If you are looking for fine German wine and food, you
should consider the Rheingau region of central Germany. You
may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this
fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local
Riesling Spaetlese, literally a late-harvest wine but in
fact one made from ripe grapes.
The Rheingau region is the most central of Germany's
thirteen wine regions but comes in eighth both for vineyard
area and the volume of wine produced. It has quite a
special terrain. The majestic Rhine River runs mostly in
the east-west direction and has excellent exposure to the
summer sun. In addition, the heavily wooded hillsides block
cold air. The Rheingau is known for its Riesling which
makes up over 80% of its total wine production. Pinot Noir
(Spaetburgunder) comes in second with a measly 10%. But
this is Riesling country and has been since the Middle
Ages. And since the late Eighteenth Century it has been
making Spaetlese and the sweeter Auslese wines.
If you are in this region make it a point to visit
Oestrich-Winkel about thirteen miles (twenty-one kilometers
west of Wiesbaden, the main city in the Rheingau region.
Oestrich is home to the largest vineyard in the Rheingau.
The nearby Brentano Haus has a special room which is
devoted to the writer Goethe, but you need an appointment
to visit. North of the town you'll find Schloss Vollrads,
the oldest (we're talking almost seven hundred years)
private wine estate in Germany with a tower and moat that
were inhabited for centuries. And don't miss the nearby
Schloss Johannisberg, described in a previous article in
this series.
Before reviewing the Rheingau wine here are a few
suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when
touring this beautiful region. Start with Riesling-Kaese
Suppe (Riesling and Cheese Soup). Continue with Bauernente
(Farmer's Duck). For dessert indulge yourself with
Riesling-Torte (Riesling Torte).
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review
are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Letitz Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling
Spaetlese 2004 7.5% alcohol about $25
Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting
Note: Wild floral aromas combine with guava, cinnamon and
nut oils. The luscious tropical fruit flavors along with a
bacony tang come across as lively rather than sweet.
Succulent and long on the finish. Score - 90 (Joel B Payne,
International Wine Cellar, Jan./Feb. 2006) And now for my
review.
The first sip was deliciously sweet with plenty of citrus.
I really felt that I could finish the bottle; what a
headache that would give me. My first meal consisted of
packaged vegetarian lasagna covered with grated Parmesan
cheese. The taste of tropical fruits remained in my mouth
for a moderate period of time. The wine's sweetness melded
with the lasagna's tomatoes. For dessert I had a
French-style lemon pie with a very buttery crust. The two
somewhat different citrus tastes did mesh; I got some pear
notes as well. I next tried the wine with a vegetarian
pizza. The Spaetlese was too sweet for the pizza. It
actually paired well with the toppings but there wasn't a
lot of tomato. As always, I don't blame the wine for an
unorthodox (read weird) food pairing.
The final food pairing involved a commercially barbecued
lightly-herbed chicken breast accompanied by roasted
potatoes cooked in chicken fat, and a fairly spicy tomato,
garlic, green pepper, and lime juice salsa. This time the
wine was lovely with sweet acidity and an excellent citrus
taste. It did quite a fine job of cutting the potatoes'
grease, and believe me, they are greasy. This Riesling was
a chameleon; it became spicy when faced with the salsa. In
the presence of fruit juice candy the wine was quite round
but it was somewhat short. It seems to pair quite well with
almost everything. I did something that's unusual for me. I
repeated this delicious meal with the same great results,
leaving only a tiny bit of wine for the cheese tastings. No
way that I was going to waste a quarter bottle of this wine
on cheese pairings.
I first tried this Riesling wine with a Havarti cheese. The
wine enveloped the cheese and wasn't overly sweet. But
frankly, why bother? Marbled Cheddar cheese increased the
wine's acidity.
Final verdict. Yes, yes, and yes. Maybe I am tired of $10
wines, but frankly most $20-$30 wines don't even come close
to this delicious bottle. I not only would buy it again,
but am actively looking for such a wine. I do have a
Rheingau Auslese (a true late-harvest wine) that I will
review shortly.
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In his younger days Levi Reiss wrote or co-authored ten
computer and Internet books, but he prefers drinking fine
German or other wine with the right foods and the right
people. He teaches computer classes at an Ontario
French-language community college. Check out his global
wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly
column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about
(theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.
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