Wine from the Pfalz

At the weekend we had dinner with some friends who served some very good wine from 67273 Herxheim am Berg - where's that? In the Pfalz. Go west across the Rhine on a line about the level of Mannheim and you will come to the German Weinstrasse. This winds its way due south through many picturesque wine villages and crosses into Alsace where it becomes, obviously, La Route de Vin that continues on to Strasburg.

The wine we drank was a dry Riesling from Weingut Petri. The Petri's have a splendid array of award winning wines i.e. many have silver or gold medals. You can usually not go wrong if you select a wine with a medal.

The prices are very good too - a litre bottle of 2006 Riesling Feinherb costs just Eur 4,20.

Wine of the day - Bensheimer Kalkgasse

Today another Bensheim wine. This time Bensheim Kalkgasse (literally Lime Alley). This vineyard has always belonged to the Staatsweingut and has expanded over the years from 0.5 to 2.2 Hectares. The name comes from the calciferous soil and the narrow dells caused by erosion. Up to the end of the last century limestone was quarried here. Today, all that’s left is a disused sandstone quarry that acts as a natural habitat for birds and small animals. The steep slopes, which face south and southwest, are considered by many as the best in Bensheim. The weathered granite ground, which is covered with just 40 centimetres of crumbly soil, gives this wine its unmistakable character. The wine is delicately fruity with a strong, nutty acidity. It is well suited for storing several years during which it will develop its full elegance. Riesling, in particular, regularly delivers here an above average performance. Interestingly, the Staatsweingut produces a rosé from the Kalkgasse Spätburgunder. This is a refreshing, wine with a strong rosé colour and ripe berry flavour.

Finally - the cellars are empty and I can no longer buy my favourite Heppenheimer Herrenwingert. I still have a few 2006 bottles at home however. The 2007 vintage is not yet available but should be within the next 6 weeks. At least the 2007 vintage does not lack for quantity and I am told the quality should be good - let's wait and see (I mean taste).

Opa's Treasure Chest - Part II

I recently published a post about some rarities found in my late father-in-laws wine cellar. Well, I tried them. The first was a 1966 Riesling. The cork just crumbled and the contents of the bottle looked like Coke and went straight down the sink. The second bottle was a 1971 Trockenbeeren Auslese. The cork was also in a bad state and the contents was also the colour of Coke - but it was just about drinkable. Something like an old port. But after a few sips that had to go in the sink too. The last bottle was a 1976 Riesling Spatlese. The cork was in a very good condition but the wine was pure vinegar - in the sink too. 

A real shame, such good wine: once. The moral is - German wine does not keep, except the heavy sweet ones like Eiswein (the 2007 should be good) or Trockenbeeren Auslese. Also the average bottles do not have good quality corks. In the last few years I was getting a high proportion of 'corky' wine. Now nearly all vintners have moved to plastic corks, crown or screw tops. I was dubious at first but the plastic corks are in fact very good, and I still have the fun of using a cork screw. The only drawback I have noticed is that the large, table mounted cork screws with a large hand lever that you see in wine pubs have real problems.

Another trend is to use glass stoppers, which are rather cute. There is a ring made of some special plastic that keeps the seal intact. Both plastic corks and the ring on the glass stoppers are meant to be 'taste neutral'. The test will be seeing how the wine keeps over some years when plastic is used. 

Bubbly to kick start 2008

I hope you all had a good time on New Year’s Eve. In Germany, sekt is the traditional drink with which to celebrate. Although there are some good premium sekts made with the Méthode Champenoise there is a huge amount of cheap, sweet, fizzy stuff that is mostly found at office parties. Many vintners now carbonate the wine to give it sparkle rather than through fermentation. This avoids the infamous ‘Sekt Steuer’ or Sekt Tax. This tax was introduced by the last Kaiser as a ‘tax-the-rich’ measure to finance his naval build up prior to WW I. Like all temporary taxes it has not gone away. It was briefly withdrawn at the end of the 1920s but then reintroduced by the National Socialists in the 1930s to help finance the building of the U-Boot fleet.

I prefer to drink appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) Crémant d’Alsace, which is exclusively made with the Méthode Champenoise. Delicate and lively, Crémants are made mainly from Pinot Blanc, but also from Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling and from Chardonnay. Today, Crémant d'Alsace is the leading sparkling wine on the French domestic market. Crémant Rosé is made exclusively from Pinot Noir. A good source is Wolfberger near Colmar (a delightful old town, to the south of Strasbourg).

The strong Alsatian wine cooperative ensures extremely high standards balanced by competitive prices. To you and me this means good drinking at good prices.

In Alsace, the locals do not drink champagne.

Crémant d'Alsace should keep for four to five years, if stored between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius. Serve it just like champagne, chilled at 5 to 7 degrees Celsius in a fluted or tulip-stemmed glass. A good Crémant is pale, with a golden sheen, light and subtle in flavor. You can taste hints of the fresh fruits and flowers that bloom on the Alsatian hillsides, but it is at the same time discreet and uncomplicated. Expressing perhaps the duality of the Alsatian nature, Crémant remains an elegant, reserved wine even as it effuses bubbles of conviviality.

Typical Alsatian grapes:
Gewurtztraminer: Spicy, racy, with an elegant bouquet. As good as an aperitif as it is with dessert.
Muscat d'Alsace: Dry, with a delicious fresh-grape bouquet. Excellent as an aperitif and party wine.
Pinot blanc (Klevner, Clevner): A supple, elegant, well-balanced, all-occasion wine.
Pinot noir: A dry, delectably fruity rosé, perfect for picnics, especially good with fowl.
Riesling: Virile, dry, lightly fruited, with a bouquet of great finesse, the King of Alsatian wines is the perfect accompaniment for an elegant meal, particularly fish and shellfish.
Sylvaner: Fresh, fruity, dry, occasionally with a hint of bubbles. Very agreeable with hors d'oeuvres and seafood.
Tokay d'Alsace (pinot gris): Dry and opulent, with a discreet fruity taste. Alsatians favour it to accompany foie gras, succulent roasts, and hearty but fine foods.