2004 Hansel North Slope Vineyard RRV Pinot Noir

[dananne]

This is a nice RRV PN, and almost unmistakably a RRV PN. Sweet black cherry and raspberry fruit on the nose and entry, with floral elements and a hint of barnyard. Good acidity and pretty texture in the mouth. Finish shows an earthy minerality. This should drink very well for another 5-7 easy, before starting on a downward slope. Alc. 14.5% and integrated well. Received as a gift, but I believe it runs about $50. Opened a bit tight, and Anne enjoyed it much better the second night. FWIW, WA gave it a 94-96.

[Innkeeper]

Dan, you might want to check out the wineloverspage.com They have an interesting thread going on about vegetarianism and wine. Of course, our intrepid Foodie (Thomas) is in the thick of it!

[dananne]

Thanks for the heads-up. I read the thread, and it was partly what I would expect to hear. Frankly, what I've found to be the hardest part of being vegetarian is not missing the foods I formerly enjoyed, but rather the common lack of understanding of what the diet involves. So many people assume that I subsist primarily on twigs and leaves, and our society has somewhat evolved to believe that any meal has to have a "meat" component, rather than thinking of it as a "protein" element.

I had no idea that you had once been a vegetarian. I guess it's true, that we learn something new every day! You're very right in that it involves changing the types of food that you eat -- I eat far more East Asian, Indian, N. African, etc. foods than I had previously. Thus, like what you found, the types of wine that I pair with my meals has changed -- Riesling, Gewurtz, and Viognier go with many of my meals, for example. As for the reds, I just have different pairings, such as earthy Pinot Noir with a grilled mushroom-based dish instead of with, say, a roasted bird or pork.

That having been said, reading comments like "I feel it would be a sin to serve a *great* red wine with a vegetarian meal" and "I do not believe that there is such a thing as great vegetarian cuisine to go with correspondingly great wines" do still get me somewhat rankled, however. I appreciated reading Foodie's response [img]http://wines.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

[Innkeeper]

Dan, here is a recipe from our Veggie days that we still use regularly and have posted on many times:

SWEET & SOUR EGGPLANT SOBA:

1 ½ T Sesame seeds
1 lb Eggplant
1 Red Pepper
1 Small onion chopped
1 tsp Chinese (roasted) sesame oil
1 tsp Minced garlic
Pinch dried red pepper flakes
1 C Tomato sauce
¼ tsp Ground ginger
½ tsp Granulated garlic
1 ½ T Soy Sauce
1 ½ T Apple cider vinegar
1 ½ T Honey
½ T Arrowroot
¼ C Chopped cilantro
½ lb Wild yam soba

Roast eggplant and pepper*. Toast sesame seeds in heavy saucepan, and set aside. Nuke onion with oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Peel, seed, and chop eggplant and pepper. Combine tomato sauce, ginger, granulated garlic, and soy sauce in a saucepan. Add eggplant, pepper, and onion mixture. Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes. Place soba in boiling water, simmer eight minutes, drain, and rinse with hot water. Combine vinegar, honey, and arrowroot in a bowl. Add to sauce off heat. Stir till thick. Drain soba, and place on a warm platter. Nap with sauce, and sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve hot.

*To roast vegetables: Before leaving for work: Wash and dry them. Cut stem off eggplant, cut in half lengthwise, and put in ungreased roaster face down along with whole pepper. Roast uncovered at 375 degrees for 34 minutes, turning pepper over once halfway. Remove from oven, cover, and cool. Can be done in morning, and let sit all day till you are ready to prepare dinner.

We have matched it with a wide variety of reds including Chianti Classico, medium octane Zinfandel, and a handful of Spainish reds.

[dananne]

Thanks for the recipe -- we'll try it soon!