A Master Sommelier From Germany Stops By To Talk Wine

A Master Sommelier From Germany Stops By To Talk Wine – Episode #605

January 7, 2009

Master Sommelier Hendrik Thoma from Germany stops by and chats wine, german wine and shows us his great personality.

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Comments on this episode(423) Leave a comment ›

“I missed the favorite song question at the end there. ,…” by Bob78
“Terrific episode. Great guest, great Bulava video tacked on at the en…” by Daria Kushmelyn
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Wines tasted in this episode:

1992 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Spatlese RieslingGerman Riesling
2007 Cartagena GewurtztraminerOther Chilean White Wine
2006 Becker Pinot NoirOther German Varieties
2006 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling AusleseGerman Riesling

Links mentioned in today’s episode.

If you want to contact Hendrik

423 Responses

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January 9, 2009

nelsonmaud
wow just read corkd was hacked on tech crunch sorry to hear :>(
January 9, 2009

billyg
Best guest ever.

QOTD: Yes it could be done, but unlikely. Maybe in a box at an equivalent of $8/bottle.
January 9, 2009

HuskerJamie
Wow, awesome show guys. I’d say probably no way to make an $8 wine above 93 points.

There’s no way the academy snubs “Great Moments in Throwing Stuff” right?
January 9, 2009

thisIslandEarth
One of the best most enjoyable WLTV episodes of all time! Herr Thoma was awesome. You guys were great together.
Mott – awesome. C’mon Vayniacs – don’t you just want to give Mott a hugg?

p.s. Sorry Mott – Eagles beat Giants this week in my upset special.
January 9, 2009

Andy
QOTD- It can be done……. Mass produced and good quality fruit and steel fermintation .
January 9, 2009

Sharon
Hey, that was a GREAT episode. Totally enjoyed your guest, who brought out the wine nerd in Gary, which I enjoy too!
QOTD: Nope
January 9, 2009

ChrisR
WOW!!! An instant classic. Absolutely looovvveeeee Hendrik, a sensational guest! You should definitely pay for his ticket to come on once a month. This is a phenomenal way to begin 2009!

So happy to hear you guys talk about old riesling. I had the privilege of trying a 22-year-old riesling spatlese when I graduated college, and it blew everyone’s socks off. Ridiculous how good it was! If anyone out in the Vayner nation is sitting on some 10+ year-old ries, they are one smart cookie!!
January 9, 2009

Nicholas Lazarus
Classic episode! Fantastic guest!

QOTD: Not from my experience, at least not in this part of the world.
January 9, 2009

Ryan
Great show. Loved the guest.
January 9, 2009

CaseyLee
Was für eine großartige Gast! Dies war eine gute Show
die nur Deutsch Wein ive hatte, war ein reisling…nichts Lust
HES, sondern ein cooler Typ nicht ganz sicher über das Ding um den Hals
aber immer noch eine gute Bewertung. Dank Gary!!!
\/\/
January 9, 2009

Bernhard K. Austria
I know it is possible to produce wines which make a lot of fun to drink around 5€!
But just the wine!
No bottle No Closing No Labels… Than It is possible! Great episode! Cheers Bernhard K.
January 9, 2009

Higs
Hendrink ist sehr gute guest! Excellent show. I enjoyed some German wines about twenty years ago in Rudesheim after a Rhine river cruise while serving in the Army. Germany is a beautiful country with great wines. qotd: great? maybe not great for eight bones.
tchuse!
January 9, 2009

AMM3RD
I love the video at the end!!! AMM
January 9, 2009

Weston
Great Episode you two need to work together more often.

QOTD:
The real question is it possible to make great wine for under 5 euros and make money off of it. Well I guess it depends on the land cost if you are paying cheap land costs then Yeah it would be easier. and Whites are always easier then making a red for cheap So I guess in theory it is possible. But generally I say you do get what you pay for (excluding name regonition) it takes money to get low yields to hand pick and hand sort fruit unless you are getting cheap illegal work then your under 5 euro is being made illegally and not just not fair.

Peace~
January 9, 2009

Michael
Thanks Gary. What a great show! Hendrik is such a cool guy! Unfortunately American TV and cinema usually portray Germans as dry and angry. That is not true and Hendrik is a good example.

Boy, it is REALLY hard to find good wine under $8. The only wine I recall which was around $6 four-five years ago was the 2001(?) Di Majo Norante Sangiovese, which I ranked 88-89 points.

