Grapes & Capes Episode #17: Ravines & WandaVision

Mike and Joey sip on wines by Ravines Cellars and discuss the WandaVision series.

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- RAVINES CELLARS DRY RIESLING
- Germany vs Finger Lakes
- Truro Vineyards
- Dry vs fruit
- Technical Difficulties
- WANDAVISION
- Are we the last generation to watch Lucy?
- Why do babies not exist in major comic book events?
- RAVINES CELLARS PINOR NOIR
- What we're reading now
- DC Future State

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July Wine Pick: Bieler Family "Daisy" Pinot Grigio 2017

It's July and I've got a lot of good stuff lined up! Dane Cellars returns with four full wine reviews, and Left Coast comes back as well with two full reviews and two quickies. For other full reviews I've got a Godello and a Mencia from Spain, and a Chardonnay from Marshal Davis. For quickies I'm revisiting Rodney Strong Rosé to see if I had a faulty bottle, three Italian whites and a rosé, two Vermouths, Artezin Zinfandel makes another appearance, more canned wine, and... frozen rosé??? Of course, as always, things will be added as the month moves along.

I'm hoping to get Part 2 of my Saké articles up. Also, Wine Bloggers Off-Topic #3 is about our most inspirational historical figure, so if you want to join in then just email me at joeycasco80@gmail.com.

So I was at a spring trade tasting this year and the salesperson had marked a bunch of stuff in the book that she wanted me to try. When I literally had five minutes before I had to leave, I quickly looked through the book to find one item she had suggested instead of a whole table... and then I saw one arrow with a heart that she had drawn next to it... and it's name was Daisy. The name of my two-year old. That was it, I had to try it. And it was delicious!

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Wine Review: James Charles Riesling 2017

May is Riesling Month on TheWineStalker.net!

Bogati Family Winery is back on the blog, baby! When Riesling Month came together I had to get in contact with my favorite  guys in Virginia to get their James Charles Riesling involved! So here it is, and it's closing out an entire month of Riesling rated reviews!

Bogati Family Winery has four labels: Bogati Bodega, Veramar Vineyards, James Charles, and the winery exclusive Justin Bogaty Winemaker Selection. To read the other reviews I've written on all three of their labels, check out their very own Bogati label for the blog (yes, I've reviewed that many of their wines for them to have their own label).

This is a dry style Riesling from Virginia inspired by German Trocken. It was fermented and aged in stainless steel with an 11.2% ABV and 0.28% residual sugar. I really don't know anything else about this wine so I'm just gonna go ahead and drink the shit out of it. Sound good? Let's go!

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Wine Review: Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2016

May is Riesling Month on TheWineStalker.net!

Dr. Peter Pauly is the grandchild of Zacharias Bergweiler, historically one of the most esteemed Moselle winemakers. Already during his early studies at Geisenheim, the only German institution to award higher academic degrees in winemaking, Dr. Peter Pauly worked on the family wine estate before completely taking over the winery in the year 1959. In the year 2006, Dr. Peter Pauly transferred the operation of the wine estate to his son, Stefan Pauly. Stefan now not only carries forward the work of his father, but he also has achieved significant new success on the international wine market.

This is the second of two wines by Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler that I'm reviewing for Riesling Month., and it's the last from Germany. From their website: "Wehlener Sonnenuhr" (Sundial of Wehlen) is a vineyard located in the heart of the Middle Moselle wine region, directly opposite the well-known wine village of Wehlen. The small south-southwest-facing terraces reach up to 250 meters above sea level. Bluish-grey, primarily stony slate from the Devonian Period forms an especially good reservoir for heat, storing the heat during the day and releasing it to the vines during cool nights. Deposits of loess and quartzite bring additional mineral components to the wine.

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Wine Review: Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Noble House Riesling QBA 2017

May is Riesling Month on TheWineStalker.net!

Dr. Peter Pauly is the grandchild of Zacharias Bergweiler, historically one of the most esteemed Moselle winemakers. Already during his early studies at Geisenheim, the only German institution to award higher academic degrees in winemaking, Dr. Peter Pauly worked on the family wine estate before completely taking over the winery in the year 1959. In the year 2006, Dr. Peter Pauly transferred the operation of the wine estate to his son, Stefan Pauly. Stefan now not only carries forward the work of his father, but he also has achieved significant new success on the international wine market.

This is the first of two wines by Dr. Pauly Bergweiler that I'm reviewing for Riesling Month., and it's from their "Noble House" label. Here's their little blurb on the label: Noble House was named in honor of the Prince Elect of Trier, the oldest city in Germany. He built this distinguished Noble House in 1743, where his grapes were pressed and his wines were made. Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler bought the house more than 100 years ago.

The day that I'm writing this (May 16th; my rated reviews are usually done a week prior to publication) is marking a beautiful moment of the year, because finally it appears that I can start taking pictures of the bottles outside again. The sun is out and it's actually warm! See that wood? It's wet, like everything else around here. Cape Cod has been nothing but dark gloomy overcast and rain for the first half of 2019, but there is a ray of hope that we'll finally get out of it for a little snippet of spring and maybe let summer in for a minute.

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All Hail Riesling, The Ruler of the Rhine and Our Hearts!

May is Riesling Month on TheWineStalker.net!

German wine is a wonder and dangerously close to not being possible. The position it holds on the planet and its altitude makes it cold for most of the year, so the plant growing season is longer and more drawn out than most wine varieties can handle, and they won't ripen in time before winter. But thanks to the long days, the vines see plenty of sun. The best wine growing regions in the country have slate soil and steep slopes along the Rhine River and its tributaries like Ahr, Nahe, and especially Mosel. The slate soil absorbs both direct sunlight and the reflected sunlight off of the rivers to warm the grapes above, and those rivers also help to moderate temperatures. But even still, it takes some special grapes and vines to handle the German climate.

So the entire world is lucky that Germany spawned one of the noblest of grapes: Riesling. Physically the vines's tough wood can handle the climate like a champion, and its fruit has the right amount of sugar and acidity to make world class wine in it as well. This is the varietal that makes me smile more than any other. Let's take a bow for Riesling, the ruler of the Rhine and our hearts!

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Wine Review: Heinz Eifel Kabinett Riesling 2017

May is Riesling Month on TheWineStalker.net!

In 1979 Heinz Eifel founded Römerhof (Roman Yard) in Trittenheim in the heart of the Mosel Valley. When his daughter, Anne Eifel-Spohr, received her oenology degree from Geisenheim University in 2000, Eifel set out to collaborate with her on top-quality wines that reflected tradition while simultaneously respecting the inspiration of the young winemaker. The family was so pleased with the quality and individual character of these wines, they decided to put their own name on the bottle, thus creating Heinz Eifel wines.

This is 100% Riesling of the Kabinett quality designation from Mosel, Germany. That's all I can really tell you about it except that the ABV is 8.5%, and that there's a typo on the back label that spells grapes as grspes, so let's just go right ahead and drink some Riesling!

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Wine Review: Heinz Eifel Shine Dry Riesling 2017

May is Riesling Month on TheWineStalker.net!

In 1979 Heinz Eifel founded Römerhof (Roman Yard) in Trittenheim in the heart of the Mosel Valley. When his daughter, Anne Eifel-Spohr, received her oenology degree from Geisenheim University in 2000, Eifel set out to collaborate with her on top-quality wines that reflected tradition while simultaneously respecting the inspiration of the young winemaker. The family was so pleased with the quality and individual character of these wines, they decided to put their own name on the bottle, thus creating Heinz Eifel wines.

Shine is the first of two wines by Heinz Eifel that I'm reviewing for Riesling Month. It's 100% Riesling from Pfalz, Germany, and it's of the Kabinett classification. The 12% ABV means that this is going to be a drier one, so don't skip out if you're against sweetness.

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Wine Review: Dr. H. Thanisch Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett 2018

May is Riesling Month on TheWineStalker.net!

The wine-growing tradition of the Dr. Hugo Thanisch family can be traced back more than 350 years. In 1636, the name was mentioned for the first time in the registers of Bernkastel-Kues. The quality of the family's wines soon extended their excellent reputation far beyond the Mosel valley. At the end of the 18th century, the Thanisch's acquired the Berncasteler Doctor vineyard, a very steep site with deep devon slate structure, situated behind and overlooking the rooftops of the quaint old town of Bernkastel. The Doctor name originates in a legend about Prince Boemond II of Trier who fell sick and then was cured by a wine from this vineyard. Medicinal powers of fine wines are today being re-discovered! Without a doubt, the Doctor Vineyard is the most valuable and most famous German site.

The Bernkasteler Badstube Kabinett is the second of two wines by Thanisch that I'm reviewing for Riesling Month. It's 100% Riesling and the Bernkasteler hillside slopes down to the Mosel river on black and blue slate, which absorbs heat from the sunlight and reflections of sunlight from the river and warms the grapes. The final ABV of 9% means that technically this is on the sweeter side, but I bet you the acidity will balance that right out so it's not a sugar bomb.

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Wine Review: Dr. H. Thanisch Feinherb Riesling 2017

May is Riesling Month on TheWineStalker.net!

The wine-growing tradition of the Dr. Hugo Thanisch family can be traced back more than 350 years. In 1636, the name was mentioned for the first time in the registers of Bernkastel-Kues. The quality of the family's wines soon extended their excellent reputation far beyond the Mosel valley. At the end of the 18th century, the Thanisch's acquired the Berncasteler Doctor vineyard, a very steep site with deep devon slate structure, situated behind and overlooking the rooftops of the quaint old town of Bernkastel. The Doctor name originates in a legend about Prince Boemond II of Trier who fell sick and then was cured by a wine from this vineyard. Medicinal powers of fine wines are today being re-discovered! Without a doubt, the Doctor Vineyard is the most valuable and most famous German site.

So the Feinherb Riesling is the first of two wines by Thanisch that I'm reviewing for Riesling Month. This is 100% Riesling of the Qualitätswein quality level but harvested at the Kabinett level ripeness, and grown on steep hillsides with black and blue slate soil in Mosel. It's a dry-style Riesling and has an ABV of 11%.

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May Wine Pick: Washington Hills Late Harvest Riesling 2017

The entire month of May will be Riesling Month on TheWineStalker.net, so all of the full reviews will be Rieslings! I've got six Rieslings from Germany, one from Virginia, and this one from Washington State. But Riesling isn't all that's going on this month! Also penciled in are four wine quickies from my good friends at Matchbook, three wine quickies from Navarra (Spain), maybe canned cocktail reviews, and hopefully Part 2 of my Sake series, Just Brew It. And of course, things will be added as the month goes on.

But what I'm really excited about is the premier post of a monthly series called Wine Bloggers Off-Topic, where every month I'll ask wine bloggers and other people in the social media wine community a question that has nothing to do with wine. We write so much about this one topic that it's a nice escape to write about other passions and opinions once in awhile, and their answer can be as long or short as they want it. The first question is "What is the perfect movie?" and will be published on the 14th. If you'd like to participate in this series, just let me know! I've already got some great people signed up!

My wine pick of the month is the 2017 vintage of one of my favorite Rieslings in the $11 price range (a hot spot for the average consumer); Washington Hills Late Harvest Riesling. It's 100% Riesling sourced from the Pleasant and Cowan vineyards in Washington, and the fruit was late harvested to increase sugar levels for sweetness. It has an ABV of 10.5%.

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Wine Quickie: Amalaya Blanco 2018

This refreshing white is 85% Torrontés and 15% Riesling out of Salta, Argentina. It's medium bodied with a silky mouthfeel, vibrant acidity, and features white flowers, peaches, pears, lemon zest, grass, and seasalt. The Torrontés is the clearly the dominant grape in overall profile but the Riesling really rounds it out to make it a very satisfying crowd-pleaser. Thumbs up!

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Wine Review: Suhru Dry Riesling 2016

Suhru was founded in 2008 by Russell and Susan Hearn. Russell is also the winemaker of Lieb Cellars, whose wines I've have had the pleasure of reviewing many many times and thoroughly enjoy. During his wine career, Russell worked his way around the globe: New Zealand, Burgundy, California, Massachusetts and, in 1990, Virginia. Hearing about the wonderful Chardonnay being made on Long Island, he took the trip there with other winemakers to see what's doin'. And he's been there ever since.

This is the winery that Susan and Russell always dreamed they would have. Suhru's goal is to source excellent fruit from the regions in New York where each variety grows best, creating vibrant, balanced, and approachable wines for all to enjoy.

