Graff Riesling Kabinett Mosel `07 (Not TJ's) $12.99 ***(* )

I took a wine tasting class. This wine was my favorite of the night and it was the cheapest! (I am weirdly thrilled by having cheap taste - hmmmm)

One thing I learned, was that this sweetish wine pairs well with spicy food (like Thai) - I am always wondering when I go out to eat, what wine should I pair with ethnic foods - especially Thai - we usually cop out and order Thai beer, next time I'll be daring.

For today -  a cool, rainy November Saturday, I am making:
Grilled chicken thighs in Stubbs chicken marinade;
Rice-a-Roni Rice Pilaf (gotta love the San Francisco Treat!);
and Broccoli.
No dessert...well, maybe a glass of Broadbent Madeira.

In the class, we talked a lot about this wine, the paleness in the glass, the initial bouquet, a subtle smell of gasoline!?! Still with a distinct pear smell. Then came the initial taste - which in a class you spent a lot of time looking smelling and anticipating.  I guess that would be called savoring... but for me at home, I swish the glass, take a deep breath, then dive right in... the wine class was a lesson in restraint.  I will show very little restraint today.

HAH - it's a screw top.  I like screw tops - very efficient - yes, it detracts form the "Experience" but practical trumps.  First smell - mmm pears.  I get it.  hmmm gasoline.  Yeah, a subtle petroleum scent - not gross, but weird - that isn't a good descriptor, because it is so off-putting.  The wine is good, my vocabulary is bad.

Taste - well chilled, YUMMY.  I like it.  Crisp, pear like, subtle sharpness (that would be the ah hem gasoline? - how can such an unappetizing smell actually taste good? I was so off put by writing the word gasoline, I googled wine smells and got this:  How to Taste Wine - Smelling the wine.  I have to work at learning to properly describe what I am smelling....

Now back to the Graff:

This is a good, slightly acidic yet sweet fruity wine.  It goes GREAT with the slight spice of the marinated chicken thighs, the salty creaminess of the rice (I used home made chicken stock, butter and deglazed w/ the Riesling) and the broccoli.

Good, it would have been four stars if it were a bit cheaper - it is expensive for me $11.69 (I got a 10% discount off the $12.99 price @ Bacchus).