The Vineyard

[Night Hides Not]

I love wine: talking about it, drinking it, visiting wineries, etc. My first real exposure to wine was during my tour in Germany, from 77-81. My unit was 6th Battalion, 56th ADA (motto: Night Hides Not). Our mission was airbase defense at Bitburg, Spangdahlem, and Hahn AB's. I was at Hahn for two years (Charlie Battery), and Spangdahlem for two years (Battalion HQ). Being stationed at Hahn afforded me the opportunity to live off base, and the Mosel River was only 12 miles away. I found an apartment in Traben-Trarbach, where I would live for nearly four years.



During the summer, I would spend my weekends driving up and down the Mosel in search of a weinfest...usually there would be at least a couple every weekend. During my last year, I found the best time to go was on Monday nights, after the tourists had left.

I hope this thread will be inviting to one and all. The wine industry is unbelievably diverse, and I probably know less than 1% of what a typical sommelier knows. I'm aware of the major varietals, but that's about it. I simply enjoy visiting wineries, and kicking back.  Although my "retirement" is likely to be postponed, my vacation and weekend time will be available for visits to Fredericksburg, or for longer trips to Napa, Roseburg OR (Umpqua Valley AVA), and other regions.

"My" winery is the Lost Oak Winery in Burleson, TX. I've been a member there for a bit over two years. Not only do they produce award winning wines, but they are family friendly with a dizzying array of activities.

http://www.lostoakwinery.com/

[mountaineer]

Thanks for starting this thread, NHN!  I took a wine course in culinary school and am far from expert, despite consuming as many fine wines as time, money and sobriety have permitted.

I've visited a few vineyards in Germany, France and Spain, and try to purchase regional wines when I can (and if they're not too sweet.

I'd love it if folks made recommendations for good wines they've run across, both red and white -  particularly in the "under $15" and "under $25" categories.

Personally, I like a good Malbec or Zinfandel with steak, but otherwise am more of a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio fan.

[madmaximus]

I love a good dry red. I don't care for the really sweet wines. I prefer dry, red wines. Also love beer.

[mountaineer]

I also prefer dry whites, which seems to leave out a lot of German wines. However, many folks will recommend a Gewurztraminer to accompany spicy foods, e.g., hot Thai cuisine.

What has been your experience, NightHidesNot, in your Mosel travels? As an aside, I'm trying to get my hands on Weingut St. Urbans-Hof Riesling, which is a favorite of a friend who hasn't been able to find it around here.

[geronl]

My only exposure to wine is this


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdgKkjM4DTs

wine... wino... it's similar! 

[Night Hides Not]

I also prefer dry whites, which seems to leave out a lot of German wines. However, many folks will recommend a Gewurztraminer to accompany spicy foods, e.g., hot Thai cuisine.

What has been your experience, NightHidesNot, in your Mosel travels? As an aside, I'm trying to get my hands on Weingut St. Urbans-Hof Riesling, which is a favorite of a friend who hasn't been able to find it around here.

My experience?  It's all good. Not very helpful, I know. lol

Try a bottle that has "Trocken" on the label. That signifies a dry wine. I've found Riesling from the Alsace region to be drier than Mosel.

I'm partial to Piersporter Michelsberg, because it gets a bad rap. I call it the "Walmart of the Mosel", but it meets the German government's standards for classification as a Spatlese or an Auslese. Although I'm sure pros like sommeliers can distinguish between that and, for example, an Urziger Wurzgarten, I can buy a Piesporter Auslese at the local store for less than $15 (sometimes a Spatlese will be priced at less than $10), while an Urziger will be priced between $30-$50.

For those who enjoy sweeter wines, I have become enamored with Rieslings produced in the Texas High Plains AVA. During a recent stop at the Llano Estacado winery in Lubbock, their 2014 Riesling was as pleasing to my palate as any similar Mosel vintage I've tasted. My winery (Lost Oak) makes their Rieslings from grapes produced in the Texas High Plains. Summers in North Texas are not meant for Rieslings.

Why is Urzig pricier? Compare the terroir with the Wurzgarten vineyards vs. Michelsberg:





Over 2/3 of the grapes in Urzig (and many locations on the Mosel) are grown at slopes greater than 60 degrees. Everything has to be done by hand.

As a result of my four wonderful years of living near there (I drove through Urzig every work day), I have developed a deep admiration and respect for all viticulturalists and winemakers. If I come across a winery that produces an inferior product, I simply remain mute.

[Night Hides Not]

I love a good dry red. I don't care for the really sweet wines. I prefer dry, red wines. Also love beer.

