Saturday night – Thank you, come again! Edition

Mick and Amy were still on vacation this weekend, so my parents took pity on us and invited us for dinner on Saturday. Dad chose East Indian cuisine as the theme for the evening. The menu for the night included chicken curry, shrimp biryani, onion bhaji's and cold cucumber & onion salad in a creamy dressing.

"Prep Zone"

The only item Kathy and I were to bring to dinner -- as our small contribution -- was the wine. Indian and Asian cuisine can be very tricky to pair with so I had to give this some thought. I was debating between a Riesling, Pinot Gris or possibly a Gewurztraminer and was perusing the wine rack when I came across a bottle of “Symphony” by Ironstone Vineyards. Symphony is a grape developed back in the 40’s by Dr. Olmo (University of California, Davis). It is a cross of Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris.

"Deep fried onion goodness!"

I had picked this up awhile back as it is always fun to experience a new grape but hadn’t figured out what to have it with. The last line on the description on the back label was “…excellent companion to spicy Asian dishes.”, so Symphony made the cut to go with dinner.

"Table ready to go!"

I was a little concerned about going with something I had never tried before so I also grabbed a bottle of Pinot Gris from Alsace as well.

Dad was pretty much ready to serve as we arrived so I added a second glass to the table for everyone and poured out both wines.

"Tonight's competition"

Here is the LCBO information –

Ironstone Vineyards Obsession Symphony 2006
Vintages 355784
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 14.95
Wine, White Wine,
12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : MD
Made in: California, United States
By: Ironstone Vineyards
Release Date: Apr 26, 2008

Description - Originally created at the University of California at Davis, Symphony is an aromatic grape variety that is a cross between Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris. The latest vintage of Ironstone's popular Obsession is as fragrant as ever, soft and round with a touch of sweetness that makes it an excellent companion to spicy Asian dishes.

"More than just rice..."

There was no LCBO information for the Schlumberger Pinot Gris; if I recall correctly it was around a $25 price point.

The LCBO did have a 2005 Schlumberger Riesling listed in inventory and reading the description on that was interesting as it was rated 90 by the Wine Spectator and made their Top 100 Wines for 2007 list. I will be picking up a couple of bottles to try. I might be able to convince Mick to make something this Saturday to go with it.

"Country Captain styled curry"

Before I get back to the wines, let me say that dinner was first rate; everything was cooked to perfection, and all the different flavors of all the dishes work really well together.

"Something new"

I’ll start with the Symphony -- it was pale yellow in colour and had very fine bubbles to it, not enough to class it as a sparkling wine but they were present. The nose was extremely floral and pleasing. It was semi-sweet with soft rounded acidity and very easy drinking. The Symphony managed to hold its own with the food and was a good pairing. The closest thing the wine reminded me of was an Italian Prosecco. For its $15 price tag, this wine was a pretty good deal.

"The second place finisher"

The Domaines Schlumberger Pinot Gris Alsace Les Princes Abbés 2003 was a deeper yellow almost gold in colour compared to the Symphony. The nose wasn’t as strong as the Symphony and had a floral element with a note of vanilla. The acidity was higher than the Symphony or more noticeable due to its dryness. There was a slight tartness when paired with the food that distracted you from the wine. This wasn’t a bad pairing but the Symphony was the preferred choice of the two.

Mick and Amy will be back next weekend so we’ll get back to our regular Saturday night schedule. But, for this night, the food, wine and company was an excellent substitute.

Cheers!

Mark