Cleveland Park Wines is one of the leading wine stores in Washington DC. It is run by “Tony” (Anthony Quinn), who is well known in the Washington DC wine circles. Tony: “We are a family-owned business and have been in business for nearly twenty years now. Over the years, we have expanded our product selection to satisfy the needs of our customers. We serve the community that lives in our neighborhood and in the surrounding Washington D.C. metropolitan area.”
Germany Wine Tasting with Christopher Bartha (Ultra Fine Wines)
Recently, Annette and Christian Schiller stopped by Cleveland Park Wines for a tasting of German wines, with Chris Bartha. Chris presented the wines of 3 most interesting producers, who are not yet established in the American market. Chris Bartha (Ultra Fine Wines) is their US importer.
Schloss Vaux
First, Schloss Vaux: Not well known in the world, but Germany is the most important sparkling wine consumer in the world: One out of four sparkling wines produced around the world ends up in the glass of a German consumer.
The history of Schloss Vaux started in 1868 by the foundation of the Schloss-Vaux-company in Berlin. In the 1880’s the company purchased Chateau de Vaux and its surrounding vineyards, situated at the shore of the Mosel close to the city of Metz. After World War I – Metz had become French again – the sparkling-wine- producing-house moved his domicile to Eltville, Rheingau, where it resides until today.
Schloss Vaux focuses on the production of high class sparkling wines, using only wine from well-respected vineyards of the Rheingau. All their sparkling wines are traditionally fermented in the bottle observing the strict the regulations of the “Methode Champenoise”.
Weingut der Stadt Klingenberg -Benedikt Baltes
Second, Weingut der Stadt Klingenberg - Benedikt Baltes: Weingut der Stadt Klingenberg - Benedikt Baltes is an up-and coming wine producer in Franken with a long history.
It began in 1912, with the acqusition of the building that formerly housed the prince bishops’ fiscal authorities and the Schlossberg vineyard that belonged to it by the City of Klingenberg. In 2010, the young and gifted winemaker Benedikt Baltes from the Ahr region took over the estate and is bringing it back to its old glory. The grapes are harvested 100% by hand and vinified according to traditional practices. Low yields, extended maceration, native oak casks, long maturation in cask, and unfiltered bottling are used to bring forth the unique character of the wines. Benedikt belongs to the group winemakers in Germany who behind Germany’s red wine revolution. 13 hectares.
Weingut Julia Bertram
Third, Weingut Julia Bertram: Chris Barta also presented a wine under the Julia Bertram label. Julia is the partner in business and live of Benedikt Baltes. She is a former German Wine Queen and graduate from the University of Geisenheim. Her wines, I guess, are made at Weingut der Stadt Klingenberg, with grapes from the Ahr region, where both Julia and Benedikt are from. Julia's mother and aunt own and run a small familly winery, where, I assume, the grapes are from.
German Wine and Annette and Christian Schiller
In the newsletter of last week, following the German wine tasting, Tony included a couple of paragraphs on German wine and our visit in the store. Thank you very much Tony!
Anthony Quinn of Cleveland Park Liquor and Fine Wines (Newsletter of January 19, 2016): (…) MY WIFE and I enjoyed some fine German Riesling last night with our meal. It was perfect for this biting, amazingly cold and stark, windy, brrr weather of ours. WE have two here that would be wonderful to enjoy now, both amazing wines :
1) Joh. Jos. Prum 2007 Riesling Kabinett, On Special for $24.99 a bottle, that has a wonderful rich golden color, some great accents of honey and nut and mineral and even citrus, even a splash of spritz, too : amazing really, quite an incredible liquid gold wine experience from Germany's Mosel region, with only 9% alcohol by volume, this is very special indeed!
2) Dr. Fischer 2012 Riesling, On Special for $16.49, estate-bottled, with 10% alcohol by volume, also from the Mosel region of Germany, this is younger, more lively perhaps, a bit more racy, not as developed, and yet equally amazing and appealing. It would be great to taste them side-by-side and see what we all thought? Hey, that may be a great idea for oanother wine-tasting here soon?
SPEAKING OF WHICH this past Friday we had Annette and Christian Schiller here to taste with Chris Bartha the release here, perhaps the first-ever of the amazing wines of Weingut Schloss Vaux that make some pretty amazing sparkling sekt trocken wines that we tasted. We sold out of the regular and still have a bit of the dry rose, On Special for $27.99 with 12.5% alcohol by volume. We bought more of it as there is so much interest here in dry sparkling rose wines, and with the weather and the wind being so strong these days we thought it would steel everyone just a bit more than the Brut sekt trocken. So come by and get a bottle, put it to the test tonight? See how it tastes with this biting, insidious cold?
WE DID NOT TASTE the Schloss Vaux trocken sparkling Blanc de Noirs, On Special for $27.99 a bottle, and will taste it here with you all soon enough. It has even more body and will also be a delight to enjoy when you want to sparkle and rise above this bitter cold! Come get a bottle and see how it fits with your taste buds?
WE HAVE BROCHURES here for you all to pick up for Annette Schiller's 2016 tours to wineries in Germany, starting with the first one to East Germany on May 12-20, 2016. Come see if you are interested in going on her small group, intimate, professional and special wine tour of the wines of East Germany? (…)
ombiasy WineTours (2016)
The 2016 schedule of ombiasy WineTours includes 5 trips: Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Germany-East, Germany-South and Germany-North. For more information, see here:
Announcement: 5 Exciting ombiasy WineTours in 2016 - BURGUNDY BORDEAUX GERMANY
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Announcement: 5 Exciting ombiasy WineTours in 2016 - BURGUNDY BORDEAUX GERMANY
Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France