Category: Wine moments and opinions

Posted on

Sunday visit to Schloss Biebrich in the Rheingau

Yesterday, we’ve been to Schloss Biebrich near the city of Wiesbaden in the Rheingau region. The weather was beautiful. There was also a horse riding event going on in the palace gardens, so the place was quite busy.

Schloss Biebrich in Wiesbaden, Rheingau

The palace itself is one of the most popular Baroque residences along the Rhine river. It was designed by architect Julius Ludwig Rothweil and finished in the early 1700s.

After a walk through the park we decided to enjoy the scenery along the river, where I also found a wine tasting stand. The winery servicing the stand yesterday was Weingut Frosch. I was quite pleased with their off-dry 2021 Riesling Spätlese Kostheimer Weiß Erd. Refreshingly fruity with a mild acidity it was an instant pleaser in the hot early-Summer sun.

2021 Weingut Frosch Riesling Spätlese Kostheimer Weiß Erd

Back home I was inspired to open another Rheingau Riesling. You’ll find my tasting note of the 2013 August Kesseler Rüdesheim Riesling here.

Enjoying a Rheingau Riesling along the Rhine river
Posted on

Late 80s Bordeaux delivered from France

A handful of late 80s Bordeaux wines arrived at the cellar today. Also a few more recent ones, such as the 2015 Château d’Aiguilhe, which supposedly is a wonderful “value” Bordeaux, and the 2016 Closerie Saint Roc. Finally, Dominique Lafon makes an appearance with his Bourgogne Aligoté.

I will taste most of these at some point during the year, hopefully in the company of good friends and family, so stay tuned.

Late 80s Bordeaux wines
Posted on

Tasting at Weingut Nik Weis St. Urbans-Hof

We had lots of fun at Nik Weis’ St. Urbans-Hof winery in Leiwen at the Mosel today. Thank you for the very friendly service and excellent wine tasting! 🤗 Nik Weis and his team produce elegant Rieslings — dry, off-dry, and sweet — which are typical of the region. They not only have vineyards at the Mosel but also at the Saar west of Trier.

Posted on

Spanish wines at Hotel-Restaurant Blume in Baden-Baden

This evening, we’ve been to the lovely Hotel and Restaurant Blume in Sandweier, Baden-Baden. Outstanding food, local and handmade. 👍 Lamb salad, lamb chops with ratatouille, venison goulash with cranberries and handmade spaetzle. Crème brûlée and mousse au chocolat. With the main course, we had a Tempranillo Crianza from Ribera del Duero by Miguel Torres. After dinner, a short tasting of two Spanish white wines, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo, both from José Pariente.

Posted on

“Nikolaus” Dinner with Burgundy and Bordeaux

It’s been another nice advent evening with the family, homemade French food, and good wines! We started off with the Marie Ambal Rosé Crémant de Bourgogne by Veuve Ambal. Fine acidity and sweet strawberries. It was easy-going as an aperitif and paired well with a hot onion soup.

The main course was boeuf bourguignon, served with a red bordeaux, the 2015 Château Brun. This château from Saint Émilion may be relatively unknown, but it has been in family ownership since 1571. Today, it works with the oenologist Gilles Paquet, whose former clients include Château Ausone and Château Cheval Blanc.

Marie Ambal Rosé Crémant de Bourgogne by Veuve Ambal
Posted on

Two wonderful wines with dinner yesterday

It was a wonderful evening with the family, good food and two great wines. The 2007 Knipser Spätburgunder Reserve was a complex aged pinot noir that showed plenty of secondary and tertiary aromas but still had some red fruit to offer. Excellent! I think it could even age for a few more years, although it is perfect to enjoy now – DM93. The 2018 Markus Molitor Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett (Goldkapsel) was just lots of fun to round up the evening with the cheese dessert. Molitor Kabinett Rieslings are amongst our favourites, and the Ürziger Würzgarten in particular is one of my goto Mosel plots. The clue is in the name: Wines from the “spice garden” benefit from the red volcanic stones that can be found here, revealing delicate spices that go well with the freshness of German Riesling and the sweetness of a Kabinett. Yummy!

2007 Knipser Spätburgunder Reserve und 2018 Markus Molitor Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett (Goldkapsel)