by Elon Bliden
(also Turkey Wine Tasting) 

When I started working at Midway, it was my introduction to the world of wine. Specifically, it served as a proper introduction to the many types of wine drinkers and their palate preferences.  One surprise that I encountered was the plethora of white wines on the shelf and the general lack of attention paid to such wines, in my mind and in the minds of many customers.  I began to explore.  New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs and California Chardonnays were a natural jumping-off point, followed by Sancere, Verdejo, Southern Rhone blends, Pinot Grigio, bubblies, Falanghina, Greco di Tufo, etc., etc..  For the most part I ignored the Germans and the Alsatians, since few customers were asking me to fill their carts up with these wines.  This all changed when I was introduced to Merkel’s Urziger Wurtzgarten Riesling Spatlese.  What a gorgeous piece of wine making.  It was like biting into a fresh granny smith apple: crisp, tart, sweet, and juicy.  I dreamed that there must be other white wines- similar to this one-  that possess such complexity, depth and the power to wow.

Fast forward 8 months. October 18, 2009. I’m stepping off the plane in Frankfurt, it’s five in the morning local time, and I have three wineries to see before the day is done.  The first is Weingut Peter Jakob (PJ) Kuhn, in the Rheingau. Upon arrival, PJ’s wife Angela shows us around.  The first stop is the fermenting room, where PJ and his assistant are tasting the new wine, which has been fermenting for two weeks.  I’ve been in plenty of wineries and breweries, but this one smells the best - and appropriately, like fresh sweet pears and apples.  I taste the murky new wine; despite its high acidicity, it also tasted of pear juice.

Angela explains that they practice “homeopathic winemaking,” and she talks about treating the vines as living things, giving them love and treating them as unique individuals.  The Kuhn Winery is 100% organic and biodynamic. They pick their grapes according to the phases of the moon, make their own compost, and involve the whole family in the process.  They have been making wine for eleven generations, and the twelfth is well on their way to taking the helm. 

I taste nine of their Rieslings. Most were dry, fresh, and built for speed.  The perfect accompaniment to sushi or the fresh lunch I was kindly served: wild boar and jelly sausage, a mixed salad with scallions, mashed carrots and potatoes with fresh parsley, and home made pancakes.  

Tasting notes: pear, apple, lemon juice, fresh, crisp, parsley, mineral, Tzakoli, petroleum, spice, honey and rich

What I brought back:

Peter Jakob Kuhn Landgeflecht Riesling Trocken 2008
Rheingau, Germany
$35.99 Sale $21.99 750ml  $211.10 cs.

Spicy pear notes hit the nose with power.  On the palate it is bone dry with bright acid and almost like a Tzakoli with a subtle lemon juice flavor.  This wine is built for sushi; good thing there are plenty of BYOB Sushi restaurants!

Next I headed to Kuhling-Gillot, another family operation that merged with Battenfeld-Spanier through marriage in 2006.  The tour of the winery included a tasting of fresh pinot noir juice, and a taste of freshly picked botrytis Riesling berries.  They have a huge variety of unique Rieslings, Weissburgunders (Pinot Blancs), Spatburgunders (Pinot Noirs) and Chardonnays.  All are well made, and if you can get your hands on some of their wines, I highly recommend trying them.

Tasting notes for whites: petroleum, egg noodles, oak, apple, white peach, refreshing

Tasting notes for reds: different, floral, elegant, light spice, berry fruit, blueberry

The last stop of the day was Wurtz, run by the enthusiastic and youthful Dirk Wurtz in a 900 year-old mill.  His hobbies include modern winemaking, blogging (check out his blog at http://wuertz-wein.de/wordpress/), American barbeque, and very loud music - my kinda guy, to say the least.  As his lovely wife was serving our first course of dinner, Dirk put on some light music to accompany: the industrial German hard rock band, Rammstein, with various selections from their wild tour in Nimes, followed by Elvis live in Las Vegas, Billy Idol, and Nico.  Wurtz explained his passion for making wine, the Riesling grape and the dry wines made from it (which he explained was delicious when mixed with coke - see the video below), his thoughts on being politically incorrect, and how much he loves America.  All of his wines were fresh, crisp, and built for food.  He has a great boxed Riesling that is available through special order.  It’s a wine great for summer picnics or a pool party.

