Hi all,
In 2 hours we're having a "Kung Pao" stir fry with beef,
onions, green peppers and peanuts. I have an average
assortment of wines in my cellar - CS, PN, Zin, Chenin,
Sauvignon, etc. Any suggestions?

I think I knew the answer at one time, but it's those
senior brain cells that aren't working properly.

Please help,
Thanks
Dick

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 16:23:02 -0500, "Dick R." > wrote:

>Hi all,
>In 2 hours we're having a "Kung Pao" stir fry with beef,
>onions, green peppers and peanuts. I have an average
>assortment of wines in my cellar - CS, PN, Zin, Chenin,
>Sauvignon, etc. Any suggestions?
>
>I think I knew the answer at one time, but it's those
>senior brain cells that aren't working properly.
>
>Please help,
>Thanks
>Dick

Do you have a gewürtztraminer handy? I'm not guaranteeing that it
would work but, depending on what kind of other spices you are using,
it would be worth considering. A riesling might work as well,
depending on the style.

Vino
To reply, add "x" between
letters and numbers of
e-mail address.

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 16:23:02 -0500, "Dick R." > wrote:

>Hi all,
>In 2 hours we're having a "Kung Pao" stir fry with beef,
>onions, green peppers and peanuts. I have an average
>assortment of wines in my cellar - CS, PN, Zin, Chenin,
>Sauvignon, etc. Any suggestions?

Beer, since you have no Riesling or Gewurtz...

-- Robert

Vino wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 16:23:02 -0500, "Dick R." > wrote:
>
>>Hi all,
>>In 2 hours we're having a "Kung Pao" stir fry with beef,
>>onions, green peppers and peanuts. I have an average
>>assortment of wines in my cellar - CS, PN, Zin, Chenin,
>>Sauvignon, etc. Any suggestions?
>>
>>I think I knew the answer at one time, but it's those
>>senior brain cells that aren't working properly.
>>
>>Please help,
>>Thanks
>>Dick
>
> Do you have a gewürtztraminer handy? I'm not guaranteeing that it
> would work but, depending on what kind of other spices you are using,
> it would be worth considering. A riesling might work as well,
> depending on the style.

Hey Vino,
Thanks for the reply. I was rummaging around in my cellar and, sad
to say, I don't have any Gewurtz or Riesling. The "Kung Pao" beef
stir-fry is pretty spicy. We've done the same stir-fry using chicken and
paired it with a Chenin Blanc - very good. But with beef ... ?
Maybe we can use a good California Zin that goes with everything!? :-)

Time's a wasting, so maybe I'll open a bottle or three and see what goes
best. A thankless job, but somebody has to it.

Full report ... eventually,
Thanks
Dick

Robert Stevahn wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 16:23:02 -0500, "Dick R." > wrote:
>
>>Hi all,
>>In 2 hours we're having a "Kung Pao" stir fry with beef,
>>onions, green peppers and peanuts. I have an average
>>assortment of wines in my cellar - CS, PN, Zin, Chenin,
>>Sauvignon, etc. Any suggestions?
>
> Beer, since you have no Riesling or Gewurtz...
>
> -- Robert
Hi Robert,
If I was having this dish in a restaurant I would choose a bottle
of Tsing Tao (is that right?). I think you're right though, when
everything else fails, grab a good beer. This is getting very
complicated and, after all the sampling, I don't know if I'll be
able to get up and go to work tomorrow. :-)
Thanks for the suggestion,
Dick

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 17:19:37 -0500, "Dick R." > wrote:


>Vino wrote:
>> On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 16:23:02 -0500, "Dick R." > wrote:
>>
>>>Hi all,
>>>In 2 hours we're having a "Kung Pao" stir fry with beef,
>>>onions, green peppers and peanuts. I have an average
>>>assortment of wines in my cellar - CS, PN, Zin, Chenin,
>>>Sauvignon, etc. Any suggestions?

>>>Please help,
>>>Thanks
>>>Dick
>>
>> Do you have a gewürtztraminer handy? I'm not guaranteeing that it
>> would work but, depending on what kind of other spices you are using,
>> it would be worth considering. A riesling might work as well,
>> depending on the style.
>
>Hey Vino,
>Thanks for the reply. I was rummaging around in my cellar and, sad
>to say, I don't have any Gewurtz or Riesling. The "Kung Pao" beef
>stir-fry is pretty spicy. We've done the same stir-fry using chicken and
>paired it with a Chenin Blanc - very good. But with beef ... ?
>Maybe we can use a good California Zin that goes with everything!? :-)
>
>Time's a wasting, so maybe I'll open a bottle or three and see what goes
>best. A thankless job, but somebody has to it.

