My parents are amazing and I know that I am damn lucky to
have them. My father is awesome, I got both my dry sense of humor and cynicism (though he’s not too thrilled about that) from him and I am beyond grateful for both those traits. My mother is the kindest, most wonderful woman, who always wants to
see the best in everyone. They balance each other out so perfectly and also drive each other crazy at times. I
have never doubted that they love each other and my sisters and I (and all
the dogs I might have kinda guilted them into getting) very much. If it weren't
for them I might have never discovered how utterly fascinating and beautiful
wine is.
For my 21st birthday they had gotten me a bottle of Now and Zen Wasabi White (mainly because my mother loved the label... another habit I picked up from her), but forgot to bring it with them when they drove up to Dallas to see me, so my mother insisted on visiting several different liquor/wine stores in an attempt to find another bottle of it. We didn't find it and I honestly couldn't tell you what they wound up getting me instead to make up for it, but I remember being really amazed by how much they knew about wine, since it was something they'd only started getting into after I left home. What really sealed the deal though was a weekend visit I made probably a few months after that. They’d recently gotten really into New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and one of the last nights I was there we thought it'd be fun to do a blind-tasting of sorts with three different bottles of that varietal. Basically we put all three in paper bags then tasted each one and scored them somehow (the details are a bit fuzzy), not perfect, but still a lot of fun. The wines were Kim Crawford, Drylands (which I'm pretty sure was the winner overall) and a third I can’t recall. The details aren't really all that important... the point is that after that weekend I started to fall madly in love with wine all thanks to my parents.
For my 21st birthday they had gotten me a bottle of Now and Zen Wasabi White (mainly because my mother loved the label... another habit I picked up from her), but forgot to bring it with them when they drove up to Dallas to see me, so my mother insisted on visiting several different liquor/wine stores in an attempt to find another bottle of it. We didn't find it and I honestly couldn't tell you what they wound up getting me instead to make up for it, but I remember being really amazed by how much they knew about wine, since it was something they'd only started getting into after I left home. What really sealed the deal though was a weekend visit I made probably a few months after that. They’d recently gotten really into New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and one of the last nights I was there we thought it'd be fun to do a blind-tasting of sorts with three different bottles of that varietal. Basically we put all three in paper bags then tasted each one and scored them somehow (the details are a bit fuzzy), not perfect, but still a lot of fun. The wines were Kim Crawford, Drylands (which I'm pretty sure was the winner overall) and a third I can’t recall. The details aren't really all that important... the point is that after that weekend I started to fall madly in love with wine all thanks to my parents.
Since then I've become way more of a wine geek than either
of them and I’m sure that my slightly ridiculous passion for wine perplexes them at times, but
they have been nothing but supportive anyways. Of course it pays off for them as well since I've introduced them
to some rather awesome wines. Of those one of their favorites so far was Kurt
Darting Dürkheimer Spielberg Scheurebe Spätlese from Pfalz, Germany.
I have Kye (my friend
and fellow wine buyer at Whole Foods), to thank for introducing me to this wine (and for the picture above) and he has Terry Theise to thank for introducing him to Scheurebe. I’m
really glad that he stumbled upon this beautiful wine after reading Theise’s
book “Reading Between the Vines” and I’m really lucky that he was awesome enough
to share that experience with me. Just to give a brief background on this little known varietal: Scheurebe (or Sämling 88) is a crossing of Riesling and an
unknown grape (originally thought to be Sylvaner, but DNA analysis ruled that
out in the ‘90s). Primarily grown in Austria and Germany it is highly aromatic and, like Riesling, the wines made from it can range from very sweet to bone dry.
The Darting Scheurebe was beyond gorgeous, I still list in as one of the top ten white wines I've ever had. After that first bottle I kept gushing about it to my parents and wound up buying another bottle of it to drink with them so they could experience it as well ($19.99 at Twin Liquors, though I don't believe they carry it anymore). Normally I’d do my best to describe Scheurebe, and I could go into detail about the pink grapefruit, orange zest and honeysuckle flavors but I just feel like Terry Theise does such a better job of explaining this varietal than I could ever do, so I’ll just leave you with his words:
The Darting Scheurebe was beyond gorgeous, I still list in as one of the top ten white wines I've ever had. After that first bottle I kept gushing about it to my parents and wound up buying another bottle of it to drink with them so they could experience it as well ($19.99 at Twin Liquors, though I don't believe they carry it anymore). Normally I’d do my best to describe Scheurebe, and I could go into detail about the pink grapefruit, orange zest and honeysuckle flavors but I just feel like Terry Theise does such a better job of explaining this varietal than I could ever do, so I’ll just leave you with his words:
“I don’t drink Riesling all the time, though I’d hardly mind
doing so. Still, there are occasions when something more pagan is called for,
and that’s when I summon my guiltiest of wine pleasures: Scheurebe.
"Scheurebe (shoy-ray-beh), often shortened to ‘Scheu,’
is Riesling just after it read the Kama Sutra. Put another way, Scheu is what
Riesling would be if Riesling were a transvestite. If Riesling expresses all
that is Noble and Good, Scheu offers all that is Dirty and Fun. It is
Riesling’s evil, horny twin.”
-Terry Theise, "Reading Between the Vines"
-Terry Theise, "Reading Between the Vines"
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ReplyDeleteThanks to you, I am exploring Rieslings which in the past, I tended to stay away from.
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