After several days of tasting really great wine, I can’t lie, you do wonder if you just stacked your cards right or if some level of ‘disappointment’ might not be that far off. Then again, if it was to come, I knew it wasn’t coming at the hand of Wagner Stempel!

We landed in the northern part of the Rheinhessen as the sun broke through the clouds “officially” and some more late-springlike (n-o-t summer) warmth with it. Tromping through the much more rolling hills/vineyards in these “conditions” was a treat. Assistant Winemaker Oliver Mueller was our guide, providing tremendous insight about their more Burgundian-like spot within the Rheinhessen appellation as well as the non-Riesling grapes they cultivate (though, of course, Riesling does have a very large presence, too). Silvaner, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and (of course) Spaetburgunder (Pinot Noir) all have a home here.

Walking up through the vineyards was more like meandering, compared to the Mosel and Rheingau’s much steeper slopes. Oliver was incredibly passionate – and gave some great insight about their organic approach, explaining how their practices came about and demonstrating with his large visual aids (the vineyards themselves) how their practices lead to healthier vines and, therefore, better fruit for winemaking. (You could see their neighbor’s adjacent vineyards were flagging comparatively- why they didn’t follow suit bewildered us.) Stempel’s philosophy, like so many of our hosts already, is that wine is made in the vineyards first.

We met lead winemaker and owner, Daniel Stempel, back at the winery in their gorgeous open courtyard to sample the wines. Daniel and Oliver are clearly on the same page, as Daniel led with the same thought – that he enjoys his work in the vineyards most – and that that was where the wine was made. Wine after wine tasted, nuances were more fruit-driven and the minerality more warming; think of it this way – the minerality in the Mosel was like icicles hanging off the eaves like daggers; in the Rheingau these were just starting to melt, with softer edges; and at Stempel the crisp, fresh water was running through our fingertips like a narrow-running brook’s waterfall edge – forcefully, yet softly. Compelling? No doubt. Another three-hour appointment slipped by as the daylight hovered in the hills.

The next day took us yet still farther South. We had an appointment at Dr. Heger/Weinhaus Heger after lunch with winemaker Markus Mleinek in the Kaiserstuhl region, Baden particularly. Markus started our tour in the cellars, where it was self-evident that this was an operation that valued tradition and the importance of showcasing terroir in wine, as much as they did innovation. Markus even shared that they experimented once with American oak, which to my knowledge is virtually unheard of in traditional “Old World” winemaking regions, save parts of Spain and Portugal. American oak is known for supplying a bold “marinade” in wines both texturally and in flavor profile (a post for another day); Markus chuckled at the thought, noting that the wine which resulted was “too loud”, so they moved on. Stainless steel tanks in one part of the cellar – different sized (and different origin) wood barrels in others.  Different projects command different vessels – having the capacity (and need!) to cope is another feat entirely.

Our vineyard tour was also astounding. In the distance the Rhine river – and France! – terraces of unique volcanic soil lay in front of us. Here, too, they employ various techinques to mitigate using too many chemicals in the vineyards. The wine bottles hanging on the line PICTURED RIGHT are filled with sugar water, to keep pests elsewhere and harmony happening naturally in the vineyards! Brilliant for its simplicity and effectiveness.

Heger’s projects are many, hence the two names on the door: Dr. Heger/Weinhaus Heger. Dr. Heger is the elite-most line, Weinhaus Heger just below on the totem pole – and Fischer a special project we were just as happy to sample featuring a collaboration with a local cooperative of wine growers where they invest knowlege as much as any other resource to ensure quality grapes are grown. We tasted 30 some wines this afternoon, each as compelling as the next, more than respectworthy for its unique place in the Heger “family” of offerings. Yes, the spit bucket needed to be relieved several times to accomodate our ‘thirst’ to sample as much as possible with Marcus.

