With the heat of summer behind us, we welcome the balmy days and cool nights of autumn and harvest season! And, what better theme for September’s 5 Star Makeover Challenge and this beautiful time of year than cooking with wine!
But, I cannot tell a lie – somehow, over the past month, I got it in my head that the theme was a wine pairing dinner – don’t know exactly how that happened – maybe it was the wine tasting we did in Paso Robles on the way back from dropping College Girl off in Santa Cruz or the Girls Day Out in Temecula wine country that has been in the works for the past month, but it happened and I never thought to refer back to Lazaro’s email (or Facebook) to double check.
So allow me to introduce you to my new favorite wine: Grüner Veltliner [GROO-ner Felt-lih-ner] is a white-wine grape grown principally in Austria and is their most widely planted variety. This grape produces pale, crisp, light to medium-bodied, slightly spicy wines of good to very good quality. It can be fresh and lively to concentrated and intense and typically shows nuances of grapefruit and citrus, with a touch of fresh cracked pepper.
In my online reading, Grüner Veltliner was referred to as THE hip wine (a blog post from 2007) and my Total Wine Guide to Wine and Spirits noted that Austrian white wines have become the darling of sommelier’s across the country. Years ago a few sommeliers thought to offer it as a creative pairing with Asian cuisine – it’s now considered a classic pairing. Dr. Vinny at Wine Spectator says, “Grüner Veltliner’s bright acidity and appealing spicy quality pair it very well with all types of food. The most eye-popping match is how well it goes with Asian food—anything from Vietnamese to Thai to spicy Chinese flavors. Next, try it with seafood. Grüners also go very well with bitter greens and salads. Then have your favorite pork tenderloin dish. And finally, enjoy how that acidity can cut through salt and fat, like in a smoked ham.”
While there are many expert tips on pairing food with wine, a good basic rule that I’ve learned in various wine classes is that the wine of a particular region pairs well with the foods of the region. Sure there are other pairings that are more inspired and exciting because they bring together more unusual tastes, but if you’re a bit tenuous and still learning about the characteristics of wine, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with sticking to the classics.
As Ray Isles states in An Expert’s Pairing Advice: “there’s a kind of default logic at work here: The wines of a certain region go well with the foods of a certain region because they’ re both from the region and everyone has always eaten and drunk them together. That said, climate and culture do seem to work together to create felicitous food-and-wine combinations; the rosé wines of Provence do taste awfully good with bouillabaisse, and Tuscany’s arista di maiale(pork loin roasted with rosemary and garlic) is a natural with Chianti Classico—the wine’s firm tannins and slightly herbal character just seem to go naturally with the herby roasted meat.
In part this is because these are regions that have hundreds of years of culinary and viticultural history, where the cuisine and the wine have grown up together, in a sense. Saying that the wines of Napa Valley are particularly suited to the cuisine of the Bay Area is, on the other hand, probably a bit more of a reach. But in general, it’s hard to go too wrong matching the wines of a region to the cuisine of that region.
Although, I’ve been enjoying Gruner Veltliner since tasting several in the Wines of the World Class I took at UCI last winter, I decided to cook a classic Austrian dinner of Wiener Schnitzel to pair with a bottle of Heidel 2009 Grüner Veltliner which was included in a wine tasting of German Rieslings at Wine Lab Newport. For the makeover I served classic Wiener Schnitzel with a warm potato salad and a fresh, seasonal (apples) take on sauerkraut which added a bright acidity and lovely crisp freshness to each bite 🙂
Crispy Wiener Schnitzel
(Wolfgang Puck recipe at Food & Wine)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups plain dry bread crumbs*
4 thinly pounded veal cutlets, about 4 ounces each
Salt and freshly ground white pepper*
Canola oil, for frying
Ligonberry preserves for serving*
1. Put the flour, eggs and bread crumbs into 3 shallow bowls. Season the veal with salt and white pepper. Dredge the cutlets in the flour, then dip in the egg and coat with the bread crumbs; press to help the crumbs adhere.
2. In a very large skillet, heat 1/2 inch of oil until shimmering. Add the cutlets and fry over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Serve the Wiener schnitzel with lingonberry preserves.
