A Wine Pairing for Pears
Last week was almost all about white wine for me. One that I didn’t get to writing about was the 2004 Hiedler Gruner Veltliner. I had the 2005 at The Slanted Door several months ago.) The older vintage definitely seemed rounder than what I recalled the other being, though there were still citrus and herbal notes, along with pepper and apple. I was actually scared the wine might have been cooked, as there appeared to be a bit of leakage and a quick sniff before uncorking was dangerously akin to Madeira. However, those fears were put aside once open.
With two pears (1 Anjou, 1 Bartlett) needing to be used, I decided to make a salad. Without any Gorgonzola in the fridge, I opted for a sherry dijon vinaigrette tossed with romaine lettuce, sliced pears, shaved parmasan, and crumbled walnuts. The pairing was exactly what I wanted. The pepper in the wine stood up to the dressing’s high kick, and the round, fruity flavors made eyes with the juicy pears. The only thing that would have made it better would be to have a little balcony or patio to sit outside and enjoy the weather.
2004 Hiedler Gruner Veltliner, white wine, warm weather, pear salad
April 16th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Your description really created a culinary Pavlov’s dog moment for me (to put it somewhat crudely!). I will have to try that salad sometime. I love pears!