WineLife365

Archive for September, 2009

Germans are the Best?!  There’s a simple explanation for this peculiar title:

It all started about 15 years or so ago when I first used the phrase “Germans Are The Best” in a conversation with a friend of mine.  (Please note: I have no clue where this phrase came from, but I’m fairly certain that I heard it somewhere.)  You see, I’m German.  I mean – I was literally born in Germany.  Then there’s my very dear friend on the other hand, who is Irish.  She’s really an American though – since she was actually born in the United States and not Ireland.  Nonetheless, she’s convinced that she’s a true Irish gal.  If you live in the United States, then you’re probably well aware that folks of the Irish persuasion are a very proud bunch of people and want the whole world to know that they’re Irish.  My good friend is no exception to this “Irish rule”.  She embraces her family’s Irish heritage and celebrates it every day of the year – not just on St. Patrick’s Day. 

Being proud of my own heritage, I thought that it would be great to share with her all of the wonderful things about being German – such as “being the first people to do anything and everything first”.  Over the years, she and I have watched several programs together about historical inventions or things that mankind couldn’t live without, had it not been for the divine intervention of German ingenuity.  Upon being made aware of each of these history making factoids, I without fail turn to my proud Irish pal and mutter these familiar words to her every single time, “But of course, that’s because Germans are the best…”  A simple phrase that is derived from the idea that Germans have had a lot of “firsts” throughout history and that right about now friend, you should be thanking your Irish arse for those German pioneers that have made your life today so much frickin’ better.

One day, having heard enough of my “Germans are the best” rants, she called me out on one very important fact.  She asked me this simple question, “If Germans are the best and were the first people to do everything…then why don’t you drink any German wines??? – You “deutsch” bag!”   Ouch!  The truth sometimes hurts.  But, she made a valid point that made me think long and hard about the silly little expression that I often rammed down her throat like a plate of leftover sauerkraut and bratwurst in the middle of October.  Up until that very moment, I rarely drank German wines.  I conceded to her point, but I also told her that I would be up for a little wine challenge to set the record straight.  We both agreed that the only way that this German craziness would be put to rest, would be through a series of taste challenges that would pit Germany’s finest liquid gold against “The Rest Of The World”.  In this winner takes all wine challenge, it would prove or disprove once and for all whether or not “Germans are the Best!” – or at least in this case, at winemaking than the rest of the world.  We thought that we’d raise the stakes and only use the mighty Riesling grape in our taste challenge in order to give “the Germans” a fighting chance at winning.  Plus, the bonus in all of this craziness is that we both love – I mean really love the mouthfuls of gold known as Riesling.  Furthermore, Germany is the ancestral homeland of Riesling – just sayin’…  Historically, the Mosel, Rheingau and Rheinhessen have been recognized as the largest and premiere growing regions in Germany, while Pfalz and Nahe make up a smaller share of Germany’s overall production of Riesling.

Here were the rules that we established for our little taste off in a nutshell:

1.                  We would plan out several dinner parties maybe 10, 20, 30…to who knows how many.  At each one of these dinner parties, we would take one German made Riesling and put it up against another Riesling made from somewhere else on the planet besides Germany and let the guests attending the party pick their favorite based only on taste.

2.                  Next, so that we could keep track of who was winning and who was losing in these taste challenges, we knew that it would be imperative to keep score.  We decided on simplicity:

3.                  At some point in all of this madness, we would call, “Game Over!” and count up the score.

4.                  If in the end, the Germans had an overall higher score then “The Rest of the World”, it would earn me bragging rights forever.  But if the Germans lost, then my Irish friend would have the opportunity to hold this shameful defeat over my big fat bratwurst filled head for as long as we both shall live.  In other words, she would have an all-inclusive pass to make like Michael Flatley and give my German groin a River Dance that it wished it never had.

Like they say at the start of the Olympic Games – “LET THE GAMES BEGIN”!

They began…fast forward 10 years later mind you.

Believe it or not, it took us like 10 years to finally make this first ever Germans VS. “The Rest of the World” one for the history books.

So without further adieu, let’s get this party started and first meet the judges that will be scoring this first ever challenge.

Judge 1: 

This is my sister-in-law.  While at a bar one evening, a gentleman tried picking her up with the line, “Hey baby – Did anyone ever tell you that you look just like Khloe ‘I’m in Miami trick’ Kardashian?”  She also goes by the nickname “Hottie”.  Khloe, I mean my sister-in-law, has confessed her love for white wine time and time again.  But, the red stuff is still one big mystery to her.

Judge 2:

This is my brother.  My bro is definitely proud of his “motherland”.  He’s even got some fine body paint to prove it.  My big brother answers to several names like “Gunther”, “Sausage Man”, “Butcher Boy”, “Kaiser” or just plain old Larry.  The liquid beverage that speaks to him, even in his sleep, is Wawa’s diet lemon-flavored iced tea.  To sum it up, he doesn’t give two squats about wine, but throw a plate of grilled brats in front of him, and he’ll drink just about anything.

Judge 3:

That’s a picture of me – Mr.WineLife365.  I also keep several other aliases such as “Das Fish”, “Stephan”, “Marky” and “Pie Face”.  My oldest son believes that I’m secretly the 80’s pop music star Falco after he watched the video “Der Kommissar”.  I vow to do my very best to be impartial throughout this entire competition, even though deep down inside, I know that the German Rieslings will be better.

Judge 4:

This is Mrs.WineLife365.  She’s been told on more than one occasion that she looks like Bridgette Wilson, who is best known for playing the role of the hot school teacher in the Adam Sandler movie Billy Madison.  These days in her circle of comrades she’s affectionately referred to as a “Cougar”, in spite of recently being linked to Chef George Perrier.  Her tastes for wine are just as varied:  She loves both red and white wines equally, and is definitely on board the Riesling Rules fan club.

Before beginning the wine challenge, we all thought that it might be a good idea to warm up our palates with a good old German inspired cocktail called a “German Bight”.

Follow this link to find out how to make a German Bight Cocktail.

We were all wondering the same thing about this strange concoction – “What the hell am I about to drink”!  As it turned out, a German Bight cocktail is actually pretty damn good.  Try one for yourself.

After knocking back a few German Bights, our palates were definitely cleansed and we were ready to turn our attention to both the grill and the stove to prepare some German cuisine.

On the grill as you can see, we’ve got the brats cooking.

While on the side burner, big brother is preparing some delicious looking German-style potato pancakes that he injected with diced japenpeno peppers.  Click here for the recipe.

In the kitchen, “Khloe” and “Bridgette” were busy preparing a German Zwiebelkuchen (Onion Pie) along with Gurkensalat (Cucumber Salad).

Now that our German meal is cooking, it’s time to introduce to you the two Rieslings that will be competing head-to-head against one another.  Again, their sole purpose in this challenge is to receive a vote from one of the judges as being their favorite tasting wine – nothing more, nothing less.

As you can see in the picture, the German Riesling has a distinct height advantage over it’s US competitor from Oregon.  But would that 1 -1/4” difference in bottle height equate to it tasting better than the noticeably shorter American Riesling?  We’ll soon find out!

In this corner, is the German.  Our German competitor is a 2007 St. Urbans-Hof Riesling.  St. Urbans-Hof Winery is located in the village of Leiwen, Germany which is in the heart of Germany’s renowned Mosel Valley.  Many wine experts believe that the Mosel produces Germany’s finest wines and is portrayed as the country’s benchmark for outstanding Riesling.

In the other corner, is the challenger – 2007 Edgefield Winery White Riesling.  Prior to this taste challenge, I had personally never heard of this winery before.  I received this wine as a gift from my good friend Bruce during a recent trip that he took to Oregon.  Bruce loved this wine so much when he drank it in Oregon, that he was kind enough to bring one back to feed my ever growing Riesling addiction.  I would pretty much pour an awesome tasting Riesling over my honeycombs cereal and have it for breakfast.  Needless to say, I’m pretty excited about putting this lesser known Oregon produced Riesling up against what should prove to be a very good German, based on it’s pedigree.

