February 11, 2013
After a couple of weeks without a Riesling from my beloved Mosel, I came across a bottle of ‘2011 Goldtroepfchen Gran Crue’ by Weingut Lothar Kettner in Piesport, Mosel.
I had no idea where the bottle came from. I must have bought it in Bangkok, I thought. But right when I opened it, I knew it was what I needed to celebrate the New Years eve of the Chinese Year of the Snake, the spring festival, as it is also called.
The golden colour is intriguing. The aromas are infatuating. Green apples and white stone fruit came to mind. A Riesling from the Mosel, a wine I adore. What wine would be better to prelude the New Year?
Faith – Love – Hope is the motto of the family winery Weingut Lothar Kettern in Piesport, Mosel. This is represented by the three symbols in the logo of the winery: the cross, the heart and the anchor. The vintner tradition runs in the family for about 200 years. The son of Lothar, Philipp Kettern, also know as ‘the wine pirate’ is now running the estate.
The Kettern family only grows Riesling grapes. Steep slopes, with cooler climate, are the preferred vineyard locations, so that vintage is late. Low yields, perfection regarding leave removal and environment friendly techniques are the key to success. The wines are hand crafted in the true sense of the word.
I will have to see that with my own eyes, next time I visit my beloved Mosel.
12 Comments | 
culture, history and culture, vineyards, wine, wine regions, wineries | Tagged: Goldtroepfchen, grand cru, Lothar Kettern, Mosel, Philipp Kettern, Piesport, Riesling, Weingut Lothar Kettern | 
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Posted by themanfrommoselriver
February 9, 2013
My twin daughters 18th birthday in November last year, was accompanied by a dinner party. The Great Hornbill Bistro in Soi Sukhumvit 39 had kindly provided the venue, the food and the wine.
Together with about 20 of their friends, Lucy and Charlotte held a celebratory birthday dinner at the mezzanine floor of the bistro. I had selected the wines. My choice was the entry level wines of PB Valley Winery, one of my favourite Thai winery.
The ‘2010 Sawasdee Khao Yai Chenin Blanc’ and the ‘2010 Sawasdee Khao Yai Shiraz’, both very fruity and lively wines, seemed to be ideally suited for newcomers to the world of fine wine.
My daughters had asked me to serve them shots when the meal was over to conclude the event. It was also a signal that the night was still young and that they could troupe out to spend the rest of the evening at a place of their choice, probably near Khaosan road and surroundings.
Fortunately, PB Valley Estate produces a fine Schnapps (40% alcohol) distilled from fresh Lychee fruit grown in Northern Thailand. The kids, used to shots of vodka and other taste-neutral alcohols, could not believe it. The intense Lychee aromas just blew them away. They all liked it.
For me, it was also the first time that I had a go at this “Schnapps”. I just loved it. Licci, although not cheap (quality has its price), is a great product and ideally suited as a digestive after a beautiful Thai or Western meal.
PS: PB Valley Estate is currently celebrating their vintage festival. You should visit. Have a look and enjoy to explore Thai vineyards and wineries. The Khao Yai national park is just next door.
Address:
The Great Hornbill Bistro
59/3 Soi Sukhumvit 39, Sukhumvit Road,
Klongton Nua, Wattana,
Bangkok, Thailand 10110
Opening hours: Mo – So. 11-22 h
Tel.: +66-2 262 0030
Email:hospitality@pb-partners.com
The Great Hornbill Bistro is the cellar door of PB Valley Khao Yai Winery in Bangkok.
PB Valley Khao Yai Winery
102 Moo 5, Phaya Yen,
Pak Chong 30320, Thailand
Tel.: +66 (0) 2 262 0030
www.khaoyaiwinery.com
1 Comment | culture, general, wine, wine regions, wineries | Tagged: bangkok thailand, Chenin Blanc, fresh lychee fruit, khao yai national park, Licci, New Latitude Wines, PB Valley, PB Valley Estate, Schnapps, Schnaps, Shiraz, Thai wine, Thai Wine Association, Thai wine industry, The Man from Mosel River | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver
January 17, 2013
Bangkok Post page on “California Dreaming”
I am always happy when I find essays and articles about wine and wineries in newspapers and magazines. So it was with the above piece, published on January 11, 2013 in the Bangkok Post.
“California Dreaming” is mainly about wine-maker Peter Vella and the wine empire of the Gallo family in California.
The author of this article tries to address the “angst” of people who are new to wine and wine drinking and first-time wine consumers. Fortunately, wine was never the drink of an elite only. This is only so in Thailand because the high taxes on imported and domestically produced wines which are taking wine out of the reach of the common person.
