I had been wanting to eat at Portland Oregon’s Grüner for quite a while and finally made it. (Thank you, Sean and Mary.) Naturally, I was excited for some sparkling wine, so our table ended up with a bottle of Szigeti‘s Cuvée Prestige. I’d had their sparkling Grüner Veltliner before but this was a bird of a different feather: Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Blaufränkisch. (The latter aka Lemberger.)
I wouldn’t call it a rosé (and I definitely wouldn’t call it a “rose“) but it had a subtle hue to it that hinted at something along those lines. (It was also dark in there and I’m a bit of an old man.) The Cuvée Prestige was fascinating, complex, and quite a bargain. If your Austrian wine routine revolves around 1L chug-a-lug jugs of Grüner Veltliner (GUILTY…since 2007), this is a good place to start exploring. (OK, I have extolled the virtues of 1L Zweigelts and even had a podcast where Roter Veltliner was name-checked and praised.)
Food-wise, there was a stupendous dish at Grüner: malfatti — ricotta, nettle, and turnip greens dumplings with hedgehog mushrooms, butter, parmigiano-reggiano, and thyme. Although a solid, these dumplings were so light and airy that they (I kid you not) floated in the air. (These are my malfatti memories and I will never be dissuaded to remember them in any other fashion. Anyway, please get them when you dine at Grüner.)
What was my day in Portland like pre-floating dumplings? I arrived at the train station, started walking, and experienced:
- Noodles at Boke Bowl (East)
- Beer at Hair of the Dog
- Stumptown Annex for a bottled cold brew coffee
- SE Wine Collective where I had a very cool Melon de Bourgogne and Petit Verdot (see Instagram)
- 25 Chairs at The Meadow for a Fossil & Fawn (wine) release party
OK, I did take a cab for that last leg. But on my way from Stumptown to the SE Wine Collective (long walk) I came across the Little Free Library pictured to the right.
More Portland, Oregon: Frisée redemption, nutritional yeast, artichoke-based booze, bars with stellar booths and no natural light
Excellent diacritical mark usage (although, you missed one: Cuvée). So I have to give you an A-….
It was a mistake to honor the information on the tech sheet. Duly updated. Always go with your gut over a pdf. At least it wasn’t “cuvee’ “?
Ahh, yes. That Szigeti was quite tasty. I need to find out if anyone sells it retail around here. I’ve seen the sparkling Grüner locally at my fav local supermarket, but going to inquire about that blend now. That whole meal… just yum!!