Hope you're surviving the heat. FYI, 20 miles on a bike last Saturday was NOT a good idea.
Cheers,
Jim
August 22, 2013
Germany.s Rieslings on the Tip of the Tongue
By ERIC ASIMOV
The topic today is German rieslings, and since I already know the first question, let me start with the answer: No, not all German rieslings are sweet. In fact, sweet German rieslings may soon be an endangered species.
How can this be? Simple. The Germans themselves, as has been true for several decades now, overwhelmingly prefer dry wines without any trace of residual sweetness. But to say Germans prefer dry wines suggests that much consideration has been given to the issue. Rather, as Terry Theise, a leading importer of German wines, recently said, .The omnipresence of dry wines within Germany is a dubious example of this country.s temptation to do things in large, implacable blocs.. He goes on to liken dry German rieslings to .a highly invasive species that wants to swallow up every other style..
The stranglehold of dry rieslings on the German wine-drinking public is so fierce that, as Mr. Theise and others have noted, the delicately sweet style of German rieslings may survive only because small but vociferous blocs of wine lovers outside of Germany prize it so.
Mr. Theise recognizes that Germany produces many good, even great dry rieslings. As an importer, he occupies the painful position of embracing the virtues of one style, even if it may contribute to the demise of another, one that he adores.
The wine panel felt Mr. Theise.s agony. I have loved Germany.s thrillingly tense sweet rieslings since I was a wine-lapping pup, and I wish to continue as the old dog I will one day become.
The sweet style is thoroughly distinctive. Residual sugar is beautifully balanced by snappy acidity, making for a wine that is refreshing, even bracing, rather than cloying. No rieslings anywhere in the world are like these.
Yet I can.t deny the appeal of the dry style. Few other dry rieslings capture a sense of place with as much crystalline precision and delicacy as Germany.s do. So I love them as well, and wonder why anyone should have to choose between them. Perhaps I.m a na�ve romantic, but in a heterogeneous world, the two styles should be able to thrive side by side.
Having done our part to extol the pleasures of sweet rieslings in their kabinett, sp�tlese and auslese styles, the wine panel recently turned its attention to dry German rieslings. We tasted 20 bottles from the 2011 vintage. For the tasting, Florence Fabricant and I were joined by two other riesling lovers: Raj Vaidya, the head sommelier at Daniel, and Leo Schneemann, the sommelier at Kurt Gutenbrunner.s Austrian restaurants, including Walls�, Blaue Gans and Caf� Sabarsky.
Regardless of our affection for these wines, we agreed that 2011 was not a great vintage. We found many wines that we liked, and a few that we loved, but our overall impression was that inconsistency marked the vintage. The effortless sense of pinpoint balance that makes German rieslings so distinctive was too often missing.
What does that mean? In these dry wines, without the residual sweetness to create tension with the acidity, the balance must come instead from a wine.s body and texture, which include the components of alcohol and fruit. If captured properly, the wines feel full of energy, as if they are thrusting forward toward the next sip. If not, they feel flat and dull.
To put it another way, many of the wines seemed to lack acidity, which makes 2011 an unusual contrast to 2010, when the level of acidity was fiendish. Such is the endless surprise and beauty of vintage variation.
Strangely, some of the wines that I liked least seemed to have a phantom sense of sweetness to them, as if the wine itself was communicating what was missing. Is it possible that 2011 was a better vintage for making the sweet style than the dry, and that some of the dry 2011s might have been improved had they had a little residual sugar in the mix? Such paradox would be a bit too sweet, I.d say.
Even so, the wines we liked best were deep and resonant, with energy to spare, all with a firm core of the mineral flavors that are so characteristic of German rieslings. The top five is like an honor roll of producers, with the important caveat that our selection of 20 bottles is a representative cross-section rather than a comprehensive survey. So while these were our favorites in the tasting, that.s a long way from saying these are the best dry German rieslings. They are simply awfully good ones.
Our favorite was a mouthful: the Eitelsbacher Karth�userhofberg sp�tlese trocken from Karth�userhof in the Mosel, a complex, deep and energetic wine that offered just about everything we could want in a dry riesling.
Not far behind were three others. The Dellchen Grosses Gew�chs from D�nnhoff in the Nahe is a beauty. Though still closed up, its precision and depth were apparent. It will need a couple of years to unwind a bit. The Winninger Hamm from Knebel in the Mosel was more immediately approachable, with rich, stony flavors, while the Von der Fels from Keller in the Rheinhessen was elegant and graceful. Likewise, it is already enjoyable.
Incidentally, the Von der Fels is not Keller.s top dry riesling. Those wines are hard to find and very expensive. Nor are the other rieslings on our list necessarily the producers. top examples. Again, our aim was not to identify the best, but to look at a representative sample.
While most of the names in our top 10 are well known, our best value, the Von Racknitz trocken from the Nahe, was new to me. It was deep, balanced and extraordinarily pleasing, and at $16, a great deal.
I.ve steered clear of the knotty issue of German wine nomenclature here. Why? Because no matter how hard you try, it will not make sense. It doesn.t to me. As far as dry German riesling goes, the key word is .trocken.. Trocken means dry, and if the label says trocken, the wine will be dry.
Nonetheless (and here is what.s maddening), while all wines labeled trocken will be dry, not all dry rieslings are labeled trocken. Some wines that are among a producer.s best may be labeled .grosses gew�chs,. that is, unless they come from the Rheingau region, in which case they may be labeled .erstes gew�chs.. At least I think that.s the way it works.
One day in the distant future, German wine labeling rules will be easy to follow, and the dry and sweet styles will coexist in blissful harmony. Until then, we will muddle through and hope for the best. At least we can drink well.
Tasting Report
Karth�userhof, $40, *** �
Mosel Eitelsbacher Karth�userhofberg Trocken 2011
Complex, layered and bold, with great energy, texture and depth. (Rudi Wiest/Cellars International, San Marcos, Calif.)
D�nnhoff, $63, ***
Nahe Dellchen Grosses Gew�chs 2011
Deep, tightly wound and precise, with lingering mineral flavors. (Terry Theise/Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.)
Knebel, $37, ***
Mosel Winninger Hamm 2011
Focused and complex, with rich, stony flavors. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York)
Keller, $34, ***
Rheinhessen Von der Fels 2011
Elegant and graceful, with aromas and flavors of minerals and flowers. (Petit Pois, Moorestown, N.J.)
Immich-Batterieberg, $48, ** �
Mosel Steffensberg Trocken 2011
Resonant aromas and flavors of minerals, flowers and peaches. (Louis/Dressner, New York)
BEST VALUE
Von Racknitz, $16, ** �
Nahe Trocken 2011
Deep, rich and balanced, with citrus and earth flavors that linger. (Fruit of the Vines, Long Island City, N.Y.)
Gut Hermannsberg, $33, ** �
Nahe Schlossb�ckelheimer Trocken 2011
Graceful yet deep, with mineral and floral flavors. (Winemonger, San Anselmo, Calif.)
Emrich-Sch�nleber, $37, **
Nahe Mineral Trocken 2011
Lightly fruity and straightforward, with earthy, herbal accents. (Petit Pois, Moorestown, N.J.)
M�ller-Catoir, $30, **
Pfalz Haardt Kabinett Trocken 2011
Savory and resonant, with citrus and floral aromas and flavors. (Terry Theise/Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.)
Knauss, $19, **
W�rttemberg Trocken .G. 2011
Balanced and juicy, with floral, mineral and citrus flavors. (S�lection Massale, San Leandro, Calif.)
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55417 *
* james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *
FYI
Alcohol content is tricky to label
By Dave McIntyre, Published: August 6
.Would it be possible for you to include the alcohol content of the various wines that you review?. wrote William Byxbee of Charles Town, W.Va. .I have noticed over the years a definite trend towards increased percentages of alcohol, especially in some whites and ros�s that typically were low in alcohol and thus refreshing and drinkable. Now I see some in the 13-14.5 percent range. If you include this detail, I.m sure you will be giving your readers more options as they decide what wines to try..
Laments about .alcohol creep. are increasingly common. The phenomenon has been apparent in the past 20 years, especially in New World wines. Several factors are credited or blamed for the trend, depending on your perspective.
Improved vineyard techniques enable vintners to ripen grapes more consistently to higher sugar levels. Commercial yeasts are more efficient at converting grape sugar to alcohol. Indicators of ripeness and when to harvest have expanded from mere sugar levels to include the suppleness of the grape skins and the color of the stems and seeds; both of those factors are ideal only at higher sugar (and therefore alcohol) levels. Global warming might even contribute. Wine critics have been blamed for awarding high scores to more powerful, riper wines. And those wines have been popular. Alcohol starts as sugar, after all, and lends an impression of sweetness to the finished wine. We Americans are notorious for our sweet tooth.