Fortunately, I come from a different tradition. In the Mosel valley where I grew up, it was the simple people, the famous “man on the street”, the villagers, the workers, who were wine drinkers and many of them are experts as far as the quality of the heavenly fermented juice is concerned.
Further down on the page some wines made by Peter Vella are mentioned. These wines are now available in Thailand it seems. Vella offers among others a “Fresh White” (Chardonnay), a “Smooth Red” (Cabernet Sauvignon) and a “Rich Red” (Shiraz).
And then it comes.
The retail price of these wines in Bangkok is 299 Thai Bath only, the equivalent of about 7.5 Euro per bottle. Don’t forget there is almost 400% taxes on these liquids. For this in a Thai context modest price, I would get a solid, hand-made (artisan) Riesling in my native land. Instead, what will I get for my 299 Bath? An industrial product of a mass produced grape by a giant winery in California.
When considering the level of wine prices in Thailand, tears are dropping from my eyes. We need to be happy that we do get wine at all. And that the variety and choice of wines in Bangkok wine shops and wine bars has improved over the almost 5 years that I live in the City of Angels.
How about the wines produced in Thailand? Thailand has a small but vibrant wine industry.
There are about 10 grape and wine-making ventures, some of them boutique family vineyards, others medium to large sized wineries. They have to strive for the premium segment of the market, not the mass-produced base-wines as the ones mentioned above.
I highly recommend you try some of the indigenous products the next time you order a bottle of wine in Thailand.
2 Comments | culture, wine, wine regions, wineries | Tagged: Bangkok Post, Californian wine, E&J Gallo, German wine, Mosel valley, Peter Vella, Riesling, thai bath, Thai Wine Association, Thai wine industry, Thailand, Vella Vineyards, wine consumers, wine drinkers, Wine drinking, wine prices | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver
January 3, 2013
My daughter Lucy gave me the above new wine journal as a Christmas gift. Now I can again systematically record the wines I was tasting.
Often I displace my notes and when I want to write about a specific wine a frantic search stands at the beginning of a blog entry.
Alas, order has been restored. Now I only have to use the book for the intended purpose.
I am ready for the wines of 2013 it seems. Bring em on!
Leave a Comment » | culture, food, food and wine, vines, vineyard management, Vineyard profile, vineyards, wine, wine bars, wine regions, wineries | Tagged: food, German wine, new wine, records, tasting notes, wine, wine journal, wine judging, wine records, wine tasting | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver
January 2, 2013
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 72,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Click here to see the complete report.
Leave a Comment » | culture, food, food and wine, history and culture, Restaurant Review, vines, vineyard management, Vineyard profile, vineyards, wine, wine bars, wine regions, wineries | Tagged: Bangkok, best wine of the year, German wine, Mosel, Thai wine, Thai wine industry, The Man from Mosel River, Trier, vintner, wine, wine blogger, wine blogging, wine of the year | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver
December 31, 2012
What to do on the 31 of December? Well, I thought to check out my wine fridge. Small as it is, the review did not take very long.
I was amazed that my wine collection included wines from Germany (yes mostly Riesling wines), Austria, Italy, Canada, Australia, China, Vietnam, Myanmar and of course Thailand. This makes eight countries, four in the West and four in the East.
I also realized that I have no French wine in stock.
1982 Scharzhofberger Spaetlese
Two wines in particular I look forward to taste in 2013.
One is a ‘1982 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spaetlese’ by Egon Mueller from Wiltingen at the Saar river, the second a ‘2009 Pinot Noir Centgrafenberg Grand Cru’ from Rudolf Fuerst in Buergstadt, Frankonia.
2009 Centgrafenberg GG Spaetburgunder
Both wines, both terroirs and both vintners are among the top in Germany.
The Riesling bottle looks OK, just the label has suffered a bit. I wonder what a 30 year old wine will taste like. In any case it is a treasure. I wonder when I shall open it?
The bottle of Pinot Noir I bought from Fuerst junior during a wine tasting at Karthaeuserhof in Eitelsbach last August.
There are of course other treasures in my wine fridge. More about this next year. Now I will get ready for the New Years party.
I wish all of you a good start into 2013, and stay tuned to the Man from Mosel River.
Leave a Comment » | culture, general, vineyards, wine, wine regions, wineries | Tagged: Buergstadt, Centgrafenberg, Egon Mueller, Franken, Frankonia, Mosel, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Riesling wines, Rudolf Fuerst, Saar, Saar river, Scharzhofberg, Spaetburgunder, Wiltingen, wine collection | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver
December 23, 2012
Mosel in mid December near Bullay (shot taken from the train)
Is the retirement of the Man from Mosel River imminent?
