Schloss Gobelsburg GV

After a very cool July and early August summer made its presence felt yesterday. The temperature climbed to 90 and the humidity did likewise.

After the overkill with the steak on Saturday we dialed things back a little on Sunday. Dinner was a whole chicken on the grill. It was brined for about six hours and then air dried in the fridge. We made a mixture of freshly grated ginger, grated lemon peel and butter and rubbed all that under the skin while it dried. When the grill was ready the coals were moved to the side and the bird went into the middle. We threw on the lid and roasted the bird over the indirect heat.

We opted for a 2006 Schloss Gobelsburg Gruner Veltliner Steinsetz from Austria. We put a slight chill on it. The nose was all about restrained fruit and minerals, almost a wet rock aroma. The fruit was a little more prominent on the tongue and there was definitely a ripe, but tart green grape taste to the wine. The minerals were still there and were strong. Great acid held the whole thing together. The wine was 13% alcohol so it finished quite dry. With the lemon peel and ginger that worked its way into the chicken meat the wine was at its best. For a hot day it was exactly what was needed, tart and refreshing.

It was a two dessert meal. A Saturday trip to the market resulted in fresh, white peaches and fresh California mission figs coming home with me.

For the first dessert we cut the figs in half and basted the surface with a little lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. They went on the grill with the cut side down. After a couple of minutes we flipped them over and added a large dollop of fresh goat cheese to the center of each. We popped the lid back on the grill and let the cheese melt into the figs. Delicious. The peaches were peeled and cut into slices, and the slices were frozen. After dinner they went into the food processor with some lemon juice, sugar and an ounce of the Gruner Veltliner. The mixture was pureed into a sorbet and the put back in the freezer to set up a little. Excellent, and there is more for the next couple of days.