An evening with German wine

As we mentioned in our initial post, we're members of every wine society one can be a member of in Regina: the Society for American Wines, the Opimiam Society, and the German Wine Society.

We don't make it to all of the events (more's the pity), but we go to many, especially those put on by the German Wine Society. One such event was held on Sunday at the Willow on Wascana, a relatively new restaurant in the city that's making waves with adventurous, all-Saskatchewan-based dishes.

What follows are very brief notes taken by me (Ed, the one doing the typing tonight) on the wines and food. No photos of the bottle labels--that's way too much work when you're supposed to be enjoying yourself--and the notes are minimal, but perhaps they might be of some interest and/or use to anyone looking for information on some of these wines (some of which, by the way, were ordered directly from Germany and are not otherwise available in Canada or, I believe, the U.S.).

So, here's how the evening went:

Reception wine
Gustav Adolf Schmitt Niersteiner Kabinett, Rheinhessen, 2000 - OK, sweetish, nothing special.

Special feature
Amuse Bouche (a bite-sized appetizer), a sort of won-ton with a bit of risotto inside (I didn't note the details, though they were provided verbally). Very good, but I'd drunk all my reception wine and so had nothing to pair with it.

Soup
Potato Sauerkraut
Martinshof Kerner Spatlese, Pfalz, 2002 - Very nice. Richer than the reception wine. The soup, which was deliciously tangy (and had a very interesting texture with the strings of sauerkraut in it) overpowered the wine a bit, but the flavors didn't clash, at least.

Appetizer
Mushroom Strudel
Martinshof Huxelrebe Kabinett, Pfalz, 2003 - First time I've ever tasted a Huxelrebe. Intriguing! It had a light floral bouquet, but an absolutely astonishing caramel flavor. Very, very good--but I think this is one of those Germany-only wines, more's the pity. (We'll certainly order some if the society arranges another order that includes it, though.)

Salad
Pear Ginger Sorbet
No wine--hard to imagine one going with this palate-cleanser.

Entree
Bacon-wrapped Bison Tenderloin accompanied by Julienne Vegetables and Oven-roasted Potatoes--delicious! The bison was meltingly tender and the bacon wrapping gave it just the right bit of extra flavor.
St. Helena Flonheimer Adelberg Spatlese Rheinhessen, 2001 - Very nice, very typical Spatlese. Remarkably, considering that hoary old received wisdom about red wine going best with red meat, the Spatlese actually went better with the dish than...
Pillitteri Cabernet Merlot, Niagara, 2003 - That's a bit misleading. This "International Blend" actually contained three grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile (if I remember right), Merlot from somewhere in Europe, and Cabernet Franc from the Niagara Peninsula. In any event, it was quite nice: the bouquet was unappealing, but the wine itself was nicely dry, not too fruity, and certainly not jammy.

Dessert
Spicy Chocolate Lava Cake - Fabulous dessert, melt-in-your mouth, and hot from both the oven and just the right amount of chili-peppers.
Firesteed Pinot Noir, Oregon, 2002 - A light, smoky bouquet, a light flavor, but a good, if simple, Pinot. To everyone's surprise at our table, it actually worked quite nicely with the cake.
Altdorfer Trappenberg Beerenauslese Ortega/Muller-Thurgau, Pfalz, 1999 - I never waste a wine like this by pairing it up against dessert (well, I might try just a sip with the dessert, but generally it doesn't work), so in some ways this was my final final dessert. And it was delicious: not overly sweet, and with a hint of mint, or maybe licorice, on the finish. It had a rich, buttery mouth feel that made it all the more satisfying.

As, indeed, was the entire evening. We missed the German Wine Society's previous visit to the Willow on Wascana; apparently there is still another menu we could try, so we definitely hope we'll be back there soon.