St Martin's Goose and Wine

U Modré Růže (www.umodreruze.cz) Rytířská 16, Prague 1
Tel: +420 224 225 873 email: restaurant@umodreruze.cz
9-15th November
Glass of Bohemia sekt
Homemade goose pate served with cranberries, Parma ham and olives on lettuce
Stuffed escargot, burgundy style (escargot, soused in red wine, with Provencal spice and garlic and gratinated with cheese) served with crispy toast
Royal beef tournedos trimmed with a royal shrimp in olive oil and red peppers, served with sauce Jérôme, ratatouille and potatoes à la lyonnaise
Chocolate Mousse
Coffee
Price for one person 1,560 CZK, for two: 2,800CZK

Plzeňská Restaurace Obecní Dům (www.plzenskarestaurace.cz) náměstí Republiky 5, Prague 1
Reservations can be made at the restaurant’s homepage.
9-15th November
St Martin’s Goose baked with apples and served along with red wine sauerkraut (cabbage), almond stuffing and bread and potato dumplings
Price for one person 350 CZK, for four: 1,111 CZK

Restaurace Lví Dvůr (www.lvidvur.cz) U Prašného mostu 6, Prague 1
Reservations can be made at the restaurant’s homepage.
9th – 15th November
White goose livers served with caramelised apple and parsley greens 337.50 CZK *
Cream soup made of goose giblets seasoned with butter and muscat 87.50 CZK *
Potato pancake stuffed with duck livers roasted with onion 162.50 CZK *
Half of a goose baked on apples served with red cabbage and four potato pancakes 1737.50 CZK *
Quarter of a goose baked on apples served with red cabbage and dumplings 950 CZK *
Sweet potato pancake with honey and nuts topped with sugar, poppy seeds and butter 112.50 CZK *
* These prices are converted from Euros at 25 CZK / Euro

The tradition of St Martin’s wine is apparently traced back to the time of Rudolf II. According to one story, innkeepers would accept new servants or extend the work of existing ones and toast the occasion with new wine. In recent years, the custom of drinking young wine has grown. When the appellation St Martin’s wine was first officially coined, there were 36 vineyards who were awarded the term. Last year, there were 86. This year an estimated 800 to 900 thousand bottles of St. Martin’s wine will be produced.

The term St Martin’s wine is awarded to certain types of wines, which satisfy certain criteria. First, the wine must be Müller-Thurgau and Veltlínské červené rané for the white wine and Modrý Portugal and Svatovavřinecké for both rosé and red. The white and rose should be fruity and dry while the reds are characteristically smooth. It is recommended to drink St. Martin’s wine by the following spring. Afterwards, the wine is palatable, but it will lose its zest. Because they are young wines, they have a lower alcohol content. This means they certainly make for easy drinking but they lack the complexity of more mature wines. Personally, I prefer the white St Martin’s wines for their freshness and find that the reds lack the body I’m used to. But as is with all wines, the only way to know is to try it for yourself.