Keep up the good work Gary.
January 9, 2009

CW
Ja ja, Tolle Show ! So Germany is a good example of the unter 5 euro Frage. If you live close to where the wine is made, then the answer is yes. If you go to some winemaker’s websites on Mosel, especially small producers, you can find some amazing declassified Kabinetten for under 5 euros. Once they get here we’re on to about 15-16 euro. The real question is… can quality grapes, skill, materials and shipping (tax!) add up to a quality wine for 5 euro. It can, but it is the exception to the rule.

re cheap Pinot, it is still possible to get a $18-19 Pinot Noir from Oregon that is all the things Pinot should be, but it helps to be in Oregon (I’m not . Bitte besuchen wir einmal und einmal
January 9, 2009

Grant
Yes, it is possible to make a very good (perhaps not great) wine for $8. Here is my challenge on this point: Get a bottle of Marquis de Monistrol rose brut cava. Mix it is blind tasting of not totally bone dry rose sparkling wines and see how you rate it. Or try it with some carmenere bottles, like the “lowly” Terra Andina from Chile. Or certain “basic” level malbecs from Argentina. It can be done. Unfortunately, though, you often have to taste a lot of frogs to find a princess, but it can be done – whatever your particular stylistic and varietal preferences. As long as you do not confine “very good” to mean very complex (which is really a different thing), there some very good wines at or below the $8 level.
January 9, 2009

jimmy
great episode, love learning more about wines from that part of the world.

under $8? hrm, i just got some quaffable ‘04 bordeaux online for $5.98 a bottle. deals are there to be had!
January 9, 2009

Trevor G
QOTD: I’ve had some killer Cava bubbly that I grabbed for under 8 bucks.
January 9, 2009

CHICAGO MARK
VERY GOOD SHOW…START TO FINISH…UNDER $8 ? IVE YET TO FIND ONE. PROBABLY NEVER WILL…THEN AGAIN I DONT MIND ALAMOS MALBEC OR WOLFTRAPP.
January 9, 2009

dz
While watching the national championship game last night we had a bottle of the 04 Ch. Ste. Michelle entry level cab($10 or $9 if you buy 6 at Vons) along with the 05 Picampeau,05 Pontac Lynch,98 Tertre Daugay and it more than held its own. While all the wines tasted completely different they were all equally excellent and complemented my grilled steaks to a tee. I first had this wine by the glass($15 ouch!) at Smith & Wollensky in Manhattan on New Years Eve and was amazed. A decent inexpensive Chardonnay I tried recently was the 06 Chalone for $7. Its not too sweet or vanilla flavored which makes it a rarity these days.
January 9, 2009

Rick E
Hey Starsky and Hutch, this was hands down the best episode I’ve ever watched (and I’ve been on board since the launch). It’s the most comfortable I’ve ever seen GV with a guest, and the banter seemed totally organic as well as informative.

Love the spirited debates on flavors (”What you mean, soap?”)

Can’t wait to describe my next German white as having honey and apples, and next red with cherries and minerals.

Truly interesting comment about German winemakers not making money off of the highly sought after ausleses, and perhaps even downgrading berenausleses in order to sell.

And “taking the knickers by storm” has been officially introduced into my go-to lexicon.

Echoing everyone else’s sentiments, you need to make Herr Thoma the Alec Baldwin to your SNL.

QOTD: I do think you can make a good (not great) wine under $8. See Finca Luzon from Spain and Berco Do Infante from Portugal…
January 9, 2009

Franky
hendrik is a great guy. rieslings rocks. thanks for show from berlin
January 9, 2009

Lady Baltimore
Hendrik and Gary have great energy together. Loved the humor and the way they had different viewpoints. Really great episode.
The vid at the end was hilarious! Thanks, Mott!
If anyone can make a great wine under $8, I’ll buy it!
January 9, 2009

SurfCityJay
You brought the THUNDER with this episode… Hendrik was great… REEEEEEEAAAAAALLLL passion, I mean BOATLOADS….wish we could of heard who he was with in Napa… Im sure there’ some great stories there…

You should try to get 2-3 other Somms from around the globe.. it would be great to see/hear their stories and see their passion…

Oh, and the JohnB video was great too… saw it the other day via Twitter…

QOTD: great wine for under 8 bones… possible, highly improbable…

2009 is going to be a GREAT year… thanks!