While making dinner last night I pulled this bottle out of the fridge. I picked it up from Hi Time Wine Cellars on a recommendation by another customer. All I knew was that it was a grower-producer (a good sign), who had recently transitioned from organic to biodynamic in 1999 (another great indication!)…
I love this sea-shell/ wine bottle design the Klur family uses on their bottles and corks- beautiful!
The Klur Cremant d’Alsace is made from Pinot Blanc and Pinot Auxerrois. I didn’t know anything about Pinot Auxerrois, but after doing a little digging online I believe it is a clone of Pinot Noir, specific to Alsace. The wine was delicious- frothy, small bubble with a gorgeous citrus nose. There is an aromatic quality I am starting to recognize in the biodynamic sparklers I have been tasting. I think it’s a quality of the native yeasts, or perhaps it’s the absence of designed yeasts. Either way there is a common subtle minerality, and then a waft of floral gooseberry underneath. I picked this up in the Larmandier-Bernier Champagne I tasted a few weeks ago, and now I am starting to believe there is a connection. Really interesting, and enjoyable!
I threw together a simple stir fry with ground turkey, mushrooms, eggplant and green beans to go with the wine. The addition of cilantro really highlighted the wine’s mineral component, while the mushrooms played well with that bit of earthy yeastiness on the finish. The wine had a brilliant acidity that necessitated a little more lime juice in the sauce- perfection! Experimentation and constant tasting are the keys to food and wine pairing. And, it should be fun!
Speaking of fun…
What’s he waiting for?
Somebody’s been a very good boy (my husband’s pretty amazing, too!)
Little Dog. Big Bone. A good time was had by all.