Kickin Back with Köster-Wolf

On Sunday I cooked one of our now favorite meals: Thai chicken with coconut rice and Asian slaw.  It is a great sweet and spicy dish, but it is always a bit tricky picking a good wine for it.  Last time we enjoyed the meal with a Reisling, but this time Pris selected a bottle of 2008 Köster-Wolf Weingut Scheurebe, which is another sweet white German wine.  Once again, it was a excellent selection for the meal.

The Scheurebe was sweet, crisp, and very refreshing.  The nose was all ripe light fruit and citrus.  On the palate this wine was light with mild citrus notes.  Mild bubbles provided a nice effervescence.  The Scheurebe ended softly and mildly with a mellow finish. 

 The crisp fruit from the wine was a great counterpoint to the spicy, savory, and slightly sweet chicken.  The dish itself was a grand combination of flavors, and the Scheurebe cut through these flavors.

This is an exceptional Spring/Summer wine that's great for the hot South Texas days that are now upon us.  I feel like I could drink this wine all afternoon on a weekend, and at 8.5% alcohol by volume I could probably do so for a while.

We've had this bottle for some time, and unfortunately neither one of us can remember where we purchased the Köster-Wolf Weingut Scheurebe.  A quick look online shows that they carried it at Feldman's, and possible H.E.B. Central Market.

24/7 Riesling Keeps on Going

For Thanksgiving I reviewed the Valley of the Moon Pinot Noir, but that wasn't the only wine Pris and I opened for dinner.  Pris' family was over to celebrate with us and they enjoy the sweeter things in life, or at least the sweeter wines in life.  I picked up a bottle of Lambrusco for them and a 2007 German Riesling from 24/7.  Both wines were bought at H.E.B. for about $6 each.

The Lambrusco left with the family since Pris and I aren't into sweet reds, but the Riesling has been waiting around to be finished for a couple of weeks now.  Thanks to refrigeration and vacuum seals the wine is still as fizzy and fruity as it was when it was opened.  There were actually two different Rieslings, a sweet and semi-sweet.  Given my in-laws predilections I opted for the sweet one, but am pleasantly surprised that the sweet label isn't quite accurate.

The nose of the 24/7 Riesling was full of citrus, apples, and a touch of honey.  On the palate it was sweet, but not cloyingly so.  The crisp fruit and sugars mingled nicely with a touch of citric acidity.  The Riesling was not as sharp and crisp as some, but still refreshing.  The wine seemed to end abruptly, but after a minute there was a bit of ripe apple aftertaste that lingered in the back of the throat.

I wasn't able to find a website or any real reviews for the 2007 24/7 Riesling.  I know its at H.E.B and at Feldman's.  I also know that it is a good value at $6 a bottle.  So if you enjoy drinking sweeter chilled whites, this is a good everyday wine for you.  Or if you're entertaining and looking for an economical dessert wine or sweeter white to go with poultry, once again this is a good choice.