Domaine Zweifel puts over 500 years of expertise into their wine, and their Lattenberg Räuschling 2005 is a good example of the Zweifel family's pride in winemaking.

Although I was very familiar with Switzerland as a wine producing country, I never really thought about the Kanton of Zurich as being a wine-producing area. I had been to Zurich on many occasions, but it was not until I was there in October 2006 and visited Domaine Zweifel located a short distance from the city center, that I really appreciated that there is more to Zurich than just great shopping and high finance.

Visiting the Domaine Zweifel vineyard and speaking with Master Vintner, Urs Zweifel, I learned that Zurich is actually the largest wine-producing area in eastern Switzerland, and is the sixth most important wine area in Switzerland. It proved very interesting to take a quick trip to Zurich-Höngg and discover Domaine Zweifel.

After visiting the Domaine Zweifel vineyards, touring the wine cellar, and sampling their various wines, I decided that I wanted to share the Lattenberg Räuschling 2005 with Luxury Experience Magazine readers.

Wine notes: The Lattenberg Räuschling 2005 is a classic style wine with an aromatic bouquet of fresh apple and pear on the nose, crisp, with pears, green apple, grapefruit, and even a slight hint of melon on the palate, with an elegant balance of acidity.

The Lattenberg Räuschling 2005 is delicious served as an aperitif, or paired to complement chicken or seafood recipes. Feeling in the mood for decidedly Swiss cuisine, I paired the Lattenberg Räuschling 2005 with Coquilles St. Jacques Crêpes served with sautéed broccoli rabe and garlic.

Coquilles St. Jacques Crêpes

Basic Crêpe Recipe
Makes 8 crêpes

Ingredients:  

In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes before making the crêpes using a crêpe-maker or small skillet. Cook crêpes until lightly golden. Let cool and then fill.

Coquilles St. Jacques Crêpes Filling

Ingredients:   

Marinate the scallops in a bowl with the wine and fresh limejuice, while you make the crêpes, and then strain the scallops and discard the liquid.

In a sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter, add the mushrooms and minced garlic, salt and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms start to wilt. Add 1 tablespoon wine and cook 1 minute to bring out the mushroom juice. Remove mushrooms with slotted spoon to dish and set aside. Add the scallops to the sauté pan with the mushroom liquid. Cook the scallops for 2-3 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon to a dish.

Add the light cream to the sauté pan with the scallop and mushroom liquid.

In another sauté pan, create a roux by melting 1 tablespoon of butter, add 2 teaspoons of flour, blend, and cook until the flour turns golden. Remove from heat.

Bring the light cream to a simmer, and then add a small amount of cream at a time to the roux and blend until smooth. Add the Emmental cheese to the cream mixture and stir until the cheese melts. Add the artichoke bottoms, and cook until mixture begins to thicken. Add the mushrooms and scallops and remove from the heat.

Divide the scallop mixture between 8 crêpes, and roll up. Reserve the extra sauce to serve with the crêpes.

Place crêpes on a parchment covered baking dish and cover with foil. Bake in a preheated 400° F (205° C) oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter, add the breadcrumbs, and sauté the breadcrumbs until golden. Remove from heat.

Presentation: Place 2 crêpes on each plate, top with some of the reserved sauce, (heat the sauce before serving on the crêpes), sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and chopped parsley, and serve with sautéed crisp-tender broccoli rabe. As they say in Swiss-German, En gueta! (Bon Appetit!)

For information on the wine or visiting Domaine Zweifel on your next trip to Zurich, please contact them at:

Domaine Zweifel
Eigenbau der Zweifel & Co. AG
Regensdorferstr. 20
CH-8049 Zurich-Höngg
Switzerland
Telephone:      +41 43 344 2211
Fax:                 +41 43 344 2403
Email:             This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   
www.ZweifelWeine.ch  

Read other articles on Switzerland in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs' Recipes, Spas, Liquor Cabinet, Wine Cellar, Gastronomy, Luxury Pantry, and Adventures sections.

For information on Switzerland, please visit: www.MySwitzerland.com. For information on Lucerne: www.Luzern.org. For information on Interlaken: www.InterlakenTourism.ch.

For information on Bern: www.BernInfo.com. For information on Zurich: www.Zuerich.com. For information on Swiss International Air Lines: www.swiss.com. For information on the Swiss Pass: www.SwissTravelSystem.com.

© March 2007. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved.