Domäne Wachau Federspiel "Terrassen" Gruner Veltliner Austria 2005. Modern Museum of Art, Fifth Floor Cafe. $7.00 a glass.
Light straw yellow color, clear hue, shy aroma of gooseberries, apple and pepper, very good citrus, apple and peach flavors, light mineral notes that persist in a pleasant finish, mild but lively acidity. Very nice luncheon wine, and a perfect match for the slow poached egg salad. 3*+.
Janet and I spent an interesting day in the City yesterday, including five hours touring MOMA. We both found the museum cold and unattractive, and some pictures suffer grievously -- Monet's "Water Lilies" in particular seemed washed out and lifeless. [I have spent many hours in the past with those lilies, dreaming and imagining myself far from New York City.]
MOMA's food service is quite splendid, and very wine friendly. We ate at Terrace 5. This Gruner Veltliner was a perfect match for a perfect salad, one new to me. MOMA calls it "Slow-poached egg", charges $13 and serves it perfectly. This dish consists of a bed of 20 tiny frisée heads lightly coated with anchovy vinaigrette and very lightly dusted with parmigiano cheese. The egg is very, very soft and becomes a delicate salad dressing. The whole is served on a rectangular white dish with four roasted cherry tomatoes framing the whole. The flavors are delicate and etheral -- the frisée gives the dish substance, and the whole is a perfect medley, enhanced greatly by the wine.
Regards, Bob
Notes: Vin Divino Ltd., Importer. http://www.vindivino.com/
The largest cooperative in the Wachau valley, Freie Weingartner consists of 750 members and the showplace of the winery is the Durnstein abbey depicted on the label. This image is historically important, as it was the deeding of the vineyards throughout the valley to its people by the disbanding Cistercian order that is responsible for what became the cooperative as we know it today. FWW produces a large array of wines for every use, but the pride and joy is the Domane Wachau series, initiated with the 2001 vintage. The aim was the creation of a separate “brand” to emphasize the powerful terroir characteristics of the valley. Only 15% of the cooperative’s entire production goes into the Domane Wachau line.
“Terrassen” or terraced signifys that this wine is sourced from multiple terraced vineyards, while the term "Federspiel" is a quality designation (specific to the Wachau from lowest to highest: Steinfeder, Federspiel, and Smaragd).
Winery: http://www.fww.at Screwcap.
MOMA's wine friendliness; http://www.themodernnyc.com/t5/t5.html:
Wine Flights 3 oz. tastes
Pale Green to Deep Gold choose any three white wines listed below $15.
Rouge, Rosso, and Tinto choose any three red wines listed below $17.
Sparkling Wine glass / bottle
Prosecco Rustico, Nino Franco, Valdobbiadene, NV 8./45.
Cremant d’Alsace, Brut Rosé, Lucien Albrecht, NV 10./50.
White Wine glass / bottle
Gruner Veltliner Federspiel, Domäne Wachau, Austria, 2005 7./28.
Sauvignon Blanc, Hunter’s, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2005 10./40.
Riesling Kabinett, Schloss Wallhausen, Nahe, Germany, 2005 11./44.
Chenin Blanc, Mulderbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 2004 9./36.
Viognier/Marsanne, Hermit Crab, D’Arenberg, Australia, 2004 8./32.
Chardonnay, Vero, Joseph Drouhin, Burgundy, 2003 12./48.
Rose Wine glass / bottle
Rouvière Rosé, Château Routas, Provence, 2006 7./28.
Red Wine glass / bottle
Garnacha/Tempranillo, Borsao Crianza Seleccion, Spain, 2004 8./32.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Los Vascos (Lafite-Rothschild), Chile, 2004 11./44.
Saumur Champigny, Clos des Chatains, Regis Neau, 2000 9./36.
Merlot, Sassi Grossi, Ticino, 1997 12./48.
Zinfandel, Starry Night Winery, Lake County, California, 2002 13./52.
Half Bottles too good to only have one glass!
White
Sancerre, Richard Bourgeois, Loire Valley, 2005 26.
Chardonnay, Trefethen, Napa Valley, 2004 30.
Red
Pinot Noir, Calera, Central Coast, California, 2002 28.
Shiraz, Yalumba, Barossa, Australia, 2004 24.