I love big California Zins and a few years ago when I was in a Ridge
frenzy, I drank various Ridge bottlings with all sorts of stuff. My
conclusion was that a big, full, fruity zin can stand up to all sort
of abuse. That includes BBQ, Mexican, pizza, lamb, pork loin, almost
anything but fish. (Although it did tolerably well on a hot summer
evening with a crab Louis.) It's become my generic fall-back wine if
a pairing doesn't jump right out at me.

I wouldn't do Riesling, but a dry Alsace Gewurz could do the job next
time. .



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

Ed Rasimus wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 17:19:37 -0500, "Dick R." > wrote:
>
>
>
>>Vino wrote:
>>
>>>On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 16:23:02 -0500, "Dick R." > wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Hi all,
>>>>In 2 hours we're having a "Kung Pao" stir fry with beef,
>>>>onions, green peppers and peanuts. I have an average
>>>>assortment of wines in my cellar - CS, PN, Zin, Chenin,
>>>>Sauvignon, etc. Any suggestions?
>
>
>>>>Please help,
>>>>Thanks
>>>>Dick
>>>
>>>Do you have a gewürtztraminer handy? I'm not guaranteeing that it
>>>would work but, depending on what kind of other spices you are using,
>>>it would be worth considering. A riesling might work as well,
>>>depending on the style.
>>
>>Hey Vino,
>>Thanks for the reply. I was rummaging around in my cellar and, sad
>>to say, I don't have any Gewurtz or Riesling. The "Kung Pao" beef
>>stir-fry is pretty spicy. We've done the same stir-fry using chicken and
>>paired it with a Chenin Blanc - very good. But with beef ... ?
>>Maybe we can use a good California Zin that goes with everything!? :-)
>>
>>Time's a wasting, so maybe I'll open a bottle or three and see what goes
>>best. A thankless job, but somebody has to it.
>
>
> I love big California Zins and a few years ago when I was in a Ridge
> frenzy, I drank various Ridge bottlings with all sorts of stuff. My
> conclusion was that a big, full, fruity zin can stand up to all sort
> of abuse. That includes BBQ, Mexican, pizza, lamb, pork loin, almost
> anything but fish. (Although it did tolerably well on a hot summer
> evening with a crab Louis.) It's become my generic fall-back wine if
> a pairing doesn't jump right out at me.
>
> I wouldn't do Riesling, but a dry Alsace Gewurz could do the job next
> time. .
>
>
>
> Ed Rasimus
> Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
> "When Thunder Rolled"
> Smithsonian Institution Press
> ISBN #1-58834-103-8

I too use zin as a default wine when I'm at a loss for ideas. My only
concern would be over a high alcohol zin because the heat from the kung
pao can make the zin a real monster.

Ed Rasimus wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 17:19:37 -0500, "Dick R." > wrote:
>>Vino wrote:
>>
>>>On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 16:23:02 -0500, "Dick R." > wrote:
>>>
>>>>Hi all,
>>>>In 2 hours we're having a "Kung Pao" stir fry with beef,
>>>>onions, green peppers and peanuts. I have an average
>>>>assortment of wines in my cellar - CS, PN, Zin, Chenin,
>>>>Sauvignon, etc. Any suggestions?
>>>>
>>>Do you have a gewürtztraminer handy? I'm not guaranteeing that it
>>>would work but, depending on what kind of other spices you are using,
>>>it would be worth considering. A riesling might work as well,
>>>depending on the style.
>>
>>Hey Vino,
>>Thanks for the reply. I was rummaging around in my cellar and, sad
>>to say, I don't have any Gewurtz or Riesling. The "Kung Pao" beef
>>stir-fry is pretty spicy. We've done the same stir-fry using chicken and
>>paired it with a Chenin Blanc - very good. But with beef ... ?
>>Maybe we can use a good California Zin that goes with everything!? :-)
>>
>>Time's a wasting, so maybe I'll open a bottle or three and see what goes
>>best. A thankless job, but somebody has to it.
>
> I love big California Zins and a few years ago when I was in a Ridge
> frenzy, I drank various Ridge bottlings with all sorts of stuff. My
> conclusion was that a big, full, fruity zin can stand up to all sort
> of abuse. That includes BBQ, Mexican, pizza, lamb, pork loin, almost
> anything but fish. (Although it did tolerably well on a hot summer
> evening with a crab Louis.) It's become my generic fall-back wine if
> a pairing doesn't jump right out at me.
>
> I wouldn't do Riesling, but a dry Alsace Gewurz could do the job next
> time. .

