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Erste Lage Tasting, Germany 2010

To enjoy wine, the story begins and ends with each individual’s palate. So why do we endlessly analyze, score, judge and discuss the merits of individual wines and varietals?  For me, wine challenges my intelligence, involves all of my senses and creates a never-ending conversation.

My initial relationship with wine was simple–I liked it or not. But then, the wonder of wine crept up on me: I found myself on a ladder of discovery.  I moved from liking it to wanting to try more so I went wine tasting in search of wine to love. Then I learned about the million details that impact how grapes become wine. I met winemakers and liked their stories, so I added intangible meaning to the mix. I soon was faced with a hobby that has so many intricacies that it takes a life time to master.

Amid discovering and learning,  I still know what I like and what I don’t. I go through 3 phases with a wine:

• how does it smell & taste upon first sip?
• how does it taste after it sits in the glass or decanter?
• how does it taste with food?

When I’m doing what I call a quick and dirty evaluation of wine, I score on a scale of 0-5.  I get an initial impression by smelling and leaving the wine on my palate for a minute or so then spitting.  A 3 means it has potential and I’m curious about the wine maker or terroir.  4 means the wine fairs the best in the group, and it either needs a bit more time or better tasting (pairing) conditions.  A 5 means I’ll buy it on the spot if possible.

If you think wine is complicated, it is. But it’s not complicated to know what you like. Just keep tasting~ sometimes you have to taste a lot of wines, before finding the ones you love.

Just for fun, here’s some tasting notes from a tasting of 329 wines in Germany. (The + – and / symbols mean good, bad or neutral on the nose.)

These are notes for German Pinot Blanc.

nose +, straight from the barrel, wine is not ready yet, it’s not bottle shock. 0

nose+, neutral, boring 2

nose/best but doesn’t rock my world; more like what I wld expect 4

These are notes for Pinot Noir.

boring, waterly, 1

nose + cherries; balanced, light Pinot like Oregon;  3

long lasting finish, full bodied; I’m home . 4

too light; after taste too acidic. 2; The One changed this wine A LOT – made it much more interesting; toned down the after taste & let the fruit out; black cherries were not present before. 4  (I was testing Andrea Robinson’s The One glass)

These are notes on some German wines you’ve probably never heard of… FRÜHBURGUNDER AHR GROSSES GEWÄCHS 2008

strong fresh tobacco smell; hard cherry candy; could be intg with food or really bad. Complex though which turns me on.

nose is cherry/sonoma coast PN; perfectly acceptable–getting closer to Cal PN. 3

LEMBERGER WÜRTTEMBERG GROSSES GEWÄCHS 2008

smells like Chinese food but calmed down quite nicely.big Christmas spice ; cloves–quite an interesting wine. Brand new varietal to me. The One rounded it out made everything much more subtle; harder to pick out the flavors but more true to what the consumer will taste if you serve this wine now. 4 for curiosity.

a light pee smell; then complex; wine lacks character (now that’s what tired tasters write!) much gentler then the first one–but pretty cool. 4

Ludens cough drop smell; nasty candy.

needs to sit/age; sort of like a syrah. 3

nice everyday wine–better than Zinfandel; not complex but layered. 3

tight but the biggest wine I’ve tasted in Germany. Full bodied–I give it points just for being there for me. 3 (Note: Germans like to make really acidic wines so they will age, after tastings hundreds of highly acidic wines, I was craving bold smooth fruit.)

Photo from my new friend who was on the Wines of Germany Media Tour with me, Mariusz Kapczynski, www.vinsifera.pl

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Traveling with 14 other wine writers from all over the world was a hoot.  They came from Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Korea, the Netherlands, Finland, Poland and the UK.  The oldest was 70 and the youngest in his 20′s.  It was an easy-going group, everyone got along well.

Here’s some out-of-context quotes that I found amusing:

He’s completely mad, he must have lots of cots with babies. (British writer talking about someone  and referencing a doll in a cradle that one of our hotel’s showcased on a stair landing.)