Every December I ponder the very same question. Shall I continue this blog or not?
You might have noticed that I am struggling this year. The last three months were particularly painful. My day job is sucking up all my energies. I have been feeling drained and empty for a while. One could say that I am Gulliverized by my professional responsibilities, which have grown over the years and weigh more heavily on me now that I am getting older.
My stats show this too. I have been sliding a little, and continue to slide a little every month.
I started this blog in January 2007 and have posted a couple of hundred entries. At the end of this month I have six years of blogging under my belt. They say ‘people do not read blogs any more’; these days people are on Twitter and Facebook instead.
So why waste so much energy and time?
When I scroll though older posts I also notice that I am repeating myself. I eat the same food, visit the same places, and tend to drink (if possible) my favourite wines. Am I spent?
Not quite, I think.
Let me tell you what happened to me last weekend in my home town Trier. I had only about 43 hours available. I arrived late the first evening and was much too tired to do anything.
Saturday night, after a family meal, we watched some slides and family photos, before I could go on a stroll and check out the Christmas market. I also intended to have a glass of wine. My favourite wine bar, ‘Weinsinnig’ was my destination.
The place was crowded and I only found a table at the back. That table, however, was reserved and I was asked to swap with a place right across the “wine list”, a wall with about 20 or so wine bottles in metal holders and a description of the wine and the producer. I will tell you another time which wines I sampled that night.
When I went up to that wall with my phone to document what I had tasted (two reds) and returned to my table, a woman approached me and asked: “Are you the Man from Mosel River”? You cannot image how flabbergasted I was. How could she know?
It turned out the the woman was Manuela Schewe, the owner and initiator of ‘Weinsinnig’. She had seen my last post about the wine bar. After the introduction, we had a good chat about wine, wine bars, the vagaries of life and so on.
Well, and when I was leaving I thought that I should think it over again before giving up my blog and retiring the Man from Mosel River.
3 Comments | culture, general, wine | Tagged: blogging, Bullay, German wine, Manuela Schewe, Mosel, Riesling, The Man from Mosel River, Trier, Weinsinnig, wine bar | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver
November 29, 2012
Korean wine
During a recent visit of the Korean parliament in Seoul, I came across the above poster. The advertisement was not about soju, the popular rice wine, but a wine made from grapes.
I was puzzled. Do they grow wine grapes in Korea? When approaching the display, things became a bit clearer.
The award winners
As it turned out, the display was about the islands of Dokdo, which are claimed by Korea and Japan in a territorial dispute arousing nationalist feelings in both places. The display was a kind of political statement.
A winery in the Napa Valley in California was bearing the same name, Dokdo Winery or Dokdo Vineyards. This brand was created by a Korean-American dentist Ahn Jae-hyun living in the Napa Valley, California.
Established in 2007, the winery produces about 20,000 bottles a year. Dokdo wines had also won a gold medal at the 2012 Korea Wine Challenge.
The 2012 Korea Wine Challenge
According to the wineries website, the new product was introduced into the market to draw people away from the controversial debate over which country – Korea or Japan – owns the rocky islands.
“Instead of appreciating the beauty of Dokdo, the world has been too busy fighting over it. The island should not be fought over; it should be shared,” the website said.
Unfortunately, I had no chance to sample the wine.
True is also, that Korea is an emerging market as far as grape wine is concerned. With rising incomes, wine consumption is also rising. In fact every restaurant I visited during my brief stay offered a selection of various wines, often from France but also from other wine producing countries.
8 Comments | culture, wine, wine regions | Tagged: 2012 Korea Wine Challenge, Ahn Jae-hyun, California, Californian wine, Dokdo Island, Dokdo Winery, Korea, Napa Valley, napa valley california, Wine consumption, wine grapes, wine in Korea | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver
November 26, 2012
The shutters of Wang Ping Steak House when still closed
Together with my friend Jim I went to Wang Ping Steak House in 桃園 (Taoyuan) for a kind of farewell meal. The International Center Land Policy Studies and Training (ICLPST) had made a booking but we had to be there at 17.20 h already, because the place was fully booked.
Can you imagine that? Chinese gourmets seem to know what is good, and they eat early. So off we went and presented ourselves at the above time. It was a rainy day, with low hanging clouds, and it was dark when we arrived.
We had to wait a few minutes. Then we were shown to our table on the ground floor. The menu is in Chinese and in English. Straight forward so to say. We ordered in no time.
The appetizer arrangement
The salmon and mushroom arrangement was lovely and wetted our appetite. We were offered a glass of fizz, so to say, fizz with a sweet plum taste. We did not protest.