Judges have you made your decision?

Judge #1 Khloe :

“This German is subtle, tasting orangey to me, man is this wine asleep.  It’s like drinking lemon water with a packet of sweet –n- low or Splenda in it”.

What did you think about the 2007 Edgefield?

“Much more powerful and intense than the German. It’s nice, syrupy-sweetness is talkin’ to me”.

So after tasting both Rieslings, “Are Germans The Best!?” 

“Not today Marky Mark.  My vote goes to the 2007 Edgefield White Riesling as my favorite of the two.”

Judge #2 Gunther, how did you score it? 

“The 2007 St. Urbans-Hoff Riesling is an Eye biter!  This wine has a tart bite to it.” 

Do these descriptors mean that you liked the German? 

“Yes, I do like this German Riesling.  It’s good”.

What did you think about the 2007 Edgefield Riesling? 

“I thought that this wine was much more mellow than the German one.  There’s no real bite to it”.

Do you have a favorite? 

“Yes.  I preferred the German in this case”.

Judge #3 Falco have you made up your mind yet?

“I’m not sure.  I kind of like both actually”.  “I like the fresh and clean sweet apple and pear taste of the German.  But, I too am drawn to the bigger, higher acidity and more notably heavier US made Riesling.”

“Would you just make up your freakin’ mind Das Fish!”, cried out Judge #4.  “I would like your answer before you put me to sleep”!

“I’m going to give my vote the German in this particular case.  It just seemed better suited with food than the heavier tasting Edgefield Riesling. But, the Edgefield is very good though…”

Judge #4 asked, “Is that your final answer, Judge #3?”

“Yes, I’ve made my decision and I’m sticking with it – I think…”

Judge #4 Bridgette:

“Ok then.  Here’s what I think about the German – “I don’t …(long pause) care for this Riesling.  It’s ok, but nothing to write home about”.

How about the 2007 Edgefield Riesling? 

“I like this Riesling much more than the German one. It’s bigger in flavors and I also liked that this Riesling had more acidity and sweetness to it than the German Riesling”.

So, are you saying that you reject this German? 

“That’s what I’m saying.  I reject this German and prefer to drink the 2007 Edgefield Riesling”. 

There you have it folks, what an amazing finish in our first ever Germans VS. “The Rest Of The World” challenge – The two German born guys give a nod to the German Riesling, while the American born woman preferred the taste of the American Riesling.

Go figure…It’s a tie!

Join us again next time, when I will again do my very best to prove without a shadow of a doubt that “German Are The Best!” when it comes to making Riesling better than anybody else!

Cheers and Auf Wiedersehen!

From: Australia
Price: $10.99

There’s no need to beat around the bush (ha! Australia Bush…get it?) with this wine review. The 2007 Henry’s Drive Pillar Box Red is an outstanding red wine.  It’s up there for me as one of the tastiest inexpensive reds that I’ve tried so far this year.  This red Aussie is a blend of 65% Shiraz, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot.

The 2007 Henry’s Drive Pillar Box Red showcases an ample amount of ripe and sweet raspberry and strawberry flavors, with a spot on touch of spices and chocolate on the back end.  The wonderful combination of these flavors seems to linger around, even long after it’s gone.  In a nutshell, if you’re looking for a Shiraz that can deliver in the $10 range, this baby brings it home!

WineLife365 Rating: 3 Stars out of 4.

Looking for something a little different, maybe slightly off of the beaten path when it comes to an Italian wine?  If you enjoy sparkling wines with a touch of sweetness, then the 2007 Banfi Brachetto d’Acqui Rosa Regale is a sparkler that I would highly encourage you to look for and try before the warmer weather bids us a final farewell and old man winter starts to make his way towards us.  While away on vacation a few weeks ago, I tried this Italian sparkler and was captivated by its unique “frothy” pinkish-red appearance – yes, I did just say frothy.  When you pour this wine into your glass, it will have a head on it much like a beer or soda pop.  The flavors on the other hand, will make you wish that you were a child again as the old-fashioned raspberry/strawberry cream soda pop flavors that this wine delivers will run circles all over your taste buds.

