vinum diligo

2010 Tukulu Chenin Blanc, South Africa, Fairtrade

2012-01-26T14:55:00.000+01:00

100 % Chenin Blanc. Hm. Now, it is a while ago, that we had this one and I never took notes (remember, I just moved...?). But what I do recall with this wine is, that it did not suit our tastebuds. Not really. Chenin Blanc is my husband's favorite grape variety ever since we first discovered it in South Africa. There, we found several wines we enjoyed. But Tukulu (why do I always want to say Takatuka?) won't be added to our 'wines-we-liked list'. When I first opened it, I felt nothing but green. Green as in grass and as in stinging nettles. I was sure, it was Sauvignon Blanc instead (or at least partially)... And the taste had a bitter twist to it. Ok, after a while in the glass, the green vanished mostly and there came fruitiness. But not as much and not as clearly as stated on the label. (Not for me at least.) The high acidity was there, though, so in that aspect very much Chenin Blanc. I guess, it is just me, because searching the web I find countless pages with good ratings for this one. Good, everyone does not like the same thing/wine?

A great plus is the Fairtrade sign, definitely worth supporting.
Price: 7,50 € www.belvini.de

Another Chenin Blanc, which suited me better: http://vinumdiligo.blogspot.com/2010/06/man-vintners-chenin-blanc-south-africa.html

Winedowner @ Weingut Weegmüller

2012-01-20T09:21:00.001+01:00

2010 Riesling Herrenletten Alte Reben Weegmüller

Last night we spent a few hours at Weegmüller's. The 3rd Thursday of a month, the Weegmüller sisters Stefanie and Gaby open the winery for guests to come, enjoy a few glasses of good wine and chat away with other wine enthusiasts. It is more of a 'insider' thing, usually the same people keep coming back, but there will always be new visitors joining in. Very cozy and casual. Check out their FB or web page to see when the next wine downer takes place.

During the warmer months, wine and small dishes are served outside in the courtyard. Here, beautiful old stone walls and huge old wooden doors and gates give you the idea of how many generations have gone through this winery. In the winter months, people gather in the cellars. Lots of candles make for a beautiful atmosphere and underline the mystique that is spread within the old vaulted cellars.

Winedowner @ Weegmüller Jan 19, 2012

At arrival, you are served a glass of bubbly and after that, you pick your own wine. Either by the glass or by the bottle. Lars' and my favorite is the Riesling Herrenletten from old vines. A dry wine with warm tones of yellow fruit, citrus, paired with a beautiful minerality, herbal hints, and high acidity. Rather intense (13,5% abv), but yet elegant and smooth. The residual sugar is notable, but makes it ideal for sipping away, especially when drinking without food.

Perhaps I will see you there some Thursday this year....?

See my previous post about Weegmüller here.

German Wineries & Social Media

2012-01-19T10:32:00.000+01:00

Prof. Dr. Edith Rüger-Muck about Facebook & Co for wineries

Yesterday, I spent the day at Saalbau in Neustadt, to follow the 65. Pfälzische Weinbautage. This yearly conference for vintners of the Pfalz is organized by the agricultural department of Rheinlandpfalz (www.lwk-rlp.de), the Farmers & Vintners Association (www.bwp-rlp.de) and the agricultural service center (www.dlr-rheinpfalz.rlp.de). The two days event was generally focussing on how to strategically combat the increasing weather episodes and their effects on the vines/wine, but had also a few other topics to offer.

One of those was how to build/expand/maintain customer relations by using social media. This was actually the part I was interested in most and why I went there, to see if I could learn more.

What to say? First impression: this section of the day was the one, where least attention was brought to by the audience! There was a constant mumbling and chatting/talking that was above all impolite towards the speaker, Mrs. Rüger-Muck, who did a good job up there. Those vintners! My personal interpretation was that most of them felt not at all addressed. "Social media? Facebook? Xing? That's for the desk sitters. Or at least it's got nothing to do with my winery..."

What a shame. But it also kind of reflected parts of what the speaker had to say: so are wine related pages not at all found under the top ranking Facebook pages. No. 1 FB page in Germany with over 1.000.000 fans was McDonalds (!) (?) and Nr. 5 with almost half a million ..... the discounter Lidl!! (??) WTH? Armes Deutschland.

Then Mrs. Rüger-Muck showed the leading German winery fan page with over 900 fans: Johner. http://de-de.facebook.com/Weingut.Karl.H.Johner. Currently, not a single German winery makes it to over 1000 fans on their page.

