The second magnum we popped open on New Year’s Day was a bit of an unlucky pick, unable to impress next to the other bottles we drank that evening. But a few days later it showed a completely different character and proved to be an amazing wine.

But first things first. As the first magnum bottle, the Blauer Silvaner by Zehnthof Luckert, this one was on sale in an online wine shop, which made it particularly interesting. It is also my first encounter with the Holger Koch estate, a winery located on the outskirts of the Kaiserstuhl wine-growing-area in Baden. The estate is specialized in Burgundian varietals such as Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot blanc, the  latter being called “Weissburgunder” in Germany. Read the rest of this entry »

Saint-Joseph war ähnlich wie Crozes-Hermitage eine Appelation, dessen klangvoller Name völligst für den Massenverkauf ausgeschlachtet wurde. Die Steilvorlage dafür bot 1969 die Ausdehnung der AOC welche auch eine grosse Menge “unwürdiger” Plateaulagen hinzufügte. Als Folge wurden immer häufiger die schwer zu bewirtschaftenden Steillagen, die Ruhm und Qualität der AOC ausmachen, zu Gunsten der einfachen Flachlagen aufgegeben. Erst 1992 wurde dieser Entwicklung ein Riegel vorgeschoben, als man diese Lagen aus der Appelation wieder ausschloss. Read the rest of this entry »

Last thursday we were about 10 wine-buddies gathering at our generous host Nick‘s home for a blind-tasting of red Rhône wines. This time there were absolutely no limits as all reds from all-over the Rhône-region were permitted, drastically differentiating it from our last tasting at Nick’s when only Southern Rhône reds were allowed, as well as from the last blind tasting at my place where boundaries were set by the Syrah varietal, originally stemming from that area but now being planted all over Planet Wine.

This means that each of the 12 bottles we popped that night could be anything from Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage to Côtes du Ventoux and Châteauneuf-Du-Pape, hence also mixing single-varietal wines with those that represent cuvées. As you can see, with each blind-tasting we are slowly encircling what both Rhône and Syrah have to offer. Are we gonna grasp the essence of it tonight? Dream on, dreamer.. Read the rest of this entry »

WOW, what a color! Now i know where the term “orange wine” comes from. This one couldn’t be more orange, it also appears very shiny, and somehow even reminds me the color of a matured German Riesling Beerenauslese.

But this isn’t a sweet Riesling. We’re talking here about a 2006 Ribolla by Slovenian winemaker Marjan Simčič. The first Slovenian wine tasted by Yours truly and also quite a unique finding considering the winemaking style and its result. Read the rest of this entry »

Pettenthal, certainly one of Germany’s most en vogue Riesling-vineyards these last years is one of various styles. Some of its wines are more zesty, others more herbal. If these differences are rather linked to micro-Terroirs, or to the winemaker’s signature is still a mystery to me. But of course, in a strict sense, the winemaker is part of the Terroir definition anyway so logically it’s inevitable to have various styles with the exact same soil.

Anyhow, I don’t want to get into Terroir-talk here. What I actually want to say is that the Pettenthal wine in question here – Kühling Gillot‘s Great Growth Riesling – has always been one on the more herbal and “masculine” side. This 2006 vintage is a wine I had on several occasions already since I bought a couple of bottles back in 2007. They always held for a great experience. And so it was again today. Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago I wrote a post in German about a Frankfurt restaurant and wine-bar named Weinsinn. Luckily I had the chance to return to this small gem just shortly later. So this time I decided to report about it in English, confident that such a place deserves international attention and knowing that Frankfurt is a polyglot enough city. Read the rest of this entry »