German Wines

[venus]

Emilycat--I saw that you're a fan of German wines. I'm a really big fan too? Is anyone else? What are your favorite kinds? I've been drinking Riesling Kabinett from the Mosel Saar Ruwer area recently and I've been really pleased with the 98/99 vintage. Not too dry, not too sweet... I also really like Alsatian (sp?) Gewurtztraminer. Even though I know it's not German anymore, it's stil has that lovely Rhineland flavor.

[emilycat]

Yes! I love German wines...I was so excited to see this post! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif I grew up with a fondness for Germany; my parents lived there for three years right after they were married, and always say that it was the best time they ever had. I tried to teach myself German when I was in the 5th grade, and although I didn't get very far, took it for 7 semesters of college.
Anyway, sorry, can you tell I like to babble about myself? When I was in Europe this summer, Germany was absolutely my favorite, hands down, and I loved so much the beautiful landscape on the Mosel, where we stayed for several days. It was so neat to have locally produced wines (as in right around the corner) waiting for us in our room!
Okay, I can't seem to stop running my mouth.
ANYWAY. Gewurtztraminers are one of my favorite wines...I love the spicy, bold flavors, and I love Rieslings as well, although I must admit that my favorites are the Alsatian ones. Liebfraumilch is also nice, but usually very light and refreshing.

I would, too, love anyone's input on great German wines; I'm always looking for a great new vineyard.

[kwormann]

Dry Reisling....nees I say more???

Kim

[BeckyM]

I too love German wines -- I spent a semester studying in Germany during college, and that's when I developed my affinity for it. I was studying at the University of Trier, which is on the Mosel river near the border with Luxembourg. As you can imagine, I had the opportunity to taste a lot of German wines, but I definitely prefer the Rieslings from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region.

While in an orientation course for foreign students, they actually spent part of a class teaching us about German wines. I learned how to tell the quality of a Riesling based on the label, so I'll share what I know in case anyone's interested. It has been 10 years though, so I may not remember it all.

On the label of a Riesling, it will usually have another word after "Riesling", like "Kabinett" mentioned above. Those words refer to how long the grapes have been left on the vine to ripen. For a Riesling, the longer they're on the vine, the sweeter, and the better the wine. (Because I tend to prefer sweet wines, I agree with that assessment, but I believe Rieslings are supposed to be sweet, so the sweeter the wine, the higher quality it is.) So below are the words that indicate quality, in order from the lowest quality to the highest (sweetest):
Tafelwein
Kabinett
Spätlese
Auslese

There's also another one after Auslese, where they actually leave the grapes on the vine until after the first frost. I can't remember the word, but I think "eis" is part of it, for "ice". Anyway, that kind is pretty rare anyway.

As part of our wine orientation, they took us on a bus trip to a little village called Bernkastel-Kues, which is a little further east on the Mosel River. Bernkastel-Kues is famous for its wines, so I always look for wines from that village. We got to do a wine-tasting in an actual wine cellar, which was really neat!

The sad thing about all this German wine talk is that I no longer drink. My husband has seen the effects of alcoholism on some of his family members, so he doesn't drink at all. Because it is a very important issue to him, I have chosen not to drink anymore either. Usually I don't miss it at all (alcohol was never a big part of my life), but occasionally I think how nice it would be to have a glass of German Riesling. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[emilycat]

BeckyM,
I just wanted to let you know how much I admire you for being so very considerate of your husband's preferences. There's actually rampant alcoholism in my father's family (thankfully not in either one of my parents, though) but I haven't let it stop me. That may be saying more about my lack of discipline, but nevertheless, I think it says a great deal about your character to form a lifestyle habit around someone you love. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Your semseter abroad sounds so lovely...I've been wondering of late if there are any programs that cater to that sort of thing for post-graduates. I want so much to be truly fluent in German, and I so love the culture (and wow, German wine every day...)
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[venus]

