Ursula Heinzelmann, Wein- & Essenschreiberin
It was a true winter evening in early January when I decided to treat myself to a red and my hand found its way to this bottle in the wine rack. Carmenère always has a special ring to me, as we all once thought it to be Merlot, only to discover (thanks to DNA) that it belongs to the Cabernet family. I » Weiterlesen…
As promised for this year, I’ve been drinking… and I’d like to share these with you: Six very different bubbly bottles from France, which some would call natural whereas I’m inclined to use the word delicious. I ordered them from Mr Vins Vivants Alex Zülch who gets my thumbs up for his selections!
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Heinzelcheese lost it, you might be tempted to think. Gorgeous red wine from Denmark? Come on… No, seriously. But – ah, you knew there was a „but“ coming, didn’t you. Alright: The 2012 Nielstrupmark from Frederiksdal isn’t made from grapes, but from cherries. » Weiterlesen…
Seems like I’m on a Weißburgunder/Pinot Blanc run. Perhaps it’s the moon, so full and bright and white right now… Last night the 2014 from Johannes Sinß played its charms on me and my faithful friend serendipity first guided my hand towards a piece of Robert Maul’s lively, sweet alpine goat cheese, then made me play Norwegian Kari’s beautiful songs with it.
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Those of you who know me well also know about my favored word in English: serendipity. Serendipity is way more than just coincidence, I’d rather call it unexpected happiness. It is also very much a state of mind – the more open you are, the more frequently it finds you. In the case of serendipitous wine and cheese pairings, I admit that a little experience does help, but considering how many options exist on both sides, I am still totally awed each time I am faced with a perfect couple. » Weiterlesen…
To be able to experience the past in a kind of time machine instead of just reading about it is for me one of the most exciting experiences ever. And ever since my first Turkey trip (I know, it took me an awfully long time to make it to the Bosporus), the close connection with the historic beginnings of our civilization has been one of my main fascinations there. And yes, „experience“ does include wine, a serious advantage in the Heinzelcheese universe (it also includes cheese, but that’s a different story for another day). » Weiterlesen…
Julian Haart’s story is a wine writer’s dream: young man from the Mosel trains as a chef, works in Michelin starred restaurants, but soon notices that in the end, the vineyards‘ call drowns out all the kitchen noise. So he returns to his home region and starts putting together a miniature wine estate, from zero to about 1.5 ha of the choicest vineyards. » Weiterlesen…
Here I am, touring Upstate New York talking to students at various colleges about the joys of real cheese, book writing and German history – it’s an honor to be able to gently push some of you guys into a direction you might not have thought existed before we met! Reminds me of the affinage process, when cheeses are gently guided to mature into something the cheese“maker“ has done a lot to get to, but can never be totally sure will happen in the end. Takes a lot of listening and attention and dedication, in both cases. All this to say that I’ve been in total cheese mode, with wine down the priority list, to :“stuff to drink and enjoy“ » Weiterlesen…
The wonderful thing about not being perfect is that it makes life a constant source of wonderful surprises. In this case: I don’t use any of those wine cellar apps which allow you to always know what you’ve got and when you should drink it and who wrote about it and with how many points and and and… There is about enough technology in my life! That means that sometimes I dive a bit deeper and my hand stretches out in an unusual direction while facing the wine shelves – and there you go, out comes a dusty bottle like this one: 1996 Riesling Auslese trocken Niersteiner Pettenthal from Heinrich Braun in Nierstein. » Weiterlesen…
Once upon a time, a real long time ago, Rheinhessen wasn’t cool at all. The word as such was almost an insult back then, before the new dawn broke with all the wonderful, adventurous young wine producers we take for granted nowadays… However, there was some excellent wine, above all Riesling, and it grew where the Rhine flows along steep terraces with deep red soil, between Nierstein and Nackenheim, on the so-called Roter Hang. » Weiterlesen…