I Cook for Riesling Nr.1 – The Ultimate No Brainer

Although I enjoy cooking I’m really not a talented cook. Even worse, because I get too little practice, when I do cook I tend to feel nervous. A glass of Riesling often helps me then, but I rarely feel confident in the kitchen. In spite of this, over the years I’ve found some dishes I can cook without any trouble that tastes nearly perfect with my favorite Rieslings. This department of STUART PIGOTT RIESLING GLOBAL is all about great no brainer Riesling & Food Combos.

One of the most exciting of Riesling & Food Combos going is also one of the easiest to prepare, because it requires zero cooking. That is smoked salmon or lox (salt-cured salmon) with a Riesling “Kabinett” from Germany, or a Riesling from somewhere else on Planet Wine made in the same light-bodied and off-dry style. Mostly these wines are drunk as aperitifs or for al fresco refreshment, which is fine. However, if you never tried them with smoked salmon or lox, then you’ve missed one of the greatest food and wine pairings period. And all you have to do to experience it is to put a suitable Riesling in the ice box and buy some salmon.

That’s the theory. However, I had to admit that it’s been a long time since I tested it by lining up a selection of Riesling wines with various types of cured salmon though, so I decided that was something I had to do. Then the perfect opportunity presented itself. Immediately before leaving New York City for home I purchased some lox from Russ & Daughters on 179 East Houston Street (see www.russanddaughters.com), which for me is the best source.

Every time I purchase or order lox in the Big Apple I go through a little ritual and this time was no exception. First, they politely ask me “have you had this before? It’s very salty.” I politely reply that I have had it many times before, that I like the salty taste and that’s why I’m ordering it. Then, we both smile.

When I got home to Berlin I went to the nearest department store and purchased two contrasting types of cold-smoked salmon. First, I grabbed some Yukon red salmon from Alaska, which is not only deep in color, but also very lean (only 8.4% fat) and dense in texture. The organic smoked salmon from Ireland I also put in my basket is the “classic” which I grew up with in England, and it is softer in texture and considerably fattier (13.6%). I guess the fat content of good lox is comparable, but a significant part of these fats are Omega 3s which are very good for the heart, inhibit the growth of some types of cancer, and may have further health benefits.

Then I rummaged around in the cellar and put half a dozen off-dry and slightly sweet Rieslings in the ice box. After that all I had to do was set the table. Although I’ve visited America any number of times over the last 27 years I’m still learning about how our common language divides us. In England I’d have said that all I had to do was lay the table, which would send Americans into fits of laughter. That’s because the word has a very different meaning in America to in England, where traditionally it has no sexual connotation.

Seeing salmon on my plate and Riesling in my glass makes me feel good, particularly when I know that both are from sustainable production. Of course, when you take notes a tasting like this becomes work, but everything was so clear I hardly needed to write down anything. The Yukon red salmon was the easiest of the cured fish to find a wine which fitted brilliantly with it. Just look for a Riesling that isn’t bone dry, but also isn’t too juicy and sweet (which I’d call Spätlese style). And remember every wine tastes less sweet with cured salmon than it does on its own, because the fat in the fish “soaks up” the sweetness of the wine.

This effect was way more pronounced with the “classic” Irish smoked salmon and the 2010 Josephshöfer Riesling Kabinett from Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt in the Mosel labeled ‘feinherb’, or off-dry, tasted bone dry with the fish. If you’re looking for the ultimate in sophistication, then this kind ofcold-smoked salmon and a mature Riesling Kabinett like the 2006 Graacher Domprobst from Willi Schaefer (another Mosel) is a flavor marriage made in heaven. To reproduce this experience you need a Riesling Kabinett from the Mosel, Nahe, Mittelrhein or Rheingau regions that is from the 2008 vintage or older and declares an alcoholic content no higher than 10%. The older the wine is the better the combination will be, as long as the wine isn’t oxidized.

If you prefer excitement to subtlety, then a younger more succulent wine like the 2010 Riesling Kabinett from Karthäuserhofberg on the Ruwer (for legal reasons the wacky label gives the region of origin as “Mosel”) will deliver the goods. The 2008 ‘Smith Cullam’ from Frankland Estate in Western Australia was also deliciously fresh (lime aroma and crisp acidity) with the “classic” smoked salmon. So the Mosel has no monopoly on this no-brainer Riesling & Food Combo. Semi-dry American and New Zealand Rieslings with an alcoholic content of 12% or less ought to work just as well.

The salt in the lox dramatically changed the taste of every wine it touched. Suddenly the Karthäuserhofberg wine tasted of oysters. Dry Rieslings are not happy campers with pure lox, but the situation improves dramatically when you combine the lox with cream cheese and a toasted plain bagel. The first time I expereienced this minor gastronomic miracle was at Barney Greengass’s on 541 Amsterdam Avenue in New York City (see www.barneygreengrass.com). I immediately realized why the combination of lox, cream cheese and bagel is so good. The slightly bland flavor of the bagel and the creaminess of the cheese balance the pronounced saltiness of the lox. For my taste the result is one of the few really perfect simple dishes.

Hard though it may be to believe, it tastes even better with a wine like the 2006 Riesling Kabinett from Willi Schaefer, but if you like un-oaked Chablis then wines like the just off-dry 2010 Riesling “feinherb”from Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt are also delicious with this New York classic.

I wanted to keep this thing short and snappy, but it ran away with me completely. So I’m stopping right here and heading straight to the ice box to pull out the left-overs from yesterday evening…