It was my first trip to The Slanted Door last night – the highly celebrated, modern Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco’s Ferry Building. The food and service were both fantastic and it’s no secret that they have a killer wine list (Eric Asimov of the NY Times recently included it in a piece on his favourite SF-Bay Area wine lists). It’s a very well chosen selection of bottles to match the cuisine, with a great emphasis on natural, organic and biodynamic wines. See the list here.

First revelation: Nikolaihof Gruner Veltliner is good….like REALLY good.

We started with the Nikolaihof ’08 Gruner Veltliner Hefeabzug from the Wachau valley in Austria. Nikolaihof is an estate with old history (like 2000 years old) and they are certified biodynamic by Demeter. The crazy word “Hefeabzug” apparently means “lees aged” or that the wine has spent some time in contact with the dead yeast cells after fermentation.

The fruit on the nose of this wine evolved from key lime and lemon to pink grapefruit, with an undeniable minerality – wet river stones and dusty concrete floor – and a white floral character. Very zippy acidity with a fairly light mouthfeel, yet still with some hidden power and intensity. This is definitely the prettiest and most enjoyable Gruner I’ve ever had. The cost in the States ranges from about $20-$25, amazing value.

It’s now my mission to get someone to import these wines into the BC market. I’ve found that they are already coming into Eastern Canada through an importer called The Living Vine, but when I emailed a few months ago about availability in BC, there was no reply. Alice Feiring talks more about Nikolaihof wine in this article.

Second Revelation: People who shower themselves in cheap perfume detract from my enjoyment of wine and food.

While we were enjoying this lovely Nikolaihof Gruner Veltliner with our dinner, a couple sat down beside us to have some martinis – actually she was drinking a cosmo from a straw so not to ruin her lipstick. Immediately my senses were overwhelmed. Did she infuse her white fur coat with a potion of pink cotton candy, fake roses and alcohol?? Is that “Jessica Simpson Fancy” fragrance? Ease up lady! I can’t smell ANYTHING now. I’m sure they were nice people, but luckily they didn’t stay too long.

Third Revelation: Central Otago Pinot Noir is by far my favourite Pinot Noir outside of France.

Okay, so that one isn’t really a revelation as I kinda already knew, but it was solidified with one bottle. Pyramid Valley Vineyards ’07 Calvert Vineyard Pinot Noir. The folks from Pyramid Valley source this fruit from the biodynamically farmed Calvert Vineyard (as do Felton Road and Craggy Range), and I already love Felton Road’s Calvert Pinot, and a Marlborough bottling I’ve tried by Pyramid in the past. The Pyramid Calvert is packed with very clean dark fruit with no sweet vanilla oak characters messing things up. A touch earthy and stinky, with blackberry, black cherry, framboise, and a dusty chocolate mocha character at the end. Mild soft tannins, perfectly balanced acid, great length and a plush soft texture. It’s wine like this that makes me love what I do. It sells in San Francisco for $45 at K&L and I believe the guys at Kits Wine Cellar in Vancouver are stocking it.