New Year's Eve

My wife and I enjoyed a very nice wine, an interesting blend of Semillon (usually blended with Sauvignon Blanc in Bordeaux), Chardonnay, and Verdelho from Australia.  It was advertised to go great with fish, and it went VERY well with our homemade Pasta and White Clam Sauce (known as Clam Stuff in the family).  Wonderfully dry with strong citrus notes.  Heartland Stickleback White, 2007.  I recommend it. 

Christmas Presents

Christmas in Pennsylvania brought with it 5 bottles of wine to add to my strength in Germanic white wines, and Rieslings in particular. 

First off, I got two 2007 Pauly-Bergweiler Berkasteler Badstube and Doktorberg Rieslings, a Kabinett and a Spatlese.  These I am looking forward to cellaring for a few years before opening.  Also, an Austrian Gruner-Veltliner from Wolfgang Vineyards, which, I think, my dad bought for the label! 

Also an AJ Adam Riesling Kabinett (2006), and a more local Finger Lakes Riesling from Hermann J. Wiemer.  All of these should be great, and one Riesling or another will accompany our traditional Pennsylvania Dutch pork dinner on New Year's Day!

Recent Acquisitions

I live in the far north of New York.  We have a good wine store here (T&R Wines and Liquors) but I still like to stock up when I am down in "Civilization."  This week I was in New Jersey.  So I stopped at Gary's Wine & Marketplace on Rte. 23.  I was looking to diversify my collection a little, and possibly pick up a couple of the 1001 wines.  On both counts, I succeeded. 

First, I picked up a half bottle of Chateau La Tour Blanche 2005, a Sauternes.  I'm looking forward to trying this sweet wine, as I've never before had a Sauternes.  I'll have to find the right occassion!

Second, I picked up a bottle of Domaine Huet Sparkling wine from the Vouvray region (2002 Huet Vouvray Petillant Brut).  I enjoy sparkling wine, and have had at least one other sparkling Vouvray.  So, to see a (much) older vintage (1959) of this in the 1001 wines piqued my interest. 

I also picked up some old favorites to round out my collection:  Fairview's Goats do Roam, some value french rhone wines from Perrin et Fils, some New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc from Staete Landt, some South African whites from Mulderbosch, and a bottle each of Las Rocas Grenache and Churchills 2002 LBV Port. 

Finally, on our way back up to Potsdam, we stopped at Saratoga Wine Exchange in Saratoga Springs, NY (a beautiful little town, by the way).  Over a late Christmas smorgasbord at my in-laws, I tried a Fetish Wines, The Watcher, 2006.  I REALLY enjoyed it.  It had a hint of sweetness, but it wasn't at all syrupy.  It was deep and dark, and just absolutely delicious.  So, in Saratoga, I picked up 2 bottles of that, plus another bottle by Fetish Wines - Playmates, which is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mataro.  I just found out that Mataro is another name for Mourvedre, which is commonly blended in rhone wines (primarily Syrah) which I love.  I've had another GSM (Grenache Syrah Mourvedre) by Kaesler Wines, and loved it, so this one should be really fun. 

Looking through the book

I've spent the last few evenings looking through "the book." So far (I've gone through the sparkling wines and most of the whites), I've had three of the wines.

The first is the Pommery Cuvee Louise, 1990. This was a gift from my wife's godparents for our wedding. Unfortunately, I can't remember when we drank it, but I know it was spectacular.

The second is 2001 J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatese. This we drank with my parents shortly after we moved into our current house. I also remember when/where I bought it. Shortly after the 2001s were released, I was looking through Wine Spectator at the "reviews" of the Rieslings. I grabbed the list and went over the my local wine store (at the time, the Village Corner). There I found this and several other 2001s. Anyway, this wine is the best wine I have ever tasted (perhaps that will change as I continue). Unbelievable depth and variety of flavors.

Finally, I have had the 2004 Feudi di San Gregorio Fiano di Avellino. This wine was not quite as special as the others, but certainly a great buy at a reasonable price, and with unique flavors.  At the time I was trying a lot of the wines by Feudi di San Gregorio, and I can say that I liked them all.  I'm looking to get a hold of a more recent vintage of this wine, however, so I can give you a better description!

A Lifetime of Wine

So, for Christmas, my mom got me a copy of 1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die, edited by Neil Becket, and published by Universe Publishing in 2008. I also saw the movie Julie and Julia. So, I thought, maybe I should start working my way through the book, although there is no way I can do it in a year, probably not even 10 years. Furthermore, I am not of unlimited means, and so there are some wines in the book I can never HOPE to afford. Nonetheless, it has inspired me to start blogging about the wines I drink. I hope that, over time, I will be able to acquire many of the wines in the book.

A few introductory notes: I am not a wine expert, I'm an economics professor. I enjoy wine, and know a little about wine. Mostly I find it fun to try new wines and enjoy them with my wife and my friends. What stands in as my "collection" of wines is a little odd. The country with the largest representation in my collection is Germany, mostly Rieslings. That is followed by France (mostly reds, largely from the Rhone), and then South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, California, and ... Canada. All told, I have about 100 bottles.

Well, that's my first post. I think this will be fun!