What was particularly interesting is that here in Baden red grapes have an important presence – although the white lineup was more than compelling in itself. Not one Spaetburgunder failed to deliver, and we tasted several back vintages of current wines – as these delicious treats can certaily age! Smoked meats, fresh pink roses, violets, volcanic soil, ripe black cherry fruit comingling with tart pomegranate and boysenberry exploded in various proportions from the glass; finesse met power with perfect elegance, and a picture was painted on a virtual timeline, showcasing anticipated versions of perfection as the individual wines showed that day, and would again at various points in the future.

Yes, it was a helluva way to end the formal portion of our tasting adventures. Back here at home I realized I learned more in Germany than on any other wine trip (so far). No doubt I had the most to learn, and therefore the most to gain. It didn’t hurt that the appointments I had, and the recommendations from winemakers we enjoyed meeting, were spot on. If you’re going to do a whirlwind wine country tour inside of a week, this was the way to do it! Literally it was a sampling of German wine regions. I guess I’ll have to go back!

After two full days in the Mosel it was time to go vineyard/region-hopping as we drove South through German wine country. To save time on the way to our first appointment in the Rheingau, about two hours from the Mosel, we took a car ferry (so cool!) across the Rhine River. It deposited us on the other bank just down the slope from Josef Leitz’s winery. (Perhaps starting with the ferry experience itself, the visit at Leitz offered not just great wine tasting, but also a terrific lesson in German history – e.g. ferries keep transport efficient and fluid, as many key bridges were destroyed in World War II).

We found Johannes Leitz (said “Lights”  – the winery is named for his father Joseph, who died when Lietz was only 2 years old) with his gardening gear on, wheelbarrow in hand. He quickly terminated his home gardening duties, ushered us into his immaculate tasting room and jumped right into a detailed discussion about the Rheingau; terrific photos told the story of its unique terroir, including the microclimates and varied soil types that ‘co-exist’ just meters from each other. (I HIGHLY encourage you to visit his website to get a feel for this yourself! It’s one of the best sites I’ve seen.)

This initial ‘classroom’ work gave us an important overview and worked wonders as we jumped in Johannes’ SUV and traveled into the vineyards themselves. Narrow and winding dirt “roads” took us upward and inward; jumping out of the car at strategic points, we could feel the climate change (literally just around the bend!) and could investigate the soil closely. We learned more about the history of the Rheingau, the variation between Upper and Lower portions, and got a verbal preview of which wines we would taste in relation to the vineyard site from which they came. Fascinating stuff.

Back at the tasting room Leitz offered two glasses – and initiated my favorite kind of tasting: a ‘taste off’ between wines so we could literally taste terroir variation. While tasting (interrupting the banter with reactions to the wines about their various depth and power, floral and herbal nuance and sleek compelling texture, plus a few nose-blowings as my ‘quality control’ kicked in to the mineral explosion offered) we continued to learn more about his operation, how much he has expanded over the years without sacrificing quality and staying true to his terroir-driven focus. We also learned more about his experience exporting, and in particular to the USA. Yes, he too faces some importer pushback when getting his truly dry wines to market. The Dragonstone which we carry here is a slightly different version than the one he sells elsewhere in the world. That said, he launched a new project last year called Eins (1) – Zwei (2) – Dry (3), which is available in MA now.

After spending three memorable hours with Johannes, it was time to get back in the car, head back down to the ferry and drive an hour+ to get a taste of the Rheinhessen!

Stunning. That’s the one word that comes to mind when reflecting on my tour through German wine country last week. The landscape. The micro-climates and soil types (aka, terroir). The people. The energy. The bread! The cheese. The meats. The crisp, cleansing, mind-bottlingly pure, DRY (trocken) wines!!

I had the most to gain from this learning adventure for a number of reasons. German wines are much less widely consumed here in Boston than Italian, French or Spanish wines – we taste and evaluate fewer of them as a result. These are wines that have regional typicity (e.g. Mosel vs. Baden), but often they are grouped and evaluated by grape type (e.g. Riesling), rather than against other examples from the region from which they come. It’s not often you can focus on the region and specific vineyards sites, let alone ‘pitting’ producers against each other!