In comparison, she presented American wineries with much higher numbers, (note: but still not close to the Australian Yellow Tail brand (a terrible wine, to my taste) with over 290.000 fans. This has been researched by journalist Mario Scheuermann, and can be found here:

http://drinktank.blogg.de/eintrag.php?id=3227 and more info plus numbers here:

http://drinktank.blogg.de/eintrag.php?id=3229 )

The speaker further outlined, that it is more the personal pages of vintners that have most attention, compared to their winery pages. A good example for that is Dirk Würtz, a winemaker, blogger and more. He has over 5000 fans on his page and he is seen as Germany's Web 2.0 Guru. Anyone connected to the wine related German Social Media world, knows Dirk. See here: http://www.facebook.com/dirk.wuertz.wein. She also related to other German blogs and bloggers, which I recognized, almost all of them. It felt like meeting 'old friends', since I do follow their blogs (at least partly). About several of them you can find entries on this blog, like under the label Twitter.

The essence was, that it is not enough to have a Facebook page (Twitter account, Xing account....) only, but that it is well maintained. It is all about having a strategy about branding yourself or your product/winery. You even need to be ready for criticism and how to react then. To simply start up a page and 'see what happens' won't give much. And this is the part where most wineries don't even want to know more, because they lack time to do it themselves and/or money for resources to do it for them.

However, it might be more expensive to keep ignoring social media and its importance as one of the tools of a good marketing strategy.

With great interest, I will keep following the development of wineries & social media. But hearing the mumbling crowds yesterday, tells me, it might still need some time...

Penicillin cures,

2012-01-17T17:32:00.002+01:00

but wine makes people happy.

Alexander Fleming, Scottish scientist who discovered penicillin in 1928.

Quote of the day from my new wine calendar. Love that one, since it provides me with new facts, ideas and inspirations around wine every day.

Grape of 2012: Portugieser

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000+01:00

Also: Blauer Portugieser, Vöslauer (Austria), Kekoporto (Hungary)

Here, in the Pfalz, this is most commonly known as a rosé wine (Weissherbst) to blend with mineral water to then be called 'Weissherbstschorle'. Often it is made as a light red wine, low in alcohol and tannins and not too high acidity.

I usually keep a bottle at home for a certain friend who prefers a roséschorle over most other wines. You can buy this one for 3,95 €/l here.

However, as I am not particularly interested in this variety, I do find it amazing that it is the 2nd important red wine grape in the Pfalz. That is one of the reasons why the Pfalzwein-Werbung (the agency that is marketing our region and its wines) announced the Portugieser as grape variety of the year 2012. With 2000 hectares, the Pfalz has the largest plantings of it in Germany, although the numbers are declining.

A good chance to go and try different Portugieser wines is the local winefair in Bad Dürkheim, end of March.

Last year, I got to try real intense and dense wines of this grape, which was a true surprise to me. Frank Meyer from the Stiftweingut in Klingenmünster (Südliche Weinstrasse) offers some Portugieser that has been aging in barrique barrels for 36 months. I hope to get there some day to learn more about winery and wines.

http://www.stiftsweingut-meyer.de/

2009 Eugen Müller Pechstein Riesling Brut

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000+01:00

Different and really good! Flintstone and citrus, citrus and flintstone. The main actors in this brut sparkling wine with lots of small bubbles. Add a little saltiness. And perhaps slight hints of yellow fruit, grapefruit in the finish. Minerality. Good, high acidity.

Another wine from our favorite vineyard site, the Pechstein in Forst, where Basalt is found in the soils. Bottle fermented. Price: ca 15 €.

We enjoyed it together with a mixed salad with lime-garlic-cilantro marinated shrimps and some fried chicken stripes. A perfect match. Accompanied with home made white bread. Baked with olive oil in the dough and salt flakes on top, my new (Miele) steam oven taking care of a perfect crust. (No more water in cup or on tray in oven...)

www.weingut-eugen-mueller.de

Walking the Vineyards

2012-01-08T16:50:00.000+01:00

After a rainy, stormy and grey period we had a wonderful sunny day today. How I enjoy walking the wine fields with my family! Even now, naked as they are, the vines have a soothing effect on me... The pruning has already started a few weeks ago and it is comforting to know it all starts over again. It gives some kind of stability, consistency, watching the procedure so close by. However, I feel deep respect for the people standing out there in wind and weather and clipping vine after vine. Not too fun when the weather is bad? Much easier to go walk the sites with sunshine and 10 C (plus).

The picture (smart phone, not big Canon) was taken north of Königsbach on the way towards Deidesheim. We see some of the vineyards Nussbien and Reiterpfad with the villages Ruppertsberg and Deidesheim (left) and a bit behind is Niederkirchen.

2009 Bürklin-Wolf Pechstein G.C.

2012-01-06T10:47:00.000+01:00

Pechstein, our favorite vineyard. Lars and I both love the special notes that come with the wines from this site. Basalt is the word. Basalt? Why would anyone believe that black volcanic stone tastes good? Ever thought of biting into a piece of that? Certainly not. Why does it give so much to a Riesling grown on soils where its found? I haven't got an argument that sounds reasonable. Sorry. It just does. And that is a fact. We have tasted enough wines from this site and from different wineries, that all had that certain touch to it. And we have tasted other Bürklin wines from different sites, that do not have this particular flavor and smell. I have asked Tom Benns, BW's wine consultant several times, if the wines from different vineyard sites are done in similar ways and they are, all following the biodynamic laws. Some people will say, this special notes come from the Riesling only, that it does come from the vine itself. But why then on this soils more so than on the neighboring soils - given, all the other aspects around viticulture and vinification are identical?

So. During last year, we bought this bottle for around 30 € to put away and to taste it in a few years, let it get some more aging done first. But, now - in the festive mood, the first Christmas in the new house - we decided to move time forward a bit and just opened it one of these nights after dinner.

What can I say? The cork crumbled into 2719 pieces. Yes, I do have the right opener. The wine - poured through a fine tea sieve (how much fun that added) - did not taste cork. But it did not taste it's usual either. Already the nose was less significant than what we are used to from Bürklin wines and especially Pechsteins in general. Did the cork dry out? Now, it is a shame for the money, the expectations and the missed moment. But, it would have been much worse, had we waited some years to then discover this. Still, I need to get another bottle of this wine, I just know it is fantastically good.

Go to see the famous sites here: www.burklin-wolf.de

Find my previous posts about Bürklin-Wolf here.

J F Ohler Chardonnay & Spätburgunder brut

2012-01-04T11:31:00.001+01:00

This was our sparkling wine this New Year's. I started with it in a bubble bath before the party and continued with it through out the evening and night into the early morning. So good! A beautiful mousse with lots of small, soft bubbles. Soft notes of brioche, light yellow fruits and red berries. A nice minerality. And brut.

For me, who usually will pick the Riesling Sekt before a Chardonnay/Pinot, this one is clearly a new favorite. If served together with Champagne in a blind tasting, it'd be challenging to say which one is the non-French, I would say.

Another fine example of really good vintner Sekt (traditional method) from the Pfalz. Price: ca 13 €.

For further posts on this winery, read here.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011-12-31T13:42:00.001+01:00

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. ~Oprah Winfrey

A busy year is coming to an end. We built a house, moved (again) from temporary living to the new home, unpacked hundreds of boxes that had been on storage for a complete year. We visited the garbage station a gazillion times (which we, by the way, had already done in Sweden too), as we still had way too many things that no-one wanted, needed or liked anymore. Carpets, pictures, furniture pieces that do not fit into the new place. Frustrating on the other hand to discover that other things are lacking. Being so exhausted from the entire process, our minds have kind of locked now and we cannot even decide about where to put up a curtain and where not. So we decided to take a break from decorating, until inspiration kicks in again. Then came Christmas and all that stuff had to be unpacked again - I was trying to keep it minimalistic, but the kids insisted on stockings, etc. etc.... And now I am looking forward to take it all down again! However, some more decisions will have to be taken in 2012. But not today.

Today, we just enjoy the day and night with some lovely people. That was one of the great things of 2011 - we met so many nice people and made so many new friends. I am very thankful for that. We get lots of happy moments out of this and inspiration too. Fantastic! Life is good.

Lars asked the kids today if they had any resolutions, but none of us really has. A good sign. We are happy with the things the way they are. So no need for stress with resolutions that won't be kept up in the end anyway. :) Ok, a few more sit- and push-ups, and some more running through the wine fields...

I will continue to discover wines in general and to write about the Pfalz and its wines.
And I am looking forward to do more work in 2012. I truly enjoy the vinegar tours at Doktorenhof; English speaking, some Scandinavian and of course German groups. It makes me happy that the family Wiedemann trusts me and lets me take care of guests in their name. And to keep in touch with my vinegars that have grown so important to me during my years in Sweden. Further, I will increase writing for the Invinitum blog, the Danish/Swedish online wine shop. I wish them all luck and success, not only because I am happy for every little marketshare that the monopolist Systembolaget loses... And another opportunity seems close, where I will be working with wine directly. But more about that later. In 2012.

Have a wonderful New Year!

Swedish Glögg, or: When the Postman rings Twice

2011-12-18T14:09:00.001+01:00

... you better go and open the door. Could be, he delivers to you a box loaded with Swedish Glögg!

