Pairing:  Rumbledethumps Paired with 2011 Patricius Tokaj Hárslevelü

Food:  Rumbledethumps … sounds like something used on roads to slow cars down! But, no … it’s an old Scottish dish similar to Irish “Colcannon” or English “Bubble and Squeak”.  Indeed there are many, many variations of this dish that originated among the peasantry of northern Europe. The potato is the star here … mashed … with steamed cabbage, broccoli, and leeks mixed into the potatoes in a casserole dish, topped with melted cheddar cheese. Our recipe is from the cookbook, Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant, a renowned  vegetarian eatery in Ithaca, New York. The recipe can be found here. According to legend, after taking your first bite together as a family, everyone shouts “Death to the Red Hag!” driving away the specter of starvation.

Wine:  This wine is made up of 100%  Hárslevelü, the grape used in making the famed Hungarian sweet wine, Tokaj. It is been grown in this part of the world for many hundreds of years. This dry white wine is made by the Patricius Winery located in the wine region of Tokaj-Hegyalja in northeastern Hungary and parts of Slovakia. Tokaj was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002 because it is the locale where the first botrytized wine (Noble Rot) was ever made in the early 1700’s. The dry version of this wine made by Patricius is a most enjoyable sipping and pairing wine.

Tasting:  A pale greenish yellow color. A gentle, delicate wine with a light fragrance of lemon and melon. On the palate one gets green melon, diluted lemon, and hints of green apple. The cabbage and broccoli in this dish make it a somewhat difficult food to pair with wine. But this relatively unknown wine (at least to those of us who live outside the countries of Eastern Europe) does a very nice job as an accompaniment to the Rumbledethumps.

Other Food That Pairs Well with This Wine:  Assorted Soft Cheeses, White Fish, Grilled Trout, Assorted Vegetables

Other Wines That Pair Well with This Food:  Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Gruner Veltliner, Gewürztraminer, Dry Riesling

Read About:  http://www.patriciustokaj.com/tokajiwines

A Source:  www.bluedanubewine.com