We have had a weekend of taste sensations. Our first was in Molsheim, (out of Strasbourg) where we were introduced to the bottled delights of an organic vineyard. In the basement & garage of an unassuming house in a quiet street, lives Ph.Heitz Wines.
We were there to taste wines with friends from Mutzig. Aside from being a charming setting the wines introduced us to different grapes & a new range of flavours. We are red wine drinkers, & most of the 6 we tried were white. New experiences were found in Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer & a dry Muscat. My personal favourite was the Pinot Gris d'Alsace. It's blurb describes it as having smoky aromas along with dried fruit, toast & beeswax! I DEFINITELY got the smoke & dried fruit & it was SPECTACULARLY good. This is what I call a dangerous wine.....one I could very happily become addicted to.
It was interesting to go down stairs in this very modern winery to a room at the back of the garage...no fancy ancient cave here!! Naturally we bought a few bottles to consume during our holiday. We chose the Pinot Gris (of course) a beautiful refreshing, crisp Pinot Blanc d'Alsace which has the delicious flavours of stone fruit in it & a dry Muscat, which was again, a very refreshing drop.
Our friends took us back to Mutzig where they live & prepared an Alsatian traditional meal called Chacroute. It comprises of a slow cooked potatoe, with local sausages & cabbage that has also been slow cooked with ham & wine. (I think this is a dish that is related to sauerkraut). It was very good & we could see why it is traditionally served in winter. We were also to learn, later in the day, that Chacroute is a good source of vitamin C!!
On Sunday, our daughter had a treat for us...we were going to have brunch at a Cheese bar!! Now I imagine that the first thing you will visualize is a cheese shop selling each of France's 500 cheeses, with a 'cafe' as part of it. That's what I thought too. However, when you step inside there isn't a scrap of cheese in sight (except for the kitchen). The cheese is the star ingredient on an interesting & extensive menu. They have the predictable cheese & wine combos, but also soups with cheese, salads & various hot dishes using a variety of cheeses.
We were here for brunch though & had the set 'brunch' menu. It started with the choosing of small pots of locally produced jams (which we were able to take home with us!)
Then came the platter.
This is what mine looked like. It included a tub of good quality yoghurt, fresh fruit salad, 2 different meats, a boiled egg & 3 different cheeses, with a sprinkling of walnuts & grapes to eat with the cheese. This with a basket of fresh artisan bread was HEAVEN. My favourite cheese was the goats cheese with a mousse of chestnut in the middle. It was very light & worked brilliantly with the sweeter chestnut...then with a walnut on top....oh my goodness. Piggy heaven! This is another concept that I think would go down very well in Adelaide.
So, after all that eating it is imperative this week, that I manage to get my 10,000 steps a day in. Sigh!
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