Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Stacey's Darling #1: A Beauty of a Riesling

Darling [dahr-ling]

–noun

1. a person/thing very dear to another; one dearly loved.

2. a person or thing in great favor; a favorite.

–adjective

3. very dear; dearly loved.

4. favorite; cherished.

5. charming; cute; lovable:


Today marks the day that I begin a series of posts that I will call, "Stacey's Darlings". (See the above definition of darling).


These "darlings" could be wines that I have tried long ago that remain classics, or could be new discoveries that I stumble upon during my wine adventures.


If I hail a wine as a "darling", it meets the following criteria:


1. I have personally tasted it- not just read or heard about it.


2. I enjoyed it and thought it was of good quality.


3. I think that it's worth your money.


4. You can buy it- online, in retail stores, or in restaurants.


So, to begin this exciting journey of wine recommendations, I dedicate this first darling to my darling fiance, Jared.


Jared and I stumbled across this darling wine at a local wine bar in Walnut Creek called Va de Vi. Our server was gracious enough to give us a little taste test, and Jared fell in love! Every time we go anywhere for wine, Jared asks if they have it. Hey, he's a man who knows what he wants- that's why I love him!


So, Stacey (and Jared's) Darling #1 is:


Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, Piesporter Goldtropfchen, Kabinett Riesling, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany .


Wowie-Wow that's a lot of wines with a lot of consonants!


So, let me break it down for you:


This wine is:


1. A Riesling. Duh!


2. From Germany.


3. More specifically, from Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany. This is the specific wine region in Germany that the grapes were grown- it would be similar to our Napa or Temecula.


The Mosel is the main river in Germany, and Saar-Ruwer are its 2 tributaries. No tricks with that name!


4. Made in the driest style possible, although it still is semi-sweet.


How do I know this? The word Kabinett. Kabinett is the driest style on the scale of German sugar classification.


Want to know the whole scale? Just for fun?


Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein, Trokenbeerauslese.


Say that 5 times fast!!


5. Made by the wine producer Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt.


6. Grown at a vineyard called Piesporter Goldtropfchen.


I wish I had a cool German accent.


Now that you aren't scared of the name of Darling #1, let me rave about it. This baby is like liquid gold- seriously! For a sipping and aperitif wine, it has the perfect amount of sugar- it is just sweet enough- and its crisp acidity balances it out perfectly. Expect lots of stone fruit characteristics- peaches and apricots, slate-y minerality, as well as some of that juicy grapefruit that I love.

This wine is most certainly charming and loveable!

If you are interested in buying, you can find this darling wine on wine searcher.


Please, let me know if you've tried it and enjoyed it!


See ya tomorrow!



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