I am absolutely loving by new hobby! WINE!
I’m reading books, watching webinars, studying flash cards, and engaging in lots of “field research.” Not a bad way to occupy all this “retired life” time on my hands.
As I read and study, I’ve been making lists of wines I want to try. Most are from specific regions that are renowned for the specific types of quality wines they produce. Some are wines or regions I’ve never heard of before. Today, I want to talk about one of those.
Mosel, Germany.
Germany’s most popular grape is Riesling. Mosel is considered the oldest wine growing region in Germany, and its Riesling is well known in the wine world. Its grapes grow near the Mosel River on extremely steep hillsides requiring harvesting to be done by hand. So romantic! Good old fashioned, traditional, grape growing and wine making. I had to get my hands on a quality taste!
So, walking boot strapped to my foot, and scooter thrown in the back of the car, my husband and I headed to downtown Kansas City to Tannin Wine Bar to conduct my favorite type of field research.
I love Tannin because they have a wide variety of wines that can be sampled by the taste. They offer 2 ounce samples of very high end wines that most only offer by the bottle.
I don’t know about you, but I do NOT want to invest $50 plus dollars on a bottle that I may or may not even like. At Tannin Wine Bar, I was able to sample a 2 ounce pour for $5.50. DONE!
I chose to sample the Karthauserhof “Bruno” Riesling Kabinett Feinherb from Mosel, Germany. It was beautiful! An absolute perfect aperitif!
Tasting Notes: The wine’s appearance is crystal clear pale yellow. The nose is full of citrus, green apple, and floral notes. On the palate the wine has high levels of refreshing acidity, is dry, and offers crisp flavors of citrus and orchard fruit with notable minerality. It is well balanced and refreshing. As I mentioned…an absolute perfect aperitif.
Pairings: I paired mine with an appetizer of hummus and pita and it found it to be a nice pairing. Riesling also pairs well with Indian or Asian food that has a bit of spice, or shrimp and crab.
The wine did not disappoint, and I can now mark Mosel Germany Riesling off my “want to try” list. It was enticing enough for me to come back to it, but I first must share some hints about Rieslings in general.
The Grape: The Riesling grape is a cool climate grape and (as I mentioned before) is Germany’s best known grape, though it is also common in Alsace, France and South Australia. Common tasting notes are lime, green apple, jasmine, and petroleum (yes…it often has a slight gasoline smell). Remember…wines seldom taste the way they smell. When we taste, we first use our nose, then our palate.
Hints from The Somm: The tricky thing about Riesling wines is that they vary drastically in style. These wines can range from very sweet, to very dry, and everything in between.
Your opinion of one particular Riesling, in NOT an indicator of how you might feel about another. So, if you find one you dislike…don’t give up yet. And, if you find one you LOVE, make a note of the producer and the region so you can easily come back to her!
CHEERS!
