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Food and Wine Pairing of the Week by Swirl Wines
Posted by bevo vino on 2007-05-29 07:53:28
(5699 views) 
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[Editorial]
[Austria] |
 White Asparagus with Pistachio Polonaise Paired with Weingut Stadt Krems Sandgrube Gruner Veltliner
2005 Weingut Stadt Krems Sandgrube Gruner Veltliner: Weingut Stadt Krems is in a class by itself: the enterprise is owned by a municipality. Historically, Weingut Stadt Krems arose from two sources. The first source is the property of the Bürgerspitalstiftung--in 1210, Duke Leopold IV of Babenberg founded a public hospital in Krems and left important legacies to it, including vineyards. The second source was the generous bequest of the imperial Burggrave of Krems, Ulrich von Dachsberg, who presented the town with vineyards in 1452. With over 550 years of history, Weingut Stadt Krems is one of the oldest wine-producers in Austria, and even in the whole of Europe.
Until 1744, the Town Hall in the historical center of the city, which is over a thousand years old, accommodated the press house and the maturing cellar. They were then relocated to the cellar in the "Corporis Christi Brotherhood." In 1915, the city acquired a wine cellar in the town moat. The estate wines of the city have been pressed there ever since. No wines or grapes have ever been bought from outside vineyards. |
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Weingut Stadt Krems is a member of the association Traditionsweingüter Österreich" (Traditional Vineyards of Austria), a group devoted to the preservation of venerable and historical vineyards. All the vineyards of Weingut Stadt Krems (30 hectares) are within the Krems city limits.
Krems' wealth has always been its viticulture. The charter granting city rights to Krems (1305) states that "the honour of the city lies chiefly in its vineyards." No wonder, then, that more than 50 monasteries and convents in German-speaking countries owned vineyards here in the ideal climate of this town located at the banks of the Danube River. The Weinzierler (local dialect for vintners, winegrowers) cultivated the monastery vineyards and then vinified the grapes at the magnificent Lesehöfe (vintage farms). The wine was then shipped up the Danube to the monasteries, where it was not only used by the monks as their daily altar wine, but also furthered the international reputation of Krems as a flourishing wine capital.
Today, the 1,000 hectares of vineyards belonging to the city of Krems (with a population of 23,000) are cultivated by hundreds of small wine-growing estates. With the development of industry and service providers, wine is no longer the city's main source of income, but its "crowning glory" is still the reputation and quality of Krems wines. The boyish-looking Fritz Miesbauer has already established quite a reputation. One of a two-man team, he propelled the cooperative Freie Weingartner Wachau (FWW) to the forefront of the Austrian wine scene before having to leave. FWW’s loss was the gain of Weingut Stadt Krems, and in just a couple of years (Fritz was appointed in July 2003), he’s made this previously slumbering producer one to watch out for.
Wine Advocate #166, August 2006, Robert Parker, 87 pts.
The 2005 Gruner Veltliner Sandgrube offers aromas and flavors of melon and nut oil with herbal accents, once again reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc. Lush, yet light on the palate, it finishes with juicy melon, fruit pits, and herbs.
Food and Wine Pairing:
White Asparagus with Pistachio Polonaise Paired with Weingut Stadt Krems Sandgrube Gruner Veltliner
4 SIDE-DISH SERVINGS
A crunchy Polonaise topping is irresistible whether sprinkled over asparagus, cauliflower, fried fish, or steamed rice.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup shelled pistachio nuts
- 2 1/2 pounds white asparagus, peeled, or green asparagus
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Salt
- 2 hard-cooked eggs
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced tarragon
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread the pistachios in a pie plate and toast for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
- Steam the asparagus until just tender, about 10 minutes.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
- Add the asparagus, season with salt and toss to coat,then transfer to a platter. Coarsely grate the eggs over the top. Sprinkle with the nuts, chives, parsley and tarragon and serve.
Recipe by Marcia Kiesel
From Austrian Emperors | Grüner Veltliner
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Swirl Sensational Wines
3143 Ponce de Leon Street
New Orleans, La 70119
(504) 304-0635
www.swirlinthecity.com |
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