The Glögg party was saved and the guests (all none Swedes) liked this sweet, full-bodied, strong(er than German Glühwein) (15 % abv) drink from the North. We got it via the internet, from www.hagengrote.de. Price in Sweden 72 kr (we paid more 12 €).

This Blossa Starkvinsglögg is the absolute classic version, made of red wine and then fortified with 3 different Sherry-type of wines from Spain, made exclusively for this brand.
It has aromas of dried fruit, cardamom, the classical christmas-spices. It is served warm with some raisins and almonds in the glass. The recipe has remained unchanged since 1917 and originates from wine merchant J.D. Grönstedt out of Stockholm's gamla stan. Other variations are the same glögg, but made purely from wine, without any additional alcohol and a light version. The supermarkets in Sweden even sell an alcohol-free version which people then mix with alcohol at home, or drink it as it is. (Very sweet.)
Then there is a yearly version, which is a nice marketing idea, I wrote about it before...

See my previous posts on glögg: vinumdiligo.blogspot.com/2009/12/swedish-glogg.html,
vinumdiligo.blogspot.com/2009/12/blossa-glogg-09.html

2007 Ghost Pines & Irony Chardonnay, USA

2011-12-16T09:00:00.000+01:00

Lucky as we are, we met many wonderful people and made good new friends since our arrival to the area (now almost 1.5 years ago(?!)).

Among them are 3 families from the U.S. (ok, one of the husbands is German), which we were allowed to celebrate Thanksgiving with this year. The 3 ladies have touched my heart in several ways and we 'clicked' right away, sharing with each other the experiences (fun as well as not-so-fun) of living in the Pfalz. A source of support for certain issues, but really for lots of laughter and giggles, I so much appreciate their friendship. And - lucky again - even the guys get along well and so really, it always is a very pleasant atmosphere during our get-togethers. To protect their privacy, I will not mention their names - I would hate for people not daring to be with us anymore, because it all ends up in my blog... ;)

Thanksgiving was now sort of crowning it all. While we hosted the dinner, everyone was helping and preparing their part of the menu and bringing to the table for 16 people: two huge birds (called 'Viech' by the Pfälzisch salesclerk), stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, veggies, salad, mashed potatoes, cornbread, appetizers and pumpkin pies plus ice cream for the dessert. It was so good! All of it!

We all share the love for a good local Riesling, which we enjoy together every now and then and at many different places. But this time, I wanted to surprise them with wine from their 'home' - from the US. So glad, I could get these two via Belvini.de, it turned out a fun moment for everyone! A blind tasting had to be done before I did tell them what it was in their glass. But, they understood quickly that it was not a local Riesling this time...

Ghost Pines 2007 became the common favorite that night. Very much American oaked chardonnay, as we commonly associate it: rather bold, lots of yellow fruit, citrus, fried butter, honey, vanilla and oak. Creamy, rather full bodied, but with a good acidity and a long finish. Ideal to the meal we had. The grapes are from the three areas: Sonoma, Napa and Monterey. Another nice coincidence was to then hear that one of the couples had lived in Monterey and are actually planing to retire there. 14% abv., price 13 €.

Irony, the 2nd wine, was even more full bodied and had even more of ripen yellow fruit. Had we served just one wine, this one would have had a better chance than it really got, being our 2nd wine. As I see it, it is way easier to drink several glasses of Riesling - over hours of socializing - than it is with oaked Chardonnay. With its powerful oaky style, it 'fills' you up quick. But, I still have one bottle left and will give it a fair chance at another time.

However, we all liked the story behind 'Irony': the two brothers that went out to explore working world America, before they returned home to the vineyards where they as boys had already helped out their grandpa every season. They gave up their other professions and took over the winery instead. Unplanned as it happened, they found it ironic...

One of our giant birds being carved from he who has done it before...

Thank you, dear friends.

Ölberg

2011-12-15T13:11:00.002+01:00

Rainbow over the Ölberg, as seen 10 minutes ago. While discussing how to put up a certain shelf in the living room, my dear husband and I suddenly get distracted by this beautiful image... (Sorry, my iPhone doesn't allow for better quality)

The vineyard Ölberg is situated between Neustadt-Königsbach and Deidesheim and sloping south-east, thus spoiled by sunshine from early morning to the later afternoon. Soils are a mixture of clay, sandstone and chalky substances. The name goes back to a small chapel that once was built here and which showed Jesus at the Mount of Olives (as the Ölberg is referred to in English).

Riesling and Spätburgunder (German Pinot Noir) are grown here. We will be starting with tastings of wines from the Ölberg, soon. Some of the wineries that own sections of it are Bassermann-Jordan, A. Christmann, Ohler, Weinland Königsbach.

The other important vineyard of Königsbach is the Idig.

