The Spicytraminer

After learning to make Thai curry, I learned I could handle a bit more heat in my curries. So the next time I had the chance to order yellow curry I did and ask them to spice it up a bit. Curries are particularly tricky when it comes to pairing a wine, the hotter the curry, the more problematic the wine pairing. Opt for flavors that counter heat like fruity, off-dry Rieslings from Germany or rich, full-bodied style Gewurztraminers from Alsace. As long as you go easy on the chili, there is no reason why wine should give way to beer as a beverage of choice.

Fortunately, I brought the perfect wine to go with a spicy curry dish, 2010 Gewurztraminer Les Folastries from Domaine Josmeyer. Asian inspired dishes typically call for more aromatic wines and Gewurztraminer works brilliantly with milder spices and Oriental and Thai dishes. This particular Gewurztraminer is a very versatile wine with hints of rose petal and tropical fruits on the nose. The palate is full with lychee and ginger spice, mild with notes of rose and minerality. The wine is a little high in alcohol, which is typical to the Alsace region and the acid is slightly low as is frequently the case with this variety, but the fine acidity gives a nice grip and a little structure which makes it a great food wine.

It’s a stunning value at only $30 a bottle. It can also compliment any tomato-based dish as well as smoked salmon…cheers!

Switching it up a bit with some Seafood Yellow Curry J

P.S.

If you are not typically a fan of dry Gewurztraminers like myself than this is the Gewurtz for you! The winemaker, Celine Meyer, says this is a Gewurztraminer for those people who don’t like Gewurztraminer…and I agree. Usually, many Gewurztraminers smell and taste like rose water to me. And rose water reminds me of my grandmother’s perfume, which is a nice memory and fragrance but not something I personally want to drink. Les Folastries has hints of rose petal, which is typical for the varietal but is subtle and well integrated with other flavors that make it very pleasant to drink.

Ich liebe Deutschland!

Hello again! Sorry it's been so long but I have been busy with work and tastings…well, let’s be honest, more tasting than work but then technically for me tasting is work J

I’m  living in a small village called Kallstadt...isn't it beautiful?!

Anyways, it’s absolutely beautiful here! I love work and the people I work with. My General Manager, Dominik, and Cellar master, Johannes, speak perfect English and are always willing to answer my questions, which we all know I tend to have many ;) The majority of the young, German population speak English well because they learned it in school. But for the last two months, I've been working closely with a Polish couple, Hela and Andreas, who don’t speak any English. We’d work in the vineyards together, just the three of us, leaf thinning and it was very interesting trying to communicate. Mainly, we used our hands and repetition of words. To my surprise, we learned to communicate pretty well and with the help of my German-English dictionary, which was a great investment, I even learned some German. Even Dominik was impressed with how much I learned. I taught Hela and Andreas some English too. Johannes thinks it’s funny that I speak English to them and they speak German to me and somehow we understand each other perfectly. 

Our Grosses Gewächs vineyard, Saumagen, which means 'pig stomach' in German. Weird name for a vineyard but it's the traditional cuisine for the region and surprisingly good! 

During picking season, Koehler-Ruprecht employs extra help, 9 more Polish people who are related to Hela and Andreas in different ways [sister, cousin, nephew, etc.] and me! I thought my new German skills would come in handy, however, the Polish schools teach Russian instead of German or English L But they taught me how to say good morning [dzień dobry], thank you [dziękuję] and you’re welcome [proszę] in Polish. They tried teaching me some Russian too, but that was just getting out of hand…my brain couldn’t keep up!

The picking crew but I like to call us the Trauben Mafia. Trauben was one of the first words I learned and means grapes in German. I think it has a nice ring to it J

Lucie, Andreas’ sister, picking in Saumagen 

Grauburgunder [aka Pinot Gris],  Weißburgunder [aka Pinot Blanc]  and Gewürztraminer are the first to be picked because they ripen the fastest. Above is Gewürztraminer and my favorite grape to snack on in the vineyard...but I only ate a few, I promise ;)

Above is Grauburgunder and that's Andreas in the back driving the forklift

Next to be picked is Scheurebe, Chardonnay and Spätburgunder [aka Pinot Noir]. Above is Spätburgunder

Lastly, my favorite, Riesling. The Riesling is picked in an order of it’s own according to the different Prädikat levels. We go through each Riesling vineyard 3-4 times by the end of harvest.

First we cut out all the botrytis, which is used for blending and is the main component for the sweet style wines

The green grapes are picked first and are the base for the Kabinett wines

Then the golden berries, which make the delicious Spatlese

And finally, the amber berries used to make the beautifully ripe Auslese

Picking was great! I got to see the sunrise everyday, was surrounded by beautiful [schön] scenery and got to practice my German with Hela. It started getting pretty cold towards the end. At 0 degrees Celcius, I lost track of how many layers I was wearing but, even with the cold and rain, I liked going to work everyday. I got to work with great people and learn each and every day.

One of my many photos of the beautiful sunrise J

Teaching Derek how to drive the tractor...haha yeah right, it's obviously the other way around. Thanks Derek!

Call me optimistic but it's even beautiful when it rains...

And you get not just one but two rainbows [regenbogen] 

Ich liebe Deutschland!

P.S.

I linked the German and Polish words to Google Translate so you can hear how they are pronounced. You try…and good luck ;)