After twenty years, I am moving. One of the things that happens when you live in a house for that long is the slow accumulation of things. It creeps up on you and you don’t know what’s happening until you have to declutter. You then realize that you are a hoarder. This not only happened with stuff but also with food. I have back stock of all sorts of things: Tuna, tomato products, pasta, soups, coconut milk, baking supplies and the list goes on. The challenge is to use up what I have so I don’t have to move it. This also goes for the refrigerator and freezer. So, I’m now at the point where ingredients are becoming more random, in short supply and creativity is becoming a necessity.
I found the website Skinnyish Dish and started checking out all of the creative recipes. I found one: Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot cups. I have most of the ingredients with a couple of substitutions-frozen hash browns for tater tots and Monterey Jack for mozzarella. I also have a perfect wine to go with them-Riesling.
I’ve written about Riesling before and how it is one of my favorite wine to drink. It is extremely food friendly and is very refreshing to drink on its own. Another thing that I like about it is that it is a grape that really reflects where it is grown. Australian Riesling has a stronger petrol smell on the nose, U.S. Rieslings tend to be a little sweeter with a little less of the petrol smell. Alsatian Riesling is bracing, with a lot of mineral and acid and citrus. Germany is where you will find Riesling has been perfected. There is little to no petrol smell, a nice balance of minerality, and the fruit is not taken over by the acidity.
The vineyards for this wine are in the Mosel River Valley, a classic area for growing Riesling. The vineyards are planted on steep, south facing slopes that catch the sunlight reflected off of the Mosel River and make the most of the duration of daily sun. The slopes are covered with slate, which reflect heat back to the grapevine and gives the wine it’s lovely mineral quality. The slate is so important that, at the vineyard where the grapes for this wine come from, the workers carry the slate back up the hill when it has slid down to the river. The greatest thing about German Riesling is that you can find great wine at every price point. The Clean Slate is a really enjoyable and inexpensive Riesling. The residual sugar makes the acid less biting and the acid keeps the wine from being sweet. The citrus of lemon and lime are countered by the flavors of green apple and a little peach. The minerality from the slate gives the wine some structure and the floral quality gives it some character.
I have written about Riesling being great with Asian food but it is also great with spicy food. This wine works really well with buffalo sauce. The residual sugar in Riesling tames heat and spiciness and the citrus and acid break through the bold flavors, creating a nice balance. You would think that you would want a bolder red wine to go with a spicy dish but it doesn’t work. The tannins in red wine actually enhance the spiciness in food and can make for an unpleasant bite. With the buffalo chicken cups, this wine is the perfect accompaniment. A good wine can uplift even the most basic of meals and make it a little more special. This wine does that. So, the next time buffalo sauce enters your life, have a glass of this wine and make the evening feel a little more special.