Wine and cheese

2011 Kaseler Nies’chen Riesling Kesselstatt and Beenleigh Blue

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We all have those films in our head which are triggered unintentionally by certain keywords. Take blue cheese: shouldn’t you have sweet wine with that? The Roquefort people have told us so many times about Sauternes being the perfect match with its sheeps‘ milk sweetness and penicillium spicyness, and for obvious reasons the Sauternes producers never contradict them… Well, my cellar isn’t exactly overflowing with Sauternes, and really good Roquefort is a rarity (so much of the stuff tastes overly salty and sharp)…  » Weiterlesen…

German cider revisited II: a Sparkling Surprise from Joachim Döhne

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For various reasons I’ve been into clearing stuff and tidying up recently, cleaning dark, dusty corners and getting rid of unnecessarities. This has been leading to some great discoveries. When I went down to the cellar to grab a sparkling to open dinner procedures the other night, there were those cider bottles, sparkling cider. Fill level was low, my expectations accordingly and I put three bottles in the fridge instead of just one, to be prepared for the worst. Oh, the negativity in me… dear Joachim Döhne, I sincerely apologize. » Weiterlesen…

German cider revisited I: Apple Heaven from Andreas Schneider

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I could start this with saying that Ebbelwoi, traditional apple cider from around Frankfurt, doesn’t exactly enjoy a great reputation. But that would be so yesterday and predictable. I could also be totally honest and admit that for some unknown reason, a 12 bottle box just re-emerged from the depth of my cellar, containing 2011 and 2009 (!!!) apple wines from Andreas Schneider in Niedererlenbach near Frankfurt, Germany’s leading cider producer. Kind of embarrassing and unprofessional, I know. However, as life goes, it made for some amazing stuff in the glass. » Weiterlesen…

It’s been a red red night: German Pinot Noir x 3

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Pinot and me, we have a real love hate thing going on. He (yes, definitely he) can be so delicious and utterly attractive, basically non-resistable, and yet so cruel. Next morning, that is. Nothing worse than trying to tackle your morning run with a head full of pinot fumes… I’m not sure why that is, but I think that the low yield, slow fermentation and long skin contact necessary for great pinot produce some stuff on the side that has that not so special effect.  » Weiterlesen…

The same, yet different: 2012 Roter Riesling from Corvers-Kauter, Rheingau

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In case reading that heading makes you feel dazed and confused: yes, it does mean red Riesling, and it’s not a joke. The white queen has a red sibling! Well, red… let’s make that pinkish  in berry and white in the glass. But it’s rare. To my knowledge it’s been almost extinct until 2006, when a few producers in the Rheingau started to look after it. » Weiterlesen…