Last minute matching challenge

Betsy has all day rehearsals this week. So I've been doing dinner (or taking her out). But problem is she has decided to go on a diet, using the Sonoma Diet cookbooks (she politely doesn't mention I should lose 25 as she wants to lose 5). The recipes are for the most part pretty tasty (though a few are stretching too hard for flavor, get one flavorful ingredient too many-she's learned to adjust). Anyway, tonight I am to use up some turkey from the freezer. So the recipe is a stirfry- turkey, sugar snap peas, ginger, garlic, scallions, red peppers, soba noodles. And the wine kicker- plum sauce. Cookbook suggests "semi-sweet sparkling", and I do have both Renardat-Fache Bugey Cerdon and Brun FRV100. I don't have any Moscato or white sparkling (that might match better in my opinion).

It's hard to guess these things without trying dish (and seeing how the plum sauce integrates), but these are possibilities that occurred to me:
rose somewhat sweet bubbly (see above)
just off dry (more sec tendre than demi-sec) Chenin Blanc
fruity Beaujolais
fruity rose
off-dry Riesling

Any thoughts (and yes, I realize someone will say "beer" and/or "water", but I've had a long day and look forward to my wine). If it doesn't work, I have plenty of seltzer cartridges.

[Robin Garr]

just off dry (more sec tendre than demi-sec) Chenin Blanc
off-dry Riesling

I would pick either of these two from your list, Dale. The "universal solvents" of food-wine matching!

Let us know what you pick and how it goes!

[Jenise]

Betsy has all day rehearsals this week. So I've been doing dinner (or taking her out). But problem is she has decided to go on a diet, using the Sonoma Diet cookbooks (she politely doesn't mention I should lose 25 as she wants to lose 5). The recipes are for the most part pretty tasty (though a few are stretching too hard for flavor, get one flavorful ingredient too many-she's learned to adjust). Anyway, tonight I am to use up some turkey from the freezer. So the recipe is a stirfry- turkey, sugar snap peas, ginger, garlic, scallions, red peppers, soba noodles. And the wine kicker- plum sauce. Cookbook suggests "semi-sweet sparkling", and I do have both Renardat-Fache Bugey Cerdon and Brun FRV100. I don't have any Moscato or white sparkling (that might match better in my opinion).

It's hard to guess these things without trying dish (and seeing how the plum sauce integrates), but these are possibilities that occurred to me:
rose somewhat sweet bubbly (see above)
just off dry (more sec tendre than demi-sec) Chenin Blanc
fruity Beaujolais
fruity rose
off-dry Riesling

Any thoughts (and yes, I realize someone will say "beer" and/or "water", but I've had a long day and look forward to my wine). If it doesn't work, I have plenty of seltzer cartridges.

Sounds like the dish is going to mirror the sweetness of an off-dry wine. That, and the fact that the riesling will really play up the ginger element both point to the riesling for me.

Any thoughts (and yes, I realize someone will say "beer" and/or "water", but I've had a long day and look forward to my wine). If it doesn't work, I have plenty of seltzer cartridges.

Sounds like you have a syphon bottle,too.

I have a problem with mine (I have two, actually) in that the rubber in the apparatus in there develops an off taste in the water. Anybody else run into this?

I went with the Riesling, did an '02 Spatlese. Pretty decent match. The recipe called for 1/4 cup plum sauce (to 6 oz soba, 12 oz chicken, 2 cups peas, etc). It was tasty, but if I did over I'd cut the plum sauce in half, a bit too sweet for my tastes. But liked recipe overall.

About once a month I take out fill spout from siphon, rinse several times, wash plastic parts thoroughly, rinse repeatedly. We also fill our siphon from a Brita. Not problems with odors. We really go through a lot of bubbly water, so have to supplement with bottled seltzer or mineral water (I don't want to be getting up to refill in middle of meal), but the siphon takes away some of my eco-guilt.