the legion of the purple teeth

This is a great read from Alex Witchel at the New York Times about how women get stiffed by bartenders constantly. Damn you! We can drink bourbon too. We too can know the joys of a Makers Mark & Coke. Stop dissing us with your gender-biased idea of the female constitution. Also, don’t forget to open the door for me. Harumph.

Oy, sorry for the photo quality. It’s wicked hard taking photos after a huge dinner and a bottle of wine.

Full Name: 2004 Kalmuck Gruner Veltliner

Technical Details: 100% Gruner Veltliner. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this varietal blended with anything else. If you have, then let me know, because that sounds interesting!

Interesting Label Stuff: “Kalmuck: the name of the checkered cloth that the jackets of the Wachau region vintners used to be made from.” The label goes on to say that this bottle is a collaboration between two young Austrian winemakers, Franz-Josef Gritsch & Johann Donabaum. Yeah, they sound Austrian alright! Their story checks out.

The Occasion: The BF and I had put together a nice little Japanese dinner with food we bought in the Little Toyko Mitsuwa grocery store. After one sip of this refreshing, lime-crisp light wine, I knew it wasn’t going to make it past the eye-watering wasabi. We had it instead with our first course, a fried crabcake with an eggy consistency we had sampled in the store and some steamed broccoli rabe. The BF is forever attempting to cram vegetables down my ungrateful throat in a sweet attempt to keep me alive slightly longer (what! Sherrie carnivore!). I was pleased to discover this wine gave the veggies and the crab cake a nice goose on the rear, perking up their flavors with its zesty citrus thang. A wine with this level of refreshing acidity can be a perfect accompaniment to stupid old vegetables. Beh.

ANYHOW…We kept away from the wine during the sushi course but had it later on its own after dinner. (I had it with Cheese Pretz! Now I know why my pal IE makes jokes about Cheetos and Wine!)

In the glass, this wine was light straw-gold, nearly colorless, with the scent of green apples and pear hitting you up front. I got a little tinge of sweetness on the nose too, so subtle, like the lightest scent of honeydew melon.

And?: I may be tempted to pick up another bottle because BF has a thing for all things Austrian due to his time spent in that country as a youth. He professed to like it and then made himself a man of his word by helping me polish off the bottle. I think this would make a great accompaniment to a nice cheese plate – its crispness could do battle with all kinds of cheeses (nothing *too* salty though, yikes). As I was writing this though, I had a quick revelation for another pairing – I should get off my ass and learn how to make chicken schnitzel like they do at the Red Lion in Silverlake, greasy and satisfying, with a browned and crispy crust. I think this GV could stand up to it. And then, it would be like Vienna, mein freund! Except in my living room. With the TV on. I guess we could watch a LITTLE of The Sound of Music. It’s not my favorite musical by far. (Or at all.)

Purchased at Colorado Wine Company.

Bonus link: Wine & Cheese Pairing List