This is not an insignificant trend. Simple math tells us a wine with 15 percent alcohol is 25 percent stronger than a 12 percent wine. That can add up over the course of an evening.
Readers of this column know that I advocate a more elegant, restrained style of wine with moderate alcohol. Some blockbuster wines can work, but those are rare and not easily imitated. All too often, the alcohol skews the wine off-balance and leaves a .hot. impression on the palate.
Even so, I have been hesitant about including alcohol levels in my reviews for two reasons.
First, I want to encourage you to try various wines outside your comfort zone. I don.t want to give you excuses to judge them before you try them.
Second, the alcohol level stated on a wine label isn.t necessarily accurate, a byproduct of federal regulations that have less to do with how we drink than with taxation. Wines between 7 percent and 14 percent alcohol are considered table wines, taxed at $1.07 per gallon, or about 21 cents per standard 750-milliliter bottle. However, there is a 1.5-percentage-point leeway, provided the wine doesn.t exceed 14 percent . meaning a wine labeled 12.5 percent could be as high as 14 percent.
Wines at 14.1 percent or higher are considered dessert wines and taxed at $1.57 a gallon, or 31 cents per bottle. (There are other tax categories for wines and spirits over 21 percent alcohol, and all sparkling wines are taxed at $3.40 a gallon, or 67 cents per bottle.) For levels over 14 percent, wineries have a labeling leeway of 1 percentage point, meaning that your 16 percent zinfandel could clock in at anywhere between 15 percent and 17 percent.
.The alcohol range leeway allows the government to decrease the number of labels submitted for approval and lowers the regulatory burden on small wineries,. says Michael Kaiser, communications director for WineAmerica, a national winery trade association. He gave the hypothetical example of a Virginia cabernet franc that attains 13.4 percent in 2010 but only 12.6 percent in 2011; the winery would not have to submit a new label for federal approval simply because of that change.
The flexibility in the regulations helps wineries deal with the vagaries of vintage variation, as long as alcohol levels stay within a certain range from year to year. But from a truth-in-labeling standpoint, the alcohol level on the label is less helpful to us consumers. Even so, beginning this week I will include the label.s alcohol content in my reviews. Think of it as an indicator of style, not quality. And please don.t use it to calculate your blood alcohol level.
McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com. On Twitter: @dmwine.
More from Food: Wine
Bargain-priced summer wines to try
By Dave McIntyre, Published: August 6
Bargain Bottles ...Exceptional ...Excellent..Very Good Availability information is based on distributor records. Wines might not be in stock at every listed store and might be available at additional stores. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.
Here are my monthly recommendations of wines that overperform for the price. These selections cost between $9 and $15, and all are .Great Values.. Beginning today, my weekly list will specify the alcohol content of each wine.
Louis Latour Bourgogne Gamay 2011
..
Beaujolais, France, $15
Bourgogne Gamay is a new appellation controllee with the 2011 vintage. The grapes must be grown in the cru villages of Beaujolais, but they do not have to be entirely of the gamay variety. This wine is 15 percent pinot noir, which makes it a nice .bistro wine. for casual dining, with earthy qualities for extra interest. Alcohol content: 13 percent.
M Touton Selection: Available in the District at Capital City Wine & Spirits, Capitol Hill Wine and Spirits, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits. Available in Maryland at Bay Wine & Spirits in North Beach; the Bottle Shop in Potomac; Bradley Food & Beverage and Cork 57 Beer and Wine in Bethesda; Dawson.s Liquors in Severna Park; Franklin.s Restaurant, Brewery and General Store in Hyattsville; Greenbelt Co-op; Hair o. the Dog in Easton; Old Farm Liquors in Frederick; Port of Call Liquors in Solomons; Quench! Beer-Wine-Deli in Colesville; Silesia Liquors in Fort Washington; Village Pump Liquors in College Park.
Branger Le Fils des Gras Moutons Muscadet Sur Lie 2012
..
Loire Valley, France, $14
Citrusy and refreshing, this is a .food wine.: Don.t sip it by itself on the patio, but pair it with raw oysters, seafood salads or other light fare, and it won.t let you down. Alcohol content: 12 percent.
Vintage 59/Country Vintner: Available in the District at Arrowine and Spirits, Rodman.s; on the list at all Clyde.s locations, Old Ebbitt Grill, Ris, Rappahannock Oyster Bar. Available in Maryland at Silesia Liquors in Fort Washington. Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Cheese in Arlington.
Paul Jaboulet A�n� Parall�le 45 Ros� 2011/2012
.1 / 2
Rhone, France, $12
This reliable C�tes du Rh�ne producer makes a nice ros�, too: a blend of grenache, cinsault and syrah. Pale in color and racy in acidity, it is an ideal summer aperitif or partner to lighter foods. The local distributors are transitioning from the 2011 to the 2012; either is a good bet. The younger offers extra freshness, the older a bit more complexity. Alcohol content: 13 percent.
Southern/F.P. Winner (Availability information unavailable for the District and Maryland, but this label often appears in supermarkets.) Virginia Imports: Available in Virginia at Harris Teeter (Arlington, Ashburn, Gainesville, Manassas, Reston, Warrenton), Metro Cafe & Gourmet in Arlington; on the list at La Creperie and Ristorante Murali in Arlington, Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro in Reston.
Honoro Vera Garnacha 2012
.1 / 2
Calatayud, Spain, $10
The somewhat disturbing label art on the bottle introduces a brooding example of garnacha. The category has become known for cheap, fruity Spanish reds; this one is more subtle and serious, though still a tasty dram for the price. Alcohol content: 14 percent.
Country Vintner: Available in the District at De Vino.s, D.Vines, Rodman.s, Yes! Organic Market. Available in Maryland at Georgetown Square Wine and Beer in Bethesda, I.M. Wine in Fulton, Old Line Fine Wine, Spirits & Bistro in Beltsville, Rodman.s (Wheaton, White Flint). Available in Virginia at all Wegmans and Total Wine & More locations.
Domaine Ferrer Ribi�re F Blanc 2012
.1 / 2
C�tes Catalanes, France, $9
The C�tes Catalanes, along the southern coast of France near the border with Spain, produce lively, unpretentious white wines, including this sprightly bottling with accents of ginger and jasmine. Alcohol content: 13.5 percent.
Dionysus: Available in the District at A. Litteri, Chat.s Liquors, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Cork & Fork, Rodman.s. Available in Maryland at Bradley Food & Beverage and Cork & Fork in Bethesda, Mom.s Organic Market (Rockville); on the list at Sushiko in Chevy Chase. Available in Virginia at Culpeper Cheese Co., Mom.s Organic Market (Alexandria, Herndon, Merrifield), Unwined (Alexandria, Belleview), Whole Foods Market (Charlottesville).
More from Food: Wine Measuring .alcohol creep. 5 Russian River Valley wines to try
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55417 *
* james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *
Sonoma Coast vs. Russian River Valley refinement
By Dave McIntyre, Published: July 30
.I don.t like chomping on a toothpick or eating buttered popcorn with dried mangoes sprinkled on it,. Kathleen Inman said.
We were discussing chardonnay, of course.
Inman.s own wine was nothing like the caricature of California chardonnay she had just described. Lemony and creamy, with flavors of apricots and pears, it glided across my palate with grace and ease, lingering like a lover.s memory. I need to drink more chardonnay, I thought . at least more like this, if I can find ones like this.
Inman is co-owner and winemaker at Inman Family Wines, in the Russian River Valley area of Sonoma County. The valley is famous for its chardonnay and pinot noir; it.s a .cold-climate. region, where ocean air streams through and cools nighttime temperatures, helping the grapes preserve acidity. Inman calls her winemaking .natural,. as in, .no additions, no subtractions.. That means she does not use commercial yeasts to ferment the wines or enzymes to boost color. Nor does she .correct. a wine.s acidity or sugar level in the winery.
The flavor notes of her chardonnay . especially the citrus . are typical of the area.
.The balancing acidity is the hallmark here and is maintained even for people trying to make chardonnay in a riper style,. says Rod Berglund, owner and winemaker at Joseph Swan Vineyards. .We tend to have a lush mouth feel, and I think that.s from the long hang time we have here,. he adds, referring to the longer growing season that allows vintners to harvest later.
Some wineries have tried to persuade the federal government to expand the boundaries of the Russian River Valley American Viticultural Area, a reflection of the region.s success and the price premium conferred by its name on a label. With success comes maturity, and some winemakers I spoke with said they are in search of greater elegance.
.A lot of us are heading toward a lighter, more food-friendly style,. says Mick Schroeter, head winemaker at Sonoma-Cutrer winery.
