Written by Jim Shirley • Special to the News Journal
Whenever I am asked about German wines, I am always haunted by a scene from a PBS wine series. In it, large, ruddy grape pickers on a foggy mountain slope in Germany are asked by the raincoat-wrapped reporter, “Which of the liebfraumilchs do you like?”
This sends the pickers into howls of laughter that has them rolling on the ground.
“Mother’s milk! We don’t drink that stuff. We send it to America!”
Since there might have been a bit of Blue Nun or Black Castle in my past, I have relished the idea that since we’re perhaps not always getting the best of German wines, our team in Washington and Oregon have taken to growing the German grapes and the product is fine.
That said, our friend Colleen Glennon from Lemelson Vineyards in the Willamette Valley of Oregon is visiting Pensacola, providing her wares for the wine buyers around town to taste. I’ve already had a bit of the 2009 Dry Riesling — very low sugars. This will be delightful with an Asian dish such as sushi, or a spicy South American dish, having a long citrus finish of lime and orange.
Another example of German grapes doing well in America is the 2009 Tikka’s Run Pinot Gris. Pinot Gris is the same grape as Pinot Grigio, but with great care, Tikka’s Run develops a soft sweet finish with tropical notes and pear, which is a great complement to spicier foods.
Look for these two wines at fine shops in the next few weeks! Check out the restaurant’s wine list here!
The Fish House, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003, or visit www.goodgrits.com.
Tags: America, Chef Jim Shirley, Cocktails, Fish House, local business, Pensacola, wine
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