That is how we make our new Riesling range – NECTO (in Latin – to connect/bind).

NECTO is produced in three styles to show off the diversity of riesling from the Mosel:

NECTO 1: trocken (dry)

NECTO 2: feinherb (medium-dry)

NECTO 3: edelsüss (Botrytis sweet – dessert-style)

Below are a few images depicting the production of NECTO 2011:

It doesn’t have anything to do with making riesling at the Mosel.

These are a few moments which have influenced my approach to life here at the Mosel (after looking at these I realized why it’s difficult to connect the wires). Aaah, thankful for the postcards. I was starting to forget who I am.

Now, where’s that damn blue wire?

Tartrate becomes less soluble in alcohol and therefore settles out of the wine. Should this natural process occur  later in the bottle, uninformed consumers mistaken this harmless crystal-like sediment for glass. Do you freak out when you see sediment at the bottom of your red wine bottle? In red wine, sediment has a different appearance and is therefore accepted. Orange juice without bits - how wrong!

Instead of educating the consumer, the wine industry elected the scientific approach to  avoid sediment in white wines. As a result wine quality is jeopardized due to unnecessary wine processes/additions being made to remove/mask tartrates.

If you find sediment in my riesling, consider yourself lucky as the wine in your glass is straight from the vineyard – not the lab. Weinstein is a sign of natural winemaking!!

Wine 1.  Valpolicella Ripasso: beefing up Valpolicella (mainly Corvina variety) by re-fermenting the young wine on the unpressed skins of Amarone wines (dried grape wines). So you’d expect some serious astringency and possible bitterness? If the grapes used for Amarone are dried correctly, polymerization of tannins in the skins lead to a rich, balanced blending partner for the Valpolicella (Corvina).

Wine 2.  Nero d’Avola (also known as Calabrese) is at home in Sicilia. This bold red wine supports  naturally high tannin levels with adequate acidity. Our 2010 example from Lamera was showing signs of excessive oxidation which encouraged most of us to push it back a few years on the vintage scale…..Jan and Tom seemed to know something the rest of us did not. The lads found some youthfulness in there somewhere and positioned it correctly.

Wine 3.  Barolo continues to make cracking examples of Nebbiolo.

Wine 4.  Negroamaro (native variety to DOC – Salento in Puglia) is a dark-skinned grape which produces really enjoyable, primary fruit-driven wines.

Wine 5.  Sagrantino is a vicious protein-binder. I haven’t experienced tannins like this for a long time. The 2006 Fongoli example was surprisingly youthful on the nose and palate. Add this to the  glue-like tannins and you can easily mistaken these wines for a recent vintage.

Wine 6.  Brindisi is a DOC in Puglia which also produces some interesting Negroamaro. Our 2008 example from Conte di Campiano was well-balanced and looking very youthful.

Wine 7.  Primitivo came back on to the scene thanks to it’s DNA similarities to Zinfandel. Also grown in Puglia, thought to have been introduced from Croatia. Unfortunately our example was green all over.

Up next from Vinokammer Vol.2 – >100g/L Restzucker….

Vinokammer Vol.2 - >100g/L Restzucker

© TI Traben-Trarbach

This winter T-T held it’s first Mosel-Wein-Nachts-Markt which is a play on words from the original Weihnachtsmarkt which can be found at Christmas in most towns and major cities. The difference being that the Christmas market held in T-T is underground in the traditional wine cellars. Be sure to organize your next winter holiday to Germany around the 2012 Mosel-Wein-Nachts-Markt. 

© TI Traben-Trarbach

I mentioned Weingut Römer Hof was holding an underwater wine tasting in cooperation with Yeti Divers, Blickfang Werbung and the city of Traben-Trarbach as part of the Mosel Wein Nachts Markt. Yesterday the German Wine Queen, Annika Strebel, joined us at the table. A series of blind tastings took place with communication taking the form of a underwater writing slate and various hand signals. The tasters could determine varying residual sugar levels, grape varieties and vertical tastings. The 2006 Auslese from Trabener Würzgarten was a favourite.

Pre-Dive with the German Wine Queen.

Setting the table...

This won't hurt a bit...trust me!

Damn Hochwasser!