This frothy Italian raspberry and strawberry cream float – I mean sparkler – is a perfect aperitif or dessert wine.  All I kept thinking about as I drank this wine was how badly I wanted some vanilla ice cream to go with it.  More specifically, how I wished that I could pretty much pour this stuff over a bowl of vanilla ice cream and then lick the bowl clean.

Bottom line on the 2007 Banfi Brachetto d’Acqui Rosa Regale, this wine shows that there’s more to love about Piedmont, Italy than just Barolo and Barbaresco, and that you’re never too old for a good old-fashioned treat that takes you back to your early years.  Pick up a bottle and see for yourself.      

Cheers!

There’s a little saying in my kitchen:  “If you’ve got some leftovers, you’ve got tonight’s dinner.”  On this occasion, I had a piece of leftover grilled steak and one grilled pork chop that was going to get up close and personal with my frying pan!  So, with my two delightful pieces of leftover BBQ meats from day 1, here’s what else I used to make this “stick to your ribs” day 2 meal for 2:

• A big skillet
• 1 grilled Pork chop
• 1 grilled Steak
• Salted Butter
• Olive Oil
• 2 large Idaho Potatoes
• ½ yellow onion
• 1 green pepper 
• Salt-n-Pepper
• Rosemary – can’t beat the fresh stuff, but dried will do
• Sweet basil – preferably the fresh leaf kind
• Ground coriander seed
• About ½ bag or bunch of fresh arugula
• 1 lemon or a bit of bottled lemon juice 

Start by first poking a few holes into the potatoes and nuke them in the microwave for about 2-1/2 minutes just to soften them up a bit.  Dice up the potatoes, the leftover pork chop and onion and put them aside for now.

Warm up your large skillet and coat it with some olive oil.  Infuse the olive oil with the rosemary and sweet basil.  Add the chopped up potatoes, pork, pepper, and onion.  Season with a little bit of ground coriander seed, salt, pepper, and a tad of salted butter and flip it around until nice and golden brown.

Warm up the leftover steak in the microwave just long enough to make it hot (a minute to 1.5 minutes should suffice). Slice it in half into two portions.

Finally, take a small mixing bowl and toss together fresh arugula with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

To plate it up, put a little bit of the arugula mixture onto the center of each plate.  Dish out the warm skillet mixture and spread over each portion of arugula.  Finally, place a piece of steak on the top.

Complete this meat–n-potatoes makeover with a bottle of 2007 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage.  It’s a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec, and 2% Cabernet Franc.  It’s also easy on the wallet at a price of less than $12 a bottle.

Bon appetit!

 “All cowboys ain’t dumb. Some of ‘em got smarts real good, like me.” – Urban Cowboy  

Addendum:

In case you’re interested, here is how my leftover steak and pork chops came to be…

The day before, I marinated a few steaks and pork chops and fired them up on the grill.  For the steaks, I used a little butcher’s secret known as filet mignon “tips”.   Not a recipe tip, but rather the end portions of the slab of filet mignon.  Butchers can’t sell these “butts” at the normal nosebleed price because they’re not the perfect cuts that you and I know and love.  These filet tips are usually priced at about half the cost per pound of what a “perfect” cut of filet mignon costs.  It’s still filet mignon people – they just don’t look as pretty or cost you a car payment.

So, the next time you see the butcher, ask him where he keeps his filet mignon tips.

Onto to seasoning these steak ends.  I rubbed a little olive oil on them and sprinkled some garlic salt, salt, pepper, ground coriander seed, ground fennel seed, and then karate chopped them with some dried ginger powder and teriyaki sauce.

The seasoning for the pork chops included: olive oil, salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and the very reliable McCormick Grill Mates Pork Rub.