You're not ürzgerfoolin' anyone, Gary 😉

QOTD: Brazil.

QOTD2: I don't have any good Riesling stories.

good point on the decanting. thanks.

Unfortunately, I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to Riesling. Will buy it to go with my turkey at Thanksgiving or maybe with a little Thai food, but that's about it.
QOTD- Will be pulling for the home team, USA, but come on now, let's be realistic. Argentina will take it to the bank.

Nice to see the wine and info side again, and on Rieslings you could spend 3 shows at least.

Maybe at 7/10. Are you going?

QOTD #1: Holland

QOTD #2: the von Hovel rieslings have been the wines that have convinced my allegedly non-white wine drinking friends to join the rest of us.

“Masterful.” Might look through the archives to see how often you've used that.*
I'll have to go AWOL from the local food movement to taste that bad boy. Life's to short not to break the rules once and a while.

QOTD: Heart, USA. Money: Brazil
“
*Probably not, to lazy.

Im rooting for ENGLAND!!!! My dog on the other hand, a German Shepherd, is rooting for Germany…. we'll see who wins on sunday….

Nice!

You're point system is bogus. You practically wet your pants over the Leitz describing it in a way that sounded like a phenominal experience for you and only gave it a 94. What would be a 96 or 97 then? Would you need to pass out due to excessive woodrow? You do this all the time. I'd really like to see you find a wine in that upper stratus for you just once and hear why you are so blown away. Even Parker gives latour and others 100 pts as a common occurance. Don't be afraid of a high score. You've been a jets fan too long.

The travels of RANDI!!!!!!

WAht up WAAAAAAAAAYNO!!!!!!!!!!

Bogus???? WHAAAAAAAAT????? And he's comparing you to Parker. Two insults in one sentance… NICE!!!!! Really Nice!!! That's CRAZY!!!!

100 point Riesling! Yes! For 30 bones,,,,,YES!

B2B Show and he threw a cork at the camera! My man is back!

Good, good show. Interesting to be sitting out on the deck enjoying a German Riesling and voila! here comes a show on this storied varietal. Great juice.

By the way, I understand your “nerDom” regarding highly touted/scored wines. I buy higher priced/rated wines just to see and understand what all the hoopla is about and to train my palate but since you are already there, listening to you rate the Keller is somewhat disconcerting. I love the packaging.

QOTD: Well, since we are reviewing German Rieslings, I will go with Germany to win defeating the USA (if possible due to draw) in the final.

USA! USA!

Cheers,
Dom

Very excited to see how far the US can go. I want Spain to win, but I think Argentina is going to take it. You just can't stop Higuian and Messi, they are amazing.

Danke Schoen, Gary! That's what I'm talkin' about!
While I'd already enjoyed a bit of Riesling some years into my wine experience, I didn't put any real thought or inspection into the whole varietal segment, though I knew that it spanned the globe, and was represented in every quality and price range. I just knew that I didn't really understand what it was all about. My real epiphany came only in 2001, at a Terry Theise portfolio tasting (all Germany, plus some Austria). presented by Bowling Green Dist. (who controlled half of the Theise book.thanks, Rex), at a fine seafood place, Cleveland's Blue Point Grille. To compare, side by side, such a wealth of world class, estate-grown wines was immeasurably informative, and was every bit as delicious as it was important. Of some 100 wines poured that day, my head was blown off by Kurt Darting, Herbert Kerpen, and Josef Leitz (Lights), and Willi Haag, who is no longer in the book , I think. Many of the wines there were great, but my unexperienced Riesling palate was def overwhelmed by such an incredibly broad spectrum of flavors,textures, and scents. Most wines poured were the '99's and 2000's, some '98's. When I began to sell my favorites, I'd buy a few bottles to share w/ gf/friends. When I poured the Leitz' Magdalenkreuz Spat. among 3 of us, on the first 70 degree, sunny day that year, out on the front porch, they talked, sipped, and I swear, it was like FIVE MINUTES, and my friend said “What happened to that bottle?” and I had to answer “YOU DRANK IT!! GOOD, WASN'T IT?!!” Damn, Skippy!

