2003 Pinot Gris Beerenauslese It's a wonderful time of the year!
Restaurants and pubs are busy enjoying the lucrative Christmas season. There is turkey and Christmas Pudding to help the waistline grow. The shelves in the supermarkets are full of mince pies, wine, beer, spirits, and egg nog.
The log fires are lit. The Christmas stockings are hanging on the hearth. The Christmas spirit is alive and glowing in Jolly Old England!
Our HomeExchange partners had asked us several months ago if we wanted to attend a wine tasting while we were in Bournemouth. Yes, please! We knew it would be something different for us. We also thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to meet people in the community. The invitation was for a tutored wine tasting of German wines, and Michaela of VinoLicious would be presenting the wines for us to taste. We were promised "an evening of fun, Glühwein & German Christmas atmosphere"! The tasting was held in the pretty little village of Wimborne in the south of England, ten miles from our temporary home.
We wanted to be well informed guests, so we spent some time doing our homework on the German wine region that produced the wines we would be tasting. As with all tastings:
- We did not wear perfume or cologne (they can overpower the smell of the wine).
- We ate before leaving home. We knew there would be cheese and nibbles, but it's not a good idea to arrive hungry to a tasting. This can affect your enjoyment of the tasting as you might grab food quickly and not really pay attention to the pairing with the wines. It's hard to enjoy a tasting if you are overly hungry.
- We travelled by taxi. We did not need to worry about driving home after 2+ hours of tasting wines. It was also the first Friday night of the Holiday party season and we knew we would need to watch out for other drivers on the road. Good call as we saw the police lights go on shortly after we left the house.
- We arrived on time. This is for your own satisfaction so you aren't frazzled, and is out of courtesy for your host/hostess.
Michaela's website had plenty of information to help understand the philosophy of this enterprise. Wines are direct from the vineyards in Germany. Click here: www.vinolicious.co.uk
The wines were to be from the Palatinate, a great region in the southwest of Germany. It's an area known for quality wines. Forty years ago German wines were almost 100% white. These days 60% of the wines from this region are white, many made from non-traditional varietals, and 40% are red, mainly from the Pinot Noir grape.
I knew the best area was going to be Bad Duerkeim, and forecast that maybe two or three out of twelve would interest me.
Glühwein (a warm red wine mulled with spices) is popular and traditional this time of year, especially in Germany and Austria. It is wonderful for cold weather activities and is always available at Christmas markets. Michaela started the tasting with a warm welcome and Glühwein. It was warm and spicy, and helped fuel the convivial atmosphere.
The first wines were poured and Michaela started the introductions by informing us she was a teacher with a love for wines, in particular German and the Palatinate. She works with four growers that she has known for a very long time, and travels to Germany on a regular basis.
We were then all asked to introduce ourselves. It turns out that many attendees were German language students of Michaela and knew her very well. There was also a group from a local wine society that were regulars for her tastings. All the attendees had been to tastings before so it was very relaxing. This was a very nice atmosphere in which to enjoy a wine tasting.
My first impression was that this tasting was a well oiled machine.There were crisp tablecloths and the tables were decorated for the festive Holiday Season. The food for pairing consisted of quality fresh bread, good cheddar cheese, and a tasty wild boar pate.
Each person was provided with two glasses for the wine and a water glass. Water pitchers were on the tables for drinking and for rinsing the glasses between wines. Dump buckets were provided for those wines that may not have met a person's tasting preferences.
We were all provided pens and a well planned tasting sheets, but the most important take away from this tasting was that it was led by a dedicated and qualified teacher with a passion for the Palatinate. She was doing something she loves in front of a very respectful audience. It was a win/win.
We tasted 10 wines and these are our favorites with the tasting notes:
2017 Gewurztraminer from Weingut Hensel in Bad Dürkheim
The name Gewürztraminer means spicy traminer. It was originally from the Alsace region in Eastern France and is now grown in many wine districts. There was a hint of sweetness on this spice wine. The consensus was that most of the group enjoyed it and it would pair well with curry dishes, smoked cheeses and hams.
