Amen to everything in Jancis’ Kabinetts article. For the effort required - you only have to look at those steep slopes if you visit the Mosel - and the glorious featherlight dance across the palate you get from them when at their best, they are ridiculously undervalued and underpriced. Heresy I know, but I don’t generally find the GGs as exciting, and they are
a lot more expensive. Also worth a look I would say are the categories either side of Kabinett - Feinherb (drier off-dry) and Spätlese (late harvest) which is autumn in a bottle when done well. All of them suffer though from Jancis’ pertinent question in one of the tasting notes - ‘but when would you drink them?’. One answer I think is dessert, being less unctious than a Sauternes - I shall be serving Schloss Lieser Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Spätlese 2017 with Panna Cotta next week. The other is ‘with my mum’ - a bottle (or perhaps a second, as it’s often 7-8%) given our full attention after supper. But then she is German.
The article got me thinking the same! There should be many more ways to drink Spätlese and surely this forum can crowdsource some good ideas to challenge this assertion from the article -
Spätlese […] wines don’t have the same broad appeal because people don’t know when and how to drink them
My suggestion for pairing, especially one which is at the drier end of the broad Spätlese spectrum - Cajun chicken wings with blue cheese dressing.
What would others suggest?!
My no-fail go-to is cheese – especially softer cheeses and washed rind cheeses – the sweetness tames the funk, and the textures meld beautifully. And I think our colleague, cheese expert @ben.colvill will back me on this. Also, I noticed that Richard’s introduction to his Matching wine with Asian food series features a photo of a Robert Weil Spätlese with steamed dumplings. Not a direct recommendation, but sure seems like a promising combination; we’ll have to wait for a future instalment to find out what he likes them filled with..
Cantonese duck goes well with Spätlese!
I’ll be honest, the trick with Spätlese (for me at least) is to let them age. They lose that happy-go-lucky overeager fruit juice appeal and settle down into a serious wine. And paired with something spicy - especially a pepperoncini style heat - they are divine. I was once served a mind-blowing pairing of a 12 year old spätlese with spicy porkribs. Seriously I’m still drooling all those years later. Sweet, salt, spice and fat- what more do you need?!
Absolutely, Tara’s definitely on to something there. Washed rinds have some of the most complex flavour profiles of any cheese: the washing process (depending on the specific solution or morge used, frequency etc) favouring the development of certain pink/orange ‘sticky’ bacteria or yeasts. In the main, its something called Brevibacterium lines (that funky element) but really it’s an extraordinary wide microflora adding to flavour and texture.
All this means it’s a tall order for wine! Frankly, I’d avoid red with the more ‘extreme sports’ washed like Époisses. In the main, I want spice, some sweetness, some intensity and a certain glycerol texture. Late Harvests are excellent (I’d look to Alsace personally), some ice wines, and medium-sweet white Madeiras (Boal). Riesling yes but I fear you’d lose some of the nuance; for me it’s Gewürztraminer and good Pinot Gris that lead the way. And you could break the mould/mold with a bit of botrytis ginger syrup and marmalade (but hold on to your hat!). Not Sauternes, I think, but TBA, SGN and friends. PS Look out for St James, a really wonderful washed rinder from the north of England.
Recommended by Das Weinhaus Trier, and works very well: schnitzel and spätlese.
But the ultimate Kabinett pairing for me: baked black sausage with baked apple until soft and caramelized. The acid of the Kabinett cuts through the earthy, umami flavors of the black sausage, and pairs perfectly with the apple. Absolutely sublime. (Small green salad with horseradish on the side optional)
Funny you should mention this! I was sitting in on a masterclass from Chateau d’Yqeum last week. There someone recommended a bottle of d’Yquem with the Köln brauhaus classic “Himmel und Erde” (blood sausage, baked apples and mashed potatoes). Yet, even while they were speaking, all I could think of was - this would go even better with a kabinett!