Sometimes, you just want some clam chowder…
Chowder
I’ve been eying these samples from Smith-Madrone, and decided to try one with the soup.
Smith-Madrone 2011 Riesling
Founded in 1971, Smith-Madrone only makes wine from their Spring Mountain District estate vineyards. The 2011 Riesling rolls in at 12.6% alcohol, and has just a touch of residual sugar (0.70%). The wine costs $27.
Color: Pale yellow with a golden tint to it.
Nose: There are massive amounts of green apples on this nose. There’s a good balance of lemon and minerals with a hint of peach skin.
Taste: In spite of the touch of residual sugar, this wine is quite dry. This wine has big acidity on the palate. Green apples are the core of this wine. Flavors of lychee, apple skin, lemon, lime, petrol, and rubber balls play very well together.
Score: This is a pretty tasty wine. I’m giving it an 89.
Let’s try it with the soup…
Clam Chowder with Crusty Bread and Sriracha
Originally, I was thinking about drinking a Chardonnay with the clam chowder. I figured the creaminess of the soup would work well with the creaminess of the Chardonnay. Now here’s the crazy thing… When I tried the soup with the wine, the acid of the Riesling played well with the fat in the chowder. What I’m left with is a really nice flavor of creamy lemon custard. Essentially, the chowder made the Riesling taste like a Chardonnay!
Riesling and clam chowder… What a great pair!
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Stay Rad 