Betsy headed to Hamilton NY (Colgate U) to do some chamber coaching, I decided to work on emptying fridge/freezer. Lots of stuff to work with, especially greens (she bought enough mizuna and arugala to feed 20 at farmer's market on weekend), with enough leftovers each day to easily feed both me and my assistants for lunch the followng days.
For meatless Monday I did vegetarian fried rice, along with a mizuna salad. Wine was the 2009 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken. Really nice and food friendly wine, nectarine, citrus, and herbal character in a just a bit off-dry package. Good length, vibrant acids, yum. Buy more. B+
Tuesday was ahi steaks, with sauteed arugula and white beans with shaved veggies (Betsy had done shaving/marinating, I just added more beans). I had grabbed a couple boxes of wine from CSW that morning. and eyed an older red Bourgueil, but warmth made me want pink, so went with the 2010 Guion Bourgueil Rose I liked last year's vintage, but this is even better. Fresh, strawberries and cherries over a bit of green herbs, quite tasty, if not very complex. Lovely lively friendly rose. B+
Wednesday I was hoping to meet friends at the riverfront for a jazz concent (Sheila Jordan), but rain interfered. So chicken breast in a ginger/cilantro/Riesling/lime marinade, sauteed greens, more beans. For cooking I opened the 2009 Gunther Steinmetz Riesling Trocken (Mosel), Drier than I expected (because I hadn't noticed trocken designation, I had the Steinmetz QbA last year and thought it more feinherb/halbt). Light bodied, but with a worrisome musty note, and I finally admitted this was a liter of corked wine.
A friend had dropped by earlier when concert was moved indoors, he's a red guy so I opened one. OK, so maybe that 1996 Domaine de la Chevalerie "Breteche" Bourgueil wasn't wisest choice for a pop and pour for a "bold red" guy. I'm a Loire red kind of guy, but the vegetal notes (bell pepper and a little asparagus) were a bit much for even me. But after my dinner break with the Riesling returned to find a much more enjoyable wine. Red fruits, high but balanced acids, the vegetation is now integrated in background rather than screeching at me. Mature but with solid fruit remaining, I enjoyed, and nice deal to get 15 year old wine at under $20. B (this was maybe a C on opening).
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.