Question: What’s your favorite wine? Answer: The next one.

If they were not like that, they wouldn’t fill out their dresses, so they must hire those big German girls.

The new face of German food. (My new friend commenting on the tiny portion I took of liver balls.)

It’s an elegant wine, like a lady, complicated too.

You’re probably German, not Dutch.  In fact, you look Bavarian. (New friend explaining my heritage.)

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I attended San Francisco tastings for two years sponsored by Wines of Germany  / German Wine Institute and private importer Terry Theiss before being invited to Germany.

I accepted the invitation, not for a free trip to Germany but because I wanted the “real” scoop.  At industry events, I prefer in-depth interviews/ conversations with winemakers to tasting 100+ wines; however, the whirlwind environment doesn’t support the drawing of a solid picture.

Stateside, I had been told two things that I wanted to check out for myself: 1) German wine making was environmentally friendly and 2) there is a movement for modernizing German wine labels. Like a journalist on the hunt, I looked for signs indicated truisms, partially true or false.

I am a proponent of all grape growers being responsible stewards of the environment and I prefer my wine to be made in a style that treats the wine gently with little or no additives or industrial processing.

In Germany, I visited a dozen wineries in three regions and attended a tasting of approx. 350 German wines. (329 at the formal tasting, and the rest at the party the night before.) I received literature from the German Wine Institute as well as the wineries. Bottom line, the picture was not unlike the US. Some wine makers are very dedicated to natural wine making, including adhering to the principles of organic farming, while others don’t discuss it. For me, I found it disturbing that large amounts of sulfur are added to many Rieslings. This goes against my preference to let grapes express themselves with minimal interference. *

On the label issue, I would like to see exported German wines with interesting and understandable labels so that more Americans would pick up a bottle and try it. German wine labels are written in German, i.e., Pinot Blanc is Wiessburgunder. Additionally, the labels sport highly complex legal and traditional descriptions, making it impossible for an untutored consumer to figure out who made the wine and where it was made.  No English translation (even of the grape) and too many references re: villages, regions, dry, off dry, and sweet add up to…lower sales of German wines in America.

There was good news/bad news on the export front.  Apparently some distributors are advising wine makers not to translate their labels for the US market and they are not importing their best wines. For example, I tasted two relatively nice Pinot Noirs from a winery that exports, yet he only sends the cheaper, non-reserve to the US at the advice of his distributor.  I met several wine makers in the same boat.

The good news is that I believe there is an exciting movement among modern German wine makers who are more than willing to make their wines more accessible, by translating, simplifying, being environmentally responsible and making natural wine.

There are so many wine enthusiasts and wine drinkers in the US who would love to try foreign wines (e.g., Australia, South America, South Africa).  It’s true we are not getting the best of what those countries make (yet), but I can only imagine that the next export step will be higher-end wines.

In conclusion, a BIG thank you (Danke!) to the German Wine Institute for inviting me and being wonderful hosts.

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Some birthdays involve big trips, lovely parties, friends or family, but this year, I’m resting.  My spirit says, give yourself the gift of quiet time. I made no plans except to care for myself.  As I happily played in my garden, I opened a beer and turned on the radio.  A Reggae tune came on, transporting me back to college…good times, good friends and a decidedly slow pace on weekends. (Was it a sign?)

When I give someone a birthday card I always wish them a fabulous year ahead.  Last year was packed with parties/events, wine tasting, work, and unfortunately some personal crises.  Frankly, if the next 12 months are a little calmer, I’d love it.

So this year, all I have planned is a trip to Germany (as a guest of Wines of Germany) & Paris (my gift to myself), a reasonable work-pace and of course, the best gift in the world will be an improvement in my Hubby’s spinal injury.  Keeping my fingers crossed and a positive thought, and making a big wish when I blow out  my candles.

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