Software Vault: The Gold Collection/Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO/cdr11/wineinfo.zip/THEISE.RG

Text File | 1993-06-18 | 6KB | 124 lines

THE WINE TASTER

By Robin Garr

The Courier-Journal, Jan. 24, 1990

     The names of most German wines are long and hard to pronounce, and the
labels tend to be impenetrable thickets of old-fashioned black Germanic
type.

     And, in an age when American wine tasters like to think that they
prefer wines dry, German wine has a reputation for being sweet and hard to
match with food.

     For all these reasons, German wine sales in the United States have
plummeted during the past decade, in inverse proportion to the rising
interest in such purportedly dry table wines as white Zinfandel and
Chardonnay.

     What's more, wine-conscious travelers return from Europe singing the
praises of the little German wines they sipped in villages along the Rhine
and moaning that the product they buy in this country doesn't taste the
same.

     Some of that last may be influenced by the romance of travel, but it's
a fact: Many of the German wines sold in this country -- particularly most
of the inexpensive types such as Liebfraumilch and Moselblumchen -- are
simple, sweet and inoffensive at best.

     Tasters who have enjoyed first-rate German wines, however, know that
there's as much difference between the best of the breed and the everyday
variety as there is between Wagner's opera "Parsifal" and "Blue Danube
Waltz."

     (This comparison may be particularly apt, because the "Blue Danube"
isn't bad music, and Liebfraumilch isn't bad wine. They're both light, fun
and almost effervescent. But they're not great.)

     Now, however, there's good news: A few Wagnerian-quality German wines
-- the products imported by Terry Theise, a principal of Baltimore-based
DOPS Inc. -- are starting to turn up in Kentucky. The supply, for now,
resembles only a solo or at best a duet, but there's hope that it may
eventually swell into a chorus.

     (DOPS wines are distributed nationwide but may be hard to find. For
information on a distributor in your area, call the firm, [301] 792-9190 or
[301] 490-9190.)

     These distinguished wines exemplify some of the most incomprehensible
elements of the German wine label, frankly. The products of little-known
vineyards, their multisyllabic titles are displayed in a graphic style that's
closer to the 19th century than the 21st.

     Here's a way to make things simple: Look for Theise's name on the
label, and you can hardly miss.

     Like his competitor, Kermit Lynch, a California perfectionist who
tastes every French and Italian wine he imports and accepts only those that
meet his exacting standards, Theise scouts out the most obscure German
vineyards, looking for those that produce wine in the classic style.

     "There's no alternative to tasting wine, meeting the people who make
the wine, seeing the place where the grapes grow, keeping your ear to the
ground and trying to figure out how it all adds up," Theise wrote in his
quirky, often funny typewritten catalog.

     "These are my principles: I'll never sell you a wine I haven't tasted
or a wine I wouldn't buy myself."

     At this point, just two Kentucky retailers -- men who advocate
similar principles in their own trade -- carry Theise's imports: Gary
Dornberg, of The Wine Shop, 11616 Shelbyville Road, ([502] 244-9797); and
Gordy Hue, of Cork'n Bottle, 501 Crescent Ave., Covington, ([606]
261-8333).

     They say they are excited about Theise's selections, and so am I.

     "He looks for a certain style of wine -- a clean, austere, high-acid
style that is very pure in its characteristics," said Hue. "It's the real
stuff."



(5 stars) Alfred Merkelbach Urziger Wurzgarten Mosel Riesling Auslese, 1988.
(Ows-lay-zuh.) This clear, pale-gold wine offers up a wonderful aroma of lush
wine grapes, grapefruit and even a surprising hint of strawberry. There's
crisp, juicy fruit in its lingering flavor, with light sweetness well
balanced by crisp acidity. ($11.99)



(4 1/2 stars) J.u.H.A. Strub Neirsteiner Orbel Rheinhessen Riesling
Kabinett, 1988. (Kab-ee-net.) Wildflowers and a clean smell that's oddly
reminiscent of limestone enhance the delightful aroma of this clear,
pale-gold wine. Lean acidity cloaks fresh, grapey sweetness in a vibrant,
mouth-filling flavor that seems to linger for minutes. ($6.99)



(4 stars) Herbert Messmer Burrweiler Schawer Rheinpfalz Riesling Spatlese,
1988. (Shpayt-lay-zuh.) This clear, light-straw colored wine offers a good
scent of apples with pleasantly musky overtones, and fresh acidity forms a
steely frame for the lingering sweetness of fruit. ($8.99)



(3 1/2 stars) Benedict Loosen-Erben Urziger Wurzgarten Mosel Riesling
Spatlese, 1985. A musty, almost moldy earthiness is an idiosyncracy in this
light brass-colored wine. Its luscious flavor is bursting with fresh fruit,
but its musky, organic overtones require the same kind of acquired taste
that's necessary for the enjoyment of wild mushrooms or ripe cheese --
which, by the way, might make an intriguing accompaniment for this unusual
wine. ($14.99)



     "The Wine Taster" appears every other Wednesday in The Courier-Journal
Food Section. Wine and Food Critic Robin Garr rates table wines available in
the Louisville area, using a one- to five-star scale determined by quality
and value. Send suggestions or questions in care of The Courier-Journal, 525
W. Broadway, Louisville, Ky. 40202, call [phone], or leave a message
for 76702,764.