This will be just a short note to say that I enjoyed an extraordinary lunch and pre-lunch wine-tasting at Vidalia restaurant today, Friday June 6th, 2008. I was blown away by the depth and variety of these excellent Alsace wines ( thirteen different wines, a Monopole Riesling, two other Rieslings, a Gewurztraminer ( two of the wines were Grand Crus ) - and a dry bubbly - this is all before the luncheon, too. With the lunch we had three Clos Himmelreich Rieslings ( 2004, 2001, and 1979 - loved the 1079 but it was still jeune/young ; really dug the 2001 that went so well with the Briar Hollow Farm Rabbit Terrine and sweetbreads of veal ), three Clos de Recollets Pinot Gris ( 2004, 2001, and 1983 - the 1982 was a wonder of elegance and finesse, the 2001 was the power to hold up wonderfully to the La Belle Farm Foie Gras - the 2004 opened slowly and charmingly and was such a nice sipping treat after an hour ). We also with lunch had the 1985 Gewurztraminer Selection de Grains Nobles that had a golden color ( " the color is the same that people have in the banks of Switzerland " said Jean ) and was so smooth and silky and light and elegant and not heavy even for the heat and the humidity of this day. The chef combined it with a Bucheron French cheese " bloomy, pasteurized goat cheese with complex flavors. Another near-perfect match.
I must say that I loved the sparkling Cremant dry rose that had no bite, no attitude, no burn, no stress, no walls or any barriers to just a simple COMPLETE enjoyment of it's creamy flavors. You don't need anything with it to thoroughly enjoy and feel like a million dollars.
We will definitely work a lot with this outstanding no-bite dry rose. I see grand things for that here in our store. WOW- FIVE-TIMES WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW. Do you get the idea?!? It will be here in our store at Cleveland Park Wines And Spirits in a couple of weeks' time.
It was grand to meet Jean . He becomes passionate about his wines, their stories and relating them even though he's working with a limited English his enthusiasm and passion ring through and make it such a pleasure to listen and watch him as he picks up steam. I have some great photos of him and the event and they will all appear on this bog. Give me a day or two : it does take a bit of organization and time to do it all well.
Everyone was a big help and the tasting was really well-attended. Thanks to Jean Albrecht, to export manager Bertrand Denoune, to Greg Murray, regional manager mid-Atlantic of Pasternak Wine Imports and our sales person from Country Vintners, Chris Pigott. Thanks to you all including the staff at Vidalia.
I also want to complement Vidalia and this luncheon. All the foods fully complemented the wines and never took center stage. They showcased the wines as they should have and never became the main event. I loved that. Kudos and big cheers to Vidalia. It takes a restaurant that is confident in what they do all the time not to feel like they have to be the main event. They shared it beautifully with Jean Albrecht and his marvelous wines from Orschwihr, Alsace France.
I never spent three hours at a lunch but I have to say that it was such a unique event pairing foods and wines together that I am honored to be have included here with other restaurant and stores as well as food/wine writers. Impressive all around. Great way to start the weekend. Cheers , TONY
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