Mother Goose knew what she was talking about when she put together the words sugar and spice. Unfortunately I think she was talking more about the battle of the sexes (girls being sweet and spicy while guys are mere “puppy dogs tales”), than Riesling and chili peppers. But her little poem helps me to remember an important wine pairing that I recently learned thanks to all of the spicy food in New Mexico: sweet wines pair great with spice!
Last year I visited the Alsace region of France, where I toured the Cave de Turckheim – a cave cooperative that specializes in white wines including Riesling. I will admit that before I went to Alsace, I had a negative connotation of Riesling. I thought of it as a thick, syrupy, and overly sweet wine that only girly girls (who aren’t woman enough to drink a real Cab) would buy. Boy was I mistaken. What I found were delicate wines that were well balanced and crisp, with just the right touch of sweetness. The wines were floral with notes of citrus and minerality…and at a great price too. A bottle of their “Traditional Riesling” cost about 8 euros (roughly equivalent to 11 dollars at the time).
For more information on the Cave de Turckheim visit www.cave-turckheim.com
