I went to Angelbeck's to grab a wine for a quick dinner at the great new little Middle Eastern Restaurant, Falafel Hut, in Upper Montclair, NJ.
Middle Eastern food offers many wine pairing opportunities. I had a hankering for a Riesling which I thought would go well with the rich yet subtle flavors.
I picked two out of Anglebeck's well stocked chilled wine section, a wine call Bex, which was a decent Riesling, and one that caught my eye and today my heart called Kung Fu Girl.
The Bex went nicely with the garlicky flavors of the middle eastern dishes. A good choice.
I saved the Kung Fu Girl for another dinner, which I made last night. This was in the Asian style with Thresher Shark steaks from the Barnegat Light Fish-man at the Montclair Farmers' Market. I made a marinade of tamari, garlic, agave syrup, basil and a few other secret ingredients.
Served this with a great Thai cucumber salad recipe I found on RecipeZaar. And stir fried exotic mushrooms, baby bok choy from Shoprite and other veggies from the farmers' market. Rice, white and brown, accompanied the meal.
The dinner was delicious and the wine, Kung Fu Girl Riesling was perfect.
I liked this comment about Kung Fu Girl:
"While we'll agree with Ku Fu Girl wine-maker Charles Smith that both Riesling and girls kick ass, the reason we love this wine actually has much more to do with another aspect of Kung Fu: balance. This comes from a single vineyard comprised of fragmented basalt and caliche soils. Great acidity, minerality and girl-next-door kiss of sweetness. Plus, at this price, you won't feel like you're being thrown to the mat." K & L Wines
I found it to be very exciting with a luscious bright blood orange flavor, just the right amount of sweetness to acidity.
The wine maker Charles Smith, K Vintners, has a great sense of humor and irreverent approach to making tasty wines with names like, "BOOM BOOM! SYRAH" "Holy Cow Merlot" with funny labels to match.
The Wine Advocate says:
"K Vintners is where the larger-than-life Charles Smith presides. He is an innovator, marketing genius, outspoken, you name it – but above all the man is a brilliant winemaker who knows where all the great fruit is hidden. In a region where blending is the rule of thumb, he is the ultimate terroirist. Each wine reflects the vineyard from which it was produced but there is also a house style which lets you know immediately who made the wine. While it’s way too soon to put K Vintners on the same level as a Domaine Leroy or Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, the experience you get tasting in the cellar is much the same as in those legendary wineries, brilliantly made wines reflecting the terroir but also a winemaking signature that makes it totally clear which winery made the wine.” Jay Miller, for The Wine Advocate
Here is where you can find Kung Fu Girl in NJ Vinquire
These wines are awesome! And has a very reasonable price.
Posted by: Mr. Martial Arts | 08/28/2011 at 05:16
They are really great, and the price is right.
Posted by: Peter Conway | 04/17/2011 at 10:18
These wines by Charles Smith are simlpy awesome, especially at the very reasonable prices.
The UK has been introduced to these Washington wines and we love them
Kung Fu Girl, rocks!
Posted by: Washington Wine | 04/15/2011 at 12:41