Wine Food Pairing - Weinbau in Gumpoldskirchen!
Weinbau Otmar Schnitzer is open for 9 days, 6 times a year and it is the time when this wine farmer is able to sell his wines to the public.
We arrived to find our friends Herbert and Maria already enjoying a glass of Rotgipfler, a sweet white wine, a bit too sweet for my tastes, but delicious all the same! My husband and I looked at the wine menu, consulted Otmar and decided on Rot Cuvee, a medium heavy, dry red wine, YUM! Relaxation and conversation with friends are what these wine houses are all about, once you are there, you may stay the whole evening, unlike in the United States where flipping tables is a financial must. It is interesting to watch all the locals, young and old, come in, sit at the wooden tables and just enjoy each other's company while swapping stories!
As the evening progressed we all decided that a bit of food might be nice. The food is reportedly the best here, but we decided on something a little lighter, a cheese and fruit plate and along with this, a change of wines to a Gstaubter. This is a fresh young wine, one step beyond sturm and it has not yet been filtered. It is sometimes referred to as a dusty wine because of its cloudy appearance. Totally delicious with the cheese plate!
Otmar and his crew presented us with a tasty selection of cheeses ranging from dry Swiss to a stinky gorgonzola along with rich brie and slices of provolone, in addition, sliced apples, olives, watch out for the pits, and a sprinkling of walnuts right off the tree in the garden. WOW!!!!! All of this paired along with a basket of fresh breads that the Europeans are so famous for! Can it get any better?
Just as the evening was about to end , I thought, the house brought over a glass of Spatrot Rotgipfler to tempt us further! This crisp, dry white wine reminded me a lot of my favorite Pinot Grigio. YUMMY! Of course we had to linger a bit longer!
Oh well, I always say that wine food pairing is an adventure, just be sure that you are up for the challenge! CHEERS!

