WTN: Albarino, Cali and Oz Syrah, OR Chardonnay

I finally screwed up m y courage to try the 2022 Spice Trader Shiraz (Langhorne Creek). Courage was needed. Blackberry jam spiked with Everclear, a hot sweet mess. Decent acids though! C

Fried squid and maitake with parmesan over arugula with a lemony dressing
2023 Rodrigo Mendez Raio de Vella Albarino (Rias Baixas).
Nice full bodied Albarino, lemon and a little freshly mowed grass, saline and wet rocks. B++

Korean marinated ribeye, rice with furikake, glazed shiitakes, Shanghai bok choy
2023 Extradimensional Yeah! Brousseau Syrah
Peppery, crunchy black raspberry and blackberry, herby. Really fun Syrah and no crime to drink now. B+

Salmon (sous vide with citrus zest and herbs,with shichimi togarash) over soba with stir fry Taiwanese spinach
2024 Kelley Fox Chardonnay (Willamette)
Apple, pear, and white flowers, balanced acids, no apparent oak. Clean and tasty, would do well as a ringer in a Maconnais tasting. B/B+

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was the only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

[David M. Bueker]

Just the name of that Aussie wine gives me the chills.

[Jenise]

Speaking of Oz, I was shocked by a savory, low alcohol version from the Barossa last week, an origin I avoid for the same reasons I avoid Paso and Lodi. I was sure I'd hate it, but I didn't. Winery was Langmeil which is an old-timer, and the style closer to traditional than modern. Another surprise--it came from Trader Joe's. Not that you'll want to run out and buy it, but point is there are some crazy exceptions out there.

Sous vide fish? A friend once prepped some halibut that way and it was a mushy mess. Considering the cashmere texture you can get from a slow bake--225F--is it worth it to bother with SV?

Certainly there are plenty of good OZ reds (Mount St Mary, Mt Langhi, Yarra Yerring, Wendouree etc) but odds are against you.

I wouldn't do halibut that way, but SV salmon is a go to for us.
https://www.seriouseats.com/sous-vide-salmon-recipe
Last night Betsy needed to eat by 6 as she was leading a meditation circle that evening. I bagged the salmon with orange zest, scallion, salt and parsley at lunch time. Got home just before 5, put salmon in water at 113F, took dog for a 30-40 minute walk. When I got back did the soba and spinach, topped with perfect salmon with great texture. No 2 pieces of salmon are exactly the same, so need to be watchful in oven or grill, with SV have a window (and know will be ready at beginning of window).

I mostly grill salmon,but this takes less attention.