The other night 2 friends and I were out in Frankfurt and after dinner we still craved some red wine. We decided to hit Heimat wine bar where, from my experience, you’ll always find a suitable bottle. After some thinking we picked a 2004 Château Phélan Ségur from St. Estèphe on the left bank of the Gironde since I also was quite curious about that vintage which doesn’t have a particular aura attached to it. What does this mean? Of course: a classic vintage!
Es war einfach wieder Zeit für die tollste Wein-Sause des Jahres. Die Weinpräsentation im Roten Hang ist für mich schlicht und einfach das schönste Weinevent des Landes. Zum Einen bietet sie die Gelegenheit alle Facetten einer aussergewöhnlichen Lage zu probieren und zum Anderen kann man hier einfach einen perfekten Tag mit Freunden verbringen. Für mich war es das 4. mal und bestimmt nicht das letzte. Read the rest of this entry »
On tuesday, Martin of Berlinkitchen offered me to join him and Arthurs Tochter for a visit at Weingut Wagner-Stempel in Rheinhessen. A tempting offer I couldn’t resist.
Daniel Wagner is a very down-to-earth man and, if that word exists, also a selfmade-winemaker. He took over the parental estate in the 1990’s and converted it from a mainly agricultural estate with wheat and sugar beets to a high quality winery. Of course they did also make wine before, but Daniel was the one in the family who made it a priority and the main focus of the estate.
And today, only some 20 years later, he’s one of the shooting stars of the VDP, which he joined in 2004. But he’s still that down-to-earth family man. A man who made us a warm-hearted welcome when we arrived for the first time on his estate. He offered us a tour of his vineyards in his old VW bus, let us have lunch with his family and the team and gave us a thorough taste of his wine collection while telling his story. Read the rest of this entry »
Von Othegraven war schon vor dem Kauf durch TV-Ikone Günther Jauch ein sehr bekanntes und anerkanntes Weingut, dessen Geschichte wohl bis vor das 16 Jahrhundert reicht. Auch die Eigentümerwechsel haben schon lange Tradition im Kanzemer Weingut: Mönche, die Familie Von der Leyen und eine ganze Reihe Kaufmänner: alle durften sie ein paar Jahrzente lang die Trauben lesen. Read the rest of this entry »
Last saturday, we stopped-by at Keller estate’s yearly vintage presentation in Flörsheim-Dalsheim.
The German 2010 vintage has received some early bashing by the press, at a time when the first wines haven’t even been released. Right now, voices are more mixed and many feel reminded of the 2008 vintage which was also a bit more on acidity than fruit and still managed to find many fans. Probably 2010 is even more a so called winemaker’s vintage where high quality also depends on the instinct, talent and luck of the vintner. What one can affirm for sure is lacking in 2010 is quantity! Volumes were down approx 30% compared to 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
Last tuesday I attended an event in Frankfurt showcasing wines and delicatessen from the Basque country. Besides the fact that it was as usual great fun to taste many different wines, I have to say that it was quite an informative event since I learned many things I didn’t know about the Basque wines, as well as about Spanish wines in general. Read the rest of this entry »