* Note: I adapted this to serve 2 and used panko in lieu of bread crumbs and a combination of dried cranberries, currants, cherries, and pomegranate seeds steeped in hot water (to plump) as garnish and a condiment since I didn’t have ligonberry preserves. Also, as always I don’t add salt due to Don’s sodium restriction and used mixed peppercorns instead of white pepper. With very little saturated fat (canola oil and olive oil are both monounsaturated fats) in the two sides and a lean protein, our wine pairing dinner was heart healthy, as well as low-sodium.
Potato Salad with Champagne Vinegar
1 pound fingerling or Dutch yellow potatoes
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parlsey
1 shallot, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. In a medium saucepan, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and peel the potatoes, then cut them into 1/4-inch coins.
2. In a bowl, whisk the Champagne vinegar with the mustard. Gradually add the oil, whisking until smooth. Add the scallions and the shallot and season the dressing with salt and white pepper. Add the potatoes and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead: The potato salad can be refrigerated overnight.
Apples and Cabbage Slaw with Caraway
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
½ teaspoon caraway seeds
half red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup green cabbage, thinly sliced
2 small Gravenstein, (or Pink Lady or Granny Smith) apples, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Place cabbage and apples in a glass bowl. Toast caraway seeds in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Whisk oil, salt and pepper, thyme, and apple cider vinegar together in a glass bowl. Pour the oil and vinegar mixture over the cabbage and apples and toss to coat, add caraway seeds and toss again.
Enjoy 🙂 Thank you for visiting and don’t forget to check out all of the other cooking with wine creations done by the group by clicking the 5 Star Makeover link above.
Very Lovely Priscilla! I’ll look for this wine as I would love to try it. I wonder if this grape is grown anywhere in California? You’ve out done yourself with your classic Austrian dinner, I think I gained about 10 pounds when I spent a Summer in Austria years ago, eat and drink, eat and drink- what a way to spend a Summer;-)
Hi Patty!
Thank you 🙂 I’ve never seen a California Gruner Veltliner – probably has to do with the fact that the grapes seem to thrive in rocky soil and similar climate to Burgundy, France!
Love your post and I am a big fan of Gruner Veltliner! The dish sounds positively delicious too – I think wine is such a wonderful extension of food & love what you’ve done here – Bravo:)
Stephanie, I couldn’t agree more! I’m glad you like the pairing I chose – Cheers 🙂
Looks and sounds good.
Oh my goodness, that is full delicious meal..I love potato salad the way you made it..I usually just use plain vinegar, but your recipe sound perfectly delicious..really tasty meal!
Thanks, Sandra 🙂 The potato salad is what we call a German style potato salad – no mayo and served at room temperature. I would imagine the type of potato salad you grew up with would be similar.
I LOVE that potato salad. I am sure that is just so delicious. Everything looks amazing though, such a pretty meal!
Hi, Raven! From one potato lover to another – it was super delicious! Thank you – the whole meal was a big hit 🙂
Learned something new today! That varietal sounds so interesting… and what a beautiful meal you prepared to pair with it! Looks absolutely delicious!
One of my favourite Austrian white wine 😉
The Schnitzel looks so crisp and I love your cabbage slaw!
You have great taste 🙂 I’m sure you have access to more producers of Gruner Veltliner than we have here. I like crispy and using panko made for a super crispy Schnitzel!
Such a fun idea to pair wine with food! This whole meal looks delicious. My husband would love that potato salad!
Hi, Erin! My husband is a potato fan and he loved these! It’s a very simple recipe – you should make them soon 🙂
When Oktoberfest time comes around each year I always find myself craving a good schnitzel! What an incredible meal this is, Priscilla! Your pictures are gorgeous too!
Such a lovely dish, Priscilla! the way you described your wine makes me want to try it. Your execution is beautiful!
Thanks, Tanantha – I think you’re a genius in the kitchen, so that means a lot to me 😉 Yes, give Gruner a try!
I didn’t eat veal for years and was heartened to read that a Viennese restaurant got in uber trouble for passing of turkey as veal and getting away with it for years. As a result, I’ve made it with turkey ever since (cheaper too!) I’d love to try it again now that I have an ethically raised veal supply! Love the wine info (don’t see enough of that in the blogs) and your sides are just perfect. I need to check out this wine, don’t I? Great submission for the makeover!