In Situ Gran Reserva 2008, Chile

2011-12-14T11:43:00.001+01:00

With 14,5 % abv., this wine is definitely at the higher end of the alcoholic spectrum - normally, not really 'my thing'. However, it also has a beautiful richness of aromas of ripen dark and red berries, spices, woody accents and vanilla. The acidity is there and so are the tannins, which by the way are very soft and almost velvety. All in all, a lot of all. Well balanced, full bodied, with quite a finish too.

A wine with power for about 10 €, bought at the supermarket.

90% Carmenère, Chile's signature grape, and some Cabernet plus Syrah add up to a real nice wine in the glass! Will go back and get a few more bottles...

2000 Came for a Last Drink

2011-12-13T08:26:00.060+01:00

In Munich, last Saturday over 2000 people came to drink their last alcoholic beverage on one of the city's S-trains. To say (drink) Goodbye, so to speak, before the new no-alcohol policy would be implemented on Sunday, the day after.

The party-goers organized themselves via FB and the intention was for this to be a peaceful event, just like it had happened in Hamburg before. However, while apparently turning into a great party, the peaceful bit didn't quite work out. In the end, some 50 trains were damaged and some disturbance was caused for none-celebrating travelers.

The ban came in the first place because of travelers feeling disturbed or even partly unsafe, with violence increasing around train stations. It is valid for inner city and close distance trips. Long distance traveling is not affected.

Do bans really achieve their goal? Will it be the conducters' job to control all the passengers? Ticket please. No alcohol please. Put that bottle away. And then? Isn't the average train-user just getting herself from A to B anyway and will those who wish to cause trouble cause it anyway?

Cheers.
Heike

Last night the Glühwein saved my life

2011-12-12T13:16:00.000+01:00

In the 80's it was the DJ saving my life... Now it is the Glühwein. Boy! Did I catch an ugly cold this time! I am totally off everything. I mean, entirely off. We had 3 wonderful invitations for Saturday, which we all wanted to attend to, but really, we had to decide for one of them and had been looking forward so much. Instead, the night (and day) was spent on the couch, with me coughing like a horse. My dear husband made things a little easier to take by getting Glühwein for us.

I am not describing this one for you, because all my senses can detect is the warm feeling it spreads all over my body. If I now said it tasted good, it would probably be an insult to it, because with this cold of mine not one single molecule would ever make it through my nose... But, since the spices are there anyway, they did help me feel better for a while, at least.

And, by the way, the plain fact, that we can just rush away and get some (in this case warm) wine still feels special and luxurious to us. Most of you won't really understand, but others will, without me going further into details...

And if you don't remember the song I was referring to:

Cheers!
Heike

Phew...

2011-12-09T15:16:00.000+01:00

I have to admit that I was way too optimistic. The work load that comes with moving into a new house, unpacking two containers, and getting a whole family settled (with 25% of us being constantly gone somewhere else) was enormous. It is first now that I am getting the chance to even think blog again...

I missed tons of wine events in our region, Stuart P who came to introduce his new book and God knows what more. To make matters worse, I have been suffering from a bad throat since July, which did not really help me tasting wine. But, there is hope (always).

If I manage to find the photos I took with my phone, I'll be able to at least share a few more wines that I came across recently, with you.

Cheers!
Heike

I am back (almost) !

2011-09-14T18:22:00.000+02:00

The house is built and we moved in one week ago! I now live in the middle of two vineyards, one bordering to our garden. Heaven!

Two containers have been brought from storage, where they were sitting in one year, waiting to be delivered to the new address. I am slowly seeing the end of the tunnel (hoping for it not to be another train coming). We are finding our socks and tooth brushes in the mornings and I am confident the rest will be fixed within the next weeks and months. Amazingly enough, not much damage was done to our goods. Excep for my Jura coffee machine that won't work anymore, but here I am hoping it is just a matter of cleaning the pipes. Sad to discover though, that exactly my notes and files from the sommelier school had gotten wet (somehow - and I am convinced it is not wine) and during the year in the container started to rotten, being now covered with mildew! :( Historical files, which cannot be replaced. I am bothered and need at least one (big) bottle (box) of sparkling wine to get me through the mourning period.

Besides that, fall has arrived and it is busy in the wine fields. The weather during the last weeks was way too humid and too many rain showers caused grapes to rotten. To minimize the damage, vintners are out and either harvesting earlier than planned or at least cutting off rotten clusters of grapes. As I can hear from my friends, especially the Burgundy varieties are at risk. However, the weather seems to stabilize now and let's hope for the best in the next weeks to come.

Looking forward to being back on my wine track and to get to interact with my fellow bloggers again! Cheers!

In Riesling Heaven

2011-06-15T21:22:00.001+02:00

A few nights ago, I went out with the love of my life to taste the grape of my life: Riesling.

14 wines from various regions of this world. Blind.

I enjoyed it big time and took the freedom to use the word 'lecker' (yummi) right away! (Still feeling my freedom, after wine school, where such adjectives were banned from vocabulary...)

This tasting was another great experience to confirm what many wine lovers already know: the many different aroma pictures that can come with this variety is just stunning. From green apple in very young wines coming from cool climate, via yellow stone fruit to very ripe and tropical fruit up to dried apricot in wines from warmer climate and/or depending on the wine's age. Then the grassiness, herbal and flowery notes, the minerality, telling their own stories of the soils the vines have grown in - or/and the vine's age. Riesling with very deep roots, that have grown over decades and thus reached deeper and deeper will show yet different aromas again. This just to touch the surface of instruments the Riesling orchestra can be playing...

All the while the wine remaining true to itself: proud, distinct with a strong back bone. Despite all the variations, one will always (well... as long as the winemaker didn't mess it up completely) recognize: it's a Riesling! That is what I looove about this wine, I guess. In this ever changing world, my Riesling will give me reassurance and a sense of 'coming home' - no matter where that might be...

I will spare you a long list of wine descriptions of last night's wines - I am too impatient myself to read blog articles that are too long... So, I am getting right to the point: my favorites of this one tasting. Please note that it in no way reflects any general preference of region or winery - this here is only about the specific wines tasted this particular time! Another tasting with different Rieslings might (no, will) give a total different picture again. (Which is also why all of this wine tasting remains so exciting.)

No. 1: 2005 Winninger Uhlen Blaufüsser Lay Spätlese "Erste Lage", Heymann-Löwenstein, Winningen Mosel
Dominated by its wonderful minerality from the blue slate this is a truly intense wine with a looong finish. 12,5 % abv keep it lean. The residual sugar makes for a nice balance to the great acidity. I just l.o.v.e it.

No. 2: 2002 Ruppertsberger Gaisböhl "Grand Cru" Riesling trocken, Bürklin-Wolf, Wachenheim, Pfalz
Developed aromas of ripe yellow fruit, herbal, honey and more. Still fresh in taste due to the great acidity. This estate simply knows how to do wine.

No. 3: 2006 Riesling Sheldrake Point, Finger Lakes, Yew York State, USA
A light bodied wine full of freshness. Not the same mouthfeel as most German Rieslings seem to have. But therefore interesting in its own, perhaps more 'simple, streight forward' style.

No. 4: 2006 Riesling Les Princes Abbes dry, Domaines Schlumberger, Alsace
Dry! Yes! Loooots of lemon and lime. Most of the tasting group found it too 'sour', missing other fruit aromas. Even I had my problem at first, but the 2nd sip already warmed up my heart to it. I could suddenly taste the freshness of a wonderful summer salad (w/o Ehec)with a good, light vinaigrette to this one. Or some fresh shrimps in a sauce of lemon.... Yum.

And the other wines:
2010 Riesling qbA dry, Metzger, Grünstadt-Asselheim, Pfalz (Value for money!!)
2010 Riesling Close Encounter, Paul Cluiver, Elgin South Africa (Hm..?)
2009 Riesling Kabinett trocken, Deidesheimer Mäushöhle, Kimich, Pfalz (Home.)
2009 Riesling Kab. trocken, Deidesh. Kieselgarten, Kimich (Home. Intense!)
2009 Riesling Magic Mountain trocken, Leitz, Rüdesheim, Rheingau (Yum!!)
2009 Riesling Kamptaler Terrassen trocken, Bründlmayer, Austria (Ok)
2009 Riesling Château Ste. Michelle, Columbia Valley, Washington, USA (Sorry...)
2009 Riesling Kirchenstück Spätl. trocken GG, Buhl, Pfalz (taste i 3-5 yrs again)
2007 Riesling Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten Spätl., Faubel, Maikammer, Pfalz (Nice)
2005 Riesling Schodener Herrenberg Trockenbeerenauslese, Herrenberg, Mosel (TBA...)

Matthias Mangold explaining the vineyard sites of the Mittelhaardt

A great evening in totally relaxed atmosphere at Genusstur in Venningen. Matthias Mangold as the host and guide through the evening, even prepared, cooked and served wonderful food for us.

I hope I got your tastebuds animated and wish you many good Rieslings. Cheers!

