I Love German Wine And Food - A Baden Pinot Noir

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Levi_Reiss]Levi Reiss

If you are looking for fine German wine and food, consider the Baden region of southeastern Germany. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local Pinot Noir.

The Baden region is the southernmost wine-growing region in Germany. Most of its many vineyards are found in a long, narrow strip between the Black Forest and the Rhine River. Across this river lies the French wine region of Alsace. While about 60% of the wine production is white, by far the most important Baden grape variety is the red Pinot Noir. White varieties include the German-bred Müller Thurgau, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Riesling. Baden ranks third in Germany for both vineyard acreage and total wine production. Slightly over one third of its wine production is QbA wine, the remainder is the higher quality QmP wine. Baden produces no table wine.

If you’re going to be in Baden, why not visit Baden-Baden? This town, simply called Baden until 1931, is the center of a famous spa taking advantage of the local hot springs already known to the Ancient Romans. The city offers a casino, the oldest casino in Germany. It was here that the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote The Gambler to pay off his gambling debts, while not increasing them at the tables. Be sure to visit Abtei Lichtenthal, a medieval Cistercian abbey. The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden (Baden-Baden Festival Theatre) is Germany's largest opera house and concert hall with 2,500 seats.

Before reviewing the Baden wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region.
Start with Schwarzwälder Schinken (Black Forest Ham).
Continue with Forelle (Trout) done in dozens of ways.
For dessert indulge yourself with Schwarzwälder Torte (Black Forest Cake, Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream and Cherries).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Konigschaffhausen Pinot Noir 2003 13.0% alcohol about $15

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. The hot growing season of 2003 facilitated a level of ripeness in the vineyards of many regions, including Baden, that was almost unprecedented. Expect ripe strawberry, cherry, and plum aromas and flavors. This Pinot would complement grilled salmon or veal chops.

My first meal consisted of breaded, fried chicken breast with potato salad, eggplant, and tomato salad. Perhaps because I knew that the wine was a Pinot Noir, I tasted the earth and a bit of tobacco. I really enjoyed this combination.

For my next tasting, I started with a tomato-based eggplant salad and humus topped by very piquant Moroccan spices. I continued with beef stew and potatoes. Once again I knew this Pinot Noir was a Pinot Noir and I enjoyed it all the way.

The final meal wasn’t really a meal. It was a late night snack of cold barbequed chicken. The wine was excellent and tasted of light cherries. At first I thought it was short, but later sips changed my mind.

As often, I tried this wine with two cheeses. The first was an overripe French Camembert, a soft cow’s milk cheese. The wine became flatter, and while it was still fruity what a shame to combine the two. It was as if somebody shaved the top off the wine. I guess you know by now that German Limberger cheese can be quite pungent; this one was certainly starting to smell but interestingly enough the odor didn’t really affect its taste. My Pinot Noir retained a bit more of its fruit than when paired with the Camembert, but frankly, why waste this wine with this cheese?

Final verdict. I’m going to buy this wine again. The 2003 vintage is no longer available so I’ll grab the 2004 and see what a difference a year makes.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Presently his wine websites are [http://www.theworldwidewine.com] [http://www.theworldwidewine.com]http://www.theworldwidewine.com and [http://www.theitalianwineconnection.com] [http://www.theitalianwineconnection.com]http://www.theitalianwineconnection.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Levi_Reiss http://EzineArticles.com/?I-Love-German-Wine-And-Food----A-Baden-Pinot-Noir&id=515520

Related Articles:

How to Give a Perfect Wine Tasting Party
Hosting the perfect wine tasting party will make you the talk of your social group The perfect party will allow you to entertain your guests and ensure everyone is happy

The Basics Of Wine Tasting
Wine tasting is an assessment of a wine's quality. It's not just about taste but also covers aroma, color, the way it feels in one's mouth and how long the wine persists in the mouth after tasting. Wine tasting is also one way to determine the maturity of the wine and whether it is suitable for aging or for immediate drinking. Its purpose it to discover the key facets of the wine in order to appreciate it better in every sense of the word.

