If you're not familiar with the underlying characteristics of German geography, it may be helpful to know that the Pfalz is sometimes called the "Tuscany of Germany", thanks to its southern position and ample sunshine. Clearly, this is a region that needs rosé, and by the taste of this one, we're lucky they don't drink it all themselves!
Read MoreWines from the Pinot umbrella family sometimes are called "Burgunder" wines in German, with Burgunder referencing Burgundy, the widely-accepted birthplace of Pinot. The three grapes grouped together are Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, called Spätburgunder, Weissburgunder and Grauburgunder in German.
Read MoreWe're connecting digitally more and more these days, and now we're often doing so over a glass of wine. Bubbly lifts the spirit, making this post on a wide array of sparkling wine styles rather timely. Here's to you and yours!
Read MoreThis unusual, 100% Pinot Noir Sekt has fine and dainty bubbles. In fact, they are so fine and the wine is so vinous that I chose to sip the wine from a white wine glass rather than a flute.
Read MoreDinner’s wine list is immense, so we knew we would find something we’d both love that would suit both dishes equally well. Burgundy beckoned, but it was as glaringly expensive as it usually is.
Read MoreThere is a weekend of auctions that has not hit most wine buyers' radars, and all the wines come direct from the producers' cellars. Dating back to 1897, the VDP (its German name translates as The Association of German Quality and Prädikat Wine Estates) auctions sell primarily Riesling but Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and other varieties as well.
Read MoreI took away two things from that evening. First was the deep impression Gerko’s open-mindedness to winemaking experiments in a very traditional region left on me. Second was my deep desire to convince him that fermentingin oak would leave less of an oak imprint on his Rieslings. (He seemed to think this was a rather far-fetched idea, but it is absolutely true.)
Read MoreAlmost exactly five years ago, I became e-acquaintances with Nik Weis of St. Urbans-hof in Germany’s Mosel Valley. Then, just a few weeks ago, sitting on a Frankfurt-bound plane and preparing to attend a weekend of VDP auctions, I received my finalized schedule. St. Urbans-hof was listed. Thrilled, I emailed Nik immediately. It was 1.30 am in Germany, yet Nik responded within minutes. I was dismayed. He was in Canada.
Read MoreGenuinely great wine inspires. Almost always, so do the people who craft them. The history of Weingut Künstler, now guided by the husband-and-wife team Gunter and Monika, began in 1648. This history did not, however, begin in Germany’s Rheingau. Rather, it began in the Czech Republic, where the Künstler family made wine for centuries…until the end of World War II.
Read MoreMy dining companions promptly answered this question. Both hold Ph.Ds. and both are German Pinot Noir, or Spätburgunder, enthusiasts. Another dinner date with wine geeks….
Read MoreThis Wednesday I attended an engaging, exploratory lunch hosted by Wines of Germany and led by my friend Jeannie Cho Lee MW. Here are some of the take-aways I found most fascinating: whereas Westerners tend to measure how much acidity is apparent in a wine, Asians tend to focus on how acidity feels on the palate; the progression of food and wine in a Chinese meal is quite different from that at a Western table….
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