Related posts: My interview with Matthias
My visit to Bürklin-Wolf and to Reichsrat von Buhl
Plus more about Riesling

MyPfalz: Weingut Weegmüller

2011-04-28T10:00:00.010+02:00

MyPfalz (6): Winery of April
Weingut Weegmüller,
Neustadt-Haardt

Gabriele (l) and Stefanie (r)

The womanly art of making wine. Or: Girls Rule! Certainly at this winery. Stefanie Weegmüller-Scherr, very down-to-earth and all big smiles, is the gifted winemaker of the estate. For 25 years now, she has been among the first women to set foot in the male-dominated winemaking industry. Her sister Gabriele is completing her by taking care of all marketing matters. She is the hospitality manager and I can witness, she does this well! We came there at a rather busy day, when they had opened up for their yearly spring event. Lots of customers were there, trying wines, but Gabriele was there for us - taking a lot of time talking to us and explaining the wines. Thank you, Gabriele.

Wine list at Weegmüller's Wein Frühling (spring)

And the wines! I tried 12 of them that day. Summary: ALL very clean in style, crisp, clear, fresh, yum. Silvaner, Scheurebe, Grüner Veltliner (the first vintage), Rieslaner and Gewürztraminer and - of course and above of all: Riesling.

My personal favorites:

URGESTEIN 2007, Riesling Dry 9.50 €
with a developed nose, mineral and petrol aromas, and long finish, high acidity
I was very happy to find a Pfalz Riesling with 0.5 g residual sugar, but still just 12% abv. and yet not tasting flat, empty, thin or anything - but all the opposite. Great!
My question to Stefanie, why Urgestein (Ur=primeval, gestein=stone), was answered with: 'I just didn't do anything with this wine, but to let it run it's course'. There you go Stefanie!

Herrenletten 2008, Riesling Dry 11.50 €
very balanced with ripe yellow fruit, pineapple, flintstone, good and long finish, medium-bodied with nice acidity
A must-have!

Council members of Zürich, the Weegmüllers emigrated to Pfalz in 1657...

More crowded today, but still as beautifully located...

300 years of wine making history, 11 generations and with ancestors looking over their shoulders, the Weegmüller sisters are clearly deeply rooted, just as the good old vine... And those vines at Weegmüller's, by the way, are taken care of by Stefanie's husband Richard Scherr.

The dominating grape variety is Riesling. 15 ha of best vineyards around Haardt (90%) - i.e. Haardter Herrenletten, Gimmeldingen and Mussbach belong to the estate.

Go to the website to learn more about Weegmüller, if you got inspired...

Read here about how Weegmüller's Riesling won the Twitter Wine Award

Amethystos 2007

2011-04-22T18:08:00.000+02:00

One of Sweden's leading newspapers is calling readers to boycott Greece as a vacation destination. There is trouble in EU regarding Greece. And so on.

However, I decided to try a 'better Greek wine' (whatever the exact definition here might be), last night. At our local Greek restaurant I asked for something 'more' than just the usual wine by the glass. Before, I had consulted with a Twitter-friend, @elloinos, an expert of Greek wines, what he would recommend. Whether it was my Greek that was too bad or the very pleasant restaurant people who did not understand Greek good enough, I do not know. Wild gesticulations ended in me just accepting whatever they would propose. And this is how I we got to taste a bottle of this wine:

Amethystos
Regional Dry Red Wine of Drama 2007
Costa Lazaridi
Cabernet Sauvignon, Limnio, Merlot
14.5 % abv
Price Germany internet: ca 14 €. We paid 30 € at the restaurant.

Very intense, dark purple red color. A nose full of very ripe dark berries and secondary tones. Dry, full-bodied, with loads of ripe dark fruit and berries, green capsicum, vanilla and more. Strikingly velvety tannins. Those were actually taking my attention, the image of velvet just popped up in my mind, before I could formulate it. A good acidity and a long lasting finish. The high alcohol content is acceptable to me (who usually is very sensitive to too much of it), because of the wine's complexity.
I will remember this for a long time because of its velvety.

Read Markus' 10 years tasting notes of this wine here ...

Watch even Markus and Gary V. talking Greek wines here..

Drama is situated in Macedonia, where there is evidence of wine making dating back 5000 years.

Limnio is a autochtone grape variety and one of the oldest of about 300 original varieties found in the area of Makedonia/Thraki.

Greek wine legislation foresees two (2) broad Greek wine categories: (source: newwinesofgreece.com)

• «Designation of Origin Wines” (VQPRD or Vin de Qualité Produit Dans Une Région Déterminée), a category which includes all OPAP and OPE wines, i.e., those bearing an “Designation of Origin of Superior Quality” and a “Controlled Designation of Origin”, respectively (PDO wines of Greece).

• «Table Wines,” a category which includes all “Regional (Local) Wines” –PGI wines of Greece; wines of “Traditional Designation”; and ordinary Table Wines.