I've been trying to reply to this post for about an hour now, and work keeps interrupting me http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif
Em, I took German for 8 years, starting in 4th grade. I wish I remembered more of it, but I have no one to practice with http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif I also "discovered" German wine during an exchange program. I stayed in a tiny town near Stuttgart for two months and went to wine and beer release parties--it was heaven! Becky, I also really respect your choice not to drink. It is very admirable--and sweet of you to do it for your husband. I just wanted to add a couple things to what you said.
It is possible to have a plain Riesling. If it does get the second part of the word it is referred to as "Wein mit Pradikat" which means that it has passed certain standards (I can't remember what they are, but they are similar to the cru standards in France). The names refer to the level of "noble rot" that the grapes have. This can often mean a sweeter wine, but it is more exact to say that the flavors are more intense. For example, it is possible to have a dry Spatlese (my personal favorite) that does not diminish the intensity of the Riesling flavor. I cannot remember the fifth word--it is long, begins with a B and is hopelessly expensive.
Eiswein refers to the preparation of the wine and is not related to the Riesling rating. The grapes are frozen and then crushed. It makes a delicious and ultra-sweet dessert wine.
Liebfraumilch is not a true Riesling, since it is allowed to have at least one other grape mixed into it.
I am sorry to go on like this. Can you tell I really like these wines? For our engagement my husband bought me two bottles of amazing Riesling. YUM!

[This message has been edited by venus (edited 11-07-2000).]

[emilycat]

Venus, would you mind terribly letting us in on the marvelous Rieslings your husband bought? (It's terribly doubtful that I'll be able to afford them, but for future reference... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif )

[venus]

I wish I knew Em! We used to live next to a great wine store--more like a wine warehouse http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif They had a special, climate controlled room in the back where they stored the rare wines and my husband asked the store manager to pick out two. Since I've moved, I haven't been able to find a place with a great selection http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif (any NYers with recommendations? Greta?)

[Gail]

Oh, boy! More wine talk (hic!)

Since I am German wine challenged, I'm reading this thread with avid interest. Tell me something, if you will. Many years ago, when I first ventured into the world of wine, a friend of mine was particularly fond of Piesporter. Since then, I've noted different types of Piesporter, but I don't know one from another. Anybody in the know?
(...for all I know, I may be asking questions about the Ripple of the German wine world...) Bear with me in my utter ignorance here. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[greta]

venus,
i'm afraid i might not be much help...i live on the upper west side and i usually buy my wine at the local wine store. the owner is a great guy and usually gives good suggestions. generally, i don't drink german wines. though i did spend several weeks in germany in 91, my love for wine didn't start until a few years later.
i don't know if you've ever heard of kevin zraly, and his windows on the world wine course...but, i highly recommend it. fortunately, my partner at work gave the course to me as a gift--i don't think i would have spent $750 on a wine course!
good luck w/ your wine search.

[pmmahan]

I,too, love Germany and German wine. People seem to either really like German wine or dislike it; it can be too sweet for some tastes. My fiance speaks fluent German and he and I both have spent some time there.
I also love German food!!
Bratwurst, jaegerscnhitzel, spaeztle,kartoffelrosti (although it is really a Swiss dish)
And the food in their supermarkets is so fresh!and their bakeries are fabulous....mmmm...makes me want to go back!

[Grace]

My husband and I are both German (born here, but of German parents), and we both speak fluent German. I used to work for Lufthansa, and to this day, probably 90% of my friends are Germans. I get to use the language every single day, but I must say, I have never been a drinker of any sort, and just recently have been "getting into" drinking wine. Of course, I'm extremely partial, and have found that I love sweet German wines! I don't know a lot about wines in general (didn't pay any attention since I didn't drink anything at all until the last year or so - and I'm 37!), but I can read the labels, of course, and I have read everyone's input here with great interest. I have found that Whole Foods market has several wonderful German wines, although they are not cheap! We do have a Binny's liquor store chain (I'm in Chicago)that has an extensive wine selection, so I may have to venture there to see what they've got. I too, love German food, people, language and culture, and generally go to visit at least once, sometimes twice a year. My husband's entire family still lives in Berlin, and I couldn't believe how wonderful it was the first time we went. If any one of you have been to Berlin, I hope you made it to KaDeWe, THE BEST (HANDS DOWN) department store in the world, and the entire 6th floor is dedicated to the foods of the world. And you can get EVERYTHING there, (and I mean everything). A veritable feast for absolutely every sense. I spend typically 2 to 3 hours on the 6th floor alone when I'm there, and never get to see it all. A true foodie's paradise!! Well, I've rambled on enough (easy to do when I'm talking about my favorite subject), but thanks everyone for the "German wines 101" class, and I'll be sure to keep notes on everything I've learned here, and I'll let you all know if I run across anything that is really fantastic!

Grace

[This message has been edited by Grace (edited 11-07-2000).]

[venus]

Gail,
I was at the liquor store last night and I checked out the Piesporter St. Michaelsburg for you. It appears to be an area that wine is produced, much like the Napa Valley or Sonoma county. I got a nice, inexpensive bottle of Schwarze Katz Riesling Kabinett for myself. It was very good for $8 I spent http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif