Pete’s sister, Marie, recently invited us to lunch at her home in San Francisco. The occasion was a visit with Pete’s son before his return to Rio de Janeiro. Seth mostly lives in Rio, but had been in San Francisco visiting and working.
Seth’s preferred wine varietal is Pinot Noir. After discussing whether or not we should bring a Pinot, we decided not since we didn’t know what was on the menu, we left with just homemade cookies in our bag.
We made the trip into San Francisco on that Sunday morning via car, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), Muni Metro and on foot. The weather was cool and windy, but the brisk walk uphill to Marie’s house warmed us up. It was a fun expedition. We are so used to just getting in the car and driving to our destination, it is a refreshing change to use public transportation.
The house was warm and I noticed the smell of roasting potatoes as we walked into Marie’s home. After greetings all around, the group consisted of the two of us, Seth, Marie and her son Clement, we settled into the business of what to drink. Marie said she had a Riesling, which had been a birthday gift, that she wanted to try. Everyone was agreeable. She said, ” It’s from Bulgaria”. Pete and I look at each other, eyebrows raised. This would be our first wine from Bulgaria.
She brought out the bottle. It was a tall and slender as Riesling bottles generally are. The clear glass bottle had a spiral pattern twisting to the top. Marie asked me to open the bottle. I did so and poured four glasses. We all sniffed, swirled and sipped. The nose was delicately floral with characteristic Riesling petrol in background. Flavors included citrus, minerals and melon. It had good acidity, a touch of sweetness and a very light weight in the mouth. The 2011 Targovishte Riesling is produced in the Black Sea Coastal area of Bulgaria. This producer makes only white wines, including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer and Dry Muscat Ottonel in addition to Riesling.
The Targovishte Riesling paired nicely with the lunch Marie prepared. Spinach salad, oven roasted asparagus, pommes Lyonnaise and grilled sausages. Several of the sausages were very spicy and the cool acidity of the Riesling was a perfect counterbalance. The wine did not step on the flavors of the food, nor did its flavor disappear behind the flavors of the food.
We lingered at the dining room table for some time chatting, sipping and picking at the crusty bits of the pommes Lyonnaise that remained. Eventually we nibbled on the cookies. With the food and wine dispatched and our visiting complete, we said our goodbyes and thanks to Marie for a wonderful lunch.
We walked down the hill to the Muni Metro stop and a train appeared in a matter of minutes. As we traveled home, watching people and chatting about the afternoon, the great family visit, wonderful food and tasty wine, we noted that we must remember to update our list of New Year’s Wine Resolutions. Our third resolution for 2013 is to try a wine from three new countries. Bulgaria is the first new country for the year. I have updated our list. We now have two to go.
You just never know who is coming to lunch.
Cheers!
