Baden, €16 for 375ml, cork
My friend’s been in Germany for well over a year and her boss decided that her education in local culture somehow required indoctrination in classic 80s movies. To say I was excited when she handed me a pile that included the Alien series and this absolute-classic-one-of-the-best-movies-ever-even-though-white-sneakers-with jeans-aren’t-cool-but-Queen’s-soundtrack-
certainly-is-man-this-ruled-my-childhood, would be an understatement. So after dinner and a bottle of Dornfelder we all settled down with Highlander and a bottle of Auslese Scheurebe. I’ve never tried Scheurebe before, but from what I can gather, it was originally thought to be a cross between Riesling and Silvaner, but is considered a cross between Riesling and a mysterious wild vine. The wine’s made by a co-op that is actually called Winzergenossenschaft Königschaffhausen, but that's just too long and silly to fit into the title of a blog post.
It’s an Auslese wine, it’s 9.5% alcohol and of course it’s a lovely deep golden colour. This smells of the rot, with botrytis inspired apricots, dried tangerine peel and marmalade aromas alongside the dominant smell of honey. On the palate there’s honey again, but taste wise this is all about apricots. Sure this is sweet, but it’s well balanced with noticeable acidity that does a lot to keep things fresh and lively. Königschaffhausen Scheurebe Auslese 2007 is a nice wine, it’s well made and tasty, though it lacks the complexity to be really engaging. There can be only one!
Nierstein-Schwabsburg, Rheihessen, €14.50, cork
Day number six of a weeklong visit to Germany and it's been a non-stop diet of beer and pork, only interrupted by a couple of decent Rieslings and a certain evening that involved a bucket load of mojitos (don't ask). Tonight Joey and I are having dinner at a friend's home, and apart for the chance to eat something other than roasted pig, it's also an opportunity try a few different German wines. 
Georg Gustav Huff Dornfelder 2008 is bright, vibrant and a distinctly, plummy purple colour. I was honestly surprised by how exotic and complex this smelt. There’re aromas of cherries, plums, spicy Christmas cake and a sniff of Morocco; not sure why I said Morocco, but I think this kind of smells a little like sandalwood. There’s also a distinct whiff of blueberry bubblegum that reminds me of Pinotage. On the palate there's black fruit and spice, along with an obvious lick of oak that adds a creamy, richness. This is a well crafted wine with a smattering of tannin, no noticeable alcohol and decent length. In a blind tasting I would never pick this for German; the weight and richness of it surprised me. Georg Gustav Huff Dornfelder 2008 is an interesting, well made wine, and while it's perhaps a touch too rich for my taste, the quality can't be denied.
Visit German only website.
Pfalz, Germany, $248, cork seal
I picked this bottle up at Salen Fine Wines, one of a surprising number of independent wine retailers in Yuen Long. The guy working was pretty enthusiastic about it, though I'm not sure if this was due to the wine or because they're the sole Hong Kong importers. The wine itself comes from the town of Deidesheim in Pfalz. It's classed as 'Spatlese Trocken'; a late harvest dry wine and has a rather confusing label splattered in long Germanic words.
Weingut Dr Deinhard Riesling 2007 is a pretty, bright, sparkling gold colour. The nose is just as alluring with whiffs of talc, honeysuckle, wizz fizz and dried pear. It's really got a beautiful aroma; soft, subtle and enticing. After a sip the first thing I noticed was the lovely tingling, almost tickly acidity. I'm actually a bit torn by this wine's flavour. Structurally it's excellent with a nice mouth feel - fresh but round, good length and well integrated alcohol. But the palate lacks excitement; sure there are suggestions of apple, lemon balm and honey, yet nothing really grabs me. This divinely aromatic wine would match well with many foods, though I wonder if it's worth the money.
Visit winery website (German only).
Pfalz, Germany, $79, plastic cork seal
I offered Naomi a glass of this and got a grunted "no", but when she turned around and saw what it was her response was a very quick "oh it's not red, I'll have a drink then". The Villa Wolf property is owned by Dr Ernest Loosen a big man in the German wine scene and this offering is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes.
When you're drinking a rose, you want the pink and the Villa Wolf Rose de Pinot Noir 2006 is a lovely bright watermelon pink with a slight orange tinge. There were quite a few wine crystals free floating around the bottom of the bottle. Naomi said she smelt pear on the nose, but for me it was the berry express all the way. I got punnets of delicious ripe strawberry and raspberry aromas and a hint of confectionary. These red berries dominated the palate, though I also tasted red apple. Villa Wolf Rose de Pinot Noir 2006 was pretty sweet, but this was keep firmly under control by excellent acidity and the result was a surprising refreshing and balanced wine with a touch of sugar to round off the palate. A well made, pretty little thing that is sure to please the crowds.
Visit winery website.
Nackenheim, Germany, $149, stelvin seal
It's time for Wine Blogging Wednesday 45 and this month's theme is Old World Riesling. I really wanted to try and track down a noble Austrian example, but time run away and it looks like we're drinking this little number; the pretty picture and sweetness are a hint that it was obviously bought with Naomi in mind. Gunderloch 'Diva' Riesling 2006 comes from Rheinhessen, Germany's biggest wine region. It's a Spatlese style and is miraculously sealed with a screw-top, which makes it the first 'Old World' wine on EatingHK to be sensible topped with a stelvin rather than mouldy old tree bark; a win for Germany.
Gunderloch's Diva is straw golden in colour with a nose that has plenty of nice ripe fruit and citrus aromas. I smell peaches, lemons, limes and a hint of something unusual that's yeasty and buttery; strange, but attractive. This lady tastes delicious; there's good stone fruit flavours, especially peach and apricot, along with a smattering of racey spice. The sweetness is well balanced and there's just a little sparkling acid. Gunderloch 'Diva' Riesling 2006 has a lovely smooth and round mouthfeel with good balance and length. She's an appealing, pretty lady who's well worth meeting.
Visit winery website, Wine Blogging Wednesday 45 or the home of Wine Blogging Wednesday.
Michel Schneider, Bernkasteler, Riesling Spatlese
Mosel-Saar-Ruwar, Germany, $98, synthetic cork
When Naomi says she needs a drink it's often something white and sweet that gets the job; at only 8.5% alcohol this German Riesling was perfect for a 'school night'. For a sweeter style wine I was impressed with how well this went with a roast pumpkin risotto; a match I wouldn't normally think of.
Michel Schneider Riesling Spatlese is a pretty straw gold in colour. The nose is subdued; there's a bit of floral stuff going on and a slight grapiness about it, but it doesn't leap put of the glass. The palate on the other ha
nd is certainly all present and accounted for; there are big honey and apricot flavours with red apple, pear, dried pineapple and orange blossom in the background. The wine has got a full, honeyed feel in the mouth and it has a soft sweetness about it. It does lack acidity to balance out the syrupy sweetness which starts to get a little too much after awhile. A wine that is tasty and drinkable, though perhaps needs to be a little more complete and balanced to be really good.
certainly-is-man-this-ruled-my-childhood, would be an understatement. So after dinner and a bottle of Dornfelder we all settled down with Highlander and a bottle of Auslese Scheurebe. I’ve never tried Scheurebe before, but from what I can gather, it was originally thought to be a cross between Riesling and Silvaner, but is considered a cross between Riesling and a mysterious wild vine. The wine’s made by a co-op that is actually called Winzergenossenschaft Königschaffhausen, but that's just too long and silly to fit into the title of a blog post.
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