Jun 08 2012
9 Comments
I have no clue how to categorize this

Kreativ-Blogger Award

Kreativ-Blogger Award

Rules of Conduct: Bloggers who win the award must complete the following steps:
1. Thank the blogger who gave you the award and provide a link.
2. List 7 interesting things about yourself that your readers might find interesting
3. Nominate 7 other bloggers, provide links, and let them know!

Re 1.

I just noticed that I received an honorable mention by my friend Julian at Vini Buoni – Good wines in the Kreativ-Blogger Award. I feel really flattered by this, because Vini Buoni was the first blog I subscribed to right after I signed up for my own wine blog. I have therefore always felt a special closeness to Julian and his blog, which extends far beyond that: We both were born and raised in Germany, we both seem to have fallen for Italian wines, and his wine reviews are passionate, enlightening and well written. Italy has so many different varietals, it is cool to get to know more of them through Julian’s palate. Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work!! Oh, and his cover photo is hauntingly beautiful…

Re 2.

  • My “real” name is Oliver Windgätter, hence the winegetter
  • My wife is from Alaska and we met watching the Euro Cup 2008 (soccer) in a sports bar in Botswana.
  • I have lived in Europe, Asia, Africa and now North America.
  • Why restrict yourself? There is so much to explore beyond my favorites riesling, pinotage, vino nobile and pinot noir…
  • Perfection is avocado on a rye bread with a pinch of salt.
  • I love vineyards, but am afraid of forests.
  • Ice cream…

Re 3.

It was hard to pick, and limiting myself to just fellow wine blogs did not make the choice any easier…no offense meant in creating this list.

  • Sipology: A fellow blogger from Michigan, Josh runs this awesome blog that is focused on wine and bourbon. I love both. Josh’s reviews and commentary are well written and follow a structure that would be impossible to keep up for this babbling blogger over here…We’re yet to meet up and share some bottles, but I do see this coming.
  • The Wine Raconteur: Another blogger from Michigan (hey, it’s all about staying local these days, right?) and after Vini Buoni, this was the second blog I signed up for as I joined wordpress. The style is totally opposite Sipology’s. This is a blog full of anecdotes, memories, and trivia that is a pleasure to follow. John has tried many spectacular wines and vintages and he shares the stories that come with them. I love how John gets carried away sometimes, because this is what it is all about!
  • The drunken cyclist: Here is another storyteller who does a great job at drawing me into his posts. We share a passion for Korean food, and the troubles of pairing wine with it. His wines go from daily bargains to top notch, and I am always in for a surprise when I look up the new posts.
  • The Virginia Wine Palate: A young blog, like mine, we first met over our common admiration and obsession with cork art, aka whether the winemaker bothered to put something funny, artsy or meaningful on their corks. Focused on wines from the Virginia region, it is pretty eye opening for this Euro-centric blogger and has been a good helper in expanding my horizons.
  • From Vinho Verde to Barolo with love: On a wine journey, just like we all are, this one intriguingly combines lessons and observations in life with wine and everything wine related. Thoughtful, witty, funny and well written, it is a real treasure trove.
  • Paprika & Pinot: A food and wine site (duh!) with tantalizing recipes and great, great wine reviews. A gorgeous blog, photos, recipes, wines. The title made me laugh because of an unpleasant memory of a South African white that ONLY smelled and ONLY tasted like green peppers (which are called “Paprika” in German)…fell in love with the blog since.
  • winophiled: Another food and wine blog with more great recipes. Great help in pairing, and a generally well maintained site with great photos. I have to admit that I have dreams about the citrus brined chicken with avocado sauce and have announced to my wife several times that I will be making this SOON.

These and others are inspiring me daily, and I am grateful for the community I have found.

Jun 07 2012
8 Comments
2009, Italy

2009 Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

You recognize the bottle by the piece of vine that is incorporated. My shot of the label is so blurry, it does not really help.

Just a short tasting note today. We are in full preparation mode for our Germany trip and expecting a visitor this weekend.

Last night, we were invited over to friends and brought this bottle of wine. I had picked it up a while back, and had read a great review HERE! somewhere, cannot find it anymore. If it was you, give me a sign and the link and I will enter it here. The dinner was spaghetti with a pancetta, roast red peppers and chili sauce with parsley, so I figured this wine should be working well with it.

The nose was quite appealing, no distinguishable notes for me. Directly after opening, the wine was still somewhat unbalanced, and I noticed some sauerkraut notes (seriously!). It was not unpleasant, but definitely surprising. After half an hour the wine had opened up to a really appealing fruity wine. With strawberry jam in the nose, and a round, balanced acid-flavor structure on the palate. Combined with the chili in the dish, the wine’s peppery notes raced over my tongue.

We finished the night with some bourbon (Hirsch and Five Roses) and called it a day. For about $12, I think this is a decent enough wine.

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Jun 05 2012
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Germany, I have no clue how to categorize this, Rheingau

2009 G. H. von Mumm 50° Riesling Trocken

I have heard some good things about this wine. Anyone else have given it a try? Seems like a reasonably priced bread and butter wine…:)

BargainWhine's avatarThe magical world of wines from Grocery Outlet

Qualitätswein Rheingau (apparently also close to Winegetter’s hometown), Germany; 12% ABV
“Trocken” = “dry”
$10 at the Berkeley, CA store

For local context, 50° north latitude is about 80 miles north of Vancouver, BC, Canada.  This wine clearly shows it’s the product of a location where grapes ripen less, but if you like this sort of thing, it’s quite good.

While the wine has a component of yellow apple, its main attraction is the nicely delineated acid of lemon, green apple, and the white part of melon rind.  While it reminded me of the 2008 Muddy Water Riesling (New Zealand), it is less sharp and provides a longer, more even, and more complex taste on the palate.  It went very well with lemon – ginger ground pork over rice, where the ginger was freshly grated and the lemon was fresh zest and juice, with no other sugar.  Although I…

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