My first wine experiences were with German white wines…..I have enjoyed them since the late sixties….one of my favorites is Burg Layer SchloBkapelle Spatlese….My favorite grape is Cabernet Sauvignon….Looking forward to the live show tomorrow…

Gary…….. You just brought me back to Summer of 1962 Heidelberg,Germany on the terrace of the Old Castle overlooking the Neckar River. Drinking chilled Riesling, 50 cents for a large 12 oz glass. No pains after a few of these. I liked the wine better than the beer; and the beer was fantastic. You certianly reminded me just how delicious German wines are.
Maybe…..just maybe; if you need a little break from vacation you could do a couple of shows.

Gary…….. You just brought me back to Summer of 1962 Heidelberg,Germany on the terrace of the Old Castle overlooking the Neckar River. Drinking chilled Riesling, 50 cents for a large 12 oz glass. No pains after a few of these. I liked the wine better than the beer; and the beer was fantastic. You certianly reminded me just how delicious German wines are.
Maybe…..just maybe; if you need a little break from vacation you could do a couple of shows.

Great episode-will have to pick up a couple of these. One of my patients brought me back a riesling from his family’s estate in Germany. I’ll have to try it this weekend
QOD-Presently, I’m addicted to Zin(actually, allways have been) and Grenache blends. Also love Alsatian Gewurztraminers.

Great show!! So many items you covered today. First of all, when you were talking about the Reinhold’s color, I think you compared it to Hulk Hogan’s locks(hair)…which you called gorgeous. Yikes.

Does Jolly Rancher make a pineapple flavor? Life Savers does. I like it. I think it’s in the tropical flavor roll.

While you’re on vacation…any chance you can just pre-tape a few shows…just a couple a week. Do only one bottle per show. Or any chance you’d be willing to let one of the WL staffers do some guest spots? Just a thought.

QOD: Grapes I’ve been recently into…over the summer I drank a lot of Albarinos and Gruner Veltliners. Perfect for warm weather. I need a new winter grape varietal to get into.

See you tomorrow at 4:30!

I may have been sitting next to Sal in Heidelberg enjoying wine from the same cask. But we would then go down to the Red Lion in the late afternoon to enjoy the suds with a brat. Enjoy the vacation Gary, we will live w/o WLTV for a few days. That will make your return even more special.

take some time off man.. enjoy being with your family!

the vayniacs will be here when you get back.

La Chiam

Great episode – I have tried the Johann Haart Piesporter and the Wegler Estate lately and have enjoed both. Question – how long can you put down (celler) a Riesling?

Dan in Kansas

I might actually have to open that bottle of 05 German Riesling I’ve been holding on to. Nice episode! Everbody seems so into the 2005 vintage, I’m suprised it took you this long to do this episode. I think I’m generally more in Alsace Rieslings than German ones, but I have some more exploring to do.

I’m drinking:

2004 Twenty Bench Cab (This is the best under $15 bottle I’ve ever had!!!! I can’t stop drinking it)

I might actually have to open that bottle of 05 German Riesling I’ve been holding on to. Nice episode! Everbody seems so into the 2005 vintage, I’m suprised it took you this long to do this episode. I think I’m generally more in Alsace Rieslings than German ones, but I have some more exploring to do.

I’m drinking:

2004 Twenty Bench Cab (This is the best under $15 bottle I’ve ever had!!!! I can’t stop drinking it)

Big G your heading down to my end of the world. If your anywhere near Tampa we would LOVE to have you over. QOTD…I have been big into Bordeaux for the past few months.

What a profound effort! Gary keeps delivering the goods day after day. Another Great Episode!!!

Thank You, Thank You for showing us these great wines.

GaryV in front of our eyes is becoming the Anthony Bourdain of the Wine world.

QOTD: currently diggin Shiraz / Syrah.

Enjoy your VAY-KAY-SHUN!

I like Kahuna’s idea…
If you feel up to it, Iron Man, do several pre-taped one-bottle episodes. We will still love you if you don’t, but it’s like a drug, we need our VAY-NER-FIX!

Gary you are a nut! I can see you played a fair amount of Quarters in college. (Well maybe not because you couldn’t find enough people that wanted to chug wine 😀 )

Great show. While I listened, I opened the Terrior Blog in another tab and read the piece on sugar in German wines. What a great tie-in today.

I’ve been building my shopping list for about a week now, and I think the Von Hovel just rounded out my case.

QOTD: I am addicted to Rhone blends and Shiraz. However…I have been on a serious Sauvignon Blanc kick lately…thanks to you having me put three bottles of Vavasour in my cart.

Congrats (prospectively) on the much-needed vacation. I hope you completely check out, unplug (intended Matrix reference), and just enjoy time with your wife and family. Cheers!

