August 2009 Recipe of the Month

All-Time Favorite Food and Wine Pairings

If there's one thing our staff spends a lot of time doing, it's trying out different foods with different wines. We asked each of our staff members who picked wines for this months' selections to tell us their all-time favorite food and wine pairing. Each one is a sure-fire recipe for a good night!

Chad Watkins: Tarte Flambee (Alsatian white pizza with onion and bacon) with Riesling

Kathy Brindle: Chicken fajitas with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Phil Unger: Bryan Flannery's roast rib cap with Pinot Noir

Thomas McGarry: Braised short ribs with an aged Hermitage

Rick Bedkowski: Pork chops with Cotes du Rhone. Maybe a little applesauce

Laura Moorin: Mushroom risotto with Barollo

Cathy Wilkes: Sauteed foie gras and huckleberries with Muscat de Beaumes de Venise

Ivonne Nill: Pedro Ximenez Sherry generously poured over good vanilla ice cream.

Gary's Wine Club July 2009 Reserve Selection: 2007 Hermann Wiemer Dry Riesling

2007 Hermann Wiemer Dry Riesling
Grape variety: Riesling
Region: Finger Lakes, New York
Food pairing: Grilled Snapper with Green Curry

It's not often that a New York wine, or any East Coast wine for that matter, gets significant recognition from the national press. Even though the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes regions are capable of rivaling the West Coast and even Europe when it comes to certain varietals (Riesling chief among them), they're often overlooked as minor-league.

But Hermann J. Wiemer's winery, established in the Finger Lakes in 1979, is finally getting some of the recognition they deserve for producing a dry Riesling that rivals the best in the same price category from Washington and even Alsace. Lime zest, a little wild mint and vanilla mingle to offer extraordinary freshness, with just the smallest hint of floral sweetness on the finish. Wine & Spirits magazine awarded this wine 92 points, while both Food and Wine and Saveur agreed that Wiemer is one of THE best American Riesling producers, hands-down. East Coasters, take pride; West Coasters, take notice.

More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/east_coast/59002.html