Icelandic Lamb... What wine?

I picked up Icelandic boneless leg roast from Whole Foods. I missed the short 2 week window last year and was glad to accidently find it this time around.

I plan to roast the leg simply - just S&P and maybe some thyme. Looking to pick up on whatever unique terroir these lambs have, so what wine should I drink?

I've got a well stocked and diverse cellar, lacking only in well aged Bordeaux.

[Jenise]

I'd think syrah, Bernie. It's wilder and stronger in taste but in a good way. Or so I thought in Iceland last April. Tell me about this two week window. It's available here just two weeks of the year?--I didn't know it came here at all.

David Rosengarten first publicized Icelandic lamb before anyone brought it in. This was about 5-6 years ago.

They do not export much, it seems, as Iceland is not so big pasture-wise.

I would have thought it would be pricy, but the Icelandic economy is hurting. The boneless leg was only $11 a pound.

I've only dined on Icelandic lamb once and that several years ago when a colleague had a prolonged wait at the Keflavik International airport and spotted a butcher's truck unloading lamb carcasses to be turned into appropriate cuts. He purchased a whole dressed lamb of about 18 kilos (40 pounds). Precisely how he managed to get that on an airplane eludes me, but he and the lamb showed up in Paris, we took that to one of the better Greek restaurants in the Latin Quarter and there had it spit roasted for us (the carcass filled with lemon halves, rosemary and basil), the carcass brushed with olive oil as it roasted. We were eight for dinner, started off with traditional Greek mezes and then on to the lamb. A more flavorful lamb I have never tasted.

I have since learned that in raising lambs (and mutton) that all of the Icelandic lambs are free-range, dining almost entirely on berries, willow, thrift, sedge and several kinds of moss as they graze freely in highland pastures. Better yet Icelandic law forbids the use of antibiotics, growth hormones, pesticides and herbicides.

As to the flavor – succulent and rich, a bit more gamey than most of the lamb we get, and with just the right amount of fat to make oven or spit-roasting ideal ways of preparing the meat.

As to the wines of our choice with our feast, largely because we were dining a la Grecque - a white, the Santorini white of Argyros and a red, the Peloponnese Synoro of Skouras. Both the red and the white went perfectly not only with the mezes but with the lamb.

Best
Rogov

A lot of people recommend Bordeaux or similar red blends, but we've always gone the Syrah/Shiraz route with lamb in various forms.

When we owned the Liquor Barn here in Redding, we were invited by a wine distributor to a dinner. He brought the lamb, and had it roasted at the restaurant. it was paired with a Brunello wine. He mentioned there was something special about the lamb, but I missed what he said because of conversation at our table. I never did find out, but I did keep notes on the food and wine pairing.

It is interesting to me how the "market" is built on a limited commodity. Rosengarten does a great job of doing this. If there is such an interest in range fed lambs I believe that almost all the sheep in Uruguay and Argentina are just range fed. The Corriedale crosses give you a smaller size lamb as well. Of course unless the lamb was from Patagonia it would not have a diet of such cold climate foods. I believe that the typical New Zealand lamb is also "range fed" and of the smaller stature.

When we owned the Liquor Barn here in Redding, we were invited by a wine distributor to a dinner. He brought the lamb, and had it roasted at the restaurant. it was paired with a Brunello wine. He mentioned there was something special about the lamb, but I missed what he said because of conversation at our table. I never did find out, but I did keep notes on the food and wine pairing.

First of all, for a gamier lamb roast, I'd go with Syrah or a spicier Zinfandel (like one from Amador). I'd expect a Bandol rouge to also go well.

Karen: you owned the Redding Liquor Barn outlet, eh? I well remember a Liquor Barn that opened not far from my parents' home in the SF Bay Area, on San Pablo Ave in Albany (I think) in '80 or '81. That was my first exposure to "big box" wine sales, and I got quite a few wines there before decamping for NYC in '83. That particular Liquor Barn hasn't existed for decades, but your mention of the name brings back many memories.

Mark Lipton

Karen: you owned the Redding Liquor Barn outlet, eh?

