SC - Pyrite

[LrdRas@aol.com]

- --- LrdRas at aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 1/31/00 9:09:58 PM Eastern
> Standard Time, 
> ahrenshav at yahoo.com writes:
> 
> << Kabinet is not a dessert wine IMHO.  It is light
> but
>  semidry.  You may be thinking of an auslese, which
> is
>  definitely sweet.
>  
>  Huette >>
> 
> This is correct. Kabinet type wines vary
> considerably from dry to semidry but 
> cannot be defined accurately as 'sweet' as sweet.
> Auslese is considerably 
> sweeter. And, as you pinned out, the berentrachens
> are sweeter still. 
> Unfortunately, Americans have for the most part been
> 'educated' into thinking 
> bitter and dry are the ideals in wine flavors so
> most of the excellent sweet 
> wines are hard to find in the US unless you live in
> a wine making region.
> 
> Ras
> 

There is a German wine maker/dealer who sells wine in
a very old-fashioned way [and may even be a period
fashion].  Pieroth sells its wines by winetasting
parties, either at a hotel conference room rented for
the purpose or by a specially arranged showing in your
own home.  I have had several of these.  They expect
you to invite at least 4 or more people and they will
bring sampler bottles of their latest offerings.  If I
remember correctly, they charge $50 for the sampler
set, but it is worth it IMHO when you get to know
exactly what you are buying.  Pieroth makes a
Meister's Cuvee sparkling wine [i.e. champagne. 
France will not allow any European winemaker to call
their sparkling wines "champagne".  The US and other
non-European winemakers haven't agreed to such and are
free to call their sparkling wines "champagne".] that
is to die for.
It is the best "champagne" that I have ever had. I
took some to a New Years party, where the host
provided some very expensive French champagne [Dom
Perignon].  I also brought a bottle of Meister's Cuvee
as a gift for the host.  He opened it up right away
and shared it with the rest of the guests. It was a
very smooth, with just a hint of sweetness.  Every
liked it much better than the Dom Perignon that he
served at midnight.

Also, Pieroth teaches how to read a German wine label.
'Taflwein' is ordinary "table" wine.  'Qualitätswein'
means quality wine.  'Qualitätswein, mit predikat'
means the absolutely best quality wine, with
distinction.  Also all German wines that are good
wines must have an appellation number, meaning that it
passed the government German wine inspectors.  

Quite a few years ago, I went to a fine restaurant
here in Los Angeles, which offered haut cuisine.  I
ordered pheasant and decided that I wanted a German
wine with it.  I asked the somalier for his German
wine list.  Everything on the list was listed as being
"Qualitätswein".  I asked him if this was all that he
had, because I wished to have better wines then this. 
He said that these were the finest German wines.  I
informed him that these couldn't be, because they were
not "Qualitätswein, mit predikat" and that his wine
broker was not selling him the finest.  He went away
to verify what I had said.  When he came back, he
thanked me for the information and told me that the
wine was on the house, because it wasn't "up to his
standards".  I went back some time later and he had
made the appropriate changes to the list.

Huette


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