[wine] [jellings@me.umn.edu: California at Oddfellows]

Resending this.... BTW, Liq. Depot Tasting is today. Sale starts today. List is on line at liquordepot.com. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 16:31:01 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com, "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> Subject: California at Oddfellows User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i Greetings, Heading to Oddfellows this week. Russ's California Dream is for Non-Cabernet and Non-Napa wines from California. Potential options include Syrah, Cal Ital, Zins and all the whites. Should be lots of fun. Oddfellows / Boom 612-378-3188 401 E Hennepin Minneapolis, MN 55414 Who's coming out to play... Five For Fining Russ Lori Nikolai Jim Louise Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> ----- X-MessageWall-Score: 0 (smtp-relay.enet.umn.edu) Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 11:54:35 -0400 (EDT) To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu Subject: The 30 Second Wine Advisor - Gruner mit Spargel From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> X-Sender: <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Friday, May 14, 2004 ___________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSORS: * CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB Summer Sippin' Wine Sale http://www.cawineclub.com?Partner_ID=winelovers * RANCHO SAN DIEGO TRAVEL Tour Argentina and Chile http://www.wineloverspage.com/tour/ranchosandiego.shtml ___________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE * SPARGEL MIT GRUNER Another candidate for world's best asparagus match. * SOLLNER 2002 "WOGENRAIN" WAGRAM DONAULAND GRUNER VELTLINER ($13) Racy and tart, with a lovely stony minerality: Classic GV. * WINE TRAVEL Join us in Austria ... and Burgundy. * ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe. ___________________________________________________________________ SPARGEL MIT GRUNER Monday's dissertation on finding the perfect wine to go with fresh spring asparagus turned out to be another of those topics that inspired an unexpected flurry of E-mail and online forum responses. Along with a lot of support for my assertion that a "grassy" Sauvignon Blanc makes a natural companion for these vernal spears and the usual choir of praise for Riesling as the wine that goes with everything, a few enthusiasts spoke up for Alsatian Muscat (the drier the better) as an ideal match. But perhaps the strongest claim came from the Austrian contingent and those who love Austrian wine: Gruner Veltliner ("GV" for short), these advocates say, may be the best match of all - particularly for the thick and tender white spears that Germans and Austrians call "Spargel," a seasonal treat that's just about at its peak right now. (By coincidence, I was in Austria - and visited Donauland and the neighboring Wachau region - on this very day in May, 1998. I still remember how Spargel - and Gruner Veltliner - appeared at just about every meal except maybe breakfast.) GV is one of my white-wine favorites, a topic I took on just a month ago in a report on Austria and its wines in the April 12 Wine Advisor. For today's tasting report, let's take a look at another tasty GV, this one from the lovely Donauland region near Vienna. ___________________________________________________________________ TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE Want to talk about matching wine with asparagus, or for that matter matching food and wine in general? You'll find a round-table online discussion on today's topic in our interactive Wine Lovers' Discussion Group, where you're always welcome to join in the conversations about wine. http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=1&tid=50913&mi… The discussion that followed Monday's report on Sauvignon Blanc with asparagus is still online, too, at http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=1&tid=50806&mi… If you prefer to comment privately, feel free to send me E-mail at wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit. ___________________________________________________________________ SOLLNER 2002 "WOGENRAIN" WAGRAM DONAULAND GRUNER VELTLINER ($13) This very fine GV comes from the Wagram ("Vah-grahm") sub-region in Austria's Donauland ("Danube-land") growing area, a scenic spot on the north bank of the Danube not far northwest of Vienna. A clear, very pale straw color, it offers pleasant aromas of honeydew melon with a whiff of peppermint. Ripe white fruit and fragrant white- pepper flavors are built on racy, zippy, lemon-squirt acidity; a pleasing "stony" minerality develops with time in the glass, adding flavor complexity and texture in the finish. U.S. importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, Pa. (April 30, 2004) FOOD MATCH: A natural with white or green asparagus, as noted, and fine with poultry, pork or fish, GV is one of the most versatile of food wines. We served it with a marlin steak pan-seared Sicilian- style with lemon, garlic and oregano. VALUE: A white wine of finesse and quality, more than fairly priced in the lower teens. WHEN TO DRINK: Drinking well, but you needn't fear keeping it under cool conditions for a few years. WEB LINK: The winery Website is currently available only in German. You'll find the specs on the Wogenrain GV here: http://www.weingut-soellner.at/ger/wogenrain.html FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: In the U.S., ask your local merchant to seek this wine through Weygandt-Metzler, the Pennsylvania-based importer. Check the winery Website under "Bezugsquellen" ("Supply Sources") for distributors in many countries: http://www.weingut-soellner.at/ger/bezugsquellen.html Wine-Searcher.com's database contains only a limited reference to Sollner's wines at http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Sollner/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP ___________________________________________________________________ WINE TRAVEL: JOIN US IN AUSTRIA ... AND BURGUNDY I'm delighted to partner with the respected California-based touring company Food and Wine Trails for a seven-day "Austrian Wine Experience" tour this coming Sept. 25-Oct. 1. We'll visit wineries in three of Austria's top wine-producing regions - Wachau, Kamptal and Burgenland - as well as taking in the rich world of art and culture (and food and wine, of course!) in Vienna. For a quick summary and details, visit http://www.foodandwinetrails.com/html/wines_of_austria.html We're leaving next Friday for a week in Burgundy (plus a day in Champagne), hosting a wine tour of the region with our friends at French Wine Explorers. We have an eager group ready to go, but I'm told that there may still be room for one or possibly two more. This will be a memorable tour, with VIP-style visits at several top producers plus four-star lodging and meals at some of Burgundy's top restaurants including the classic Lameloise. If you're a world- class procrastinator and would still like to join us, get in touch with me pronto at wine(a)wineloverspage.com. For details about the tour, see French Wine Explorers, http://www.wine-tours-france.com/BurgundyWineTours.htm ___________________________________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: * 30 Second Wine Advisor, daily or weekly (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/index.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter, Thursdays (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/foodletter.shtml * Wine Advisor Premium Edition, alternate Tuesdays ($24/year) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/premium.phtml ARCHIVES: For all past editions: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml CONTACT US E-mail: wine(a)wineloverspage.com SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: For information, E-mail wine(a)wineloverspage.com ___________________________________________________________________ ADMINISTRIVIA To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, switch from weekly to daily distribution, or for any other administrative matters, click to http://www.wineloverspage.com/admin.php?id=20970&cs=7d1109b668af1f87d36… We welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. We do not use this list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail to anyone. All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry. Friday, May 14, 2004 Copyright 2004 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved. ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 * ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *