633738 Fri Jul 03 11:21:33 -0700 2009 20 34 Wine 0 4827557 I'm hosting a wine tasting later this month. I'll be serving flammenkuchen and riesling, and I'd love some wine recommendations -- We'll be going from dry to sweet. I'd like to serve at least one great German kabinett or spatles, but am open to any region for other selections. $50 is about the maximum I'd spend for a single bottle. Fri Jul 03 11:21:33 -0700 2009 60902 CathleenH 1 4827586 I'm quite fond of Alsatian rieslings. Fri Jul 03 11:39:56 -0700 2009 4827557 11995 pikawicca 1 4827618 Are you just looking for Old World selections, or are you open to other options as well? How many wines do you plan on serving? Fri Jul 03 12:01:00 -0700 2009 4827557 10761 Aaron 2 4827822 I'd like to serve at least one German wine but am open to other regions too. I'll serve four or five, probably including an auslese and a dessert wine like a tba. Fri Jul 03 14:02:40 -0700 2009 4827618 60902 CathleenH 3 4861806 Here are a few off-the-beaten track ideas: Try a riesling from Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan. Check out either Mission Cellars or Bowers Harbor Vineyards. Another Finger Lakes vineyard to check out is Chateau LaFayette Reneau. Finally, see if you can locate a Paritua riesling from Central Otago NZ (the southernmost wine growing region on earth). None of these will even come close to $50, and if it is a blind tasting, I'm sure they will do well. Wed Jul 15 14:11:16 -0700 2009 4827822 261092 BernalKC 1 4827712 I'm going to read "dry to sweet" literally. That means, if you're sticking with Germany, you'll be looking to start with wines that have the word "trocken" or "halbtrocken" on the label. Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, etc, refer to the ripeness of the grapes at the time they were picked. You can find both Kabinett and Spatleses Halbtrocken and Trocken. Nearly all of them will be from the Pfalz. Most Riesling from Alsace and Austria (if you are sticking to Europe) will be dry, but sweet wines are produced in both of those regions. Do you have access to a wide selection of Riesling where you live? Fri Jul 03 12:57:36 -0700 2009 4827557 196217 Brad Ballinger 2 4827829 I'm in the Chicago area. There are a couple of good wine shops in my area. I just don't know where to start in terms of choosing. We drink a lot of New York riesling (Herman Wiemer -- I'll be serving one of his!) Fri Jul 03 14:05:30 -0700 2009 4827712 60902 CathleenH 2 4862478 These days, a lot of the half dry "halbtrocken" wines are called feinherb, fwiw. Wed Jul 15 18:19:02 -0700 2009 4827712 322528 crw77 3 4862967 halbtrocken represents an actual physical measurement of the residual sugar. Feinherb represents the winemakers impression that the wine will taste almost dry because of the acidity, even if the residual sugar is higher than the legally allowable limit for a halbtrocken. Wed Jul 15 22:02:42 -0700 2009 4862478 11117 SteveTimko 1 4827736 It's been several years, since I now take a blood thinner and alcohol would interfere with regulating clotting factors, but I used to love Grove Mill (Marlborough, NZ) and Hogue Cellars, which is Oregon or Washington, if I recall correctly. Even farther back, my go-to white was Karl von Stetten Hainfelder Ordensgut Kabinett, which may have been a riesling. Nowhere on the label did it specify further. All these were semi-dry and low in price (under $15) I discovered the first two via sommelier recommendations at better restaurants in the Boston area. Fri Jul 03 13:11:37 -0700 2009 4827557 159317 greygarious 1 4828175 Some of my favorite Alsatian producers are Domaine Ostertag, Zind-Humbrecht, and Marcel Deiss. In Germany, JJ Prum, Kesselstatt. Fri Jul 03 17:34:55 -0700 2009 4827557 1090698 bklynwine 1 4828261 Try this---2007 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese (91--Tanzer, 3 Stars-NY Times)....some sweetness, lovely minerality & acid. Great with food. Fri Jul 03 18:27:41 -0700 2009 4827557 104459 drumwine 1 4829366 Hart Davis has the 2007 JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett for $29. http://www.hdhwine.com/content.cfm/content.cfm?ContentAlias=productdetail&lotnumber=2623&oto=1&ioa=1 