By Gail Appleson
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/27/2008
I don't hear much about German red wine. In fact,
the first time I remember talking about it was
at a recent dinner party.
I was chatting with Susanne and Jim Evens
of Chesterfield. In addition to owning
AAA Translation, she is the president
of St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities Inc.,
which promotes cultural understanding and aims
to stimulate economic development between those
two cities.
"I grew up with red wine. I don't care for
white," said Susanne Evens, a native of the
Stuttgart area who became a U.S. citizen in January.
"We have very good Pinot Noir."
That was a bit of a surprise, because when I
think of German wine, I think of white wine. I
was also somewhat amazed to learn where she finds
German Pinot Noir in the St. Louis area: Trader
Joe's.
"I was jumping up and down when I saw it,"
she said. "It's light-bodied. It's not heavy.
It's just a very, very soft Pinot Noir. It's an
easy-drinking wine."
That certainly piqued my curiosity, so the next
day I headed over to the Trader Joe's at 48 Brentwood
Promenade Court. I had to search a bit, but I
finally found the 2005 Pinot Noir "Edition
Maximilian" QbA on a bottom shelf. The wine
sells for $6.99.
According to Karen MacNeil's "Wine Bible,"
Germany's reputation as the greatest white-wine
producing nation in the world was historically
based on the Rheingau region. Although Riesling
is the leading grape of the area, Pinot Noir,
which is called Spätburgunder in Germany,
is also an important grape. It tends to produce
a pale but spicy red with a kind of bitter-almond
flavor, she writes.
Indeed, this wine is light garnet in color. But
what's most surprising is that it's sweet. It's
not cloyingly sweet like a Concord grape or strawberry
wine, but it's definitely medium-dry, unlike any
other Pinot Noir I've tasted. It's also light-bodied
and on the low side when it comes to alcohol at
11.5 percent.
If you don't like dry wines, this might be for
you. The wine would pair with lighter cuisines
and would make a good summer wine. I could see
myself out on a patio drinking this with ice cubes,
somewhat like a Sangria.
Next to the Pinot Noir on the shelf was a 2006
Valckenberg Gewürztraminer QbA from the Pfalz
region selling for $10.99. MacNeil describes Pfalz
as being the most exciting, inventive wine region
in Germany today, so I couldn't resist.
Although this is a fuller-bodied white, it is
also relatively low in alcohol at 10.5 percent.
This is an aromatic medium-dry wine that's sweet
and fruity on the front, tasting of fresh peach.
It has a drier finish with lots of cinnamon and
nutmeg spice. Because of its sweetness, this would
pair well with Thai and other spicy cuisines.
gappleson@post-dispatch.com
|