Look out for:

Wurtz Riesling
Rheinhessen, Germany
3L Bag in a Box Coming Soon!

Wurtz Potate Riesling 2008
Rheinhessen, Germany
Special Order Coming Soon!

Wurtz Geyerschiess 2008
Rheinhessen, Germany
Special Order Only

The next day we found ourselves in a quaint town touring Christmann, another great producer of the noble Riesling.  They also produce some world class Pinot Noir, which is worth the price tag.

Then I was off to Alsace and my first French experience.  It couldn’t have been more memorable.  Albert Seltz is another organic family operation that has been making wine for generations, thirteen to be exact.  They put an emphasis on small plots with very high quality viticulture and pure expression of terroir.  The wines across the border in Germany are nothing like their French counterpart - only the varietals are the same.  Albert has a great passion for everything Alsatian: the food, the culture, and especially the white grape varietals that they claim are the best in the world. (Here, it was explained to me that Alsatians make nothing short of the best Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewurtztraminer, Sylvaner and Riesling.) Albert’s father, Pierre, gave me a tour of the winery and the cellar, and he explained that his son was not only surpassing his wine making, but also producing the best Sylvaner in the world.  We tasted some amazing whites that day, and there is no reason that any wine enthusiast should not taste these beauties. 

Tasting notes: dried apricot, peach jam, orange marmalade, honey, lemon, limestone, over ripe, big fruit, green tea, raisin, spicy pear, cinnamon, nutmeg, long finish.

What I brought back:

Albert Seltz Gewurztraminer 2008
Alsace, France
$17.99 750ml $172.70 cs.

Wonderful golden color.  The nose is filled with a beautiful bouquet that is built for Thanksgiving; spicy pear and honey.  On the palate there is more spice and pear flavor with a nice, light sweetness and a rich mouthfeel.

Albert Seltz Sylvaner Vieilles Vignes “Sono Contento” 2003
Alsace, France
$23.99 750ml $230.30 cs.

The best white wine I had on the trip, and probably the best I’ve ever had.  The color is such a gorgeous hue of gold that they chose to package it in a clear bottle.  A nose that will convert any red drinker: full and intense with dried apricots dipped in honey and peach jam.  Very little residual sugar, but the fruit flavors are so intense that it will trick you into thinking it is a nectar.  Drinking this wine is practicing hedonism.

The last stop of the trip was at Domaine Weinbach with the lovely Faller women.  Colette, Catherine and Laurence have been making wine in 300+ year old Domaine for two generations on land that has been planted with vineyards since the year 890 C.E.  They produce extremely well balanced and elegant Rieslings, Sylvaners Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Gewurtztraminer, and some really neat cuvées that pair well with a range of foods.  In all we tasted 24 wines.

They cooked us a lovely lunch, starting with a tartée flambe (a local food which is like a pizza only with a more crisp and buttery crust, cream and cottage cheese, smoked bacon, and onions).  The second course was chicken livers fried in butter with a light salad accompanied by their Pinot Gris Altenbourg 2006, and the meal ended with some lovely cheese and an Apple Flan that puts any Jewish Apple Cake to shame. It was easily the best meal during my travels.

Tasting notes: Round, floral, fresh, crisp, mineral, pear pear pear, elegant, honey, lemon, petroleum, honey apricots, green tea, spice, apple cider

What I brought back:

Domaine Weinbach Reisling Schlossberg Grand Cru 2007
Alsace, France
$42.99 Sale $33.99 750ml Thru Thanksgiving

Complex and classic expression of the noble Riesling with notes of Petroleum, lemon juice, and alot of mineral.

Tasting Alert!: The Perfect White Tasting/Turkey Wines
Friday & Saturday, November 20 & 21
11am - 7pm