Germany had been on my 2012 travel agenda for some time; yet only in the last year or so did a ‘quieter’ conversation emerge among wine colleagues as well as among consumers (generally from Germany or those who have traveled there) that the wines we see here in the U.S. aren’t “the same”. They are largely sweeter than what you find in Germany itself.  It turns out many of the wines exported to our market are (unfortunately) wines destined for the American palate. (And when I say “American palate” think the M.cD’s and Pepsi-Cola culture that’s largely exported abroad.)

While Riesling can be vinified with some residual sugar, authentic, widely consumed German Riesling abroad is DRY. I cannot emphasize this enough. These wines are tongue-tinglingly, food-demanding, palate-strikingly D-R-Y, aka “Trocken”. And they are absolutely, say it with me now, stunning!

The first stop on our tour was the Mosel – probably the most well-known German wine producing region, and best known for its Riesling. I’ve joked that I would never want to work harvest in the Mosel because the slopes are so bloody steep and narrow that I would put down my bucket of grapes (hand-harvesting is the only way to do it as no machine could manage the incline) and accidentally kick it over with my foot, sending hundreds of dollars down the hill with it. Having been there now, I can say that even as a fairly agile human, I would definitely not sign up first for the task. And it is oh-so-precious fruit indeed.

I purposely set up appointments with folks I knew from experience and saved a bit of time to ‘play’, visiting wineries on recommendation. My tour began at Weiser Kuensler and we focused on their Trocken selections. I was captivated from the outset. Literally, my nose ran as my “quality control” (allergy-based, herbal/terroir sensitive) organ discovered fresh herbs, flower blossoms and cold-waterfall air bursting out of the glass. My tongue tingled as the minerality and gentle fruit flavors swept through the palate. My mouthwatered (for a while!) on the savory finish. Wine after wine tasted, various nuances captured my senses in these ways showing me the power of Mosel, variously blue and red slate terroir; there was a distinct cleansing purity among them, showing their family resemblance and truth of place.

The next morning S.A. Pruem was up. And yes, this is a winery I’ve been happy to be familiar with for some time, and owner/winemaker Raimond Pruem (a lovely gent and great winemaker!) had suggested I stay in the Estate’s Guest Haus when my 2012 trip came to fruition. Suffice to say, if you make this trip – stay there, too!!! After a great night’s sleep and killer breakfast (German style, my fav!) we tasted with Raimond’s daughter Saskia. Here we revisited wines I knew – and also the European version (drier!) of a wine sold at local Ball Square Fine Wines: S.A. Pruem Blue Slate Riesling. Also on the tasting agenda were aged Rieslings. Here we found a highlight in the mix: 1994 Bernkastler Riesling, fresh and mouthwateringly delicious – PRIMA!!! (Note: German Riesling in particular ages quite well, as the backbone of the wine is acidity, which allows well made offerings of great vintages to thrive for decades!)

AJ Adam was next on our Mosel tour – a recommendation from Konstantin Weiser on Day 1 of the trip. We took our chances and popped by, catching Andreas coming home from the vineyards by tractor for a little lunch break. Two hours later we had tasted a delicious (ample) sampling of Rieslings from his portfolio. A family resemblance was present among these wines also – a ripeness of fruit cut with nearly searing acidity and a wet-stone-meets-talc-like minerality texture on the tongue. These wines were compelling for their sleek precision – yet elegance!

Our too-brief Mosel tour ended at Guenther Steinmetz, another recommendation from Konstantin, with a random tasting of wines from the estate’s large and uncharacteristically diverse portfolio. Case in point: here we had our first sampling of red wines, not grapes grown in great quantity in the Mosel; Pinot Noir (aka Spatburgunder) does, no less, have a home here. The favorite was 2009 Kestener Herrenberg (unfiltered!) Pinot Noir.

Not ready and a bit sad to leave, it was off to dinner and then back to bed for a quick night’s sleep – then on to the Rheingau!

