See below for what happened.........

New German Wines

Come and experience the New German Wines which are leaving behind the idea that German wines have to be sweet.  We will have an expert, Paul Mann, who will present the wines and offer them for sale.  These wines are not available in stores, but are more likely to be found in restaurants.

We will have cheese and German breads to complement our wine tasting.  Bring your checkbook, so that if you wish to purchase any of the wines they may be ordered for you.

Aperitif

2006 Riesling Sekt Brut, Richard Richter

The Wines

2006 Wachenheimer Riesling Dry, J.L.Wolf

2004 Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinet, Kesselstatt

2006 Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Kabinett, Schloss Schoenborn

2006 Wachenheimer Belz Riesling Spätlese Dry, J.L. Wolf

2006 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese, Dr. Thanisch  

2006 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling, Auslese “Best Barrel**”, Studert-Prüm

Coffee and desserts will follow the tasting.   Please bring your own glasses & pens. No smoking or strong fragrances.  Attendees recognize they will consume alcohol and assume responsibility of having done so.

Attendance will be limited to the first 32.  Reservation deadline is Monday, November 12, 2007.

Members  $20.00            Guests   $25.00

What Happened.........

German wines have always been a favorite of the Detroit Chapter and Paul Mann has expertly selected and presented them to us for many years.  Forty two members and guests enjoyed this tasting which was arranged and carried out by Carl and Ruby Dollhopf and Max and Pat vom Steeg.

Carl had visited the Mosel region just two years ago in the autumn and brought slides of the region that showed the steep terraced slopes, slate soil, and unusually beautiful fall colors of the grape leaves.  He explained the special nature of the region, with emphasis on the famous Bernkastel area. As Paul later noted, manual methods are used due to slopes that can be as high as 68%. Much labor is needed, not only to manage the vines, but to maintain the soil that tends to drift down the slope.

Paul brought an excellent selection of wines.  He commented on the special character of the Rieslings, with their high acidity that makes them such a great food wine. The excellent balance of sweetness and acidity is a great taste that he said “calls for more”.  He said that all of the recent vintages had been very, very good.

While German Rieslings have traditionally been on the sweet side, he pointed out the current availability of dry Rieslings, labeled ”Trocken”, but said that sales still greatly favored the traditional. He set up a comparison of the two Spätlese wines, Wachenheimer Belz and Berkasteler Badstube, one dry and one traditional, and asked for a vote. The traditional won, but not by a great margin. 

The wines were accompanied by an assortment of specialty breads, and three cheeses.  There was a double cream Brie named Bavarian Champignon, a smoked Gouda, and a Swiss style from the Netherlands.

Everyone greatly enjoyed the excellent wines and food, and the well organized and conducted tasting. We finished with coffee and cookies.

Paul was with us earlier this year, bringing some great wines from Argentina. Here is a link to the report on that tasting.

         Some of the Best Wines of Argentina