Newsletter Volume 10-9

Dear Members and Friends,

Halloween is behind us, Thanksgiving is soon to come.  Which means:

OUR NEXT TASTING IS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3

Yes, it is time for the popular Sparklers and Stickies tasting.  We are very excited about the wines for this year’s event which include a 1976 Dr. Fisher Auslese, the Latitude Sekt (an unusual blend of Dornfelder, Portugeiser and Spätburgunder) and, of course, an Eiswein and a few BAs.  This is truly a can’t-miss event!

	Vintage	Wine	Region	Prädikat
1	2005	Josef Rosch Leiwener Klostergarten	Mosel	Sekt
2	NA	Latitude 50 N Trocken Rosé	Mosel	Sekt
3	2006	Schloss Schönborn Erbacher Marcobrunn Goldkapsel	Rheingau	Auslese
4	2002	Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg	Rheingau	Auslese
5	2004	Prinz Hallgartner Jungfer	Rheingau	Auslese
6	2005	Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke	Nahe	Auslese
7	2003	Thanisch Bernkasteler Doctor	Mosel	Auslese
8	2005	Schaefer Graacher Domprobst	Mosel	Auslese
9	1976	Dr. Fisher Ockfener Bockstein	Mosel	Auslese
10	1990	J.J. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr	Mosel	Auslese
11	2007	Selbach Zeltinger Himmelreich	Mosel	Eiswein
12	2007	Jost Bacharacher Hahn	Mittelrhein	BA
13	2008	Darting Dürkheimer Fronhof	Pfalz	BA

When:  Friday, December 3, 2010; 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:

Jennifer Dickinson

121 Laurie Meadows Dr. #360

San Mateo, CA 94403

Please RSVP by Tuesday, November 30.

2011 RENEWALS AND CALENDAR

It’s not too early to renew for 2011!  Though National has raised its annual dues (which the Chapter pays out of the dues it collects from members), we will be holding steady at $70 for 2011.  Members who are fully-paid for 2011 are invited to join us at a complementary tasting in January, which will include a special selection of rare and older vintages from the Chapter’s cellar and donated by members.  It will be held at the beautiful and welcoming Pacific Heights home of Joan and Barry Boothe.  Our 2011 calendar is below:

Date	Description	Location
January 15, 2011	Complimentary Tasting (members only)	2435 Divisadero, San Francisco
March 24, 2011	TBD	Fort Mason
June 23, 2011	TBD	Fort Mason
August (TBD), 2011	Wine Dinner	TBD
December 1, 2011	Sparklers & Stickies	Fort Mason

In addition to our themed tastings and dinner, we are planning some exciting new events, including wine bar meet ups, an east bay wine shop visit and tasting, and others.  Stay tuned!

MEMBER SURVEY

Our sincere thanks to you for your continued support of the San Francisco Chapter of the German Wine Society.   As a membership organization, our goal is to provide the events, services and information that interest you.  Please take a moment to respond to our brief survey:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HQ3BSPC

We would appreciate your response by December 31, and of course would invite you to contact us directly any time with feedback and suggestions.   

TASTING NOTES FROM OCTOBER 14

Keith Mattrick was kind enough to provide his notes on October 14’s lineup:

