Dr. Frank's award winning Riesling paired with a stunning yet simple salad

As a wine lover and avid Riesling fan, it hard for me to believe that a little over a year ago I tasted my first Finger Lakes Riesling from New York.  My mom had always told me about these wines and the budding industry she experienced as a newlywed in Buffalo during the 1970's.  Also I heard many stories about Cold Duck and Pink Catawba, believe me if you have never heard of or tried these "wines" consider yourself lucky.   From what I have heard they are one super-small notch up from Boone's Farm.  Needless to say, the Finger Lakes region has come a very long way since those days.  The region is now known internationally as the spot to enjoy some truly word class wine, more specifically Riesling.

So what is Finger Lakes?  It is a grape growing region in upstate New York with a very unique climate for wine. It is made up of four different lakes that also closely border Canada. They are given the name Finger Lakes due to the unusually long length and shape of the lakes, so they look like well, fingers.  It is a cool weather area due to the lakes and elevation, so the signature grape is naturally Riesling as well as other German varietals.  The four lakes make up the regions which are, Cayuga Lake, Keuka Lake, Seneca Lake, and Canandaigua Lake.  It is a beautiful location for wine not only due to the weather but the hillside slopes and glacial soil.  Most of the wine coming out of New York is made in this part of the state, with the remaining on Long Island.  For more information on this world class wine growing region please check out these two websites, Finger Lakes.com and Ilovefingerlakes.com.  Or check out this great book about wine making in the Finger Lakes, Summer in a Glass: The Coming of Age of Winemaking in the Finger Lakes.

I have now enjoyed Finger Lakes wine on numerous occasions, and every time I am struck by the quality of these wines.  I mean in the world of bargain wines, (under $20) finding truly exceptional wine is hard pressed.  But Finger Lakes Riesling never fails to hit the perfect price point, without compromising the high standards and quality of what goes into each bottle.  My favorite Rieslings have always come from Alsace, France, and Germany, but in the last year I have added Finger Lakes to that list.  These wines are very similar to those two European regions, the acid is in perfect harmony with that wonderful rush of minerality, aka river rock.  I love that quality about Riesling.  

Riesling is the perfect partner for just about any cuisine, from Mexican, to Thai, even BBQ.  Or just pour yourself a glass and enjoy it after a long day at work it is that versatile.  Forget Chardonnay, and please pour Riesling at your next party, believe me your guests and their palates will be way more happy.

Speaking of this good stuff, I received the following wine from Marketview Liquor, to sample and provide a perfect food pairing for.  Dr. Konstantin Frank  just recently received the honor of being named the top wine from the New York Food and Wine classic, no small shakes.  And the wine is well deserving of this award.  It was super star stellar, it actually made me, my mom, and husband all stop in our tracks to just sniff, and savor this wine.  Really good stuff.  To learn more about the winery please click on this link.

Now on to the good stuff, my review and recipes, because I knocked it out of the park with this one.

Dr. Konstantin Frank Semi Dry Riesling Finger Lakes New York 2011. ( I received this wine as a sample for the purpose of this post from Marketview Liquor, but is retails for $13.49)

Oh man did this wine smell good, this is the kind of wine that you could smell all day, but not really because it smells so good you just want to gulp it down!  Full of all the qualities you would want in a Riesling, mineral, river rock, lime, floral, very fresh, and a hit of honeyed sweetness.  The acid was nicely balanced, again with a finish of honey, lime and crisp apple.  A fabulous wine for food, or just as a cocktail.  My mom's exact quote after her first sip, "This is gooood Riesling."  I rest my case!  

And I found the perfect pairing, Magic pairing actually!  The salad was a star with the wine.  The flavors of the granny smith apple, pear, and lime dressing made the wine sing.  It made those flavors in the wine jump out and really play a key role.  Then the sweetness of the candied pecans played up the mineral and subtle sweetness of the wine.  All in all super star good, and yummy.  And this salad could easily be served as a main coarse, if you added a few more pecans and cheese for protein.  But I paired it was a beautiful grilled Coho salmon, which also paired very well.  The roundness in the wine was nicely balanced with the silky quality to the fish.  But the salad was the winner by a long shot.  The bonus, this meal was super easy to put together, easily a weekday meal, but special enough for a dinner party.  Your guest will think you are a genius if you serve up this pairing, it really is that good.  Not that I am bragging or anything!

Menu:

Gruyere, apple, and pear salad

serves 6 as a side dish or 4 as a main dish

1 pkg of butter leaf lettuce
2 Bartlett  pears - cored and chopped
1 Granny smith apple - cored and chopped
5 ounces Gruyere, cut into bit sized pieces
1/2 cup candied pecans chopped
1/4  cup olive oil
3 tablespoons pomegranate infused red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared deli style mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped
squeeze of half a lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

• 
  
• Directions:

1. For the dressing, whisk the oil, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, mustard, chopped garlic, lime, salt, and pepper together in a glass bowl.
2. In a large serving bowl, mix the lettuce, pears, apples, and cheese. Pour dressing over salad, mix gently, then sprinkle with pecans, and serve.

Grilled Salmon
serves 4

1 1/2 pounds Coho salmon, or best quality salmon you can find
smoked salt and pepper to taste.

Directions: 
1.  Pre-heat you grill on high.  Sprinkle the salmon with the smoked salt and pepper.  No need to overdress the salmon if it is a quality piece of fish.
2.  Lower grill to medium, add the salmon skin side down, and close the grill.   Sear for about 2 minutes, flip the fish and sear on the other side for again about 2 minutes.  Open the grill and leave it on the skin side until  the fat starts to congeal and starts oozing out on the top cut side of the fillet. When you see that immediately take the fish off the grill.  
3.  Let the fish rest for about 5 minutes, serve and enjoy.

Serve this meal with the salad, salmon, and a slice of french bread sprinkled with blue cheese.

Thank you and enjoy!

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