Hi Ed,
You seem to be another "Zin enthusiast" (I knew that already). :-)
The best Zin I have is a Cline Ancient Vines Contra Costa 1997. I think
you've given me an excuse to open that sucker!

Thanks, and full amateur tasting report ... eventually.
Dick

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 23:10:30 GMT, larkin1734 > wrote:
>
>I too use zin as a default wine when I'm at a loss for ideas. My only
>concern would be over a high alcohol zin because the heat from the kung
>pao can make the zin a real monster.

When I suggested gewürtztraminer and, possibly, riesling, I considered
suggesting zin but did not for exactly the reason you state. Spicy
foods and big zins, for me anyway, make for a situation where 2 + 2 =
3.

Vino
To reply, add "x" between
letters and numbers of
e-mail address.

Dick R. wrote:
>>>>> In 2 hours we're having a "Kung Pao" stir fry with beef,
>>>>> onions, green peppers and peanuts. I have an average
>>>>> assortment of wines in my cellar - CS, PN, Zin, Chenin,
>>>>> Sauvignon, etc. Any suggestions?

>>>> Do you have a gewürtztraminer handy? I'm not guaranteeing that it
>>>> would work but, depending on what kind of other spices you are using,
>>>> it would be worth considering. A riesling might work as well,
>>>> depending on the style.

> You seem to be another "Zin enthusiast" (I knew that already). :-)
> The best Zin I have is a Cline Ancient Vines Contra Costa 1997. I think
> you've given me an excuse to open that sucker!

I am a Zinfanatic also. I just finished a Rafanelli with dinner.
I do Kung Pao all the time ( not beef very often ). The thing to
remember is that you are going to be clearing your pallet with
steamed white rice I hope. There are a lot of wines you can drink
after the white rice but you absolutely don't want something hot
or acidic that is going to bring back the chili pepper before your
next bite of Kung Pao. I would say stay with a medium boy white
and work on how much more power you could add in the wine match.

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 18:17:59 -0500, "Dick R." > wrote:

>Ed Rasimus wrote:

>> I love big California Zins and a few years ago when I was in a Ridge
>> frenzy, I drank various Ridge bottlings with all sorts of stuff. My
>> conclusion was that a big, full, fruity zin can stand up to all sort
>> of abuse. That includes BBQ, Mexican, pizza, lamb, pork loin, almost
>> anything but fish. (Although it did tolerably well on a hot summer
>> evening with a crab Louis.) It's become my generic fall-back wine if
>> a pairing doesn't jump right out at me.
>>
>> I wouldn't do Riesling, but a dry Alsace Gewurz could do the job next
>> time. .
>
>Hi Ed,
>You seem to be another "Zin enthusiast" (I knew that already). :-)
>The best Zin I have is a Cline Ancient Vines Contra Costa 1997. I think
>you've given me an excuse to open that sucker!

Sometimes I have a "Eureka!" moment. Since I almost always lean to a
red rather than white, it suddenly occurred to me that the hot Kung
Pao might be offset by a nicely chilled cru Beaujolais. Brouilly or
Fleurie come to mind. It fits a lot of the issues that have been
raised--not a big alcohol heater, cool on the tongue, stands up to the
spice, not cloyingly or contrastingly sweet. Yeahhhhh, that's the
ticket.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 18:54:49 -0600, Ed Rasimus
> wrote:

>Sometimes I have a "Eureka!" moment. Since I almost always lean to a
>red rather than white, it suddenly occurred to me that the hot Kung
>Pao might be offset by a nicely chilled cru Beaujolais. Brouilly or
>Fleurie come to mind. It fits a lot of the issues that have been
>raised--not a big alcohol heater, cool on the tongue, stands up to the
>spice, not cloyingly or contrastingly sweet. Yeahhhhh, that's the
>ticket.
>
>
That's called "thinking outside of the box". Good work!

Vino
To reply, add "x" between
letters and numbers of
e-mail address.

Probably too late. But Bonny Doon Pacific Riesling would be perfect.

Rich R.