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| Smoked Pork, Sauerkraut and Gewürztraminer - 10/9/2008 |
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| Menu
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Smoked Pork Chops with Sauerkraut and Apples
Grape and Apple Salad
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| Wine
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Montinore Gewürztraminer 2005
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| Comments
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Tonight we are trying for a match again with two Gewürztraminers that failed to make the mark on a recent review of September 24, 2008. Pairing the strong flowery flavors of this varietal is always a challenge for us. This time the menu involves heavily flavored foods with strong personalities that just might be the right combination.
In the food corner we had plates of tangy sauerkraut that had been baked with smoky pork chops, tart green apples and golden potatoes. Full bodied with lots of heavy flavors, this meal delivered quite the gastronomic punch. In the wine corner were the two Gewürztraminers, one from Oregon and one from France. When they both finally met in the middle of the our plates we were surprised to discover that the flowery French number stood right up to that big plate of food. The Kraut toned down the flowers and the flowers handled the kraut, making a relatively good match. These strong flavors seemed to be in good harmony with each other. It was even acceptable, in a rather acidic way, with the sweet fruit salad. The lighter wine from Oregon was not a contender in this round.
I would have to say here that this not my favorite way to prepare sauerkraut. I found the smoked chops to be almost ham-like and some of the spices interfered with the tanginess of the kraut. Having eaten a lot of this food as a child, I have a rather entrenched way that I like it which will make an interesting pairing in the future. On the other side of the table, JJ seemed to enjoy his meal. He ate all of it while commenting that the French flower factory from the previous encounter had been pleasantly tamed by our strong German meal.
The ratings given for this pairing are for The Furst wine from Alsace, France
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