MyPfalz: Andres und Mugler, Riesling brut

2011-03-29T11:08:00.003+02:00

MyPfalz (5): Monthly sparkling wine - March
Riesling Brut 2009, Sekt b.A.
Andres und Mugler,
Ruppertsberg
12 €

A medium-pale golden yellow color. A nose that is a bit shy, but with nice yeasty-brioche notes and ripe pineapple peeking out. Lots of small bubbles, giving a nice towards creamy mouthfeel. Baked apple on the palate, toast, citrus. Fresh and zesty, nice and lean with a rather expressed finish. Really, really liked it! Will go and get more...

I would love to tell you how I got to this bottle of wine, but can't... (Thank you, Mr. Andres!) Let's just put it that way: almost magical, steered by satellite with an adventurous touch to it, but certainly a very trustful encounter led me into owning this bottle. (Not what you are thinking..!) It was actually one of the moments where I felt very thankful and blessed to be back home.

However! Andres und Mugler is a sparkling wine manufacturer that does just that: sparkling wine, the traditional method. Two young men started out in 1989 when they decided to not want to have to buy sekt anymore, but make their own - better - one. Ever since, they were in the spotlight of many wine critics, Stuart Pigott is only one of them, who gave lots of praise for their products. They came up with a different design for their corks, which should be something for my minimalism-loving Swedish friends.

Both men have also their own wineries, where they make, market and sell their own brands each.

Andres und Mugler is located in Ruppertsberg, the tiny village close to Deidesheim. Check out their website and call before you visit!

And to you who already tried this wine, I would be very glad to hear what you think of it. :)

Cheers!

Read more posts MyPfalz:
Bürklin-Wolf Riesling 2001
Hirschhorner Hof Riesling brut
Johann F. Ohler
Dr. Wehrheim, Rotliegendes Riesling S 2008

Mandelblütenfest Gimmeldingen

2011-03-21T12:09:00.002+01:00

almond blossom

Japan. Libya. Knut. The depressing and troubling news we are to absorb everyday... What a great, great break we got yesterday! Very much appreciated and welcomed indeed!! We walked pass the vineyards Ölberg and Idig from Königsbach over to Biengarten to make our first stop at Mugler's out in the wine fields. Beautiful pink and white almond trees everywhere. Sun, sun, sun. The sky so, so blue. I am still going on all those impressions from yesterday!

And we were not alone, several ten-thousands had come to Gimmeldingen, yesterday! Cars along the vineyards and roads all over. We never made it all the way to the center into the 2600-inhabitant village. It was so lovely, out in the vineyards and under the trees. And in the garden of JFO.

Nice Riesling, Sekt and Schorle. Saumagen, Bratwurst and Crépes. Everyone was happy and glad. Now spring is here.

Prunus dulcis

2011-03-18T21:19:00.002+01:00

Spring is here! The almond trees are in bloom. Our photo shows a single one between Ruppertsberg and Königsbach. At most places though, they are lined up and form wonderful frames of vineyards, streets or fields. Over 3000 trees are found around Neustadt alone. Nobody knows how many there are along the entire wine route.

The colors of the blossoms vary from almost white over light rosé to bright pink. Since a few years, the ca 60 km long 'Mandelpfad' (almond path) invites for walks along the beautiful allees. Countless places are welcoming the thirsty and hungry walkers along the road... A map has been established to show the areas with most trees. Several monuments, like i.e. the Hambach Castle, the Weintor (wine gate) at Schweigen, etc. are lit up in pink between February and April 17, the time of the almond blossom. And in Birkweiler you can have your own almond tree planted with your name on it... All this and more you can read about at http://www.mandelbluete-pfalz.de/

About 8 differents sorts of almonds are found along the Weinstrasse. Almonds are a good source for vitamin E, have a good balance of saturated and unsaturated fats and lots of other important nutrients. A daily intake of 25 g nuts or almonds is recommended by several health organisations. They also make for a tasty snack to a glass of wine.

This weekend, Gimmeldingen is inviting to the first winefest of the year, the Mandelblütenfest (almond blossom festival). The weather has been gorgeous, up to 20 C, but unfortunately the weekend's prognoses are not that bright. However, we'll take it as it comes. Spring is here, whether we need thick jackets or thinner ones...

Earthquake Japan

2011-03-11T13:07:00.000+01:00

My thoughts are with Japan, today... All these people going through this horrible catastrophe right now... Families being ripped apart, beloved ones loosing their lives. Feeling so helpless, vulnerable and totally exposed. Fears for more to come. Another big desaster where mother Earth is flexing muscles. How it puts so many things into perspective again, right?