Riesling!

[Bill Lundstrom]

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by Rahsaan:
Good heads up on the AP number issue. That helps explain some of the different experiences with me and Mark, because I guess all my bottles have been the #19.

originally posted by mark e:

2016 Falkenstein Krettnacher Ober Schäfershaus Spätlese Trocken...

This Spätlese blew me away. Full, yet sleek. Perfect acid balance with a touch of what Terry Theise likes to call "secret sweetness." Though Trocken I doubt it is technically dry. But who cares. Lovely lime, crushed stone and endless length of finish.

I'm grilling local Red Drum on the halfshell tonight. We'll see if it works. If it doesn't I'm switching food, not wine.

Nice. Never seen this bottling. I like your full-on commitment to the wine over food!

Speaking of today's wine, I was riesling-free with a 2011 Barale Barolo, delightfully matched with homemade pizza. I was not going to switch food or wine, regardless of what happened, but I did need to keep focus inbetween sips of my wife's Haw River Snow Hands beer.

I love good beers, too, particularly with Euro hops, but Haw River brewing is really not my cup of tea. I found them always way too high in alcohol - Snow Hands I believe is 10% . . .

The simple grilled fish made with dill stems around it was perfect with the wine. A lot easier than starting over, given I'm cooking only for myself these days.

can i ask how you grill fish on the half shell?

 

[mark e]

originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by Rahsaan:
Good heads up on the AP number issue. That helps explain some of the different experiences with me and Mark, because I guess all my bottles have been the #19.

originally posted by mark e:

2016 Falkenstein Krettnacher Ober Schäfershaus Spätlese Trocken...

This Spätlese blew me away. Full, yet sleek. Perfect acid balance with a touch of what Terry Theise likes to call "secret sweetness." Though Trocken I doubt it is technically dry. But who cares. Lovely lime, crushed stone and endless length of finish.

I'm grilling local Red Drum on the halfshell tonight. We'll see if it works. If it doesn't I'm switching food, not wine.

Nice. Never seen this bottling. I like your full-on commitment to the wine over food!

Speaking of today's wine, I was riesling-free with a 2011 Barale Barolo, delightfully matched with homemade pizza. I was not going to switch food or wine, regardless of what happened, but I did need to keep focus inbetween sips of my wife's Haw River Snow Hands beer.

I love good beers, too, particularly with Euro hops, but Haw River brewing is really not my cup of tea. I found them always way too high in alcohol - Snow Hands I believe is 10% . . .

The simple grilled fish made with dill stems around it was perfect with the wine. A lot easier than starting over, given I'm cooking only for myself these days.

can i ask how you grill fish over the half shell?

I'm not sure the term is used everywhere, but in NC it refers to fillets that are not scaled. That thick, scaly skin protects it from the fire and the result is very juicy. I put the wood charcoal on one side, when ready add damp hickory wood - the fish is on the opposite side (indirect heat) of a closed Weber in a grill basket.

 

[Bill Lundstrom]

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by Rahsaan:
Good heads up on the AP number issue. That helps explain some of the different experiences with me and Mark, because I guess all my bottles have been the #19.

originally posted by mark e:

2016 Falkenstein Krettnacher Ober Schäfershaus Spätlese Trocken...

This Spätlese blew me away. Full, yet sleek. Perfect acid balance with a touch of what Terry Theise likes to call "secret sweetness." Though Trocken I doubt it is technically dry. But who cares. Lovely lime, crushed stone and endless length of finish.

I'm grilling local Red Drum on the halfshell tonight. We'll see if it works. If it doesn't I'm switching food, not wine.

Nice. Never seen this bottling. I like your full-on commitment to the wine over food!

Speaking of today's wine, I was riesling-free with a 2011 Barale Barolo, delightfully matched with homemade pizza. I was not going to switch food or wine, regardless of what happened, but I did need to keep focus inbetween sips of my wife's Haw River Snow Hands beer.

I love good beers, too, particularly with Euro hops, but Haw River brewing is really not my cup of tea. I found them always way too high in alcohol - Snow Hands I believe is 10% . . .

The simple grilled fish made with dill stems around it was perfect with the wine. A lot easier than starting over, given I'm cooking only for myself these days.

can i ask how you grill fish over the half shell?

I'm not sure the term is used everywhere, but in NC it refers to fillets that are not scaled. That thick, scaly skin protects it from the fire and the result is very juicy. I put the wood charcoal on one side, when ready add damp hickory wood - the fish is on the opposite side (indirect heat) of a closed Weber in a grill basket.

cool idea. i'll have to try it. thanks!

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by mark e:

I love good beers, too, particularly with Euro hops, but Haw River brewing is really not my cup of tea. I found them always way too high in alcohol - Snow Hands I believe is 10% . . .

Heresy!