Love the “back to basics” miss them! Never been a big fan of Riesling I haven't found a dry one only sweets!

QOTD: U-S-A but my heart says Italy!

Sumthin's gotta give Holmes!!!!! This is not good……G man may just have to pop a cork in someones azzzzz if ya know what I'm sayin. That's how we do here in da dirty Jerz. We ain't givin no high scores to no low scorin wines heeerya now heeerya so just Fuhgeddaboudit…!!!!! ONLY da big wines be gettin da big score there Swirly. :)~

Kirchspiel is Keller’s most elegant GG. Hubacker tends to be massiv fruit forwarded, a really big boy. Morstein and Abtserde (nearly impossible to get in Germany as well) are the deepest and most complex ones. All of them combines the insane mineral structure.

Hi Gary ! Nice to see you back on the Riesling-Trip ! A few comments on this episode, which to my taste portraits a little too much of the wines found outside of Germany ! :

1) Best of the three vintages – 2009, next to 2007 (not shown) …. so essentially the result was almost apparent … (no offence ment)
2) Was about to correct the mistake – Mosel/Rheingau – Rheinhessen for the Keller Wine, when you mentioned it …
3) Schieferterrasse – translates into Schist-Terrace – which it is …. essentially
4) Alte Reben stands for – Old Vines / Vielles Vignes
5) Erstes or Großes Gewächs – a brainchild of the V.D.P. – was originally adopted from the french system – Grand Cru and Premier Cru …. but in the best german sense – they are still fighting over it …. might be more interesting than the world championship, trying to find out what it will be in the end ….
6) VDP – Verband deutscher Praedikatsweingueter or in english : Union of German Predicat-Wine Producers … trying to focus on the wines of predicat …. approx. 200 members – maybe the best german wine producers – certainly however, also the most expensive ones …. sorry to say !
7) The Keller wine showed some bubbles when you poured it – quite obviously it still has some Carbon Gas / leftovers from the fermentation – which helps to boost the flavour …. will be interesting to see what it will taste like, once this has gone – 1 to 2 years from now. …
8) Both Heymann-Loewenstein and Keller propagate spontaneous fermentation, i.e. they do not use specialized yeast cultures …. this is still a big discussion in Germany … would however take too long to mention all the pros and cons —- oh yes, and
9) It is up to 9 gramms of residual sugar for TROCKEN or dry Wines …. depending also a bit upon the acidity ….

I would be tempted to send you a few really interesting wines – from small producers – which you might never have heard of …. but then again … who would they ever reach you ….

So thanks again – for this nice episode ! It was worth staying up …. but I have to quit now …. after all it is 4:00 am ….

Cheers and all the best – from the Rheingau ;-))

CJ

Waynooo and Castello are in it together…

p.s. Here's an experiment……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Great show – just what you, Gary (and we), needed.

QOTD: obviously want the U.S. to win but not really realistic. Spain is my favorite of the real contenders but as much as I hate to say it it looks like it's Brazil's to lose. And not to be harsh but there were some silly comments below, Italy has been knocked out since yesterday and was pretty much down and out since their tie with New Zealand. Take a break from whatever it is that you people are doing and watch some World Cup!! It only happens every four years. Interesting to see all the answers with Argentina though, I wouldn't mind that.

Tell'em Glen and Wino!!!

I think giving it a 94 and being an amazing wine is great. There are too many wines scored 90+ nowadays. Just like dude said, Parker gives out hundreds like a greasy school teacher. GV is making them work for that score. Keep doing your shit, Gary!

I agree… Whenever I am judging beers, which can be just as complicated and actually are proven to have more aroma and flavor components than wine (esp. flavor), I have hardly EVER given a beer a 40 ANYTHING!! This is the equivalent of a 90 anything in the wine rating scale…
Even beers that KNOCK MY FREAKIN' SOCKS OFF, and are almost PERFECT “for the style”, usually only get into the high 30's… MAYBE (if the entire panel is in agreement) it'll get into the low 40's.
Admittedly my wine judging is not as accute, but the principle remains the same… the entries have to EARN their scores…