What wine pairs well with sauerkraut?

I meant to write this some time ago; something that will be obvious momentarily. On New Year's Day, it is considered good luck in the part of Pennsylvania that I live to have pork and sauerkraut for dinner (I believe it comes from an Amish tradition). My wife, who is by the way a wonderful cook, makes a lowfat version of the traditional dish. She pan sears pork tenderloin, finishing it off in the oven, and serves it with horseradish and roasted garlic-flavored mashed potatoes; and of course, the sauerkraut. It's really very good. For this meal, I was all prepared to serve a scotch ale I helped make with my friend Brewmaster Ken. We have been making beer together for a few years now and this is one of our favorite winter beers. My father joined us for dinner, and he wanted wine instead of beer, thus prompting the title for this entry. I ventured down to my extensive wine cellar (I wish), which contains mostly my own wines, including chianti, chardonnay and riesling. I do have a few bottles of commercial wine, and decided to try a french wine I had never drank before:

Beaujolais-Villages 2006
Louis Jadot Vineyards

It is a dry red burgundy, low in tannins (the stuff that gives wine a smoky, earthy flavor) and mildly fruity. Overall, it was a good wine that went very well with the peppery pork tenderloin and tart sauerkraut. Give it a try next New Year's Day.

Vintner John

My first blog ever!

Let me start by saying that I do not consider my self any kind of expert on wine, be it making or drinking. My only real wine tasting experiences have been at wineries along the Finger Lakes in Central New York. Don't get me wrong; it was alot of fun and I did learn some basics about wine, but I'm sure it doesn't compare with wine tasting in California or Europe (places I hope to taste wine some day). For now let's just say I know what I like.

As far as winemaking goes, I have been working on this hobby for about 3 years. I started with wine kits, which produced okay wine, but even I could tell they lacked flavor and depth. I have since made wine from grapes and fresh juice, and I will talk about these in future posts. I am currently working on a merlot and a sauvignon blanc, which you will hear more about as well.

My hope with this blog is that we can learn from each other, and all get better at making wine. Talk soon...