2017 Cuvee Blanc Muscadet Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc from Weingut Hensel in Bad Dürkheim
We both loved this one - a blend of Muscadet and Sauvignon Blanc, two grapes not usually thought of to be grown in Germany. I would certainly use this wine if I lived in Europe. It has a sensible 12% alcohol by volume. The taste is a nice whiff of tropical fruits with a citric taste in the mouth. Fish and Vegetarian dishes would marry well. Good with chips and nuts. We agreed it could be drunk on its own also without a food pairing.
2014 Spatburgunder Pinot Noir from Weingut Klohr in Gimmeldingen
Pinot Noir grape that had a variety of tasting comments. Many got the usual strawberry that is common with a Pinot Noir and some thought it had plum and cherry notes. This wine delivered a definite “thud” in the mouth. This “thud” is best described as chewy tannins. When you take a sip of a wine with chewy tannins, it dries out the interior of your mouth, hence the “thud”.
2015 Cuvee Red Cabernet Franc & Cabernet Sauvignon from Weingut Hensel in Bad Dürkheim
This blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon was very pleasant indeed. There was full flavor in the mouth of blackberries with a hint of gooseberries. 13% alcohol. Will develop in the bottle until 2025. Would pair nicely with beef dishes and would make a great wine by the glass item for restaurants, pubs and bars.
2003 Pinot Gris Beerenauslese from Weingut Leiner in Wollmersheim
It’s not often you get a chance to taste Beerenauslese wines. This was certainly the star of the evening. This 2003 was not bottled until 2006. It spends 18 months in oak and can age for a long time. Light golden in color with a bouquet of black currant and peaches. Full flavored sweet wine. Not cloying. It was paired with gingerbread flavored cookies at the tasting and was excellent! A must for Christmas pudding! Great value!
The venue for the tasting was the Arndale Community Center - what we used to call a village hall. The sign on the notice board said this:
"When you buy from a small family business you're not helping a CEO buy a third holiday home. You're helping a little girl get dance lessons, a little boy have his first bike, and Mum and Dad put food on the table".
It felt wonderful to be a part of this small community, even if just for the evening.
On a personal note, I think it is fair to say that after 50 years in the business where wine was my profession, now in retirement, it is an interest that I will always have. Fun is the operative word for me now and this tasting was fun.
All wines were under $20 so were good value.
Do you want to have a little German Christmas celebration of your own? You might enjoy making some nice German Gluhwein:
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 medium orange
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 20 whole cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 whole star anise
- 1 bottle dry red wine
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the orange in wide strips, taking care to avoid the white pith; set aside. Juice the orange and set the juice aside.
- Combine the water and sugar in a large, nonreactive saucepan and boil until the sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce the heat and add the cloves, cinnamon, star anise, orange zest, and orange juice. Simmer until a fragrant syrup forms, about 1 minute.
- Reduce the heat further and add the wine. Let it barely simmer for at least 20 minutes but up to a few hours. Keep an eye out so that it doesn't reach a full simmer. DO NOT BOIL THE WINE - YOU WILL BOIL AWAY THE ALCOHOL.
- Strain and serve in small mugs. Garnish with the orange peel and star anise if desired.
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the orange in wide strips, taking care to avoid the white pith; set aside. Juice the orange and set the juice aside.
- Combine the water and sugar in a large, nonreactive saucepan and boil until the sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce the heat and add the cloves, cinnamon, star anise, orange zest, and orange juice. Simmer until a fragrant syrup forms, about 1 minute.
- Reduce the heat further and add the wine. Let it barely simmer for at least 20 minutes but up to a few hours. Keep an eye out so that it doesn't reach a full simmer.
- Strain and serve in small mugs, adding a shot of rum or amaretto and garnishing with the orange peel and star anise if desired.
We wish you a very Merry Christmas!
Wir wünschen Ihnen ein frohes Weihnachtsfest!
German Wine Tasting
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