Food, Wine & Friends Page 206
On a gray, winter Sunday in June, we met Cristina Oddero in San Francisco.
She's from an historic wine family in the Piemonte town of La Morra. The
Oddero winery traces its roots back to 1878 and the place is still family owned
and operated.
We had a brief encounter with some "rocket scientists" who are
studying Italian wines...
Yes...
NASA!
Maria Cristina was introduced to the group and she spoke a
little bit about the Oddero winery...
And the Rocket Scientists learned everything they needed to know about
Piemontese wines.
From there, we motored around some of the touristy parts of The City...
Coit Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid in the background.
We then boarded a ferry boat for a spin around the bay...
Some birds got the word that Cristina was in town, so they
took to the air to have a look...
A kite surfer was enjoying the brisk winds of the Golden Gate.
Cristina was enthralled with Alcatraz...
After swimming ashore, Cristina and I drove to Daly City for
dinner at the Koi Palace...
This is a busy restaurant and we met some friends there,
dragging along some wine glasses and a bag full of bottles.
We began with Cristina's 2009 "Collaretto," a
delightful Piemontese white...
It's predominantly Chardonnay with perhaps 20% Riesling (the theme of the
evening was Riesling and Seafood)...
Then we pulled out an old bottle of Stony Hill 1994 Napa Valley Riesling...
The Stony Hill was a brassy color and remarkably aromatic. The nose
displayed some petrol tones and a stewed peach character...it was not at all a
tired wine, nor was it fading...remarkable!
We had Hot & Sour Soup with little Won Tons (Ravioli Cinese) which
have just the right amount of ginger...very fine!
Kareasa was impressed by the old bottle of Riesling...
We then enjoyed some fresh-out-of-the-water Prawns with green onions and garlic.
The Schlumberger 2006 Grand Cru Riesling from the Saering hill was dry and
nicely minerally with a mildly floral aspect.
A 2006 Clos Windsbuhl from Zind-Humbrecht was extremely stony, minerally and a
bit austere.
Of course, Italians love pasta...
The prawns come on a bed of noodles which are merely intended for show...but
everyone always digs in for these when the prawns are gone.
Cristina, by the way, has a black belt in Pasta Eating.
We then opened a bottle of 2007 J.J.Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett Riesling...
Cristina said it was a bit sweet...and we suggested she taste it when the crab
arrived, as the Dungeness Crab in the Spicy Salt would change her perception of
the wine...
The chili peppers in the crab allow the character of the Riesling to shine
brightly...and the wine is refreshing on the palate without the slight residual
sugar being especially pronounced.
Ralph got his claws on a claw...
Mark was also quite busy at this point in the meal...
Finger lickin' good, this was...
Connie opened yet another bottle...
...and then she returned to dealing with the crab...
Assorted mushrooms and Chinese Greens...
The Zilliken 2000 Saarburger Rausch Kabinett Riesling
was still very tangy and crisp, with taut acidity and lovely fruit.
Chinese "Risotto"...
Cristina mentioned, at this point, she was no longer hungry...
But then, magically, her hunger returned when a plate of Maine Lobster and
Sticky Rice arrived.
And so we concluded a wonderful gastronomical adventure, pairing a bunch of
Rieslings with some good seafood, Chinese style.
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