“On the road again… Just can’t wait ’til I get on the road again…” Oh, wait. I’m back! More or less just back from Oregon Pinot Camp 2011, a select, annual, trade, invite-only conference out in the Willamette Valley. That’s (said) Willamette, damn it! and about an hour south of Portland, Oregon, where (arguably) the country’s finest Pinot Noir wines are made.

The goal of the conference? To bring together about 250 representatives of the restaurant and retail wine biz to learn more about the area and why great Pinot Noir is made there. They also (smartly) provide a great opportunity to explore “The Great American Whites”, Oregon style, which may go more routinely overlooked, simply because Pinot Noir is the young region’s claim to fame. I last visited the region in 2005 and was thrilled to have the ‘excuse’ to go back and delve in further to this great wine producing region.

My personal adventure began a bit further south of the Willamette  – 5+ hours south, though still in Oregon – at Foris Vineyards. Foris invited me and 11 others from across the country to come in advance of Camp and explore what southern Oregon wine country has to offer. I’ve worked with Foris’ wines in the past (and in particular their Muscat frizzante) and was happy to have the chance to meet the owners, Ted and his wife Terri, winemaker Bryan and his sidekick Steve and the rest of the gang. They are salt of the earth people, with tremendous vision; I was lucky to start my trip with them and whet my whistle and appetite for Rogue Valley wines!

The next morning we were up bright and early to travel to Camp. We enjoyed a late “lunch” on Willamette Chardonnay and Crab, hosted at Argyle and further attended by folks like Chahalem, Ponzi, and Domaine Drouhin Oregon. What a way to begin! Soon enough we were checked in to our hotel and being shuttled (in yellow school buses) to the opening “games”. All 50 participating OPC 2011 wineries – an elite bunch – offered two wines to introduce campers to their latest releases while we ‘snacked’ on incredibly fresh and satisfying local fare. (This general theme happily presented itself throughout the trip.)

The next two days were a whirlwind of tasting, sharing, comparing and learning – each ending with a large-format tasting reception and dinner (dancing optional). I tromped through soil pits at Penner Ash, discovered the “multiple personalities of Pinot Noir” at Domain Drouhin Oregon with winemaker-led, blind tasting workshops that delved into questions of vintage variation and the range of styles that exist, learned more about biodynamics/organics, and farming for quality at Elk Cove and enjoyed a panel discussion about Oregon whites at Torii Mor.Camp was interactive bliss.

Long, love story short my affair with Oregon wines will continue. And in the coming months in particular, it will continue with Anne Amie (best in show, best QPR) specifically, but also as I seek out and enjoy the area’s 2010 whites that are coming to market now. They are spectacular, consistently delicious, vibrant, edgy, expressive wines – from Riesling to Pinot Blanc to Pinot Gris (Chard still hasn’t quite won me over wholeheartedly, though Chehalem is a strong exception). These whites will certainly tide me over this summer and early fall as the immature 2009 Pinot Noirs enter the market; these wines are NOT yet at their best and will continue to evolve into the best versions of themselves in the years to come. I encourage you to wait with me – and enjoy as many 2007s as you can find in the meantime. Like good Burgundy, these wines will be worth the wait!

A big thanks to all of the OPC organizers and the many attendees, new friends, who made the experience so memorable.

Easter is a holiday that not everyone celebrates – nor in the same ways. Traditions are a bit more fluid somehow here in the United States. Maybe your family prefers a delicious Easter brunch after a morning visit to church and an Easter Egg Hunt for the kiddies. Maybe you do your own thing with your family in the morning, then visit with friends in the afternoon over a mid-afternoon dinner of baked ham or a leg of lamb. But one thing is certain: such a lack of specific tradition can cause some level of Easter week “panic.” Of course, there’s no need to stress when a little advice is at the ready. Pop over to Wicked Local today to get some ideas for your celebration!

Will wine have a place at your Easter table this year? What will you uncork?