Hart Davis has 2002 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett for $25, probably a better buy. Haag is a respected producer but I've never had wine from that vineyard. They have the 2002 JJ Prum Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese for $31. Still way too young, but pull the cork the night before and give it a chance to breath. They also have the 2003 JJ ChristoffelÜrziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese *** for $43. Since this is a 2003, a ripe vintage, this will probably be drinking better than the 2002 Prum (though not a better wine in the long haul). I cringe making the recommendation because this was the wine Premier Cru was blowing out for $16 a bottle four years ago. But it's probably going to show much better than the Prum and it it could end up being the best reisling of the night for people who aren't acid freaks. Then, for a spatlese, which is in between a kabinett and auslese for sweetness, there's the 2004 JJ Prum Graacher Himmelreich. I haven't had this wine, but the the Squires board the German wine experts said the 2004s never really shut down like rieslings in other vintages. This could be another candidate for wine of the night. And it's fairly priced at $31. I've found sulphur dioxide tends to show more prominently in younger Prums than in many other producers. So that's also something to keep in mind. The Prums I"ve listed may be too young. Proably the most prestigious dry riesling they have on the list is the 1995 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile. Except they say there's some sign of seepage. Kind of a crapshoot. Trimbach is too dry for me but if it were my money and I wanted to let people experience the range, that would be the one I'd buy. As far as a sweet dessert wine, the 1998 Zind-Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl VT reduced to $45. Looking pretty freaking good. I love Zind-Humbrecht Vendange Tardive. This is still young but I bet it's an awesome wine. So Hart Davis can take care of all your needs. Sat Jul 04 10:34:25 -0700 2009 4827557 11117 SteveTimko 2 4863909 "They also have the 2003 JJ ChristoffelÜrziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese *** for $43. Since this is a 2003, a ripe vintage, this will probably be drinking better than the 2002 Prum (though not a better wine in the long haul). I cringe making the recommendation because this was the wine Premier Cru was blowing out for $16 a bottle four years ago." LOL! Yeah, I backed up the truck on that one. I've already probably consumed a case. Excellent wine. Thu Jul 16 08:37:05 -0700 2009 4829366 50041 whiner 2 4865721 Nice call on the Fritz Haag and JJ Prum. Generally speaking, I also suggest looking at anything out of the Rudi Wiest catalog of wines (if I recall correctly, both Haag and Prum are Rudi wines). Thu Jul 16 17:17:13 -0700 2009 4829366 31795 ibstatguy 3 4866533 My favorite producers: Mosel- Willi Schaefer, A J Adam, JJ Prum, JJ Christoffel Nahe- Donnhoff Pfalz- Muller Catoir, Theo Minges (esp. for value) Muller Catoir and A J Adam are probably my very favorites... but Willi Schaefer is way up there, too. Fri Jul 17 03:37:09 -0700 2009 4865721 50041 whiner 2 4882629 I've found that the sulphur dioxide will blow off pretty thoroughly if you give the wines a good thirty minutes in a decanter. no? Wed Jul 22 19:01:57 -0700 2009 4829366 10761 Aaron 3 4882641 I've had it stick around for the second day. Depends, I guess. Wed Jul 22 19:07:11 -0700 2009 4882629 11117 SteveTimko 2 4912169 In another wine discussion board I have others telling me the 2004 wines have shut down. Sun Aug 02 21:57:27 -0700 2009 4829366 11117 SteveTimko 1 4882394 Any Riesing by Gunderloch. One of the best producer. Consistency in quality! Wed Jul 22 17:30:41 -0700 2009 4827557 10810 Charles Yu 1 4882524 What, no mention of Trimbach? The Cuvee Fredrick Emile from this producer is year-in and year-out a terrific example of traditional riesling from Alsace. The 2000 and 2001 are fine examples and should be decanted to provide sufficient drinking pleasure. They are presently available in the $30 range. Wed Jul 22 18:20:49 -0700 2009 4827557 10578 RCC