Hey, I love beer, too!  lol

My favorite of all time remains Konigsbacher, from Koblenz. Regrettably, they don't export to the US, but Shiner, Ziegenbock, and Rahr breweries fill the void.

It's not just the beer, but the memories. We took our platoon on a tour of the brewery, thanks to my Platoon Sergeant's wife. After the tour, we were fed a complete meal, and drank free beer for 3 hours, until closing time. Their restaurant serves bock beer daily, and it has a beautiful view of the Rhine river.



Here's a chart that I found helpful, and it includes whites:

[Night Hides Not]

I've been looking at a few wine blogs, to obtain a few ideas on where to take this thread. To date, a vision hasn't grabbed me yet. I'm ok with a meandering thread, though.

In the interim, I came across an aroma chart that could come in handy.

[sinkspur]

Well, this is great. I am a wine afficionado and have been for my entire adult life (48 years).  From  Blue Nun, to Riunite, from cheap Gallos to Mateus, I graduated to Germans and sweet California whites.

I was bowled over when I first tasted a  French St. Estephe quite by accident at a dinner.  How rich!  I could almost chew it!

Still like whites, but, having visited California, and France and Italy and sampled light Pinots and big heavy Tuscans, I'm mostly a red wine fan now.  Nothing like a Cabernet from the Stags Leap area of California with a steak!

My wife and I have been into Pinot Noirs lately, and have settled on Oregon as producing some of the best domestically.  Drilling down even further, the whole cluster Pinots, such as this one:



are really our favorites.   The entire cluster of grapes, including the stems, are thrown into fermentation.  This produces a richer, deeper, smoother wine and also, interestingly enough, reduces the alcohol content which improves the overall flavor (and you can drink more!

I hope to come here often.  We drink a little wine every day, and love to try new ones.   

If you want a Pinot that tastes nearly like a Zin, try Meomi.  Price is anywhere from $15-20, but it is so good. 

As a treat for a special occasion, for you Zinfandel lovers look for wines from The Prisoner Winery:

https://www.theprisonerwinecompany.com/index.cfm?

We've tried the Prisoner (pricey at around $45) and Saldo ($26 ).  Both are some of the best wine we've ever tasted.  The legs on the glass after swirling are many, so the alcohol content is high.  But I can only afford one bottle, so that's OK.

As with cigars, a good wine is any wine you like.

[EC]

Every summer I was home, we'd load the kids in the car the Friday night that school ended and head off to the south of Italy to see the in-laws. It's a 1500 mile trip (1500.7 miles, door to door, in fact) by our route, so we'd have two stops en route.

Stop one was in the Saone valley in France. We had friends with a hotel/restaurant there, in a little town called Tournus in the heart of Burgundy, that we would always stay in. Marilise and Christophe (guy had a Michelin star, FFS) would shut the restaurant for the night and we'd catch up over a brilliant meal and about a gallon of the local red - Beaujolais Macon. It's one which is better aged for several years and is so ridiculously rich you can almost cut the bouquet.

The following day, it'd be through the mountains to the Valle d'Aosta. We'd often stop at Susa or Oulx, but in later years (when the kids were big enough to sit in the car for the extra 2 hours) we'd stop just outside Asti for the night. The wife would dive eagerly into a glass of the spumante. Me - a Barolo first, to unwind from the drive, then a couple of glasses of Barbera with the best damned steak outside of Texas.

[Night Hides Not]

Well, this is great. I am a wine afficionado and have been for my entire adult life (48 years).  From  Blue Nun, to Riunite, from cheap Gallos to Mateus, I graduated to Germans and sweet California whites.

I was bowled over when I first tasted a  French St. Estephe quite by accident at a dinner.  How rich!  I could almost chew it!

Still like whites, but, having visited California, and France and Italy and sampled light Pinots and big heavy Tuscans, I'm mostly a red wine fan now.  Nothing like a Cabernet from the Stags Leap area of California with a steak!

My wife and I have been into Pinot Noirs lately, and have settled on Oregon as producing some of the best domestically.  Drilling down even further, the whole cluster Pinots, such as this one:



are really our favorites.   The entire cluster of grapes, including the stems, are thrown into fermentation.  This produces a richer, deeper, smoother wine and also, interestingly enough, reduces the alcohol content which improves the overall flavor (and you can drink more!

I hope to come here often.  We drink a little wine every day, and love to try new ones.   

If you want a Pinot that tastes nearly like a Zin, try Meomi.  Price is anywhere from $15-20, but it is so good. 

As a treat for a special occasion, for you Zinfandel lovers look for wines from The Prisoner Winery:

https://www.theprisonerwinecompany.com/index.cfm?

We've tried the Prisoner (pricey at around $45) and Saldo ($26 ).  Both are some of the best wine we've ever tasted.  The legs on the glass after swirling are many, so the alcohol content is high.  But I can only afford one bottle, so that's OK.

As with cigars, a good wine is any wine you like.

Keep bringing it sinkspur, great stuff!

I was born in Oregon City, a stone's throw from the Willamette, although I am now a naturalized Texan.

While doing research for future installments, I spent an hour on Southern Oregon and the AVAs down there. I was ready to hop in my car and drive there! We barely scratched the surface during our last visit to Roseburg, Oregon two years ago. There's roughly two dozen wineries there, and we visited five over a two day period.

I'm also planning to take a couple of days off in the next couple weeks, to make a solo trip down to the Hill Country. My son will be in Band Camp then, and my wife had her vacation last month with her family in Orlando. I don't do that trip anymore, too much drama whenever she and a few of her sisters are in the same zip code.

Feel free to pass on any ideas on winery reviews. I'm looking for unique categories, i.e. best family friendly winery, best adults only winery, etc. I'll be upfront in saying that my reviews will only be positive. We all know how difficult it is to grow grapes and make wine, and I remember my experience from living on the Mosel, where 2/3 of the grapes are grown on slopes of 60 degrees or more.

[sinkspur]

I can attest that Becker Vineyards makes a really good Cabernet-Syrah.  Here are two must-visit wineries:

http://www.winespectator.com/wct/region/id/texas-hill-country-wineries

Becker's on this list too; don't know anything about any of the others

http://www.austinrelocationguide.com/5-Hill-Country-Wineries-to-Visit/

My favorite Texas winery is Llano Estacado, but it's in the Cap Rock area in Lubbock

https://www.llanowine.com/

For a pure party wine, for guests, I've gotten lots of compliments on St. Genevieve's Chardonnay and Cabernet:

http://www.stegenwines.com/wines/ste_genevieve.html

[Night Hides Not]

I can attest that Becker Vineyards makes a really good Cabernet-Syrah.  Here are two must-visit wineries:

http://www.winespectator.com/wct/region/id/texas-hill-country-wineries

Becker's on this list too; don't know anything about any of the others

http://www.austinrelocationguide.com/5-Hill-Country-Wineries-to-Visit/

My favorite Texas winery is Llano Estacado, but it's in the Cap Rock area in Lubbock

https://www.llanowine.com/

For a pure party wine, for guests, I've gotten lots of compliments on St. Genevieve's Chardonnay and Cabernet:

http://www.stegenwines.com/wines/ste_genevieve.html

We stopped at Llano Estacado about six weeks ago. GPS Warning: it's about two miles east of where the GPS said it was...weird. From now on, every trip we make to El Paso (in-laws) will include a detour to Llano and/or Bingham Family Vineyards. The latter has a relationship with Lost Oak Winery in Burleson, they make their whites from Bingham's grapes. It's way too hot in North Texas for anything but the hardiest red wine grapes.

During our visit, they had three wines on sale for $6 a bottle. I bought a gewürztraminer and a rose, plus a bottle of their 2014 Riesling...spent $21.

Lost Oak is one of the most family friendly wineries you could ever find. We really enjoy the movie nights they have during the summer, where they show old favorites such as Finding Nemo, Lion King, etc. I've been a member a bit over two years.

Thanks for the links, it will help narrow my itinerary.

BTW, I'm putting together a list of locations to visit. Not a bucket list, though...I'm really not into that.

Grand Junction, CO: two dozen wineries, several with views of the Colorado River.
Davis Mountain, TX: way out in the boondocks/off the beaten path.
Moab, UT: the views HAVE to be spectacular.
Southern Oregon: dozens of wineries, smack dab between Napa and the Willamette Valley.
Roseburg: an hour north of Medford, we've been to several.
Naturally, there are many places in CA and WA to see. I do remember a couple of small, family vineyards on the route to Yosemite. We stopped at one and had a nice relaxing visit on the way to Yosemite.

To be continued...

[Night Hides Not]

My daughter and I discovered a really nice wine for everyday sipping. At Lost Oak, they call it Rosa Blanca, and I picked up a bottle of Grenache Rose at Llano Estacado. A very pleasant wine that's not too sweet nor too dry.

The bottle I picked up at Llano was in their bargain bin for $6...before their military discount.  With our member discount at Lost Oak, I think we paid about $11 for the Rosa Blanca.

