I discovered a splendid wine and I would like to share the news with you. After the Litvak Gallery and the Orna Ben Ami art exhibition I wrote about we entered to have lunch at Toto – considered to be one of the best restaurants in Tel Aviv. The Friday afternoon business menu was up to the expectations, although prices were quite on the upper part of the scale. When we got to selecting the wine the ladies choice was for a Gewurtztraminer. They had the 2007 Yarden brand we had a few weeks ago at another restaurant in Tel Aviv but for 20 shekels more and yet at a ‘reasonable’ (for the location) price of 175 shekels they offered an Alsatian brand. I went for it and I had no reasons of regret.
Zellenberg Gewurtztraminer from Marc Tempe
The place this wonderful Gewurtztraminer comes from is Zellenberg and the name of the winemaker is Marc Tempe. I found some information about him on the Internet at http://www.marctempe.fr/. Zellenberg is located on the Route des Vins which traverses the Alsace from North to South, one kilometer afar from the touristic and picturesque small city of Riquewihr which we had visited a few months ago. The place is perfect for wine making, 300 meters altitude, and a wonderful climate. Marc Tempe comes from a family of wine makers and he started his own vineyard in 1995, adopting a method he calls ‘biodynamics’ which is a variant of organic wine making with no pesticides involved.
vineyards near Zellenberg
Alsatian Gewurztraminer is usually very good, but most of the wines of the type light and witty. The Zellenberg brand is much deeper, the color goes to amber and it has a sweetness which reminds the Grasa de Cotnari without becoming heavy. It’s a wonderful experience and I recommend it warmly. Marc Tempe also does other sorts of wine – Pinot Gris, Riesling and more – worth looking for this brand. If they come even closer to the 2006 Gewurtztraminer they are excellent.
As fi curios sa ne povestesti ce ati servit la Toto ca sa se potriveasca cu acest vin. Mai ales ca spui ca este mai putin usor decat media Gewurztraminer alsaciene, mai pretentios, deci.
Acasa, in lipsa de Sauterne, am baut odata Gewurztraminerul alsacian la foie gras pregatit la tigaie. Alaturi erau felii de mere caramelizate si flambate cu Calvados. Au constituit un trio remarcabil!
Dar la Toto?
Daca tot ai adus vorba de acest local, as mentiona si eu priceperea lor in selectionarea vinurilor. Iar dintre felurile de mancare as mentiona momitzele de vitzel pregatite intr-un mod cu totul deosebit fata de ‘gratarul’ cu care ma obisnuisem de-a lungul anilor. De o finete deosebita, greu de realizat la acest fel, cu castane si legume, opera de arta a bucatarului si asa renumit, as zice. Serviciul mi s-a parut din pacate mediocru, de fiecare data.
Imi pui memoria la incercare. Eram impreuna cu Mariana si Sandu. Sandu nu abandoneaza berea cam niciodata, asa incat sticla de vin am impartit-o eu cu fetele. Mariana a comandat peste – file ‘lavrak’ (stau prost cu numele pestilor in orice limba), Liliana varianta Toto a lui bouillabaisse iar eu un menu ‘de business’ care a inclus un antreu cu heringi marinati si un fel de tocana (sau ‘hamin’ de berbec). S-a potrivit – nici macar eu nu m-am plans de nepotrivire.
De la specialisti citate: Potriviri cu gewürztraminerul: Foie gras en terrine sau en brioche, snitel de vitel pané, canard à l’orange, pui fript, pasare cu smantana, caprioara cu merisoare, mancaruri exotice ca: tajine, pasare cu curry, mancaruri vietnameze, tailandeze, branzeturi de caracter: Munster, Pont-l’Evèque, Maroilles, Roquefort; patiserie cu miere, tarte cu fructe, kougelhopf…
Hai noroc !