If you are feeling in the mood for fine German wine and food, you should really consider the Mosel region of central western Germany on the border of Luxembourg. Who knows, you may even find a bargain, and I am sure that you'll enjoy yourself on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local red Dornfelder.
The Mosel Valley is considered one of the most beautiful river valleys in the world. This region, once called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer for its three rivers, is known for its Riesling. Some of the greatest Rieslings in Germany and in fact in the entire world come from Mosel. Experts can often identify Mosel Rieslings because of the slate in the local soil, which may impart a taste of flint. The slopes are among the steepest in the wine-producing world, sometimes attaining 70 degrees. The soil is so precious that every spring local workers lug pails of soil up these slopes, reversing the effect of the rains that wash the soil down every winter.
Mosel is fifth among the thirteen German wine regions for both vineyard acreage and total wine production. Slightly more than three quarters of the wine produced here is QbA and somewhat less than one quarter is higher quality QmP wine. Only one percent is table wine. More than half of Mosel wine is Riesling. The German hybrid white Mueller-Thurgau grape represents about 20% of the wine production. In third place is the historic variety Elbing that dates back to Roman times and is the major grape variety in the neighboring country of Luxembourg. Only about 2% of Mosel wine is red, so perhaps we were lucky to find a Dornfelder, reviewed below. Dornfelder is a German variety which is also grown in the United States and, believe it or not, in Burma. Created in 1955, It is a cross between two crosses,. One of Dornfelder's four "grandparents" is Pinot Noir.
The Mosel Valley stretches from the city of Koblenz not far from Germany's former capital Bonn to Trier sitting quite close to the Luxemberg border. These two cities are linked by the Mosel Weinstrasse (Mosel Wine Road) which is about 140 miles (224 kilometers) long on the eastern side of the river and somewhat less on the western side. Of course, you could take the autobahn to get between Koblenz and Trier at breakneck speed. If you do, you'll miss the interesting little towns and vineyards along the way.
The Trier Valley was first settled about 2400 years ago. The city of Trier itself was founded in 16 BC. Within three hundred years it was destroyed and rebuilt as a Roma secunda (second Rome). A unique aspect of this wine-exporting city is its underground cellars said to have a storage capacity of almost 8 million gallons. Among the sights to see are in Trier the Porta Nigra (Black Gate) dating back to Roman times, the Dom which is the oldest Christian church north of the Alps, the Rheinisches Landesmuseum (Rhenish State Museum) with the largest collection of Ancient Roman artifacts in Germany, an Amphitheater that holds real gladiator games, minus the lions, every summer, other Roman ruins, and the house in which Karl Marx was born.
Before reviewing the Mosel wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Foie Gras in Ahorn Jus (Foie Gras with Maple Flavored Juices). For your second course enjoy Mosel Trout. As a dessert indulge yourself with Feigenmus (Fig Puree).
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Delightful Dornfelder. Ripe and fruity, this deep-coloured Dornfelder really benefited from the heat of the 2003 vintage. This dry, medium-bodied, well-balanced red is food friendly matching a variety of dishes including pork roast or baked chicken.
My first pairing was with a grilled rib steak that had been marinated, perhaps for too long. The meat was accompanied by potatoes roasted in chicken fat and by spicy Moroccan carrots. Let's not mince words; this wine was lousy. It seemed like an alcoholic grape juice that was pleasantly acidic.
The next meal included spicy meat balls, rice, and once again Moroccan carrots. While the wine was a bit rounder, it still wasn't good. For some reason I thought of Concord grape wine, although the Dornfelder wasn't all that sweet.
The final meal consisted of beef stew with roasted potatoes and rice. This wine was now somewhat better but it continued to taste grapey. And it was still basically unacceptable.
The initial cheese pairing was with a goat's milk cheese from the Poitou Charentes region of central-western France. I would not have guessed goat's milk; this cheese looked and tasted like a somewhat runny Camembert. The cheese tamed the wine's grapiness. The Swiss Gruyere did so even more. Every single tasting was "better" than the previous one. And yet the final tasting still didn't reach the good level.
Final verdict. Even at half its price I would not buy this wine again. Dornfelder is grown in several other areas of Germany. But I don't see why I should open my wallet to give this grape another chance; there are too many fine German and other wines out there.
