Russian wines

[Jaime]

Hello,

I am having a dinner with a Russian menu and I am having a hard time finding Russian wines. I understand the Georgian region produces quite a bit of wine but I have tried calling 10 different liquor stores in my area with no luck. The dinner is in 2 days. Any suggestions?

[Innkeeper]

Hi Jaime, and welcome to the Wine Board. If the Georgian wine would be satisfactory with the Russian food, so would other wines. Why don't you just post the menu and we will recommend the wines.

[Jaime]

The menu is:
Appetizers:
Liver Pate
Eggplant "caviar"

Soup:
Asparagus Soup

Sides:
Rice Pilaf
Green Beans w/ Garlic Yogurt Sauce

Main Dish:
Salmon Stuffed Veal w/ Caviar Sauce

Dessert:
Cherry Charlotte

This is a theme dinner (the theme is dictators and March is Joseph Staliln).
That is why I was hoping to find something Russian or close to it.

Thank you in advance for your help!!
Jaime

[Innkeeper]

Trying to keep it simple, with the appetizers and soup would go with an Austrian Gruner-Veltliner. With the entree and sides would go with a full bodied pinot noir. With dessert recommend a red Port.

[Thomas]

I'd go with IK's suggestions. You are not likely to find Russian wines to pair with the dinner.

[Kcwhippet]

Foodie,

How about Frank's Rkatsiteli?

[zenda2]

If I recall my history lessons, the Russians during the Crimean war loved (and probably still love) champagne & sparkling wines. While they preferred Champagne, they weren't fussy about where other sparklers came from, so long as it's bubbly. A chilled bottle of your favorite sparkler to go with the pate & caviar would be my suggestion.

A small shot of icecold Russian vodka between the soup and main courses won't be out of place. Good time for a toast, something anti-Stalin perhaps. Horrible man.

[Thomas]

Kc, since Jaime does not identify his location, I hesitate to make recommendations--but then, almost nobody outside of NY is likely to find Frank's Rkatsiteli, which if one can, it will likely be as good as the Gruner-Veltliner for the dinner. I believe Rkatsiteli is a Georgian grape.

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 03-08-2003).]

[Jaime]

Thanks for all of your help and suggestions! My location is Wisconsin and you are right, I could not find Frank's Rkatsiteli in time for the dinner. But I did order some on line to try just for ourselves.

Instead of the Austrian Gruner-Veltliner I chose a Riesling from Slovakia (Sturovo Region, Muzla)

I chose 2 different wines to try with dinner to experiment with. One is a Rose Valley Merlot from Bulgaria and the other is a Pinot Noir from Romania.

And of course Cristal vodka for a toast [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]

Thank you,
Jaime

[Georgie]

Sorry, but I have to ask...why are we toasting dictators?

[Thomas]

Jaime, the Riesling might turn out to be a good choice--the Bulgarian and Romanian wines are potential disasters, if what I have lately tasted from those locales is any guide.

Glad you got the Dr. Frank Rkatsiteli. A fantastic product.

[quijote]

If the theme of the dinner is dictators, and especially if Stalin (and Soviet rule) is the focus, it would be (thematically) kind of appropriate to serve the food with a bold, brick-red, no-nonsense wine.

As for the food, I'm surprised no 'taters are being served (pardon the pun).