On reading a German Riesling label: If you’re looking for dry Rieslings look for the word Trocken on the label. It means dry. For off-dry look for Halbtrocken. Therefore, a Spatlese Trocken will be a dry wine.

However, don’t get Trocken or Halbtrocken confused with Trockenbeerenauslese. That’s the sweetest and most expensive German Riesling. The German equivalent of a Yquem Sauterne.

http://www.germanwineestates.com/understanding_german_wine_labels.htm

Herr Opheim,
There are 6 really if you’re talking about sweetness, which from less to more is as follows -> Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein, and Trockenbeerenauslese. The trocks are amazing, few things can be so sweet and so good. For pronounciation, you can’t really due Kabinett injustice. Spätlese is really Schp-ate-lay-zuh (I missed the umlaut before) – Beerenauslese is Bear-in-ows-lay-zuh (ows is like meows less me) – Eiswein is Ice-Vine – The Trocken is -> just add Trocken (say it with your best NJ accent) to the aforemetioned Beerenauslese. The tenet the assures teh sweetness or ripeness of the grapes into the above categories is Qualitätsweine mit Prädikat. Say Kval-ee-tates-vine-eh mit Pray-dee-cot. Now we can all speak german.

Great episode! I’ve loved German Rieslings since my senior year in college when I took a winetasting course. It was a science credit! I remember tasting Kabinets Spatleses, Ausleses and a Trockenbeerenauslese that cost $180 way back in 1979, WOW! Basically, I like any wine that I can pair with food. That includes Gruner Veltliners from Austria, NZ Sauvignon Blancs, Italian wines from Piedmont (Barolos, Barberas, Barbarescos), Tuscany (Chiantis and Brunellos), and Sicily (Nero d’Avola) and of course French Wines. I’m also finding that there are some very nice wines from Long Island and the Finger Lakes.

Is the ’05 Gerwurstrameiner (however the hell you spell it) vintage in Germany as good as Reisling?

Gary- Super episode. I’m trying some Riesling lately and like mine toward the Kabinett end of the sweetness. If you are gone for two weeks or less, don’t tape shows, just take a vacation.

QOD- Monastrell/Mourvedre. Rustic for the winter.

Great episode. I love Rieslings, too.

QOD – I don’t think it qualifies as an addiction, but my wife & I hosted a tasting party in which everybody had to bring a really (or relatively) obscure varietal. The one recommended to me by my local wine shop was a Petit Courbu from Les Jardins de Bouscasse. Fantastic white wine, and totally unexpected – sweet yet solid, with lemon and sugar. I’ve since bought some others for our own collection.

That was an awesome cork toss/bounce and an awesome show.

QOTD – Right now, I’m into those NZ pinot noirs you turned me onto last week (Blackridge), but I’m also just getting into some Spanish wines…had the Alto Almanzor Este last night and will try the Ercavio, Cleo, Finca Sandoval, and Tierres de Luna soon.

It would be cool to do a remote show while you’re away, but won’t Liz kill you?? Have a good time without the Vayniacs on your vacation and don’t think about us. Rest, relax, refresh, then restart another strong run of episodes.

Thanks so much for all you do. I’m learning a lot.

BTW does Erik’s announcement tomorrow have anything to do with the countdown???????

Gary,
This might be my favorite week of WLTV. You are absolutely killing it. Your themes have been awesome. There has not been one “Today Gary tastes 4 wines” episode. Every day has been educational. It looks like you prepared and got it together more so then your last Riesling episode. I am LOVING IT!

QOTD: I am hooked on riesling. I constantly drink it. I am not a part of ABC, because that is all the people in my family like to drink, but riesling is my favorite. I do think that Cali. Chard can be profound, but just at a price point that I don’t like (but thankfully my parents do).
By the way, you mentioned Australia, New Zealand, California, and Washington as the New World producers putting out good riesling. How about the Finger Lakes my man? Hermann Wiemer’s rieslings kill any other New World producer in my opinion.

In terms of taking some time off, go for it. Maybe a couple of farewell episodes would be nice, but you do deserve a break. It will make the Vayniacs remember how much we appreciate you.

I love Rieslings! My family heritage traces back to Alsace. People who don’t like Reislings or haven’t tried one it is okay with me…I am glad there is more Riesling left for me!

I have to say… I’ll miss you while you are gone (as will my daughters), so I would love to have you tape some episodes. How about having Eric do some tastings…or some other guest taster!

The thing I am into right now…hmm…I have learned to really appreciate PORT…thanks to winelibrary TV!

Have a GREAT VACATION!

remember these wines are great now but theese are also KILLER WINES AT15 YEARS OLD!! So buy some to try over a long period of time.

QOTD: Sangiovese