The fizzy plum drink
Both of us had ordered the mushroom soup. It came in two vessels, a soup bowl with the mushrooms lumped together like a little tower, the broth came separate. I was not quick enough to take a photo of both. The soup was good, fully flavoured, creamy and intense.
The mushroom soup
We ordered a bottle of house wine. Red was the colour we had chosen. I do not know much about French wines. When a bottle of ‘2010 Ginestet Bordeaux’ arrived, I was wondering what it would taste like.
As it turned out, Maison Ginestet is a wine trading house specializing in Bordeaux wines.
The wine was full bodied, had beautiful forest fruit aromas, and was dense with a long finish. Just the right wine with red meat, I thought. The typical Bordeaux blend is a good choice when eating beef or lamb.
Grand vin de Bordeaux
I liked the dark red colour
The sorbet
To cleanse the palate, a sorbet was offered. Again it had a plum taste. The fine acidity made sure our palates were ready for the main course.
Dried plums and plum sauce for the lamb
Jim’s main course: lamb
Beef fillet
Jim went for the lamb chops, I ordered the beef fillet. Big dishes but we were ready for it.
Chocolate dessert with ice cream
Crème brûlée in a shell
Also the desserts did not disappoint us. What a lovely way to end our farewell meal.
The service at Wang’s is very efficient. The well trained waiters and waitresses are polite and attentive. We both enjoyed the evening.
I was about to board a plane a few hours later. Jim stayed behind for another two weeks at the Centre. As always we are confident to meet again for another joint teaching engagement at ICLPST.
Chinese flower tea
Come and eat at Wang’s
PS: I highly recommend a meal at Wang’s. They have several outlets, I think.
Address:
Wang Ping Steak – Taoyuan Jhongshan Branch
No. 546, ZhongShan Road, Taoyuan
Taiwan –
Tel.:+886 – 03 – 339 1650
1 Comment | culture, food, food and wine, Restaurant Review, wine, wine regions, wineries | Tagged: Bordeaux, bordeaux wines, food, French wine, fruit aromas, Ginestet, grand vin de bordeaux, Maison Ginestet, red wine, restaurants, Taiwan, Taoyuan, vin de bordeaux, Wang Ping Steak House, Wang Steak House, wine, 桃園 | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver
November 23, 2012
Shopping shrimp restaurant poster
I agree that this is a strange name for a restaurant – Shopping Shrimp Restaurant – but I was told it is the transliteration from Chinese into English. Anyway, the three of us, Jim, Steve and myself, we were really looking forward to check out this place.
Jim had been there before and was raving about the pepper shrimps, the best in the world. In fact the “shrimps” turned out to be Thai prawns. Why did I have to come from Bangkok to sample Thai prawns here on the beautiful island of Formosa?
Tacky plastic plates at Shopping Shrimp
The deal was that you could eat as much as you wanted for 499 NT $ including four mugs of 0.4 litres of beer. Who can refuse such an offer?
From the International Center for Land Policy Studies and Training (國際土地政策研究訓練中心), where the three of us were teaching, we jumped on the bus to Bade and reached the restaurant in no time.
The inside of Shopping Shrimp Restaurant
We were early and the place was still rather empty. Later it should fill up quickly. The friendly staff selected among themselves the one who spoke some English and off we went and ordered our food.
The menu
The menu was in English and Chinese with big colour photos so that one would know what was ordered. We selected a few dishes, and anxiously awaited what was to come.
Pepper shrimps in a clay pot
It did not take long and the first clay pot of pepper shrimps arrived at our table. More followed soon. the waiter brought us the menu for more orders and we sampled the various types of prawns in all flavours and shapes.
Garlic shrimps
More shrimps
Shrimps wrapped in a leave
Shrimps on rice
Needless to say that the food was super delicious. We ordered more and more, even another pepper shrimp clay pot. We did not need carbs that night.
Taiwan draft beer
Needless to say, we washed the food down with fresh Taiwan draft beer. The three of us, we had a jolly good time. Shopping Shrimp Restaurant is a cool and groovy place.
Remark: Steve and Jim are from San Diego, they taught me Californian slang over dinner.
The three diners: Jim, me and Steve
Leave a Comment » | culture, food, food and wine, Restaurant Review | Tagged: Bade, beer, Chinese food, clay pot, food, Formosa, pepper shrimp, pepper shrimps, plastic plates, restaurants, Shopping Shrimp Restaurant, shrimps, Taiwan, Taiwan beer, Taoyuan, Thai prawns, 八德, 國際土地政策研究訓練中心, 桃園 | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver
The Man from Mosel River 