Vinfolio Solicits Consumer Wine Tasting Notes
Announces Upcoming Launch of New VinCellar Application

Host A Wine Tasting Party
A Wine Tasting Party is an ideal way to get friends and family together to learn about wine and experiment with new or unusual varietals. It can help to break the ice and give your partygoers some great conversation down the line. I myself had a wine tasting bridal shower. Rather than the usual shower games we tried different wine and paired yummy food with it. It was a great icebreaker and gave guest that didn't know each other something to chat about.

Honest Chocolates Expands Line of Wine-tasting Chocolates
McMinnville, OR chocolate-maker Honest Chocolates is expanding its line of chocolates to pair with wine. A variety of the wine-tasting chocolates will be available, including cherry-pinot, blueberry-pinot, cranberry-merlot, apricot-cabernet and port-raisin, all made with wine and dark chocolate. The chocolates are available at the store or via the website, www.honestchocolates.com.

AP9 HomeWorks Plus Educates Members on the Art of Wine Tasting
AP9 HomeWorks plus offers four easy tips to host a great wine tasting party.

Harvest in Finger Lakes Wine Country Offers Wine Tasting, Fall Foliage, and Culinary Classics
The fall grape harvest comes alive in Finger Lakes Wine Country, New York with harvest festivals, wine tasting dinners, and bed and breakfast packages.

Tips On Regulation A Wine-tasting Fundraiser
Obviously, a wine-tasting reaction needs wine experts, ergo eventuate by quarry helpful merchant partnerships based not unique on expertise, but besides access to the best wines. After all, you have to be able to provide numerous bottles of expensive wine and there's no sense in paying anything near retail price.

Visit 17 Napa Valley Wine Tasting Rooms - on Foot - on the Napa WineWalk
"Walk the Napa WineWalk" - There are more wine tasting rooms concentrated in one area of downtown Napa than in any other area of the planet. Seventeen (and more are coming) wine tasting locations are clustered together in a few walkable blocks in the Napa Valley's largest town. Download a free guide to to the Napa WineWalk listing every one of these wine tasting locations.

Guidelines for Hosting an Entertaining and Educational Wine Tasting Party
You don?t have to be a wine expert to host a terrific, fun and educational wine tasting party. This is a great way to socialize with your friends and learn a little about wine at the same time. Hosting a wine tasting party is an excellent way to expand your taste buds, find great inexpensive wines that you enjoy and expand your knowledge of wine.

Wine Tasting 101 - Understanding Aromas and Flavors
One thing that can be the most intimidating about being around experienced wine drinkers is when they start talking about the flavors and aromas they are experiencing as they swirl, sniff, and drink their wine. When I first started really getting into wine and going to more and more tastings these were the guys I'd try to steer clear of. I was just starting to understand what it meant for the wine to be "oaky" and they were talking about the spice in the nose and the leather and tobacco in the finish. When they'd look at me and ask, are you getting the green pepper, I'd just smile and nod and then look at my friend and roll my eyes. We've all be there. But as time goes on and you start tasting lots of different types of wine (and there...

Largest Consumer Wine Tasting and Benefit is to Take Place in Los Angeles: 2nd Annual LA Wine Fest on the Queen Mary
Joel M. Fisher, a.k.a. The Wine Educator, and Adam Leemon, co-organizers, are grateful that the LA Wine Fest is becoming the friendly, smart alternative to LA's yearly harvest of predictable wine festivals. This year fest in the Port of Long Beach on Board the Queen Mary calls attention to our diverse city and it's global wine selection. With more than 110 wineries participating, LA Wine Fest offers a simple, demystifying education on the world of wine. Tickets ($40) available for June 30th & July 1st at www.lawinefest.com (1126 Queen's Hwy, Long Beach, Ca. 90802).

Identifying Your Favourite Types Of Wine - The Basic Principles Of Wine Tasting
There are more types of wine than we can count and how on earth are we to choose one when faced with a huge bank of bottles Educating yourself in the wines you like is quite easy if you just make a few notes following a set pattern so that you can compare the wines you have drunk to find the ones you like best

Hosting A Wine Tasting Party
As your love and knowledge of wine grows, it is inevitable that you will want to share your revelations with friends and family. Hosting a wine tasting party is a great way to do this.

Set Yourself Apart From The Rest With A Wine Tasting Gift
Some people still see wine tasting as a thing for the elite, only for wine connoisseurs, a select few that hold these parties on the weekends They say that it is not accessible for "normal" people or that "normal" people would not enjoy it