floats and a German Wine Queen. Make sure that you visit the Marktplatz (market square) on market days (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) when local farmers sell their produce. Take a look at the square’s many Baroque and Renaissance buildings and its Gothic church whose north tower boasts the largest cast-iron bell in the world. If you’re in good shape, climb the south tower and enjoy the view.

You may find it more difficult to get a glimpse of the Elwetritsche, a fabled half bird, half human creatures of the Pfalz forest. You can ride through the forest on the Kuckucksbaehnel (Steam Train) from the Eisenbahn Museum (Railroad Museum) behind the main train station. You’ll have to plan in advance because these trains run every other Sunday during the season. Finish your tour of Neustadt’s Old Town with a few medieval lanes where you will probably want to eat, drink, and shop.

Before reviewing the Pfalz wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Grumbeersupp (Potato Soup). For your second course enjoy Gequellde mit Lewwerworscht (Cooked Potatoes with Liver Sausage). For dessert indulge yourself with Schwarzwaelder Torte (Black Forest Cake, Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream and Cherries).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Lorch Pinot Noir Classic 2004 13.5% alcohol about $14

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. This Pinot Noir displays pretty cherry, plum and earth tones. It is dry, light-bodied with a nice, lingering fruit/acid finish. This charming wine’s hint of tannin is softened by the lemon, while the cucumber and dill match the Pinot’s earthier tendencies.

My first pairing was with slow cooked meatballs and potatoes, accompanied by a somewhat spicy red pepper, tomato, and garlic “salsa”. This wine was round and long but not imposing. It was moderately acidic and held up well to the spices. Perhaps surprisingly I tasted some bubble gum. No it wasn’t a Beaujolais Nouveau. I like to think that I know when I’m drinking a Pinot Noir, but such wasn’t the case here. I finished the meal with a top-of-the-line chocolate mousse cake but the combination wasn’t really good. The cake and the wine didn’t meld.

My next trial involved a home made barbecued chicken that had marinated in a sweet and sour Thai sauce. The side dish was a specialty of the local supermarket, roasted potatoes cooked in chicken fat. Yummy. I found the wine nicely acidic and quite fruity. The wine’s fruit was a good match for the fruit in the marinade. On the other hand, I thought that the potatoes would bring out the earthiness of the Pinot Noir. Such was not to be.

The final meal included store bought barbecued spare ribs, rice, and saut