I still prefer Riesling, but my inventory has spiked a bit over the past few weeks. My 8 bottle cooler is full, and there's another case in the wine rack. It's about 50/50 whites and reds.

[mountaineer]

We attended a "BYOB" dinner with some old friends a few months ago. We took a pinot noir and a sauvignon blanc. They offered their favorite Riesling and explained how someone had given them several bottles, this was their last one and they hadn't been able to find it anywhere. Glad to say I've found it for them at a Pennsylvania state wine and spirits store (the "premium selection" one in Pittsburgh that has a fairly large, high quality wine selection). It's a Mosel Riesling - Weingut St. Urbans-Hof. A little sweet for my taste and a little more than I generally spend, but it feels good to be able to repay them just a little for their kindness.  ^-^

[Night Hides Not]

We attended a "BYOB" dinner with some old friends a few months ago. We took a pinot noir and a sauvignon blanc. They offered their favorite Riesling and explained how someone had given them several bottles, this was their last one and they hadn't been able to find it anywhere. Glad to say I've found it for them at a Pennsylvania state wine and spirits store (the "premium selection" one in Pittsburgh that has a fairly large, high quality wine selection). It's a Mosel Riesling - Weingut St. Urbans-Hof. A little sweet for my taste and a little more than I generally spend, but it feels good to be able to repay them just a little for their kindness.  ^-^

I just checked out their website. If/when I make it back to Germany, I'll need to devote a week to visit the wineries I've put on a list.  I knew that area like the back of my hand.

Here's their section on their vineyards in Goldtropfchen, an area that I knew well. IIRC, Piesport was about a 20 minute drive from my apartment in Traben-Trarbach. It was no secret that our quarterly Hails and Farewells were held within a 15-20 minute drive from my apartment. The after-party gatherings were memorable, and my landlord and his family loved it, including Oma.  IIRC, the first one sealed the deal with the spouses. We had it in a beautiful restaurant overlooking the Mosel.

The parcels in the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen are among the stoniest and craggiest of the entire Goldtröpfchen vineyard. The rugged nature of the terrain is one reason why they were not included in previous official plot reallocations. As a result one can find many ungrafted vines from hundreds of years ago.

Winegrowing here has a special atmosphere: the rays of sunlight reflect off the Mosel, bathing the entire site in a warm, glittering light. The heavy, clayey slate soils offer plentiful water and warmth to the vines, with the dark slate cliffs storing the energy from the sun like a battery.

Wines from the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen are traditionally left with residual sweetness. That natural sugar lends the wines notes of black currants, passion fruit and grapefruit. Even after upwards of 30 years these wines retain their fresh and youthful flavors.
 

Unless the gift is for a wine aficionado, allow me to suggest a bottle from the Michelsberg vineyard. It doesn't have the panache of a Goldtropfchen or Urziger Wurzgarten, but it's less expensive and an excellent wine.

Thanks for stopping by!

[Night Hides Not]

A quick post to keep the thread alive...

While on another thread, I learned about an auction last year, where bottles of a 2003 trockenbeerenauslese sold for 12K Euros per bottle. Obviously, it piqued my curiosity, as I had many opportunities to drink eiswein and trockenbeerenauslese in Germany. My favorite vintage was Auslese, though. It wasn't as sweet as those other dessert wines. Spatlese was perfect with all the jagerschnitzels and kalbsteaks that I ate there.

Attached is a vintage chart for Mosel Rieslings:

http://mobile.winespectator.com/charts/search/country/Germany

My arrival in Germany could not have come at a better time. 1975 was great, and 1976 was one of the best years of the last 50 years. I do remember 77 & 78 as nowhere near 75 & 76.

[mountaineer]

You're a braver person than I. When I studied wines in culinary school and we came to the subject of eiswein, I involuntarily puckered and I still haven't had the nerve to sample one. Sweet wines really do not appeal to me.

As I prefer to enjoy my wines with a nice meal, and haven't had the time recently to prepare a nice meal, my wine drinking has come to a standstill (except for the Malbec we had with filet mignon several weeks back). It's a sad thing.

[Restored]

I enjoyed this wine this weekend. Very well done. Not as sweet as a Riesling can be.

http://www.vintagecellar.com/sku33034.html

[Night Hides Not]

I enjoyed this wine this weekend. Very well done. Not as sweet as a Riesling can be.

http://www.vintagecellar.com/sku33034.html

Nothing wrong with the Rheinhessen wines at all. Thanks for the link, I just added the Romerhof to my list of places to visit.