The Nahe wine region is a fairly small area running alongside the Nahe River, a tributary of the much more famous Rhine River. This region is close to many other German wine regions and is at the other end of Germany from the capital of Berlin. Of the thirteen German wine regions Nahe ranks right in the middle; it is seventh in both vineyard acreage and total wine production. While approximately 90% of its production is white wine, the red percentage is definitely on the upswing. The three major white grapes are Riesling, Mueller-Thurgau, and Silvaner. Only about 2% of Nahe wine is low quality Landwein. About three quarters of the local wine is medium quality QbA wine that allows winemakers to add sugar to the fermenting mix (chaptalization). The rest is higher quality QmP wine that outlaws this practice. You may remember from my Launching a Series article that while Spaetlese literally means late-harvest, these wines are in fact made from ripe grapes. Only about 1% of Nahe wines carry this premium designation. In spite of these daunting statistics, the wine that we review below is a Riesling Spaetlese.
Bad Kreuznach is a city of about fifty thousand on the Nahe River. Historians believe that the site was initially settled thousands of years ago. The baths for which the city is named have been known since Roman times. They contain radium, which is said to cure various ailments. I don't know why but I was under the impression radium was very poisonous. Bad Kreuznach's Gothic Pauluskirche (St. Paul's Church) has held many weddings over the years. Undoubtedly its most famous bridegroom was Karl Marx who in 1843 took the hand of Jenny von Westphalen. The city center is home to many historic buildings. The nearby town of Bretzenheim is proud of its many historic houses and wine culture center.
Before reviewing the Nahe wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Grumbeworscht (Potato Sausages). For your second course enjoy Spiersbraten (Onion Marinated Flame-Grilled Steak). As a dessert indulge yourself with Beeren (Berries, perhaps with Dessert Wine).
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Hehner-Kiltz Riesling Sp?tlese 2001 9.0% alcohol about $15
Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Peachy keen! This delicious Riesling Spaetlese from the Nahe region exhibits aromas of peach, paraffin and floral notes. It's round with luscious fruit flavours, a seam of balancing acidity and great length. Enjoy with apricot stuffed pork loin. My first pairing was with a somewhat spicy mozzarella and cottage cheese lasagna made with whole-wheat noodles, roasted vegetables, but no meat. The wine was slightly sweet, but that was OK - a lot more than OK. Its acidity went well with the tomatoes. The Riesling was delicate but strong. Dessert was a high quality, very rich chocolate mousse cake, which made the wine lemony and acidic. The combination was excellent. When I finished the glass after dinner I definitely tasted peaches, perhaps white peaches.
The next meal consisted of prepared chicken thighs with the skin on bathed in an orange, sweet and sour sauce, basmati rice, and a tomato, carrot, onion, and red and green pepper mixture that was runnier than a salsa. The Riesling was round and lightly acidic with the meat and rice and an excellent balance to the sweet and sour sauce. The wine became more acidic and not as sweet to match the "salsa". Talk about a chameleon; don't misunderstand, I'm not complaining.
The final meal was a purchased chicken pot pie with Mexican Jalepeno hot sauce. This wine was round and sweetly acidic but between you and me was really wasted on this meal. By the way, when I tried seconds without any sauce the combination wasn't as good. I was disappointed when strawberries overpowered the Riesling. Maybe they were too cold. After the meal the wine was richer on its own.
I was able to taste this Spaetlese with three imported cheeses. The first cheese was a soft, creamy French Camembert. The wine was very round and lightly acidic. While it was sweet its sweetness didn't cause any problem. Then I went to a nutty Gruyere from Switzerland. The wine became more acidic and fruity. This combination was quite nice. The third and final cheese was a German Edam; its consistency and taste were softer than the Gruyere. The tasting results were quite similar but the wine was a bit shorter when paired with the Edam cheese.
Final verdict. No doubt about it, this wine is a winner. I really didn't think that I like sweetish wine to accompany food but I changed my mind, at least for this wine. The only problem is that we don't get many Nahe wines. And given the fact that only about 1% of Nahe wines are Spaetleses, I may never see this wine again. Unless of course I have the pleasure of visiting the Nahe wine region. Ich bin bereit (I am ready).
Levi Reiss has sinced written about articles on various topics from Touring Italy, Travel and Leisure and Food and Drink. Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language communit. Levi Reiss's top article generates over 450000 views. to your Favourites.