Veyder Malberg Gruner Veltliner Hochrain

Tags

Austrian wine, Grüner Veltliner, Peter Malberg, Veyder Malberg, Wachau

Gruner Veltliner Hochrain

I have always been a fan of Austrian wines, in particular the lighter-styled Gruner Veltliners and Rieslings from the Wachau in Lower Austria.

Over the years, the pricier and highly rated wines designated “Smaragd”, have become fuller, clocking in above 13.5% ABV and making it quite difficult to finish a bottle, at least for me.

For this reason I am delighted to find producers like Veyder Malberg, who can capture the purity and intensity of flavors into a bottle at 12.5%. The Hochrain 2011 was phenomenal on the nose, palette and finish, and wine that dances in your mouth.

4.5 ouf of 5 stars

 

 

Bogedal Beer, Denmark

Tags

alternative to wine, beer, bogedal bryghus, denmark

great alternative to a wine

This micro-brewery produces about 70,000 bottles annually and can be compared to a wine in its complexity.  The pre-industrial age style beer produced from gravity flow is unfiltered and un-pasteurized, leaving behind a complex, deep and delicate yet strong, rich beer.  The producers puts all emphasis on quality and you can see in on the selection of bottle, the label paper and typography, and of course wonderful taste.

Don’t forget to leave the bottle upright and always in cool and dark place as recommended. All the natural sugars are still in tact and the top can blow off as the brew is very much alive and will keep for a long, long time.

I only tasted No. 326 which is a golden beer with scents of caramel and cane sugar and aromatic taste of cappuccino and chocolate, and the Hvede, a complex and full-bodied wheat beer with soft and fruity notes of orange.

At the price of a good wine bottle, it is still worth every penny and you will have a hard time sipping normal beer again.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Cote Rotie, Rhone

Tags

bonnefond, colline rhodannienne, cote rotie, cuilleron, gerin, jasmin, ogier, rhone, seyssuel, syrah, villiard

Cote Rotie vineyard (New York Times)

Even after years of drinking my way through the various intoxicating appellations of the Rhone Valley, I continue to be mesmerized by the wines from the Northern section, especially those from the steep sloped vineyards of Cote Rotie, located above the town of Ampuis and equal to the size of Hua Hin Hills Vineyard in Thailand.

Many classic as well as single vineyard cuvees have been tried and the names I fondly remember are Stephane Ogier, Christophe Bonnefond, Robert Jasmin, Francois Villiard, Jean Michel Gerin or Yves Cuilleron. While the soft vintages are easily approachable young at 4-5 years, the vintages of acclaim are hard hitting wines which need at least 10-12 years of maturation before opening up to expose complex aroma beneath the deep dark core.

La Landonne from Jean Michel Gerin

Looking at French wine map, it appears the entire Rhone valley, should make rich and warm wines from sunny vineyards, but not so in the northern reaches, which the French call vin septentrional.  It is here in Cote Rotie, where structure is matched with elegance. Take a closer look and you are reminded of Burgundy in style, but will not mistake the dark-berried Syrah. The same schist and granitic soil that runs from Burgundy through Northern Rhone all the way to Piedmont, allows for vintners to create wonderfully Burgundian-styled wines respectively of Pinot Noir, Syrah or Nebbiolo.

Ogier vineyard

A good Cote Rotie rarely wows you from the start. Instead, it runs its course (2-3 hours in a decanter), before slowly building up intriguing concoction of dark berries, graphite, and smokey bacon fat – something you will find nowhere else.   If the winemaker has co-fermented some Viognier with the Syrah, you will notice a light floral note in the bouquet. They are highly sought after and pricey due to limited supply and manual work on the slopes.

Seyssuel from above (google)

Are these wines worth the praise? An astounding yes, but you need find the right moment, and of course pay a handsome fee for each bottle. I suggest, that if you want a very similar experience, go even further north to an area around Vienne called Seyssuel. This was a coveted region during the Roman times, but left forgotten since until many of the young and talented winemakers moved there to reenergize what the trade knows as Vin de Pays Collines Rhodaniennes. Here you will find very similar wines for half the price.