Riesling

Did I mention that Riesling is my favorite wine, and that Chateau St. Michelle Erocia Riesling is damned good for under $15? A vivid description of the taste? Fuck that noise - all I can say is it's fragrant and it tastes sweet, but it definitely doesn't leave your mouth feeling like you just sucked on a jolly rancher.

Highly recommended, especially when it's approaching midnight and you have nothing else to do than drink a bottle of wine...

Icewine Goes Great with....Fish?

We went to a Japanese restaurant last night and ate a ton of seafood. Eating Japanese in Taiwan is way better than what you get at a Japanese restaurant in the US, maybe that's obvious, but the reasons why may not be. The obvious reasons why are Taiwan's proximity to Japan and that, like Japan, Taiwan's main sources of food come from the ocean. The less obvious reason is that Japan occupied and befriended Taiwan during WWII, leaving behind a culture in Taiwan that is distinctly Japanese. This is unlike the Japanese restaurants in the US, which quickly realize that they need to Americanize themselves in some way to be successful, usually resulting in smaller food portions, higher prices, and less availability of foods.

There were 7 of us who went to this restaurant. Here's a breakdown of what we ate:

• An appetizer, 3 plates, of salmon roe and sweet beans (not sure what they were, they were black)
• 4 dishes of sashimi. A "dish" would consist of 6 pieces of fish, and we had salmon, tuna, and some mystery fish.
• 4 dishes of baked eel. Each dish had two pieces that were 4" x 6".
• 2 mystery fish, completely in tact, with a mean looking snarl on their faces. Tiny fish that were maybe two inches in diameter and 8 inches long. Tasty but bony.
• 1 Shrimp roll. 8 pieces in total.
• 4 dishes of Misoyaki, which is a fish of unknown origins, baked in soy (I think).
• Yet again 4 pieces a mystery fish, rolled in some mystery roll, served in some mystery broth (try ordering that).
• Two huge plates of vegetables.
• 4 plates of Shrimp Tempura: each plate consisting of 3 large pieces of shimp, deepfried, and served with deepfried vegetables.
• Two hand rolls: 1 sea urchin, 1 asparagus and shrimp.
• A hot pot of food. A clay pot filled with miscellaneous vegetables, fish, and tofu.
• 7 teapot soups. They literally serve you a teapot and you drink the broth. When finished with the broth, there are miscellaneous pieces of fish inside that you eat. Apparently this is a very popular and traditional Japanese dish, but I've never seen it before.

And the bill? $130. I've eaten for two at a Japanese restaurant in the US and easily spent over $100. I can't imagine what this bill would have been in America.

We also had a fantastic icewine, served somewhere between the 5th and 6th servings of fish. It had to be fantastic because any sweet wine that was less than fantastic would have ruined an appetite if drunk during this meal. My father-in-law receives gifts from customers all the time and he usually leaves the gifts to sit in his office and rot (I'm going to teach him ebay this week). One of the items was an icewine, and he wanted to drink it as soon as we sat down. Luckily I was able to have it chilled for 15 minutes before we unleashed the dessert wine onto our pallets.

2004 Peller Estates Vidal Blanc Icewine; Private Reserve

From the winemaker: Lemon yellow colour with enticing aromas of honey, caramelized sugar, spice and golden pineapple. Intense flavours of mandarin orange, peach, marmalade and sponge toffee. A medium to full-bodied dessert wine with lingering notes of honey and candied orange all perfectly balanced by firm acidity.

TravelGuy says: yup yup yup, the description is spot-on, though I think the "intense flavours" section is a bit much - I didn't taste this, but then again, it could have been the omega 3 fatty acids from my food that was inhibiting my palate. Yeah, that's it. I did love this wine and wish I could try it again with something sweeter than fish.

Google Shopping result: $50; and that's for a 375ml bottle. Ouch. Worthwhile? Maybe, but I am not worth that much at this point. Glad that this bottle was free.

Tasting Notes: NWA Wines

I hope to have more than one wine post. Anytime you see "Tasting notes", I'm probably referring to wine. About two months ago, a few friends and I decided to become more serious about wine tasting. We are former alcoholics from our college years that drank way too much Pabst, Milwaukee's Best and Natural Ice than any of us would like to admit. Now I don't have a very particular pallet, so if anyone reading this blog has any additional comments to the wines in discussion, please let me know and I'll be sure to post (and yes, I am talking to the three of you who actually read this blog).

These wines were offered on the flight DTW-KIX last week and I wanted to jot them down for my own knowledge and for the benefit of others who may want to try something new:



Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Sparkling Wine, Non-Vintage:
NWA says - a blend of hand-harvested Napa, Sonoma and Mendocina county Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Green apple and jasmine fragrance filled out by tropical fruit notes. Bright citrus entry on the palate ending with subtle honey and caramel cream.

Travel guy says - I was given this drink when boarding the plane, and I must say that it was very refreshing. Nothing amazing, but it was sweet and smooth, with no bitterness.

Google Shopping result: $25; maybe worthwhile, though I don't have a lot of champagne comparisons



2004 Artesa Meritage
NWA says - an intriguing blend of red Bordeaus and Rhone varietals, this wine is predominately Merlot sourced from Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Bright cheery and raspberry flavors predominate. cinnamon, clove, leather (wtf?), cigar box (okay, this is getting stupid), and chocolate provide counterpoint to the red berry fruit.

Travel guy says - okay, I don't know where these descriptions are coming from, but this was easily my favorite wine of the day. It was flavorful and contained a sweet and sour appeal while remaining a dry wine. I don't know about all those flavors mentioned in the NWA description, but the wine is certainly worth a try.

Google Shopping result: $14; I'd say a bargain



2005 Alexandar Valley Vineyards Estate Syrah - Alexander Valley
NWA says: Heady aromas of blueberries, sandalwood and a subtle nose of violets. On the palate, rich flavors of blackberries, allspice, and a hint of menthol and black licorice. The whole package is underscored by notes of vanilla which dissipate as the wine opens up in the glass:

Travel guy says - Menthol? Do you really want to drink a wine that tastes of menthol? I don't, and I thought this wine was quite unimpressive. Terrible aftertaste without much flavor. Maybe it was the overwhelming inclusion of methanol that doomed this wine. Menthol?

Google Shopping result: $21; go ahead, waste your money



2006 Bouchard Pere & fils Pouilly-Fuisse
NWA says: a chardonnay varietal produced in the Proully Fuisse-Maconnais region of France (no shit). Typical aromas with fruit and floral notes. A perfumed, silky and elegant wine good on its own with fish of all kinds.

Travel Guy says - what happened. All the red wines had at least five descriptions of the taste. This description is vague, as if to say "we had to add one more wine, this one was as cheap as hell and it has a funny sounding French name, so let's add it to the list". I would say that the wine was average. I didn't notice an oakiness to the wine (is that a word?), and it had a nice taste upon hitting the tongue, but I wouldn't say it left the best aftertaste. I wouldn't buy this to impress the girl.

Google Shopping result: $25; my favorite chardonnays are in the $40 range, so my guess is this is a good wine for the price.