The Second Floor Wine Tasting Group

May 26, 2003

We gathered at Jeff's place and tasted a sampling of German delights.

The Wines

  1. 2001 Riesling Kabinett (Graacher Himmelreich) by Studert-Prüm - $13
  2. 2000 Riesling (Saint-Hippolyte) by Marcel Deiss - $25
  3. 2001 Riesling Kabinett (Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen) by Emrich-Schönleber - $16
  4. 2001 Gewürztraminer Spätlese (Bechtheimer Stein) by Machmer - $9
  5. 2001 Riesling Spätlese (Niersteiner Paterberg) by Strub - $15
  6. 2001 Riesling Spätlese (Graacher Himmelreich) by J. J. Prüm - $33
Four German Rieslings, one German Gewürztraminer and one (French) Alsacian Riesling.

Some Definitions

Germany's best sweet wines are designated Qualitatswein mit Pradikat (QmP) and many have an additional designation denoting the sweetness level.

The People

Jason, Helen, Greg, Jeff, Peter, Kai, Lisa, Stever, Joe, Dean, Aaron

The Impressions

The Gewürztraminer got the most "wow"s when the price was announced. It was liked for its "big boquet" with floral and fruit aromas. Many enjoyed the almost desert wine sweetness. The wine reminded Helen of strawberries and black peppercorns. Joe noticed melon flavor and thought this would be the perfect wine to accompany a Turkish breakfast (with honey).

The Emrich-Schönleber also received many compliments. Many noted a fizziness. It was also frequently declared "well-balanced," fairly sweet, but with enough acidity to make the mouth happy. Lisa called it a "good social wine." Greg called it "classic Riesling" and noted honey and mineral flavors.

The J. J. Prum was well-liked, but few would pay the retail price for it. It was similar to the Emrich-Schönleber in that it was well balanced and produced a pleasant fizziness on the tongue. It was praised as a "well crafted" wine. Jeff found blackberry, apricot, and peach flavors and would pair it with blackberry sauce. Jason liked its spicyness.

The Alsacian got mixed reviews. Stever loved it, calling it the most complex, with nice cheddar cheese and nut flavors. Jason thought it crisp, clean and expertly balanced, but didn't find much flavor except for a mineralyness. Aaron found it "prickly," "harsh," and "firm." Helen described it as "cool & complex" with a "thick texture."

The Strub was fairly well liked, but didn't impress anyone. Kai didn't have much to say about it. Aaron and Lisa liked the fizziness. Jeff had good things to say. He called it "well balanced" and enjoyed the melon, mandarin orange and floral notes. Peter called it "pleasant" and "drinkable."

Most everyone agreed that the Studert-Prüm was the disappointment of the day. Greg compared it to "sugar water." Jason thought it sweet and smooth, but found that it needed some acidity. Stever called it cloyingly sweet and compared it to flat Coke.

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Last modified: Sun Dec 5 12:16:56 2004