That change holds for pinot noir as well as chardonnay. Russian River has darker-side-of-pinot tendencies: deep color and black-fruit flavors rather than the more herbal characteristics the wine achieves in other parts of Sonoma County.
As Inman and I savored the Inman Family 2009 Thorn Ridge Ranch pinot noir during her recent visit to Washington, I asked her to explain the difference between the wines of the Russian River area and those of the .extreme. Sonoma Coast, where pinot noir and chardonnay grow at higher altitudes and much closer to the ocean. She started with a technical answer about herbal flavors and tannic structure, then focused on the wines. texture, a rather subjective aspect that can befuddle the literal-minded. (It helps to have a glass or two.)
.Sonoma Coast is more silk, while Russian River is velvet,. she said.
The aesthetic and even the cultural ramifications of her analogy are debatable; ultimately, it comes down to a stylistic preference. Sipping the Thorn Ridge Ranch pinot, I was quite happy with velvet.
McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com. On Twitter: @dmwine.
More from Food: 5 Russian River Valley wines to try Wine
Recommendations ...Exceptional ...Excellent..Very Good Availability information is based on distributor records. Wines might not be in stock at every listed store and might be available at additional stores. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.
Russian River Valley wines are found more often on restaurant wine lists than on retail shelves, primarily because of limited production.
Inman Family Pinot Noir 2008
...
Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Calif., $30
This wine features delicious black-fruit flavors, a hint of spice and the suggestion of a hidden story line waiting to emerge with the next sip. I certainly wanted to keep on drinking it. Also look for the Olivet Grange and Thorn Ridge bottlings.
Broadbent Selections/Country Vintner: Available in the District at Ace Beverage; on the list at Corduroy, Elisir. Available in Maryland at Richburn Discount Liquors in Columbia, Total Discount Liquors in Eldersburg, the Wine Merchant in Lutherville; on the list at Bluegrass in Baltimore. On the list in Virginia at Poplar Springs in Casanova.
Inman Family Chardonnay 2011
..1 / 2
Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Calif., $32
A lovely chardonnay; it has flavors of lemon curd and peach, plus enough acidity to give it structure and a long, complex finish. I don.t understand why more stores don.t carry this gem.
Broadbent Selections/Country Vintner: On the list in the District at Corduroy, Old Ebbitt Grill.
Martin Ray Chardonnay 2012
..1 / 2
Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Calif., $19
Lively and finely balanced, this citrusy and toasty chard is a crowd-pleaser at a reasonable price.
Country Vintner: Available in the District at Paul.s of Chevy Chase. Available in Maryland at Georgetown Square Wine and Beer. Available in Virginia at Dominion Wine & Beer in Falls Church, Oakton Wine Shop, Wegmans (various locations).
Hartford Court Pinot Noir 2011
..1 / 2
Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Calif., $40
This wine, from the Green Valley subsection of the Russian River Valley appellation, showcases the dark-fruit character of pinot noir from this region, with Bing cherry and black berry flavors.
Monument/Republic National: Available in the District at Calvert Woodley, Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits, Harry.s Reserve Fine Wine & Spirits, Pearson.s, Wagshal.s Deli, Whole Foods Market (P Street); on the list at Marcel.s. Available in Maryland at Balducci.s, Beer Wine & Co. and Georgetown Square Wine and Beer in Bethesda; Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits and Bin 201 in Annapolis; Bin 604 Wine Sellers and the Wine Source in Baltimore; Highland Wine & Spirits; Montgomery County Dispensary in Potomac; Roots Market in Olney; the Wine Rack in Ocean City. On the list at Black.s and Grapeseed in Bethesda. Available in Virginia at Out of Site Wines in Vienna, the Tasting Room Wine Bar & Shop in Reston; on the list at L.Auberge Chez Fran�ois in Great Falls.
Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay 2011 Russian River Ranches
..
Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Calif., $22
Sonoma-Cutrer has had success in marketing its chardonnays for restaurants. This single-vineyard wine from its estate vineyard in the Russian River Valley is an example.
Washington Wholesale/Reliable Churchill: On the list in the District at BLT Steak, Bullfeathers, Georgia Brown.s, the Monocle, Paolo.s, Rosa Mexicano (Chevy Chase), Sea Catch. Available in Maryland at Georgetown Square Wine and Beer in Bethesda.
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55417 *
* james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *
