Grans-Fassian Estate in Leiwen, Mosel

January 22, 2011

Grans-Fassian Estate in Leiwen

When I drove along the Mosel on a grey Saturday morning last November, I was heading to Leiwen to buy some good Riesling wines.

There were three reasons for this trip. It all started at Frankfurt airport when I bought the December issue of “Weinwelt” (World of Wine), the German wine magazine.

1. I had looked at the results of a wine tasting of grand cru (GG = Grosses Gewaechs) Rieslings: two of the top wines from the Mosel came from Leiwen; one of them was a ‘2009 Dhroner Hofberg’ by Grans-Fassian Estate.

2. Leiwen is just a 30 minutes drive from my mothers home in Trier at one of the most beautiful bights of my beloved Mosel.

3. I love German Riesling especially if it comes from the Mosel river and I wanted to know what a 95 point wine would taste like.

The original Grans-Fassian Estate manor house with the cellar door

So off I went by car and cruised along down the Mosel. I was lucky, the cellar door was open. Here I met Catherina, one of the two daughters of the owner, Gerhard Grans who had taken over the estate from his father Matthias in 1982.

We had a bit of a chat about wine, life and the universe. Catherina is a charming young lady. She is going to be an oenology student at Geisenheim soon.

Catherina Grans showing me the top wines

I tasted two of the wines (the ones mentioned in the magazine): the ‘2009 Riesling Dhroner Hofberg’ (95 points) and the ‘2009 Riesling Leiwener Laurentiuslay’ (92 points). I tell you these are Rieslings how I like them. Wonderful wines indeed. Tropical fruit the first wine, and a kind of a citrus bomb the second. Both with a good structure, young, minerally, powerful with a long finish.

The treasure box with Grans-Fassian wines

Furthermore, I learned that the estate has about 10 ha under vines. Some of the vineyards are lokated in the best terroir of the region, for instance Dhroner Hofberg, Leiwener Laurentiuslay, Piesporter Goldtroepfchen, and Trittenheimer Apotheke.

About 88% of the vines are Riesling, 10% Pinot Blanc and 2% Pinot Gris. The brochure shows the steep slopes of some of the vineyards, most of them with a southern or western aspect. The micro climate is ideal for Riesling. The soils consisting of red, grey and blue slate.

I bought a couple of the two wines I had tasted. By the way for someone like me who pays obscene prices for wine in Bangkok, these top wines were very reasonably priced, in fact they were a true bargain. It’s a pity that wine bottles are so heavy. I knew that I could only take one, maximum two of them with me on my long journey back to Thailand. What a pity, I thought.

The wine bloggers delight

Here is another hot “secret” for your next trip to the Mosel river: Grans-Fassian Estate in Leiwen should be your destination. Trust me, you will not regret it.

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November ambience in a Saar vineyard

November 29, 2010

Vineyard near Schoden, Saar

When I recently visited my home town Trier, I also had the chance to explore mother nature in nearby Schoden, Saar.

It was a grey and rainy November day as we like it. The weather makes you wish for a hot tea in a warm place, maybe near a window with a view. Or a walk through the steep vineyards in the Saar valley.

Individual vines trained on a “stick”

Some of the vineyards were already pruned. One could spot pruners here and there, alone or in small groups. Please note the pruning style of these vines. November is a good time to visit wine regions. It is less crowded and people have time for a yarn.

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Franconian treasure: Weingut Schmitt’s Kinder

November 14, 2010

2007 Randersackerer Sonnenstuhl by Schmitt’s Kinder

One of the best Franconia wineries is Schmitt’s Kinder in Randersacker, a lovely village of about 3,500 people along the Main river, about 30 minutes from Wuerzburg, the capital city of Lower Franconia.

We have visited Randersacker in 2008 and cultivate fond memories of this (much too short) visit.

The name “Schmitt’s Kinder” (in English Schmitt’s children) goes back to 1910 when the children of the vintner (Schmitt) did not, as is the custom in Lower Franconia, divide the property after the fathers death among the siblings, but instead opted to jointly cultivate the land.

The winery is currently under the management of the 10th generation of vintners: Karl Martin and Renate Marie Schmitt. The total area under vines is bout 14 ha in the locations “Randersackerer Sonnenstuhl”, “Marsberg”, “Teufelskeller”, “Pfülben” and “Ewig Leben”.

Main variety is Silvaner, followed by Riesling, Mueller-Thurgau, Scheurebe, Pinot Blanc, Bacchus, Domina and Pinot Noir.

The ‘2004 Randersackerer Sonnenstuhl Pinot Noir’ won the 2006 Pinot Noir Cup for best Pinot Noir wine of the world!!!! Can you imagine? That’s just great, a German Pinot Noir beating the best of France and Australia.

The back label, very modest and unassuming

Our friends Romy and Friedel Engisch in Wuerzburg offered exactly that wine when we visited last August. I tell you also the 2007 vintage of this Pinot Noir is first class. Amazing what Pinot Noir wines Germany can produce.

If you have the opportunity to get your hands on a bottle of this wine, do so immediately. Total production is quite limited but the price level is very reasonable.

Romy and Friedel Engisch with their guests from Bangkok

Address:
Weingut Schmitt’s Kinder
Am Sonnenstuhl 45
D-97236 Randersacker
Tel.: +49-931 / 70 59-1 97
Fax: +49- 0931 / 70 59-1 98
www.schmitts-kinder.de/

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Hunter’s breakfast: roe deer liver

August 28, 2010

Roe deer liver

While in Germany I ate a lot of “bush meat”. This is because some of my friends practice hunting as a hobby.
Hunting in Germany is very much steered by tradition. One of these traditions is that when a roe deer was shot, the liver needs to be eaten the same evening or right after the kill. There is nothing better than a fresh liver.

This is what we had at the home of my friend Uli in the “Muensterland”, a German agricultural region north and west of the Ruhr, the old industrial heartland of Germany. Uli’s mother Doris prepared such a fresh roe liver for us for breakfast. It is usually served with onions (and some people add optional apple). Unfortunately, my photo of the dish with the onions did not work out. Above you’ll find just the liver in the pan. I can only say: super delicious.

Since we consumed the liver in the morning, we did not have wine with it. A characterful Riesling wine would always go with it, but also a Pinot Noir could be a good choice of wine. Thank you aunt Doris for this delicious meal.

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Autumn views – wild berries ripening

October 7, 2009

Autumn is an exciting time in Europe not just for grape growers but also for other nature lovers. In the forests and along the many paths, rural roads, and highways various types of berries and other fruit can be spotted. The photos below are from Schoden, Saar. I took them last week.

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Rose hip

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Wild apple

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Hawthorn

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Sloes

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Also the foxes like sweet grapes

October 4, 2009

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Ripe Riesling grapes, Herrenberg in Schoden/Saar

Right now it is vintage time in Germany and along the Mosel and the Saar one can admire ripening grapes. What a beautiful picture.

The weather was warm and dry when I accompanied my friend Heinz on a morning hunt in Schoden, Saar. We sat on a raised hide from about 5:30 until 8 in the morning. We watched two red deer does with their young ones making their way through the meadow. Later we went through the hunting territory and checked out a couple of places.

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I found the above turd of a red fox. Obviously the beast loves what humans love: the juicy fresh and sweet grapes. Also other wild animals love to nibble from the vines, especially red deer and wild pigs. They can be a quite a nuisance.

Autumn is just such a beautiful time in Germany. I will share more with you soon. Watch my blog entries.

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Two Hills Wine arrived in Germany

June 15, 2009

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My friend Uli sent me the above pictures of a 15 t truck delivering two pallets of Two Hills Merlot to his residence in Ramsdorf, Muensterland. It was not an easy manoeuvre. But they got the bottles safely into place.

The shipment consist of the last Merlot bottles from our 2001 and 2004 vintages. We also had some 2004 Merlot, which was somehow left behind, re-bottled so that the two pallets could be fully filled. Only the next shipment will contain the Two Hills 2006 vintage which is officially not yet released in Germany.

The sale is on. If you are interested in our wine, please contact Uli and make an appointment to pick up your bottles. In case that you need it to be sent to you directly, I will try to arrange it myself through a mail service in Trier.

Cheers everybody and thank you Uli for doing this for us again.

Address:
Dr. Ulrich Hillejan
Holthausener Strasse 19,
46342 Velen
Tel.: +49-2863-6802 (p)
+49-2863-95135 (w)
Mobil:+49-1732755342
Fax: +49-2863-6807
E-mail: ulrich.hillejan@s-h-r.de

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Heaven on a stick

June 14, 2009

As you all know life in the tropics is sweet, and can therefore be described as “heaven on a stick”, as we say in Australia. This is even more so since (finally) the best beer of the world arrived in our local neighbourhood super market, the Villa Market in Thonglor, Bangkok.

