The title says it all, doesn’t it? I finally used my pimp brass knuckle corkscrew to pop open a 1999 J. Hofstatter Steinraffler Lagrein. I blogged about this lovely corkscrew back in December, just in time for Christmas gift giving. Hint hint. My good friend Soren, all the way in Austria, was the genius person to actually heed the call and send it to me (as they were completely sold out… I am still wondering how the hell he got one.) This past Sunday I felt the need for a little flair to open the ’99 Lagrein I got at Rosso Wines Shop for a song. Oh right, I have a brass knuckle corkscrew- let’s use that. And then lay around on a sheepskin rug.
The knuckles- not the most efficient opener of cork, but seriously stylish nonetheless. I highly recommend for a show stopping display. You have to anchor the bottle between your knees (or super strong thighs) to then pull the cork straight up and out, but consider it an old fashioned exercise in strength and grace.
As for the wine- Snooth says to “drink now until 2014″ while the winemaker says cellaring should only be for 5-6 years. Hmmm. I’ve never had a lagrein more than 6 or 7 years old, so this was an exciting prospect for me. It was very enjoyable! The wine is well balanced- full bodied yet not heavy. It’s deep and dark, full of earth and black fruit but somehow it’s not oppressive. Or boring. I had it open for 3 days and it was still going strong. And if you’re ever eating “saddle of roe-buck,” the good people at Hofstatter feel this would be the perfect match. I would add to that a room full of sheepskins.
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looks LOVELY!
Yum I love Lagrein…especially on sheepskin. And how come I didn’t get a brass knuckle opener from Soren?!?!?! No fair!
a badass brunella!
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