So what are the wine plans for the weekend?

Seriously looking at a `03 Petaluma Riesling plus `99 Musar hopefully!

How about you?

[David M. Bueker]

Rieslaner and Gewurztraminer!

[James Roscoe]

Rieslaner and Gewurztraminer!

David, what is the difference between a Rieslaner and a Riesling? I am curious. I have heard of a Rieslaner before, but I never thought to ask the obvious question.

Rieslaner is a cross between Riesling and Silvaner.

[James Roscoe]

Rieslaner is a cross between Riesling and Silvaner.

What is it like? I am not sure I have ever had a Silvaner either, although I recognize it more readily? Are either Rieslaner or Silvaner a vinifera varieties or are they hybrids like Vidal?

[David M. Bueker]

Rieslaner is Riesling with claws and teeth. It has some of Riesling's clarity, but often comes with more spicy and sometimes even rough textured elements. I love it for more aggressivley flavored (not heat, just bolder flavors) food.

I love it for more aggressivley flavored (not heat, just bolder flavors) food.

I don't drink a lot of rieslaner but that's a good point. People often talk about how off-dry riesling is a good match for spicy food, but the nuances of the riesling can definitely get lost.

I will be crushing and pressing about 300 lbs. of Cayuga. About 1/3 will be for a friend, 1/3 will become bubbly and the remainder will become still wine. I may also be drinking some previous vintages of Cayuga.

The usual stuff.....old/decrepit wines.
Having JasonHaas/TablasCreek and JaneYoung & SusieBynum of TheMeritageAlliance over for dinner. Candidates are:
Failla-Jordan AlbanViognier '98, Alban Estate Viognier '99, Failla-Jordan QueSyrahVnyd Syrah '98, Fonselette Syrah '01, Alban Reva Syrah '98,
Ridge MonteBello '94, CarnersosCreek Stelzner Cab '77; Saphir Sudtirol Sauvignon Passito '99, Alban RottenLuck/TBA Roussanne '00,
Ehret Syrah '07, DryCreekVnyd LateHarvest Zin '82.
Then we'll move onto the good stuff.
Tomorrow is the GrandTasting at SantaFe Wine&Chile Fiesta.
Just another boring weekend in SantaFe.
Tom

[David M. Bueker]

Tom,

I am aready looking forward to your '94 Monte Bello note.

Last night was an unexpectedly excellent '99 Chateau Branaire; tonight is dinner with friends at a French-style bistro (I'll be bringing a Calipinot and a burg to be determined) and tomorrow (fingers crossed) has a '76 LdH GR Tondonia on line.

[David M. Bueker]

Dan,

What's the bistro? New place?

Dan,

What's the bistro? New place?

Rue la Paris (or something like that). Dawn and Linda discovered it and we are taking it out for a spin. Corkage is reasonable.

Tonight I'm dining at Il Palio, an Italian restaurant in Hotel Siena in Chapel Hill and staying overnight in the Triangle area. (Probably Italian wine by the glass.) Tomorrow I will be attending Triangle Uncorked at Regency Park in Cary and trying a number of different wines (a charity event to benefit Frankie Lemmon School for children with special needs.) I plan to stay for dinner in Raleigh before heading home. Saturday evening or Sunday I will open a Maximiner Grunhauser Abstberg and later in the week possibly a Christoffel or Fritz Haag from the Mosel. While in the Triangle area I will be picking up some Oregon wines ordered at a previous wine dinner. (I picked up some 2007 Alex Gambal Burgundies Sept. 15 in Raleigh but I'm letting them sit for a few weeks before opening any. I had them at a tasting in May in Durham.)

It's supposed to be damn hot this weekend so it'll be BEER.

Don't know, it's still over two hours away.

Since today is International Grenache Day (who decides these things?), I'm adding a bottle of '06 K Vintners The Boy.

Tom, I took the 94 MB to Mo'Cool this past month. we had it on the deck with some perfectly roasted strip loin (among other fantastic food). Of course the MB was a great hit, and the bottle didn't last long. (there were way too many people for only one MB) I will go so far to say that IMO the 94 is a really nice bottle, and delicious, but I don't think it is going to improve any. I also believe that while it won't improve, it will only decline very slowly. Have a great weekend!

I'll be down at deer camp (bow season starts Sat.) but not hunting for them. Just getting carry-out pizza one night, maybe some frozen walleye the next and bringing along a 1996 Richie Creek Cab., a 2001 Stags leap Mondavi Cab. , a 2006 DeBortoli Petite Verdot (really cheap at $8.50) and a Pommery Brut I refered to in Robins post. If we get company we may drink them all!!!

I've had my eye on an '06 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurz for a few weeks. I think I might break that out.

Bob
I'll be interested in how the 99 Musar is travelling.
Tonight finishing off a 2001 Primo Estate Joseph 'Moda' (Amarone) which delivers rich and simple pleasure. No other plans yet.

regards

Ian

Darn it, forgot to mention my `79 Jos Christoffel Wehlener Sonnenuhr Ries Aus!!

Tonight, we are drinking a 2006 Scherrer Russian River Pinot Noir to go with the week's leftovers

Tomorrow we are invited to a friend's home for dinner and we were instructed to bring a bottle to enjoy with filet mignon. I have a 1998 La Gomerie ready to go. There will be some other steak friendly wines that other people will be bringing.

Sunday, we are driving to LI wine country for dinner in a newly redone restaurant. My wine choice will be weather dependent. If it's sunny and warm, I will pack a Pinot (either French or California), and if it's cool, then it will be a Rhone.

Harvest Wine Auction and Celebration of Long Island’s East End!

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