This is wine #4 of 6 that I'm reviewing by Suhru. I already reviewed the 2017 Pinot Grigio, 2013 Ember, 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, and now I'm on to the 2016 Dry Riesling before I move on to the 2013 Shiraz and NV Brut. To see all of them, or the ones that have been published already, just check out the month on the blog.

The 2016 Dry Riesling is 98% Riesling from Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes, while the remaining 2% is Gewürztraminer from the North Fork of Long Island. It was fermented and aged in stainless steel, did not see malolactic fermentation or oak aging, and has an ABV of 13%..

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My precious...

We must not let filthy hobbitses take you away, precious.

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A love letter to Riesling

My dearest Riesling,

Out of all of the wines in the world there is none other that makes me smile the way that you do. Every time you touch my lips, your spirit fills me with life and hope and love. I am instantly turned into the optimist I never thought I could be whenever you are near.

How can you do this to me? Why do you make me so happy?

Every day with you in it is interesting and full of wonder, Riesling, whether you're showing your dry sense of humor or seduction by sweet compassion. We will always be together, my love. You will always have a place in my heart and in my glass.

Lustfully yours,

Joey

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Wine Review: Garage Winery A.R. Hammond Rheingau Trocken Riesling 2013

This is the second review from a series of three wines offered by Bill Adams - Selected. The first was Hammond Pinot Noir 2014, this one is Hammond Riesling 2013, and the final one will be Domaine Jocelyne & Yves Lafoy Côte-Rôtie 2013.

Bill is a wine consultant and a really cool dude that's putting together a portfolio of wines. I'm hoping he lands a distributor here in Massachusetts. His website is under construction but once it's up and running I'll add the link in this review.

Garage Winery was founded in 2000 by Anthony Hammond, born of a father from Chicago and a German mother, and raised in Upper Bavaria. After spending some time in Mississippi and San Francisco, he returned to Europe where he worked in wine shops and caught the winelover fever. Without any family history in the wine industry or winemaking, he settled in Rheingau and started purchasing vineyard land.

Today his headquarters is a warehouse on the banks of the Rhine, surrounded by farm animals, crops and frolicking children. The winery practices biodynamic farming and hopes to be certified soon.

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Wine Subscription Review: Wineist Wine Carte, Part 1

"Small in size, big in wines" is the Wineist motto. They're I guess what you could call a wine club but they call themselves a "wine carte". Carte is actually a good choice of wordage because it can mean menu or map. You're getting a taste of the wines they sell and their wines are from all over the world!

This is how it works: you go to WINEIST.COM and see what plan works for you. You can get a monthly subscription, six month subscription or a yearly subscription. Let's just say you get a monthly subscription, which is $29 a month at the time of this review. Every month you'll receive six 50 ml sample bottles in a neat little box. There's also a pamphlet telling you what each bottle is, all the tech information you could possibly need, winery information, food pairings, etc, and space for your notes. If you like any of the wines then you can buy them in normal bottle size.

Just by seeing what they do, having this package in my hands, I can tell you this is a very cool product. But how are the wines in the package that I got?

I'm breaking it down into two reviews: In Part 1 I've got a Riesling from Germany, a Pinotage Rosé from South Africa, and a Tempranillo blend from Spain. In Part 2 I've got a Chianti Rufina, a Shiraz blend from South Africa, and another Tempranillo blend from Spain.

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Speed dating and dessert wine

Daaaaaamn!

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Wine Review: Lieb Cellars Reserve Dessert White

Welcome yet again back to New York! From Cape Cod, Massachusetts! This is the second part of a three part series of reviews for Lieb Cellars: Reserve 2014 Pinot Blanc, Reserve 2013 Cabernet Franc and Reserve White Dessert Wine. 

Lieb Cellars is located on the North Fork of Long Island, New York. It's a region that has found that its terroir is best suited for a vast selection of cool climate whites and Bordeaux varieties for reds. The winery was founded in 1992 but didn't release their reserve wines onto the market until 1999. In 2004 they came out with another label called Bridge Lane, a lower tier to their higher quality Lieb Cellars Reserve. Aussie Russell Hearn is the winery's winemaker.

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Confession Bear on Barefoot Cellars

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