Attributes:

Selbach Oster

Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

Riesling

750 ML

2002: WineSpectator Rating: 87

mineral, peach, spice

2001: WineSpectator Rating: 88

tasty

citrus, peach

2000: WineSpectator Rating: 86

focused

1999: WineSpectator Rating: 87

floral

citrus, peach

1998: WineSpectator Rating: 86

delicious

Food Matches:

(MOH zel zar ROO ver)—This dramatically beautiful region of western Germany produces exceptional white wines from the Riesling grape. Among the lightest in Germany, these wines usually contain less than 10% alcohol and they are generally delicate, fresh, and bursting with flavor. With its flowery tastes and aromas, Mosel Riesling is a great wine to drink in the spring. Look for the words “Erzeugerabfüllung” or Gutsabfüllung,” which indicate that the wine was estate bottled and not mass-produced.

(REESE ling)—a grape that comes mostly from the Mosel and Rheingau regions of Germany (where it is a noble variety), the Finger Lakes region of New York, and Alsace region of France, and Austria. Although often thought of as “sweet,” many Rieslings are quite dry. The word trocken on German bottles indicates dryness. The trademarks of Riesling are high acidity, low to medium alcohol levels, and aromas and flavors that range from fruity and flowery to mineral. Also called Johannesburg Riesling or White Riesling.

Attributes:

Villa Maria

Hawkes Bay, Australia/New Zealand

Syrah / Shiraz

750 ML

Food Matches:

Originally grown in France’s Northern Rhône Valley (where it is a noble variety) this grape has spread to Australia, California, Washington, Italy and Spain. In the Rhone region this grape produces deeply colored wines with full body and firm tannin, however in Australia, where it is known as Shiraz, the wines are lighter and fruitier. Aromas and flavors for these wines vary as much as their geographical breadth suggests: berries, smoked meat, bell peppers, even tar.

Australian name for the grape known as Syrah in France.

Hawke's Bay is situated on the east coast of the North Island and is one of New Zealand's oldest and finest wine regions. Between 1858 and 1876, Hawke's Bay formed the Hawke's Bay Province as a Province of New Zealand, after being separated from the Wellington Province. The Hawke's Bay wine region includes the hilly coastal land around the central bay, the floodplains in the north, the wide fertile Heretaunga Plains in the south, and a hilly interior stretching up into the Kaweka and Ruahine Ranges. Hawke's Bay has long, hot summers and cool winters. The climate is dry and temperate. The conditions in the hills favor Chardonnay which is the most important vine variety with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot also widely planted.

Attributes:

Warre's

Portugal, Other

Vintage Port

750 ML

2000: WineSpectator Rating: 91

floral

full-bodied

racy

berries, minerals

1997: WineSpectator Rating: 94

full-bodied

berries, earth, minerals

1997: WineSpectator Rating: 91

1997: Tanzer Rating: 90

fresh

floral

rich

stylish

berry, cassis, licorice, mint

concentrated, sweet

chewy, tough

1994: WineSpectator Rating: 95

full-bodied

complex

cherry, chocolate

sweet

1994: WineSpectator Rating: 94

1994: Tastings Rating: 94

complex, layered

black fruit, chocolate, flowers

1991: WineSpectator Rating: 95

Food Matches:

Well known for its Port and Vinho Verde wines, Portugal is one of Europe’s leading wine producing countries. It competes closely with Germany for the position of fourth largest wine producer in Europe. Portugal is also the worlds leading producer of cork. Single-handedly it accounts for nearly 70 percent of the worlds commercially traded cork supply.

Vintage Port, a fortified Portuguese wine, is the best known and most sought after type of port. Made from a mixture of red grapes, it is produced only in good years when conditions are favorable for the production of a fine wine. The decision to declare a vintage is made by each individual port house and all the grapes included come from top vineyards in that vintage. Vintage ports are aged in barrels for a maximum of two and half years and then require another 10 to 30 years in the bottle before they are ready. Since they are aged in barrels for only a short time, they retain their dark red color and full-bodied strong fruit flavor. Younger vintage ports remain exuberant and powerful, while the older varieties have more finesse and integration, a result of the slow maturation process. To maintain its intensity, Vintage Port is neither fined nor filtered and throws a great deal of sediment as it matures and must be decanted. The flagship style of port, Vintage Port represents only 2-3 % of the total Port production. (See PORT for more information on the region and fortification process.)