American vs. french

[tomstevenson]

Left coast is specific politically and geographically: like it hotwine (not withstanding the fact that your country's Left is nearer to our Right - post-Thatcher anyway). And you're right wondersofwine, Hock does derive from Hochheim. There's an old wive's tale that it goes back to Queen Victoria's favourite German wine (she owned a vineyard in Hochheim), but in fact it goes back much further, to the 17th century. It was first mentioned, I think, in Oldham's PARAPHRASES FROM HORACE (1681), originally referring specifically to wines from Hochheim itself, but became synonymous with Rhine or Rhenish wines as a whole in the 18th century. So much so, in fact, that Christie's had to qualify the Hocks from Hochheim as "Hock Hocheim". Hope that satisfies.
Tom

[This message has been edited by tomstevenson (edited 08-04-2001).]