Reviewing Germany - Tasting The Mosel

The Mosel wine region of Germany is along the river valley of the Mosel River from Koblenz to Luxemburg. The climate is continental with cold winters and warm summers. Over half of the vineyard area is planted to Riesling. Some of the vineyard area is on flatter sites producing lower quality wines often from other varieties.

Black Slate Riesling 2009 - $12
Clear, medium lemon yellow color. Clean, medium intense youthful aromas of pineapple with a touch of honey and canned vegetable. Off-dry, medium body, medium+ acidity, medium- alcohol with flavors of peach and pineapple with a medium+ length. Good/Drink now.

Dr Karl Christoffel Riesling 2010 - $7
Clear, pale lemon yellow color. Clean, medium- intense youthful aromas of lime and peach. Off-dry, light body, medium+ acidity, medium- alcohol with diluted flavors of green apple with a short length. Acceptable+

The region's reputation for quality comes from the historic Mittel Mosel where Riesling dominates the vineyards on steep, south-facing slopes on the famous blue Devonian and red slate soils. Many villages known for high quality Riesling are located here such as Bernkastel, Graach, Piesport and Wehlen. Much of their reputation comes from wine produced from the grapes of high quality single vineyards on the best part of the slope. Confusion, however, may occur when reading the labels where a vineyard name may follow the village name. Understand that some of the names are of high quality smaller single vineyard sites while some may be a huge grouping of vineyards with variable quality.

Grans-Fassian Piesporter Riesling Kabinett 2007 - $24
Clear, pale lemon yellow color. Clean, medium intense developing aromas of kerosene and peach. Off-dry, medium body, medium+ acidity, low alcohol with flavors of juicy peach, citrus, honey and some minerality with a long length. Very Good/Drink now.

Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken 2007 - $25
Clear, medium straw color. Clean, medium intense developing aromas of kerosene, peach and lime. Off-dry, light body, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol with flavors of green apple and lime with some minerality with a medium+ length. Very Good/Drink now.

Markus Molitor Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett 2008 - $15
Clear, pale lemon yellow color. Clean, medium- intense developing aromas of kerosene and peach. Medium dry, light body, medium acidity, low alcohol with flavors of peach and citrus with a medium- length. Acceptable+/ Drink now.

Dr Karl Christoffel Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese 2010 - $20
Clear, pale lemon yellow color. Clean, medium intense developing aromas of kerosene and citrus pith. Medium dry, light body, medium acidity, low alcohol with flavors of peach and orange and a bit of minerality with a medium length. Good/Drink now.

Monchhof Robert Eymael Urzig Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese 2009 - $30
Clear, medium straw color. Clean, medium intense youthful aromas of citrus blossom, lime and a hint of kerosene. Medium sweet, medium+ acidity, low alcohol with an orange cream medium- length finish.

Eifel-Pfeiffer Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 2010 - $20
Clear, medium lemon yellow color. Clean, medium- intense developing aromas of citrus blossom peach and lime. Medium sweet, medium body, medium+ acidity, low alcohol with fruity flavors of ripe pineapple and peach with a bit of sweet grape flavor and a long length. Good/Drink now or hold.

Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese 2006 - $30/ half bottle
Clear, medium gold color. Clean, medium intense fully developed aromas of nectarine, pineapple and marmalade. Sweet, medium+ acidity, low alcohol with pina colada flavors, a medium+ length with a slight mineral finish. Very good/ drink now or hold.

An Immersive Introduction into the World of Asolo Prosecco

Dinner Views at Osteria Alla Baracca. I was very excited to visit the Asolo DOCG Prosecco region at the end of May on a press trip as it is an Italian area that I have not previously traveled through. Asolo is located in the Province of Treviso at the foot of Monte Grappa in the high hills to the west of the Piave River with views of the Dolomites. The grapes are grown in 17 communes surrounding the town of Asolo. The days were very warm while I was there but I needed a sweater or light jacket on most evenings due to the diurnal swing that makes it a great area for grape growing. Wines from the Master Class Tasting. Asolo was elevated to the DOCG level in 2009. The majority of the Prosecco that I have found in Houston is Prosecco DOC which is mostly from very large producers. Asolo was separated from this category and the region was given this higher status because there are terroir elements that make it distinctive in the world of Prosecco. The Sant'Anna Vineyard. Many of the vin

Lunch at Cépage paired with Paso Robles Sparkling Wine

Cépage is the elegant new restaurant inside of the recently refurbished Paris Valley Road Estate & Winery Tasting Room. Cépage opened in 2022 and currently serves lunch and weekend brunch. Paris Valley Estate is a fairly new brand that is named after the two lane road in Monterey County where the owners, the Stoller family, planted their first vineyard over 20 years ago. The new name inspired them to renovate the former Arciero Winery in the opulent style of French Grand Cru domaines they had previously visited, explained winemaker, Doug Hidinger. I was visiting on a rainy day so I did not get to tour the grounds or take many outside pictures, unfortunately. The table was set and ready upon arrival. Hidinger was at lunch to present both the Paris Valley Road Sparkling Wine 2019 and the Sextant Edna Valley Sparkling Wine 2012 from a sister property of Paris Valley Road. Owner/Winemaker of Vino Vargas , Pedro Vargas, was also there to present his three sparkling wines. All of these

Tasting Tin City - Paso Robles

Located in a small industrial warehouse district, 3 miles south of downtown Paso Robles, is an easily walkable zone of contemporary industrial-style tin buildings called Tin City which is home to an innovative beverage scene. Tin City has several small-production wineries such as Anarchy Wine Co., Benom, Cordant Winery, and Giornata along with somewhat larger producers like Field Recordings . It is not unusual to be greeted by the winemakers in these modern tasting rooms and find them ready to share both their wines and their stories with their guests. Superfly Zinfandel blended with Cabernet and Petite Sirah At Anarchy Wine Co , expect to find a wide range of wines which includes a Bordeaux-Style Blend, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, a Red Rhône-Style Blend, Syrah, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel all deliciously served with a rebel yell in a rock and roll environment. Les Deux Freres means The Two Brothers and is unique

Wine Life - Houston

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