High Above Bernkastel in the Dr. Vineyard

Jun 16th, 2011 by

Sweating like a beast, but on top of the world (click to enlarge pic)

For some, it is just a steep hill covered in vines. But for geeks like me, it is the Holy Grail of vineyards. And it goes by one name: the “Doctor“.  Two days ago, we climbed it.
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Halfway up the climb. You can see how steep this f'er really is.

One of the most famous vineyards in all of Germany, it is a perfectly south-facing slope situated above the town of Bernkastel in the Mosel River Valley (in fact, I’ve written about it before).

The Bernkasteler Doctor is 8.1 acres in size and is incredibly steep; all work must be done by hand.  The story goes, that in the 13th century, the Archbishop of Trier was in this area when he became deathly ill. After countless remedies didn’t work, he was poured Riesling from a humble flask from this vineyard and was cured. From then on, it became known as “The Doctor”. Today, it is the most expensive agricultural land in all of Germany.

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The Great Brandy from the Rhine

Jun 14th, 2011 by

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Yes, this picture was taken from our hotel balcony. And yes, those are train tracks. Very BUSY train tracks.

Rüdesheim is a wine town.  Surrounded by vineyards and perched at the banks of the Rhine River, it is spectacular to see.

For two nights, we sat on our hotel balcony watching the boats pass and the sun set over the water (and a ridiculous amount of trains, tracks and barges rumble past–the Rhine is, and has always been, a powerful commercial artery for Germany, I soon learned).

While Rüdesheim lies in the Rheingau wine region (where Riesling dominates the landscape), I also started to see another player on the scene:  Asbach Uralt Weinbrand (brandy).  Every damn souvenir shop was crammed with bottles small and large.  How could I not get on the bandwagon?

Created by Hugo Asbach in 1892 (at the ripe age of 24, mind you), Asbach became the pride of the Rhine.  Made from French grapes (hmm…perhaps there is a story there?), it is double-distilled in copper stills and aged for 24-46 months in Limousin oak.

It’s smooth and silky with notes of vanilla, caramel and grapes on the nose.  Mellow and soft with an almond finish.  The best story though?

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Remember: German Bears Like Beer, Not Wine

Jun 13th, 2011 by

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I ran across this ferocious bear in the town of St. Goar in the Rheingau region of Germany a few days ago.

After watching him ruthlessly devour a tourist from Ohio who tried to appease him by offering him a glass of Riesling, I assessed my move carefully…

My plan to smile graciously while holding an ice cold bottle of Bitburger for him paid off.  All my limbs are intact…and he even offered to take me clubbing in Koblenz.  I politely declined.

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A Varietal Symphony in Altenberg Grand Cru

Jun 12th, 2011 by

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Kat with Mathieu Deiss in the heart of Altenberg vineyard

“The production of this wine is a milestone in my life as a wine-grower and marks a break with the variety-over-Terroir dominance under which the Alsace region has suffered so greatly for the past 100 years.” – Jean-Michel Deiss

While most of the winemakers of Alsace make single-variety wines from single plots of land, Domaine Marcel Deiss has abandoned this approach.

After leaving the beer-soaked streets of Munich, and bouncing around four separate train connections, Kat and I arrived in Colmar, France, in the heart of Alsace. Within the hour, we were in a pick-up truck climbing the vineyards in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. My thinking of Alsatian wines—in particular their staunchly held approach of mono-varietal wines (as opposed to a blend of grapes)—was about to change.

Behind the wheel was Mathieu Deiss, Jean-Michel’s son.  As we toured the Grand Cru vineyard of Altenberg (above the village of Bergheim) in blaringly beautiful sunshine, we began an interesting discussion revolving around grape varieties.

A biodynamic cathedral of awesomeness (click to enlarge)

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Now THAT’S how you sell beer.

Jun 10th, 2011 by

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Your turn…caption contest.  GO!

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The Way to an Irishman’s Heart

Jun 5th, 2011 by

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Dinner at Schneider Weisses Brauhaus.  Kat finally called me out for saying the “potato soup is fantastic” when I reached the 50th time.

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High-Speed Hops

Jun 5th, 2011 by

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A picture of Bavarian hops taken from the train from Munich to Bamberg at a speed of 200 km/h.

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Look for Me at the Heurige

Jun 4th, 2011 by

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I’m addicted.  Unique to Austria, heuriges are informal dining & drinking venues usually attached to a winemaker’s house.  Traditionally, only their latest vintage of wine is served; the food is cold and includes breads, soups, sausages and salads all homemade on the premises.

You will find them all over the country, with some bordering on full-blown country-style restaurants, while others have simple picnic tables set out next to the vineyard on the side of the house.  It’s certainly my style of dining.

This picture is from our last night in Lower Austria and was taken at a heurige we stumbled upon randomly in Durnstein named Klosterkeller.  Watching the sun set, with the light reflecting off the nearby castle’s walls over the vines leading to the Danube will remain one of my favorite all-time dining experiences.  Slap some roast pork in front of me, a hearty pile of horseradish and a glass of Smaragd Gruner Veltliner, and I’m a happy man.

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Cured by the Vineyards of Nicolas Joly

May 30th, 2011 by

On a sunny day this April, we made our way to the château of winemaker, Nicolas Joly*, in France’s Loire Valley.  What transpired was the greatest navigational nightmare I’ve ever fallen prey to.  After hours of being squawked at by a maniacal GPS device, we finally rolled up to his estate…this video documents our day with him.

*For reference sake, Nicolas Joly is at the forefront of Biodynamic winemaking.  His writings, lectures and practices have sent shock waves through the industry.  (For more info, check out the article I wrote for Palate Press on him and the Biodynamic movment: HERE).

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The Hills are Alive

May 30th, 2011 by

There is a strange, new law in Austria:
Any one who does NOT eat Wiener Schnitzel with a glass of Gruner Veltliner on their first night in the country, is to be dragged from their hotel and flogged publicly in the town square.

Luckily, we had advance notice of this law.

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What’s the Exchange Rate on Rauchbier?

May 27th, 2011 by

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Tonight’s our last night in Prague.  Just got back from the world famous Pivovarský Klub, which claims to have the “largest beer menu in our country.”  Over 200 beers in bottle and six on draft–pretty awesome.
In lieu of exchanging our remaining Czech Crowns for Euros, I handed our trusty bartender the last of our local currency with the instructions, “take all we got, and give us your favorite beers in return.”  These were his selections–pretty awesome.
And not too shabby for eight Euros…I’ll take that deal any day.

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Like What You See, Ladies?

May 26th, 2011 by

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A little Czech humor for the day.  This pic was taken inside the men’s bathroom at The Palladium mall in downtown Prague.  Above each urinal is a slightly-larger-than-life picture of a girl looking at your privates while you pee.

Please note the cheeky girl in the foreground with the ruler in hand.  Watch out, fellas.

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Beers, Automatically!

May 25th, 2011 by

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U Fleků: the only brewery in Central Europe that’s been brewing consecutively for 500 years.  (Plus, they make a damn good Goulash).

Within 30 seconds of sitting down, two huge glasses of dark lager appeared on our table.  My confused response of, “oh, we didn’t order these”, was met with the statement from our waiter: “they come automatically.”

That, and the shots of Becherovka.  Another guy walks around and sticks a platter of them in your grill every few minutes with a sly look on his face that says, “Go on, you know you want one”.  He was right.

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Dobrý Den, Prague!

May 23rd, 2011 by

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Athens metro to Eleftherios Venizelos airport, Czech Airlines flight to Praha, bus to city centre, metro to Karlovo & walk to hotel.

Time to drink some Czech beer.

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Aristophanes Said It Best

May 23rd, 2011 by

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At Filistron restaurant last night, the following quote appeared on the menu:
“Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever” – Aristophanes, 5th century BC

And, yes, for those observant ones in the group, that IS the Parthenon in the background of this picture.

Greece, you were a valiant warrior.  I stand in awe of your beauty and tradition. Next stop: Prague…

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