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I for one can't believe it's August already! Summer, especially the end of summer, always seems to fly by for me. And although I enjoy drinking Riesling year-round, my favorite time of year is summer. Sitting outside, a nice glass of Riesling in my hand, sipping it right through sunset until the air starts getting a little bit cooler. Perfect!
One Riesling in particular has had my mouth watering every time I walk past it - Alfred Merkelbach Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese One Star 2009.
I know, I know, German wine labels, and the names of the wines are confusing. Here is some information pertaining to each of these terms on this bottle of wine: Alfred Merkelbach is the name of the winery. Urziger Wurzgarten is the name of the vineyard. Riesling, of course is the grape. Spatlese translates to "late harvest", and tells you that the grapes that comprise this wine were picked late in the harvest, and is a measure of the grapes ripeness. Think of them as very, very ripe, as Spatlese grapes are picked about 7 days after the regular harvest. Finally, this wine is also a "one star" wine. This is a designation given to the wine by the producer, denoting that it is a better wine, sweeter and more intense than the non-starred bottling. Usually a one star wine has been harvested even later than required by law and/or at a higher level of ripeness than is legally required.
So, basically what the label tells us is the producer, name of the vineyard, level of ripeness, and for this wine, the star, which tells you additionally that the producer finds this wine to be more ripe than the regular bottling. Simple!
If you've taken the time to read this and learn about the bottle, I think you should definitely reward yourself with a bottle of this German Riesling. Trust me, they are good! Especially this one!
To me, German Rieslings are intriguing because of all of the different components they possess, and how your palate responds to these components. For example, they usually possess higher levels of acidity, which is apparent as soon as the wine touches your palate. However, this acidity, especially in the riper bottlings, such as Spatlese, is balanced with incredibly ripe fruit flavors, which in the case of the wine being featured today, are very tropical. Along with the acidity and the fruit, there is also a component of spice, honeysuckle and even marzipan. A plethora of flavors, and a great wine to sit down, swirl, think about what you're tasting, and just relax.
So, now that you know what I'll be drinking this weekend, I hope that you'll join me in trying a bottle. If you do, I look forward to your thoughts about this delicious Riesling, and/or any questions that you might have.
Cheers!
Tracy Maxon
tracy@varmax.com
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