The October meeting of the San Francisco chapter of the German Wine Society offered a chance for all of us riesling lovers to taste the other varieties of German wine grapes—from regions both well-known to us as well as those more rarely seen in the United States. With a very useful guide to these unusual grapes in hand (helpfully assembled and distributed by our very own Von) the journey into the lesser traveled pathways of German wine had begun. First off from Rheinhessen, the 2008 Muhlenhoff Müller Thurgau Trocken called into question esteemed wine writer Hugh Johnson's diatribes against the grape (a cross of riesling and madeleine royale). Unlike the more unfortunate overcropped versions, this one was plush in fruit but dry. Tangy simple fruit. Nothing complex, but certainly a crisp pleasant table wine. Always excited to see a Franken entry (even one, alas, not in bocksbeutel), I found the 2007 Hans Wirsching Iphöfer Kronsberg Scheurebe Kabinett Trocken a lovely and unusual less ripe approach to scheurebe. Pleasant and crisp on the nose and fruity and yet crisp in the mouth—very pleasant. I far preferred it to the competing scheurebe, the 2008 Kruger-Rumpf Scheurebe Trocken from the Nahe (though there were differing opinions on this across the room—so my Franken boosterism must be taken into account). Minty eucalyptus on the nose (thanks Shane!) it tasted very loose and, to me, lacked focus. Others found it more playful and fun. Back to Franken (this time in bocksbeutel!) for what was for many (including myself) the wine of the night—the 2008 Graf von Schönborn Silvaner Kabinett Trocken. Layered but silent nose, taste slightly salty, very structured, excellent potential here and very bright but earthy—cool! The 2009 Dostert Alva Elbling from the Mosel sparked some different takes among members. The ancient grape often finds its way into sparkling sekt due to its firm acid backbone, and this one showed tart and tight as well. Some found it an interesting alternative to sauvignon blanc, but I found the juicy-fruit nature of the acid to be a bit much. Another great region I love to see, Baden contributed the 2009 Ziereisen Heugumber Gutedel—gutedel (meaning good and noble, a modest name indeed) is known as chasselas in neighboring Switzerland). Herbaceous, tart and simple—not my favorite of the tasting and a bit challenging. The 2008 Schloss Saarstein Pinot Blanc from the Saar went for the French name rather than the weissburgunder we all know and love. In any case, it had the nose of a fir tree and though tart offered pretty good definition. A tangy wine. Another contender for wine of the evening for folks around the room was the 2008 Müller-Catoir Hardt Muskateller Trocken from the Pfalz. A much, much riper nose than the previous three wines, the taste was refined, still tart yet bursting with beautiful flavor. Nicely rounded and a fun wine to drink. The sweetest entry for the evening was undoubtedly the 2008 Pfeffingen Gewürztraminer Spätlese, also from the Pfalz. Very rich nose, plush and sugar-filled in the mouth. Slight spice emboldened with a healthy dollop of sugar. Not my thing. Onto the reds, the 2008 Schnaitmann Lemberger from the rarely-seen-stateside Württemberg region was my favorite red of the night. Distinctive grape roll-up nose, yet tart, lean, tight and crisp in taste. Very firm edges that were very welcome in this wine—a distinctive approach to lemberger I'd gladly drink again. The 2008 A. Christmann Spätburgunder from the Pfalz had a crazy light color and unusual nose that reminded me of an undefined animal. Very spicy and unusual. The 2006 Julius Wasem & Sohne Ingleheimer Sonnenhang Spätburgunder Trocken from the Rheinhessen was also spicy, but felt a bit looser and less well defined. More tang here. Finally, Harris generously opened and shared his bottle of Becker Spätburgunder “R” from the Pfalz. Beautiful, generous fruit, firmness and definition. A beautiful wine and a fantastic end to the evening.

Thanks for the excellent notes, Keith!  Though we enjoyed all of the wines, we ended up being quite impressed with the Sylvaner; we had a bottle of it at home, open for three days, and it just kept getting better! 

COMMUNITY EVENTS

The next Dee Vine Wines tasting is on Saturday, November 13.  Visit their website for details:  http://www.dvw.com/rarefinewines/pre-holiday-tasting-sale/

On October 23, Shane and Jennifer visited the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant to taste wines from Terry Theise’s portfolio, including the 2009 Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Spatlese, Nahe.  Though young, it was quite accessible and delicious to drink, with honeyed fruit and floral notes.  However, the acidity underneath tells me it will only get better with age.  The flight also included a gorgeous grower’s Champagne and a very steely Gruner Veltliner.

Look for a review of Terry’s new book, Reading Between the Wines, in an upcoming newsletter!

GET INVOLVED

·         Did you find a very special German wine, or an amazing deal?  Tell us all the details and we will feature it in a future issue of the newsletter. 

·         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 December 3!

Warmly,

Jennifer