There must be something different about that particular store as it existed (and still exists as far as I know) decades after most (all?) of the rest had disappeared. Maybe Karen can explain what made Redding different. My favorite Liquor Barn story involves the time one in San Jose tried to sell me a case of '83 Lynch Bages for $12.99. The fact that I didn't let them has caused me mixed feelings ever since.

Karen: you owned the Redding Liquor Barn outlet, eh?

There must be something different about that particular store as it existed (and still exists as far as I know) decades after most (all?) of the rest had disappeared. Maybe Karen can explain what made Redding different. My favorite Liquor Barn story involves the time one in San Jose tried to sell me a case of '83 Lynch Bages for $12.99. The fact that I didn't let them has caused me mixed feelings ever since.

Safeway used to own Liquor Barn and from what I understand, there was some sort of a hostile take over of Safeway, or an attempt. Safeway spun off Liquor Barn to help pay for their legal actions. Liquor Barn was bought by a British firm but ended up in bankruptcy courts. The one in Redding was in that mess as well. My husband, Gene and a friend went to the courts and asked to buy the Redding store. That was about 1992. We were able to buy it, along with our silent partner. Gene hired the man who ran Liquor Barn for Safeway at the time. He became our General Manager, and ran an excellent, clean, and very profitable business for us. Later he started buying in as partner, as well. Our General Manager got tired of the employee hassle and wanted out. So when he decided to leave, we put the store up for sale. Our General Manager now owns his own liquor store in Gazelle, near Yreka which he and his wife run. They still maintain a home in our neighborhood. Liquor Barn was purchased by an east Indian couple. they hada myriad of troubles, went into bankruptcy but again, it was purchased by someone unknown to us. We had it for 12 years, it was a very good business and we wish we still had it.

Karen: you owned the Redding Liquor Barn outlet, eh?

There must be something different about that particular store as it existed (and still exists as far as I know) decades after most (all?) of the rest had disappeared. Maybe Karen can explain what made Redding different. My favorite Liquor Barn story involves the time one in San Jose tried to sell me a case of '83 Lynch Bages for $12.99. The fact that I didn't let them has caused me mixed feelings ever since.

Safeway used to own Liquor Barn and from what I understand, there was some sort of a hostile take over of Safeway, or an attempt. Safeway spun off Liquor Barn to help pay for their legal actions. Liquor Barn was bought by a British firm but ended up in bankruptcy courts. The one in Redding was in that mess as well. My husband, Gene and a friend went to the courts and asked to buy the Redding store. That was about 1992. We were able to buy it, along with our silent partner. Gene hired the man who ran Liquor Barn for Safeway at the time. He became our General Manager, and ran an excellent, clean, and very profitable business for us. Later he started buying in as partner, as well. Our General Manager got tired of the employee hassle and wanted out. So when he decided to leave, we put the store up for sale. Our General Manager now owns his own liquor store in Gazelle, near Yreka which he and his wife run. They still maintain a home in our neighborhood. Liquor Barn was purchased by an east Indian couple. they hada myriad of troubles, went into bankruptcy but again, it was purchased by someone unknown to us. We had it for 12 years, it was a very good business and we wish we still had it.

I can add a little bit to that story, Karen. Peter Magowan, familiar to all SF Giants fans, took Safeway private in response to a hostile takeover attempt and then spun off Liquor Barn and other businesses to pay off his debts. The British firm (Majestic Wine Warehouses, or something like that) made a quick hash of the business and, as you said, ended up in Ch. 11 within a year or so of the sale. Good for you guys for rescuing your local one.

Mark Lipton

Thanks for the info Mark. The business is still there, and I see they are doing something to the front of the store. Gene and I still shop there for our liquor /wine and know the general manager. I hope they do well and come back to what it was when we had it. It is well stocked and clean, , and the customer service seems to be back to normal.

I am thinking of opening the 2001 Paloma Merlot, which I spotted in the cellar. I just do not know whether it is too much for the lamb.

I prefer syrah with grilled or braised lamb rather than roast. I do not have mature enough Bordeaux, which is classic.

I guess I could find an older CA cab or Rioja.