Did I say something wrong?

[Rosieroon]

Or ask the wrong way? Or post on the wrong board? My husband and I know next to nothing about wine, but we realize this would be a good opportunity to learn about German wines. We just don't know where to start (hence the subject heading of my first post). Aside from the one sarcastic response I received, can anyone recommend a good book to guide us, or perhaps a good German wine or two? Or maybe guide me to another board where such a request is appropriate? [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

[Drew]

Rosieroon, first, welcome to this board but your way off. Innkeeper posted an appropriate response; I see nothing sarcastic about it. Wine is viewed differently in European wine producing countries. Most town or villages have small vineyards and local eateries that highlight exceptional area wines that rarely find their way to the States. From a wine enjoyment/learning standpoint, you’re in an enviable position. All wine regions keep the bulk of their better wines for regional distribution, exporting only a small percentage. Who better to teach you German wines than...uh....the Germans?

Drew

[winecollector]

Hello Rosieroon, and welcome aboard! Not knowing what your other post was, I went back, found it, and looked at it. I think all that Innkeeper was trying to say, is that you are priviledged to be in an area that makes some great wines. You will want to try some of the local wines that people like us over here in the USA may not know about, or even have access to. You need to see what wines are agreeable to your taste, whether dry or sweet, red or white. Most of the wines you are likely to find made in your local area are going to be white wines, and probably on the sweet side. If these kind of wines are not something you enjoy drinking, then you will want to try to find others.

As far as a recommendation for a good German wine, several of us here on the board like wines from Schmitt/Sohnne/Ruwer (not sure on the spelling), and they make some sweet and some dry.

As far as a book to recommend, when I got back into wines, I purchased a copy of Wine for Dummies, as it covers a lot of the basics, without getting too technical. There are other books as well, and you can probably do a search of some former posts and see other suggestions.

By the way, in my humble opinion I didn't find anything offensive in the post that you considered to be "sarcastic." However, I will be glad to "discipline" Innkeeper by rationing how much wine we let him drink while he makes his posts on here in the future! No, seriously, knowing Innkeeper, he was either just having some fun with you, or he was talking about an actual place he's been at before. We like to have fun with each other on here, so please don't take any of our clowning around seriously. There's a wealth of knowledge to be found on this site, so look around, learn, and try to enjoy yourself, and again, welcome aboard!

[Innkeeper]

Please excuse me if you thought I was sarcastic. Was coming from first hand knowledge that helped MrsIK and moi learn a lot about wine. In others words, been there, done that.

[cpurvis]

Don't know if such a thing exists, but I'd be looking for a map w/ winery locations & then sipping my way along the Mosel! It works in France...we've had private tastings just by knocking on vintner's doors. The Germans are nice folk, so no reason to expect differently there.

Whatever you do, enjoy!

[hotwine]

Hi, Rosie, welcome - sorry I missed your post on the 26th. You're in a wonderful wine area. Suggest you visit the Class VI store at Ramstein AB and ask the folks there for Mosel recommendations. That's a convenient place to start, with many selections, and you can begin learning about Mosels without driving all over southern Germany. After you've identified some wines that you like by smpling the Class VI store's offerings, you can locate the vintners from their addresses on the labels, and pay them a visit. They will welcome you, and be flattered that you've gone to the trouble to find them. Later, you can visit other facilities, such as Mainz Kastel (assume it's still open?) and the French commissary at Kaiserslautern, both excellent sources of European wines. You can also contact local wine brokers, who will deliver your orders directly to your home; the club managers on base can be used to locate brokers. Enjoy!
Gil

[Innkeeper]

All good advice Hotwine, but if I lived in the middle of a major wine region and wanted to try out the wines; would much rather check out ten or twelve at a time rather than one bottle at a time.

[hotwine]

I hear you, IK. But it's easy to get overwhelmed by selections when a person isn't accustomed to multiple tastings. I carry a small notebook with me to tastings, but not everyone does. Agree that wandering through the villages in the region is a fun way to learn the local products. And Bernkastel itself, although pretty touristy now, is still a good place to start with that approach. But a person who is new in-country, who wants to start learning about local wines quickly, can start at the Class VI stores and on-base/post clubs. There are also wine-tasting groups at many American facilties, and they periodicaly troop en masse into the villages to sample the goods.
Boyoboy, throw me back into that briar patch!

[Innkeeper]

Hotwine, have you ever, I mean ever found anyone in a Class VI store that knew one damn thing about wine? Have been frequenting such places regularly since 1962 in all parts of the world including France and Germany, and have yet to find such a person. Since all the Class VI's have now been turned over to the PX/BX's the situtation is even worse.

[hotwine]

The folks who worked at the ones in Mainz-Kastel and at Hainerberg Shopping Center in the mid-80's were very helpful. Wasn't aware that they had been turned over to AAFES. Understand the club situation has also changed dramatically. Oh, well. You're probably right, cruising the villages on your own would likely be the best bet now.

[chittychattykathy]

How far are you from Urzig? (It's very close to Bernkastel)

[Rosieroon]

ACK! So sorry, Innkeeper, please forgive me. I took your posting the wrong way.

Wow! Thanks for all the input. Wine for Dummies is exactly what I need. Hotwine is right, we are a bit overwhelmed right now with all this area has to offer. The wine is so inexpensive, and there are so many different varieties. Taking a small notebook along is a great idea, and also taking advantage of the many wine tastings that are offered is something we'll have to check out.

One bottle we were given had the words "Erben Spatlese", with "Franz Wilh. Langguth" beneath. Below that were the words "Qualitatswein mit Pradikat - Spatlese", then "Pfalz". The year was 1997. It was wonderful.

Again, thanks for all the great advice. I hope I'll be able to share some of my findings, and I also hope to learn from all on this board. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

[Rosieroon]

I don't know where Urzig is. We are near Spangdahlem, about 30 minutes from Trier and 90 minutes NW of Ramstein. We've only been here since October. Been to Trier, Cochem, Rothenburg and Koblenz, as well as Ramstein. We absolutely love it!

[hotwine]

You're very near the Pfalz region, where that '97 Langguth Spatlese was produced, so you can probably find the vintner without too much trouble.
Try the bookstore at Spang; tell 'em you want maps of the area showing the wine regions.
You might also pick up a copy of the Larousse Encyclopedia of Wine; it's about $40 full price, or slightly less from Amazon.com. It would be a good investment for your stay in Europe, and has an excellent chapter of about 45 pages on the wines of Germany.
You're very fortunate to be living where you are. There are many wine festivals throughout the country (and all of Europe) and you're guaranteed to have the time of your life. Best wishes, and drink it all in!

[james.ramey]

Hi Rosieroon, i am also new to the wine world and one thing that helped me learn some about wine was a cd rom called "world of wine". I believe it is very helpful. But it wont help you learn much about german wines, it will help you learn more about wines in general.

j.r.