Madeleine Angevine

Have you ever been to Kyrgyzstan, the country that really needs to buy a vowel. I haven't. Let's go there today. In particular, let's go to the Issyk-Kul (I hope I am spelling this correctly from memory) Depression around Lake Issyk-Kul, a salty lake seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Sitting at altitudes around 1700 meters/5600 feet, this will not be an easy journey.

Our choices to get there are not ideal, at least not from the US. We considered flying into Bishkek, the capital, but the ride from there was going to be quite arduos, so we took our chances flying into the major, at least for that region international airport in Almaty, Kazakhstan. From there, we traveled nearly 5 hours almost due south in a Russian made car going mostly through mountain passes.

The temperature here does not vary significantly. Despite the elevation, typical January weather is around 3-5C/37-41F while daytime highs in the summermight top out around 20C/68F. 

Near the northern banks of the lake, we are stopping today to taste a white grape usually known as Madeleine Angevine. We could have gone to the US State of Washington to try this grape, but we have been there frequently enough. On the other hand, it is so rare that we visit Kyrgyzstan.

Madeleine Angevine, and I have no idea where the name comes from although it would not surprise me if this were the name of the breeder of the grape or a relative of the breeder, appears to have been born in the Loire Valley of France. While the grapes have the aroma and taste much like Pinot Gris, particularly from Alsace, genetically, Madeleine Angevine is closer to a Traminer.

Near Lake Issyk-Kul, since the temperature gradient is so slight, it is often ideal for making Madeleine Angevine into a late harvest, sweet wine. Normally harvested early for its dry versions, these grapes are often left on the vine for as much as an additional 45 days post-ripening in order to produce those dessert wines. 

Loaded with peach blossom on the nose, the wine we are tasting today has flavors of lemon-lime (much like Sprite), peach, and a bit of almond oil on the palate. Low in alcohol content and somewhat viscous, it's a quite relaxing wine to drink. While not a local favorite hear in Kyrguzstan, we have convinced our hosts to import a dessert from far outside the country, so we are pairing with vanilla bean ice cream surrounded with freshly sliced stone fruit drizzled ever so lightly with gooey caramel.


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