Which wines with Slovakian Food?

[Kcwhippet]

Cheryl, There's actually a lot of wine produced in Slovakia. My cousin went to East Slovakia a few years ago to where our grandparents came from (on my father's side - my mother's parents came from what's now the Czech Republic). He mentioned that he saw a lot of vineyards and quite a few wineries when he traveled away from the area of Presov (where many of our relatives still live). Most people were drinking Riesling or Gruner Veltliner with the lighter dishes (chicken, white sausage, filled pastries (pierogies), pork, etc.). The reds were Cabernet Sauvignon (surprisingly) and Svatovavrinecke (very close to Pinot Noir), which were drunk with heavier foods like smoked and roast meats. Then, of course, there's Tokaj which is Hungarian but that region borders the southeast part of Slovakia and there's a lot made in Slovakia. At one time Slovakia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, some foods (like the traditional Slovak boiled dinner of sausage, potatoes and sauerkraut) just lent themselves to beer, and many towns brew their own, most in the Plzen tradition. Plzen (Pilsen in English) is in the Czech Republic but the Slovaks still like the beer. In fact Pilsener Urquell (from Plzen) is widely available here in the U.S. So, those are a few of my suggestions.

[This message has been edited by Kcwhippet (edited 04-29-2005).]