Newsletter Volume 11-2

Volume 11-2

Dear Members and Friends,

Join me in thanking Punxsutawney Phil for the early spring we are hopefully about to enjoy!

OUR NEXT TASTING IS THURSDAY MARCH 24, 2011:

We will be featuring a diverse selection of wines from the Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard (full list below).   There is still time to renew and take advantage of member-exclusive savings on tasting fees!  Please send checks, payable to German Wine Society, to:

Jennifer Dickinson

121 Laurie Meadows Drive #360

San Mateo, CA 94403

Annual dues remain $70

Initiation fee is $25 for new members.

	Vintage	Wine	Pradikat
1	2006	Kerpen	Kabinett
2	2007	Meulenhof	Kabinett
3	2009	JJ Prüm	Kabinett
4	2006	Wegeler	Spätlese
5	2007	Wegeler	Spätlese
6	2008	Meulenhof	Spätlese
7	2009	Dr. Loosen	Spätlese
8	1983	JJ Prüm	Auslese
9	1990	JJ Prüm	Auslese
10	2005	JJ Prüm	Auslese
11	2009	Selbach Oster	Auslese

When:  Thursday, March 24, 2011; 7:00-9:00pm

Where: Gatehouse, Fort Mason

Price: Members: $40; Guests: $60.  NB: each member may bring one guest at the member’s price, and first-time guests may attend at the member’s price.  Please make checks out to the German Wine Society and send them to:

REMAINING 2011 DATES:

Date	Description	Location
Thursday, June 23, 2011	A Selection of Kabinetts (and a special sticky!)	Fort Mason
August (TBD), 2011	Wine Dinner	TBD
Thursday, December 1, 2011	Sparklers & Stickies	Fort Mason

TASTING NOTES FROM JANUARY 15:

(1) 2009 Wurtz Trocken, Rheinhessen, QBA.  The wine is bone-dry and a touch minerally.  The first taste is slightly salty, but with time in the glass gives way to juicy, citrusy fruit.  (2) 2008 Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Alte Reben Trocken, Mosel, QBA.  Zesty acidity; flavors more floral/herbal than fruity. (3) 2007 Leitz Rüdesheimer Drachenstein, Rheingau, QBA.  Very pleasant with a gentle sweetness.  Apricot/peach highlights.  (4) 2002 Dr. Loosen Blue Slate, Mosel, QBA.  Showing surprisingly well for its age; the orange marmalade flavor hints at the lovely fruit that would have shown in its youth.  (5) 2000 Müller-Catoir Haardter Burggarten, Pfalz, Kabinett.  An interesting palate showing granny smith apple with exotic hints of jasmine and spice.  (6) 2007 Schäfer-Frölich Bockenauer Felseneck, Nahe, Spätlese.  Delightful; roundly fruity, slightly honeyed and floral.  (7) 2005 Doctor J. Wegeler Bernkasteler, Mosel, Spätlese.  A decadent palate of zesty, perfectly ripe summer fruits; hint of apricot preserves.   (8) 1998 Von Simmern Erbacher Marcobrunn, Rheingau, Spätlese.  Soft dessert flavors; warm fruit notes and spices.  (9) 1989 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger, Mosel, Spätlese.   Quite minerally; difficult to detect primary fruit flavors, though there is definitely a zest underneath; hints of spice.  (10) 2005 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke.  Epic sugary apple flavors with laser beam minerality underneath.  Delicious.  (11) 2005 Knebel Winninger Röttgen, Mosel, Auslese.  (NB: order changed at tasting; this one was before the Donnhoff).   Ridiculously sweet and ripe, in a very good way indeed.  Palate is teeming with bright strawberries.  Texture is clingy, unctuous and gorgeous.  Very decadent.   Must be a declassified BA.  (12) 2005 Rosch Trittenheimer Apotheke, Mosel, Auslese.  A beautiful, melodious wine; rich, intensely floral.  A note of rosewater is quite pronounced.

Following the set tasting, a group went down to Barry’s cellar, and chose the 1976 Schloss Eltz Auslese to finish off the evening.  The winery is no longer in production, so an opportunity to taste this wine is quite rare.    The primary fruit flavors are gone, yet what remains is an attenuated elegance featuring cardamom, pepper and hints of honeyed preserves.  The finish is quite long.  Deep gold color.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

·         Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Dee Vine Wines will be presenting a Wine and Chocolate Tasting on Saturday, February 12 from noon to 4:00pm.  Details are on their website, or call: 877-389-9463.

GET INVOLVED

·         Current members who refer new, paid members to the society get a bottle of German wine, compliments of the society!

·         Do you have German wine or cultural news?  Tell us about it and we will feature it in an upcoming issue of the newsletter.  All contributors will receive an entry into a drawing for a bottle of wine, to be given away at the wine dinner.

·         Need to make room in your cellar?  Donate wine to the GWS!  The German Wine Society is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.   Plus, any wines you donate are tax-deductible at fair market value (because we drink ‘em, not sell ‘em!)

CONTACT US

Jennifer Dickinson, President  & Secretary
jendewitt2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

Harris Holzberg, Treasurer
coachharris1(at)comcast(dot)net

Shane Dickinson, Cellar Master
shane_dickinson66(at)hotmail(dot)com

Von Hurson

Membership & Trade Liaison
wynelady(at)sonic(dot)net

We hope to see you on March 24!

Warmly,

Jennifer