An ancient Roman villa and some history on the first wine made in Germany.

We recently went on a weekend trip to one of the oldest wine-growing places in Germany – Bernkastel. The name already gives it away – this is one of the many places where even the Romans grew their wine. The Latin castellum has been reduced to kastel through the centuries. What stayed was the town’s significance in the local wine industry. Some of the best vineyards are to be found here. With extremely steep terrain, this is where some of the best German Riesling wines are grown.

With varying flavor combinations on holiday tables, Riesling is the perfect palate cleanser matching the ability of a sweet sorbet. Rieslings are usually varietally pure and unoaked. In order from driest to sweetest. Consider the following four Rieslings to present to your guests or host this season.

In America, Riesling tends to be considered solely as a sweet wine. In the minds of many here, Riesling was associated with the syrupy Blue Nun and other Liebfraumilch brands. Then came the regional ice and dessert wines that often emphasized sweet fruit over balance and acidity. Popular brands of today still tend toward the sweet, as that has been the traditional market niche Riesling has occupied. 

Mulled wine is a long-standing European Christmas tradition that many in the U.S. enjoy as well. Writing from the Mosel region of Germany, Eva Weirich takes us with her through the sights, sounds and smells of the German Christmas markets, where mulled wine is the beverage of choice. Try her recipe and make your own mulled wine!

I watched Sideways again the other night and Miles’ explanation to Maya does make Pinot Noir sound like something special. I have always liked the grape in its variety of forms but I wanted to do a little checking on whether or not Miles was right. Essentially the answer is yes.