Haw River is one of my favorite local breweries, although I suppose it does depend what you are looking for stylistically. We're both fans of Belgian beers (so the alcohol is not a big issue), which is clearly a main inspiration for them. Plus, I like the fact that Haw River has so many interesting combinations that are not hoppy IPAs (one of my last favorite styles). Admittedly HR can get a bit too experimental, but I generally find them high quality, even if they don't all click for me.

 

[robert ames]

originally posted by Rahsaan:

originally posted by mark e:

I love good beers, too, particularly with Euro hops, but Haw River brewing is really not my cup of tea. I found them always way too high in alcohol - Snow Hands I believe is 10% . . .

Heresy!

Haw River is one of my favorite local breweries, although I suppose it does depend what you are looking for stylistically. We're both fans of Belgian beers (so the alcohol is not a big issue), which is clearly a main inspiration for them. Plus, I like the fact that Haw River has so many interesting combinations that are not hoppy IPAs (one of my last favorite styles). Admittedly HR can get a bit too experimental, but I generally find them high quality, even if they don't all click for me.

i also do not like high alcohol beers. since i don't seek them out i am not well versed in american strong beer, but when i do encounter them, i always find the alcohol obvious, intrusive, and in a way, cloying. the thing that belgian beers have is that, whatever the alcohol, i find it to be completely un-intrusive.

 

[John M]

originally posted by Ben Hunting:

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Rahsaan:

originally posted by John M:

Happen to know the AP # on this? I had the #1 (AP 01 17) at the Rieslingfeier Grand Tasting and thought it was really quite good. If there was a sour aspect to it, it was manifest as lime mixed in with apples. But that was a couple of months ago and these may be entering into an awkward phase, as your note suggests.

Aha! That could also explain my mixed results over the past few months, if I was drinking different bottlings. Alas I did not note the AP# and the bottles are long gone.

If this was locally sourced, only one AP# of trocken came in, the 2016 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett trocken AP. 19.

I checked my remaining bottle. It was AP 1, but I got it from CSW.

New York only had AP Nr. 1, no AP Nr. 19. I opened a bottle of AP Nr. 1 a few months ago and, like John M, thought it was delicious.

Wait a minute. I thought the rule was that the New York area got first dibs on everything! Shouldn't we have had the AP Nr. 19 as well? And only after we had decided to be generous and share would it be made available in other locations, like Charlotte or Saarburg!

 

[mark e]

originally posted by robert ames:

originally posted by Rahsaan:

originally posted by mark e:

I love good beers, too, particularly with Euro hops, but Haw River brewing is really not my cup of tea. I found them always way too high in alcohol - Snow Hands I believe is 10% . . .

Heresy!

Haw River is one of my favorite local breweries, although I suppose it does depend what you are looking for stylistically. We're both fans of Belgian beers (so the alcohol is not a big issue), which is clearly a main inspiration for them. Plus, I like the fact that Haw River has so many interesting combinations that are not hoppy IPAs (one of my last favorite styles). Admittedly HR can get a bit too experimental, but I generally find them high quality, even if they don't all click for me.

i also do not like high alcohol beers. since i don't seek them out i am not well versed in american strong beer, but when i do encounter them, i always find the alcohol obvious, intrusive, and in a way, cloying. the thing that belgian beers have is that, whatever the alcohol, i find it to be completely un-intrusive.

Completely agree. Even Belgian Dubbel (not my favorite) seems much better integrated than the New World look-alikes; the balance is always lacking in the copies. Some are truly vile: anything from Unibroue is in that category for me.

I like session beer, Swedish folkøl, cloudy artisan witbier (and their better simulacra) - you get the gist. Pretty much my taste in wine where I often find 11-11.5% ABV is my sweet spot.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by mark e:
I like session beer, Swedish folkøl, cloudy artisan witbier (and their better simulacra) - you get the gist. Pretty much my taste in wine where I often find 11-11.5% ABV is my sweet spot.

When I was in Dallas for work last year, I inadvertently chose a 9% beer to drink with dinner. By the second one, I was becoming concerned for driving in an unfamiliar town, however lawless.

 

[Bill Lundstrom]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by mark e:
I like session beer, Swedish folkøl, cloudy artisan witbier (and their better simulacra) - you get the gist. Pretty much my taste in wine where I often find 11-11.5% ABV is my sweet spot.

When I was in Dallas for work last year, I inadvertently chose a 9% beer to drink with dinner. By the second one, I was becoming concerned for driving in an unfamiliar town, however lawless.

i'm pretty sure this is why Uber was created.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by mark e:
I like session beer, Swedish folkøl, cloudy artisan witbier (and their better simulacra) - you get the gist. Pretty much my taste in wine where I often find 11-11.5% ABV is my sweet spot.

When I was in Dallas for work last year, I inadvertently chose a 9% beer to drink with dinner. By the second one, I was becoming concerned for driving in an unfamiliar town, however lawless.

i'm pretty sure this is why Uber was created.

And leave my car in the restaurant parking lot when I need it the next morning?

