Recently inspired by my friend who held a around-the-world pot luck - essentially means the meals include freshly bought truffle from UK, Parma ham from Spain, caviar from norway, tea from hang-zhou... Gorgeous pot luck.
Since attending one after another weddings of my friends, I wonder how their hubbies are surviving. Literally surviving as majority of my friends never cook in the past decades!
In order to prepare our wives-to-be, let's have a pot luck event. Simple rules: One dish each. No fried rice, noodles. Cooking skill is required. I am amazed that they really made delicious dishes!
Of course to enjoy our own cooking, I opened 3 bottles for this:
1. Champagne Delamotte Brut Blanc de Blancs 2002
Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2002 vintage is produced with 100% Chardonnay grapes from 3 grand cru villages within the Côte des Blancs: Le Mesnil, Oger, Avize and Cramant. It was then matured on its lees for 7-8 years, before disgorged. have a further 6-10 years aging.
Bright straw yellow with green hint. Fine bubbles and texture, with powerful mineral, the 2002 vintage is structured with elegance. Its honeyed depth expresses both power and finesse. Green apple nose come hints of white blossom, hawthorn, followed by toasted notes. The initial taste is rich – a suave, creamy but refreshing wine, with peach, stone fruit compote, apple tart – with a fine persistence and a superb finish. The 2002, is an elegant, well-balanced vintage, perfectly representative of the vintage.
The depth and complexity of the Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2002 complements poached foie gras, fish in cream sauce or casseroled veal with mushrooms. It is absolutely delicious with a goat's cheese. As for the Chinese dishes, i.e. our potluck dishes tonight. This goes the best with the stew potato with chicken wings where the concrete sauce does give a volume yet stewed meat is giving a milder taste. It also pairs well with another Taiwanese dishes of “Lou rou” (stewed pork) and egg, the bubbles bring more Taiwanese style to the dish.
2. Carver Sutro 2009 Petite Sirah (left below)
"Petite Sirah is California's most underrated and long lived varietal." - Wine Advocate. Petite Syrah has been strangers to many consumers. People often tie their image of Syrah to petit Syrah, in fact their palate are far apart. This vineyard is located at Palisades Vineyard in Calistoga of Napa Valley.
Having only 2 weeks of fermentation, Carver Sutro feels like a Zin that pairs fine with smoky and grilled food. Last time enjoying it was at a Chinese wedding banquet in Vancouver, pairs fine with suckling pig. The current and blackberry creaminess translate perfectly to the palate with a hint of licorice finish. Thus I ask friends to grab a bottle in Napa. This time majority of our dishes are mild, I could enjoy it alone... Or at most with pan-fried prawns with shallot and soy sauce, just marginally matched.
Fritz Windisch Huxelrebe TBA (right)
How can you not have a sweet wine to pair with mooncakes and cantaloupe? TBA - Short form for TrockenBeerenAuslese , the highest rank in sweetness of grapes in Germany. It literally means dried berries selection. I.e. Botrytized grapes. The sugar level is also the highest, as compatible as Tokaji / Tokaj , Ice wine etc. It's the most expensive range of wine in Germany.
Huxelrebe, a crossing of Gutedel and Courtillier Musqué, was bred by Georg Scheu in Rheinhessen in 1927. This white variety can achive record-breaking yields (and correspondingly lower-quality wine); however, if yields are controlled, the Huxelrebe can produce Auslese and dessert wines.
This fully ripened Huxelrebe has a rich bouquet and ample flavor , implies a refined Muscat tone. It is grown primarily in Rheinhessen and the Pfalz and Nahe.This TBA is concentrated with honeycomb and slight lemon zest. The sugar level is high yet not as jammy therefore to decide between traditional mooncake with lotus paste seed and yolk or snowy moon cake with light green bean paste, the latter has a better marriage.
To celebrate Mid Autumn, my parents show-case their newly bought Austrian shot glasses engraved with Austrian landmarks to drink the TBA. shot glass still made some of my friends drunk. Marking an amazing night with a powerful node of dessert wine.