There are of course many “best” beers in the world depending on ones taste, upbringing, and the general circumstances. But since I come from the Mosel river, my favourite beer is “Bitburger Pilsener“, brewed in the small town of Bitburg about 30 km north of my home town Trier.

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Bitburger Pilsener

After patronizing this supermarket for about nine month and browsing the beer section consisting mostly of Japanese, Thai and Bavarian beers, you cannot imagine my joy to find a few bottles of Bitburger beer.

Apart from a good beer, a glass of wine and a good meal, the tropical pleasures are simple: enjoy the fragrance of a Frangipani flower (Plumeria), a dash in the pool, and company of family and friends.

Franjipani

A potted Frangipani tree on my terrace in Bangkok

Pool

It’s just too hot these days

Hope you all have a good weekend. Cheers.

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Riesling from the Rheingau, Germany: Baltasar Ress “Von Unserem”

May 6, 2009

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Beautiful sole

Another delicious lunch. We had sole, asparagus and potatoes . The wine I had selected to go with the meal, I had found by accident in Tops supermarket in Thonglor, Bangkok. Frankly speaking I had never heard about Balthasar Ress and his wines.

From the website I learned later that the winery is managed by the 5th generation of the Ress family and that it had been founded in 1870. Unbelievable for us Australians. The estate is listed in the 2009 issues of the “800 Best Wineries in Germany” but rated as going donw in quality somewhat. Well, I cannot confirm this.

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As you know, I just love Riesling wines. For someone from the Mosel it is just heavan on a stick, paradise so to say. The dry Riesling which I selected, a bottle ‘2006 “Von Unserem” Balthasar Ress’ (11.5% Vol. Alc.) from the Rheingau, Germany was not cheap.

Thailand’s wine prices are high due to the tax imposed on imported wines. I paid about 1,000 Bath, which is a little more than 20 EURO whereas the same vintage can be bought in Germany for about 5.10 or so Euro. “Von Unserem” roughly translates into English stands for “of our own drop” indicating that the vintner and his family have made this wine to their preferred drink, solely for them, so to say.

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The quality of this dry Riesling is very good; the price in Germany very reasonable. Having access to it here in Bangkok is a treat, a wonderful thing and we enjoyed this bottle tremendously with our seafood meal.

The colour is light straw, the wine is zesty and fresh with beautiful citrus and tropical fruit aromas. It has structure and substance and a nice finish, lingering on for quite some time. Citrus bomb of the noble kind, I would say.

The next day we went back and bought all the bottles left of this wine on the shelf in Tops supermarket. Putting them into my wine fridge was a great satisfaction. More Sunday lunches with a good German Riesling wine are ahead of us. The good life, Epicurus would be proud of me. Life is just so beautiful.

If you visit the Rheingau, please check also out the villeages of Eltville and Hattenheim. It’s so beautiful there along the Rhein river. Indonesian colleagues I once took their thanked me from the bottom of their hearts and tears in their eyes. The term “paradise” comes to mind as the appropriate label.

Address:
Balthasar Ress
OT Hattenheim,
Rheinallee 7
65347 Eltville am Rhein
Tel.: +49-6734-91950
www.balthasar-ress.de

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Out into the cold into another kind of warmth

December 1, 2008

I safely made it. I took the bus from “occupied” Bangkok to Phuket, a ten hours drive south, and got on to the plane which would carry me out of Thailand to my native land: Germany. It was not for pleasure, business dragged me back to Berlin where an important meeting waited for me which I had to attend to.

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The flight to freedom from Phuket Airport

There was only one seat left on the LTU-Air Berlin flight to Munich. I did not feel too comfortable among the lucky tourists who got out of Thailand without being stuck like the other 100,000 fellow tourists. My main question was: Will my family be safe? Will I get back? The future will tell.

Twelve hours later, we landed in Munich. From the air, the southern German landscape looked like a magic land, covered in beautiful white snow, it promised cold but also the warmth of fire places with a good glass of wine in hands. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera at hand to take a picture of the land under the snow cover. The scent of Christmas was in the air. The scent of family reunions and joyous celebrations.

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Since I had about 5 hours until my connecting flight to Berlin would leave, I went straight into an airport restaurant and ordered a knuckle of pork and a Bavarian “wheat” beer (Weizenbier). The Christmas decoration reminded me of the coming festive season.

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I was ready for adventure, bought the latest issue of “Weinwelt”, a German wine magazine, and dreamt about the many wines I would taste in the days to come.

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