[Night Hides Not]

You're a braver person than I. When I studied wines in culinary school and we came to the subject of eiswein, I involuntarily puckered and I still haven't had the nerve to sample one. Sweet wines really do not appeal to me.

As I prefer to enjoy my wines with a nice meal, and haven't had the time recently to prepare a nice meal, my wine drinking has come to a standstill (except for the Malbec we had with filet mignon several weeks back). It's a sad thing.

To each his own, and I say that in a positive vein.

My wine drinking has tapered off a bit, too. Thankfully, we're coming up on the next installment of our wine club, which means a trip to pick them up. Since it's an hour from our house to the winery, we'll spend a couple hours there, enjoying each other's company and enjoying a bottle or two.

My fondest recollection of drinking eiswein came from my regular visits to my favorite winery, in Zell-Merl. I'd stop by every 6-8 weeks, and we'd spend 2-3 hours just talking about cars, current events, etc. He honored me by opening a bottle of eiswein, a vintage so limited that he personally typed out the labels.

It was no secret that during my last year and a half in Germany, every quarterly Battalion Hail & Farewell took place within a ten minute drive of my apartment. All it took was one event in Urzig, with the after party at my apartment. My landlord thought it was great, and the spouses were blown away by the beauty of the Mosel. It was about 15 miles from Hahn AB, and 25-30 miles from Spangdahlem and Bitburg. Small distances to many, but worlds away for others not accustomed to being so far away from home.

For the most part, people who didn't like their tours in Germany didn't venture far from the base. For me, it was among the greatest four years of my life.

[mountaineer]

For the most part, people who didn't like their tours in Germany didn't venture far from the base. For me, it was among the greatest four years of my life.

I can imagine. What an opportunity!

I remember once while traveling solo, I got off the train in Heidelberg and went into a nearby McDonald's to get my bearings and a cup of coffee (my sister was living on the opposite end of town and I needed to figure whether I could walk or should take a cab). Inside were several U.S. Army guys and their families eating hamburgers and fries. Perhaps it was a little bit of home to them, but I wondered what I'd do in their situation: completely immerse myself in Germany or just stick with what was familiar and comfortable.

[Night Hides Not]

I can imagine. What an opportunity!

I remember once while traveling solo, I got off the train in Heidelberg and went into a nearby McDonald's to get my bearings and a cup of coffee (my sister was living on the opposite end of town and I needed to figure whether I could walk or should take a cab). Inside were several U.S. Army guys and their families eating hamburgers and fries. Perhaps it was a little bit of home to them, but I wondered what I'd do in their situation: completely immerse myself in Germany or just stick with what was familiar and comfortable.

The great part about European McDonalds was that they served beer in the restaurant. In Koblenz, it was Konigsbacher, in Amsterdam, they served Heineken.

Once I discovered the restaurant at the Konigsbacher brewery, McDonalds never saw a pfennig more of my business. It had a great view of the Rhine River, and bock beer was served 365 days a year...heavenly!

[Night Hides Not]

Disclosure: I am not an investor, nor am I employed by Lost Oak Winery.

Last Saturday, my daughter and I trekked down to Burleson to pick up our bimonthly wine club selections. We both are on the lowest rung, i.e. two bottles every two months. On occasion, I've seen folks leaving with 6-12 bottles.

We tasted a Shiraz bottled exclusively for club members. It's offered at $35 a bottle, a bit pricy for me, but its taste was divine. My daughter and I split a bottle of "Raindance Red", a blend of merlot, tempranillo, and ruby cab. The food pairings were lasagna, burgers, and grilled veggies. We had a cheese tray, and it went well with that, too.

"Raindance" goes for $25 a bottle, which IMO is more reflective of the growth they've enjoyed. I love the place, it's pure Texas.

If you live in DFW, it's a great place to hang out, and enjoy really good wine.

They're doing fine without my endorsement...lol.

[Night Hides Not]

I received wonderful news over the weekend!  I came across the website of my favorite winemaker in Germany. They responded to my email, and gave me the great news that they ship to Texas.

That may not seem like much, but Texas laws make it difficult to ship wine from outside the state.

I'll post more details when my shipment arrives. For those Riesling aficionados out there, it doesn't get much better than this. Even with shipping costs averaging $5 a bottle, I'll be paying less than half of what it would cost retail.

I know my wife won't understand why I'm going to buy a larger wine refrigerator to handle my increased inventory, but I've been buying more of the "special occasion" vintages vs. the "daily sipping" stuff recently. lol