Monday, January 12, 2009

From pot to boat to pound to pot, Glah-sta Lahb-sta

(c)2009 SmellsLikeGrape

I visited Argyle Winery’s tasting room when I went on my trip to the Willamette Valley last November. Argyle is famous for their sparkling wines. I don’t really care for sparkling wines, however, theirs were very good. What I did enjoy was their Riesling so I procured a bottle "for future reference". This Riesling was planted in the Lone Star Vineyard in a high density on devigorated rootstock.

Riesling
Argyle Winery
Willamette Valley
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13.0%
Residual Sugar: 1%
Cases Produced: 635

Color: Yellow
Intensity: Pale
Aromas: Melon, honeysuckle, stone, cedar
Flavors: Grapefruit, melon, pear, lemon, mineral, a little wood flavor.
Body: Medium Bodied
Acidity: Moderate
Sweetness: Semi dry
Finish: Moderate


Summary: This is a clean, refreshing Riesling. I liked the acid and semi-dry balance in this wine. It has some nice mineral characteristics with a teeny-tiny bit of vanilla. It also left a nice, low grade glycerin feel in the mouth. The citrus is very refreshing.


(c)2009 SmellsLikeGrapeThis is a good wine for sitting down with a meal of chicken picante, fish (haddock, red snapper, whitefish, sole, or cod). Shrimp and lobster would go great with this. In fact, I think we will enjoy our Argyle 2006 Riesling with lobster! Read on!

Glah-sta Lahb-sta
I had a hankering today. I really wanted to have some lobster, and why not. We live in a fishing port in Massachusetts, all’s I have to do is go see my fellow Blogger, Joey at Captain Joe and Sons and pick up a couple of "frisky ones". Joey is a dedicated Blogger and family man who runs Good Morning Gloucester. Good Morning Gloucester is a very well read Blog about life in Gloucester and I owe much of the local popularity of SMU to Joey. [Meet Joey on SMU!]

(c)2009 SmellsLikeGrapeThis time of year, the lobsters are headed out to deeper waters, out of Gloucester Harbor. We have fewer lobster pots in the water. Fishermen bring them in for storage. Here are some pots coming in to Captain Joe’s for winter storage.

We are lucky. The lobsters that B and I buy go from the pot to the boat to the pound to the pot in one day.

(c)2009 SmellsLikeGrapeTips on buying lobsters
Just because you live in Kansas doesn't mean you can't get lobster. Gloucester sends them to markets all over. When you buy a lobster, make sure that they are frisky. The tails should curl up. Ask your fishmonger to pull the tail out and see if it pulls back. If it is limp, pass; the lobster is not really in good condition. Your fishmonger should boil this and put it on display for some of the uniformed to buy. Our lobsters were flipping and pissed off to be picked up from behind. Real “frisky ones” as I call them.

When you get them home, put them in the refrigerator. Don’t put them in the sink or bathtub with water, they will drown. They will be fine in the fridge in a bag for a while. Me, being spitting distance from the nearest lobster pound, I pick them up at 1:00 and put them into the pot at 5:00. (Sorry for throwing salt into the wound, not everyone can live on the Atlantic coast.)

(c)2009 SmellsLikeGrapeWhen I cook lobsters, I get a big stock pot boiling with water. I cut the claw bands off and drop them head first into the water and set the timer for 10 minutes. (We ask for 1.5 to 2.0 pound lobsters. For 2 pounders, maybe 11 minutes.) While this is going on, slice up some lemon, melt some butter, pop open the Riesling and get the glasses ready. After the lobsters are done, pull out and drain and eat. (In the summer time, I’ll throw some ears of corn in the water about three minutes before the lobster is done.)

The Argyle Riesling was absolutely perfect with this lobster. It was citrusy enough to hold up to the lemon in the butter and sweet enough to not seem sour against the lobster meet. B made a great green salad with chipotle lime dressing with shredded cabbage, fresh cilantro and corn kernels.

This is without a doubt the best lobster meal I have ever had. Pairing this Willamette Valley Rielsing with Lobster was just a fabulous treat.

3 comments:

A New England Life said...

Glah-sta Lahb-sta, ayah, we be havin' of a wicked good meal.

What time did you say dinner is again???

A New England Life said...

Please subtract the 'of' in that first sentence. Jeeze, if I'm going to mock you'd think I would at least get it right ; )

Taster B said...

Okay, I'll admit I wasn't as into this Riesling with the lobster as I usually am but, we had it again with Thai peanut soba noodle salad and it really sparkled in that application!