Deanna, I too quit eating veal for many years. I loved your recent veal tenderloin recipe using ethically raised veal purchased from D’Artagnan. I’m glad you found the wine info helpful – you should definitely try Gruner Veltliner 🙂
Hi, great post right pairing!!
We are about to stage an event where we compare 5 different Grüner Veltliners with a Wiener Schnitzel. The goal to come up with suggestions which style of Grüner Veltliner fits best > http://s.burg.cx/schnitzel (will be held in Vienna though)
Results will be published …
Cheers Thomas
Thanks for visiting, Thomas! I would love to make the trip to Vienna, but I’ll have to be satisfied with checking the results of the event online 😉
and here are the results with an English summary > http://s.burg.cx/schnitzel
I love your pairings. I need all the help I can get some days and this Wiener Schnitzel looks amazing!
Thank, Kita! Feel free to ask for assistance at any time. We drink a lot of wine over here 🙂
I LOVE Gruner!!! In fact, I have a bottle of it that I got at Weinhof Wieninger in Vienna that I am saving for a special occasion … and of course after reading your post I realize I should have it with a Wiener Schnitzel! A really lovely plating and great post.
Thanks, Trix! Yes, you need to break out the Gruner! If I had interpreted the challenge correctly, I would have made a pan sauce or used it as an acid component in one of the sides, but it all went down the hatch 😉
I love a good Wiener Schnitzel, and must’ve eaten tons of it when I spent 3 weeks working in Vienna once! It’s very interesting to learn about how well Gruner Veltliner pairs up with Asian food too…you see, I never knew these things. Ad that potato salad with the Champagne vinegar sounds positively decadent. Thanks also for your warm words, Priscilla, I’m so happy to be part of this cooking group!
The Gruner Veltliner sounds like a beautiful wine and seems to pair perfectly with this dish. Such a wonderfully balanced meal and I am so intrigued by the add of caraway in that delightful slaw :)Wonderful addition to the theme 🙂
Hugs
You aced it. Beautiful dish. Love the wiener schnitzel. One of my all time favorites.
Great job.
Hi Priscilla- love your post, we are big fans of GROOVY too!
Your dish sounds terrific, love all the elements, very harmonious. Especially like how you plated the dish with wiener schnitzel over the slaw.
LL
There are so many great things going on here. The slaw, the wiener schnitzel, the potato salad–now that’s a meal! Everything sounds like it pairs perfectly with the wine,too–I can imagine how much it enhances the dish even further.
I was introduced to Gruner Veltliner at a wine tasting course I did a while back. It is a great fun wine. Love your entree for the dinner party – I am sure that is was divine!!! Have a great weekend!
I’ve only sampled grüner veltliner once or twice but I’ll definitely be on the look out for more! And love, love, love the salad and slaw that you’ve made to go with the wiener schnitzel – I’ll take a bucketload of each 🙂
I love that you found a wine you now are addicted to and found a way to incorporate it into your dishes. It sounds like a great wine. Have to say I’ve not had it! So many wines! I also adore your plating and styling. Very inviting and warm. And though Riesling was not part of this dish, let me know just it’s my favorite white wine! 😉
Priscilla, This is second dish I”ve seen today featuring veal. You have me so hungry and also wanting to try that wine.
Priscilla, this looks and sounds so delicious! I love the color tone in your photos too:)
P.S.
Thanks for participating in September’s YBR 🙂 Sorry I’m so late in getting here.
Wow, that looks like the perfect fall meal for me! That crispy coating has me in a serious case of food lust!
Love everything about this…something about fall maybe but I have seen three German dishes this morning that all remind me so much of my grandparents and what we could always count on being served at their home. Great food and great memories.
This looks like the perfect fall dish Priscilla!! I am not familiar with Gruner Veitliner and am bookmarking this – pairing wine with Asian dishes has always stumped me so I am thrilled to finally have a go to wine for asian dishes!!
The meal looks delish! Thank you so much for the white wine review. White has never been my first choice, I’m a red girl 😉 but we eat so much fish that I need a few good go to white wines. So whenever I stumble upon a good one I take note. This one is now on my must try list.