 

[Bill Lundstrom]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by mark e:
I like session beer, Swedish folkøl, cloudy artisan witbier (and their better simulacra) - you get the gist. Pretty much my taste in wine where I often find 11-11.5% ABV is my sweet spot.

When I was in Dallas for work last year, I inadvertently chose a 9% beer to drink with dinner. By the second one, I was becoming concerned for driving in an unfamiliar town, however lawless.

i'm pretty sure this is why Uber was created.

And leave my car in the restaurant parking lot when I need it the next morning?

Uber back?

 

[robert ames]

the way i see it, uber is the result of really crappy taxis in american cities. my limited experience has been occasional forays to seattle, where the car was a surplussed and ratted out cop car, and the driver was pretty much an english-as-a-second-language con artist. i've seen 70mph up 99 leaving downtown seattle in a wreck with no shock absorbers and steering clearly out of alignment.

in london, i love using the taxis, and the couple times recently when using private taxis, have found the fare to be pretty much the same as the london taxi.

 

[Bill Lundstrom]

originally posted by robert ames:
the way i see it, uber is the result of really crappy taxis in american cities. my limited experience has been occasional forays to seattle, where the car was a surplussed and ratted out cop car, and the driver was pretty much an english-as-a-second-language con artist. i've seen 70mph up 99 leaving downtown seattle in a wreck with no shock absorbers and steering clearly out of alignment.

in london, i love using the taxis, and the couple times recently when using private taxis, have found the fare to be pretty much the same as the london taxi.

i was just having fun with Jeff.
but, my Uber experiences in several US cities have all been very positive. one of the best aspects of Uber is the access to transportation at very reasonable prices in the suburbs and smaller cities that don't have taxis you can hail on the streets.

 

[robert ames]

originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:

originally posted by robert ames:
the way i see it, uber is the result of really crappy taxis in american cities. my limited experience has been occasional forays to seattle, where the car was a surplussed and ratted out cop car, and the driver was pretty much an english-as-a-second-language con artist. i've seen 70mph up 99 leaving downtown seattle in a wreck with no shock absorbers and steering clearly out of alignment.

in london, i love using the taxis, and the couple times recently when using private taxis, have found the fare to be pretty much the same as the london taxi.

i was just having fun with Jeff.
but, my Uber experiences in several US cities have all been very positive. one of the best aspects of Uber is the access to transportation at very reasonable prices in the suburbs and smaller cities that don't have taxis you can hail on the streets.

yes, with uber, the bad ones you can "vote them off the island".

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by mark e:
I like session beer, Swedish folkøl, cloudy artisan witbier (and their better simulacra) - you get the gist. Pretty much my taste in wine where I often find 11-11.5% ABV is my sweet spot.

When I was in Dallas for work last year, I inadvertently chose a 9% beer to drink with dinner. By the second one, I was becoming concerned for driving in an unfamiliar town, however lawless.

i'm pretty sure this is why Uber was created.

And leave my car in the restaurant parking lot when I need it the next morning?

Uber back?

Stockholder?

I've had good experiences with Lyft, as you say, vacationing in cities where on-street hailing isn't a thing.

 

[mark e]

originally posted by Ben Hunting:

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Rahsaan:

originally posted by John M:

Happen to know the AP # on this? I had the #1 (AP 01 17) at the Rieslingfeier Grand Tasting and thought it was really quite good. If there was a sour aspect to it, it was manifest as lime mixed in with apples. But that was a couple of months ago and these may be entering into an awkward phase, as your note suggests.

Aha! That could also explain my mixed results over the past few months, if I was drinking different bottlings. Alas I did not note the AP# and the bottles are long gone.

If this was locally sourced, only one AP# of trocken came in, the 2016 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett trocken AP. 19.

I checked my remaining bottle. It was AP 1, but I got it from CSW.

New York only had AP Nr. 1, no AP Nr. 19. I opened a bottle of AP Nr. 1 a few months ago and, like John M, thought it was delicious.

Some of you may be familiar with larscarlberg.com - I'm a subscriber (and it is worth it). Anyway I contacted him about this. He works with Falkenstein. Here is what he said:

The 2016 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Kabinett trocken AP 19 comes from an old-vine plot that is nicknamed "Egon." An Egon (not Müller) was the former owner. The slate soil includes reddish-gray quartzite-bearing sandstone. It's a little more austere than the AP 1, also known as "Mutter Anna," who once owned the two parcels of old vines that are the source of this wine—one of David Schildknecht's favorites over the last few vintages. I'm sipping on a glass of the 2016 vintage now. I love this wine but also the AP 19. (For anyone on Wine Disorder interested in the different AP numbers, I have a list of the 2016s in front of the paywall. I have a similar list of selections for the 2017s.)

The 2016 Krettnacher Ober Schäfershaus Spätlese trocken does have a little more body than the other wines. Yet it's still low in alcohol. It fermented under 9 grams of sugar per liter. The soil type is a little different from all the other vineyards. Besides slate and quartz, it has diabas. The soil pH is around 3 instead of 2.7 or so.