 |
| Seared Duck Breast and (Gewürztraminer?) - 9/24/2008 |
|
| Menu
|
Seared Duck Breast with Apricot Sauce
Gruyere Rice
|
|
|
| Wine
|
Montinore Gewürztraminer 2005
The Furst Gewürztraminer 2006
|
|
| Comments
|
It is always interesting to discover just how much the wine affects the enjoyment of the meal. You can have good food and a good wine, but if you don't like the combination the whole deal is off. Such was the case with this food and wine pairing. Two bottles of Gewürztraminer were opened in hope of making a match with our menu of pan seared duck with a smooth, fruity apricot sauce and creamy Gruyere infused rice. A simple combination of flavors that are not difficult to pair, however I found both wines were off, as they each distracted and subtracted from the meal in their some way.
The Oregon Gewürztraminer was light, pale and sweet on all accounts. Vague fruit had the usual honeyed note without the cloying lychee/flower combination, but a lack of balance and finish left one wanting with this rather flabby example. Way to the other extreme was the Alsatian number that blasted the typical lychee and rose flavors and aromas across the room. Added to that was the usual Alsatian minerality that created an unpleasant contrast. It was like drinking so much bad perfume. I am not sure what food could possibly be matched with these overly aggressive flavors. Our fruity sweet menu should have been a sure winner, but it was not.
The Oregon wine, when paired with both the rice and the duck, did next to nothing. Akin to sugar water, it was barely noteworthy as a wash down. Meanwhile, a sampling of the Alsatian number completely dominated the food, distracting from the subtle combination of flavors. JJ found the Oregon wine to be somewhat acceptable with the meal, but was also put off by the aggressiveness of the French wine. I felt the food deserved a better balance of fruit and acid to make the match. Both the wines on the table were a big let down. Neither wine went bitter or sour with the food, but both failed on opposite sides of the scale. The Oregon wine was passable, but the French wine--side from having an interesting label--was best left as a perfumed sipping wine. I keep trying to like this varietal, but so far my efforts have failed on most accounts.
SS rated the Furst wine. JJ rated the Montinore wine.
|
|
| Print |
|
|
