Ansgar Clüsserath
Even if you do not know very much about pairing wine and food you might have heard that wine merchants often recommend Riesling with Asian or other spicy food. Or you might have come across a few wine labels that had similar suggestions. While certain wine labels do praise a wine as compatible with pretty much any food ('This wine goes well with salads, chicken, fish and various meats.'), there is indeed a connection between some spicy food and Riesling, especially sweeter Riesling. I will not exhaust this topic tonight, but I will give an example (with recipe) to illustrate how and why sweet (Riesling) and spicy (food) can go together, based on what may be the most important rule of food and wine pairing: match a wine with the sauce (not with the meat). So here it comes, a semi-sweet Riesling from the Mosel and pasta with a chilli-carrot sauce.
Despite its pale lemon colour, this Riesling shines like gold (just in a light, quite pale lemon coloured way). It comes from the Mosel, from a vineyard near the village of Trittenheim, which is called 'Apotheke' - 'Pharmacy' in English (relating to the old-fashioned word Apothecary, of course). While I do normally not go so far as to recommend a wine as medicine, with this one I almost might - it is just such a refreshing joy to drink it.
The nose with its mineral and herbs makes me think of, well, the steep vineyards of the Mosel; add to that refreshing green apples, peach and half-fermented fruit and then finely dust the aromas with icing sugar. A bouquet that says: 'drink me, drink me now!'
What can I say? Mineral, mineral, mineral with lemony elements, arranged around a strong core with a nice acid kick; rich with green fruit and fresh herbs; despite the freshness a certain aged saturation, reminded us of alte Reben (old vines).
And did I say mineral?
A nice, fresh smell of herby mineral with a hint of honey. In the mouth, peach, exotic fruit (with some bitter-sweet notes), herbal notes, a little spice, creamy mineral. After a few hours the Clüsserath shows off with intense, very pleasant citrus fruit and lemon with a great smoothness. Very enjoyable! Decanter.