Something Fishy

Not rating the wine tonight as it wouldn't be fair - it's been open for 3 days already. This is more of a "I threw dinner together and it turned out great and I wanted to share" kind of meal.

Wine: 2007 Anne Amie Müller-Thurgau Cuvée A
Meal: Deep-fried Catfish and green bean casserole

The wine is much drier than the last Müller-Thurgau I reviewed, but much of the flavors remain the same. It's quite lovely, and is clearly holding up well after a few days in the fridge. Goes quite nicely with the meal, as well - its light flavor compliments the lightness of the fish.

Want to make this meal?

Deep-fried Catfish
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp white pepper
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
1/2 lb catfish nuggets

Mix together in a bowl the cornmeal, flour, peppers and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Coat the nuggets in the egg wash and then dredge in the flour mixture.

Heat a deep-fryer to 375 degrees. Place the nuggets in the oil and cook for 5-6 minutes until golden brown.

Dipping sauce
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp horseradish
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.

Side with your favorite green bean casserole (I just heated up frozen Green Giant green bean casserole).

Enjoy!

Usual Dinner, Unusual Wine

Being lazy tonight and having ended up going out for lunch during the day, I ended up making the lunch I had brought to work, dinner. Spruced up a little. It was a very simple baked chicken Lean Cuisine. I plated it and drizzled a little balsamic vinegar over the chicken and added a side of cheesy broccoli, and went for the most unusual bottle of wine that I could think of in my cellar, to give dinner a special twist.

Wine: 2005 Airlie Winery Müller-Thurgau Estate
Meal: Lean Cuisine Baked Chicken with cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cheesy broccoli

Tasting notes on the wine:

Color: 5/5
Very pale yellow, almost clear. Perfect clarity, with just the slightest bit of a clear meniscus.

Nose: 12/15
Complex nose, combining elements of herbal greens and minerals, with a touch of floral. Very much like a Gewurtztraminer or a Riesling. The herbal component comes out in the form of fresh cut grass after a spring rain, and the mineral component reminds me of well water. Lavender is the chief floral scent.

Taste: 8/10
Tart and acidic on the attack, mellowing out to fresh, crisp, bright fruit on the mid-palate. There are tones of citrus and apple with a shock of pear. There's a little bit of a bite to it - not alcohol heat... I can't quite describe it, might just be the tartness causing me to pucker my cheeks a little. If summer had a taste, this would be it. The balance is really nice on this - even though this wine is semi-sweet with a residual sugar of 2%, there's enough acidity to round it out.

Finish: 7/10
A good finish on this one - the flavors linger for quite a while. There's a lot of granny smith apple, very prominent, with ginger ale. The feel is a little oily, but it's smooth and clean.

Aging: 3/5
From what I can find of the little there is out there about the Müller-Thurgau grape, it's not meant to age much. I think no one has given this grape a chance to. Clearly it's still holding up strong 4 years after the vintage, and I don't sense any deterioration going on. Perhaps this is a white that requires a little time in the bottle to fully develop into what this wine has obviously become, and I think it will continue to age for at least a few more years. Not too shabby for what seems to be the "reject" grape of Germany.

Overall: 4/5
I had no idea what to expect going into this wine, and I've got to say, I'm pretty impressed by it. It came from a bin end, let's-get-rid-of-it sale, and it was a grape I'd never heard of before so I thought to give it a shot. I'm really glad I did. I don't generally go for sweet wines, so it's really nice that the acidity of this balances out the sweetness and makes it just enjoyable. It's well crafted, and a good solid effort. With only 10% ABV, it's pretty easy to sit and sip on this one. If you're into Rieslings, you'll probably really like this one. Go find it and try it out!

Total: 89pts

This is somewhat of an elegant offering - pair this with elegant meals. The mashed potatoes and cornbread stuffing were a little heavy with it, but the chicken tenderloins and broccoli were perfect. This would go really well with seafood as well, and salads with a light dressing on it. This would also make a lovely brunch wine, seated outside with the sun shining, a light breeze blowing, good friends and fabulous brunch food!

Enjoy!