Wine Food Pairing, a Wonderful Feast in Austria!
Denise Clarke
October 22, 2007
What could be better than a wine food pairing feast with friends and family in Austria?
When asked how many wines we would be trying this evening, cousin Michaela indicted that she had ten bottles and hoped that would be enough! The seven of us were a thirsty group, but I was pretty sure that it would be enough to satisfy.
Austrian wines are by and large delicious and high quality. In fact, you usually cannot go wrong if you pick up a few bottles from a local farmer. I always look forward to the adventure of these parties as I always find a new taste to savor.
We began the event by tasting a red from Berger in Donnerskirchen. The oak taste from wine barrel was a bit strong for my tastes, but most everyone thought it paired well with the nusstrudel, nut strudel, that Michaela had made earlier. The strudel, hot from the oven and dusted with powdered sugar, by the way was to die for!
The conversation flowed, the fire in the fireplace was crackling and as the sun started to go down, the candles were lit. What a romantic setting for the rest of our wine food pairing! Paolo, our resident Italian, popped the cork on a Blaufrankisch, a red wine from KISS, another Austrian vintner and it was delicious with the hearty Rahmsuppe that our hostess served next. Rahmesuppe is a soup, made from potatoes, sour cream and spices that include caraway seeds. It really hit the spot as I saw the first snowflakes fluttering about outside. The Blaufrankisch, light bodied with a bit of spice, made the perfect pair to this course!
What could be next? Paola and his wife, Kristine, disappeared into the kitchen and went to work. When they came back a bit later it was to present us with terrific basil pesto fettuccine pasta. OH MY, does it get better than this? Topped with freshly shredded parmesan cheese, which Paola assured, was really Italian Viagra, it paired wonderfully with the semi dry Muskat, a white wine from the same KISS winery. Eating, drinking, chatting, drinking some more! Kristine explained the ingredients of the fresh pesto sauce and how Paola only uses pasta that he has made himself. YIKES, I love it!
OK, everyone had finished this course and was about ready to explode from fullness. Do you know what happens next in Austria? The schnapps comes out! Strictly used as a digestive aid, just kidding, it always helps to ease that full feeling. To celebrate our terrific pasta, Grappa, Italian schnapps came out along with the shot glasses! This group really knows how to party!
As the fire started to die down a bit and we were readjusting our belts, cousin Michaela comes out of the kitchen with a special surprise for me, the American of the group! I had asked her a few weeks ago about Schmalz. Schmalz is used in Austria as bread spread, similar to butter, and is made from rendering the fat from pork and adding the crispy pork pieces back into the spread. She had made this special Grammelschmalz just for me! What could I do, but enjoy! Of course, it required another round of Grappa.
The evening was starting to wind down, but we had one last wine to taste. Sparkling Rose from Hafner, another Austrian winery, satisfied our dessert cravings. A lovely blush color, just the right sweetness it made the whole celebration seem to come together perfectly. The candle light reflected off the wine glasses and we all decided that this was another Wine Food Pairing success! CHEERS!
When asked how many wines we would be trying this evening, cousin Michaela indicted that she had ten bottles and hoped that would be enough! The seven of us were a thirsty group, but I was pretty sure that it would be enough to satisfy.
Austrian wines are by and large delicious and high quality. In fact, you usually cannot go wrong if you pick up a few bottles from a local farmer. I always look forward to the adventure of these parties as I always find a new taste to savor.
We began the event by tasting a red from Berger in Donnerskirchen. The oak taste from wine barrel was a bit strong for my tastes, but most everyone thought it paired well with the nusstrudel, nut strudel, that Michaela had made earlier. The strudel, hot from the oven and dusted with powdered sugar, by the way was to die for!
The conversation flowed, the fire in the fireplace was crackling and as the sun started to go down, the candles were lit. What a romantic setting for the rest of our wine food pairing! Paolo, our resident Italian, popped the cork on a Blaufrankisch, a red wine from KISS, another Austrian vintner and it was delicious with the hearty Rahmsuppe that our hostess served next. Rahmesuppe is a soup, made from potatoes, sour cream and spices that include caraway seeds. It really hit the spot as I saw the first snowflakes fluttering about outside. The Blaufrankisch, light bodied with a bit of spice, made the perfect pair to this course!
What could be next? Paola and his wife, Kristine, disappeared into the kitchen and went to work. When they came back a bit later it was to present us with terrific basil pesto fettuccine pasta. OH MY, does it get better than this? Topped with freshly shredded parmesan cheese, which Paola assured, was really Italian Viagra, it paired wonderfully with the semi dry Muskat, a white wine from the same KISS winery. Eating, drinking, chatting, drinking some more! Kristine explained the ingredients of the fresh pesto sauce and how Paola only uses pasta that he has made himself. YIKES, I love it!
OK, everyone had finished this course and was about ready to explode from fullness. Do you know what happens next in Austria? The schnapps comes out! Strictly used as a digestive aid, just kidding, it always helps to ease that full feeling. To celebrate our terrific pasta, Grappa, Italian schnapps came out along with the shot glasses! This group really knows how to party!
As the fire started to die down a bit and we were readjusting our belts, cousin Michaela comes out of the kitchen with a special surprise for me, the American of the group! I had asked her a few weeks ago about Schmalz. Schmalz is used in Austria as bread spread, similar to butter, and is made from rendering the fat from pork and adding the crispy pork pieces back into the spread. She had made this special Grammelschmalz just for me! What could I do, but enjoy! Of course, it required another round of Grappa.
The evening was starting to wind down, but we had one last wine to taste. Sparkling Rose from Hafner, another Austrian winery, satisfied our dessert cravings. A lovely blush color, just the right sweetness it made the whole celebration seem to come together perfectly. The candle light reflected off the wine glasses and we all decided that this was another Wine Food Pairing success! CHEERS!
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