Philipp Kuhn’s Weinberge (vineyard)
As you prepare for Easter brunch, I am delighted to offer 10% off ALL food and wine in my shop (use TASTE10 at checkout), but I am most excited to share my latest find!
The Rosengarten Wine Portfolio rolls on!!! I am pleased beyond words to introduce into the U.S. market the amazing dry wines (white and red!) of Philipp Kuhn, one of Germany’s greatest winemakers, a perennial award-winner in Germany’s top wine magazines.
Kuhn’s winery is in the burgeoning area of the Pfalz (formerly known as the Rheinpfalz)…a lush, historic region that includes many of the best young winemakers in German today. It is where the action is, undoubtedly!
But Kuhn is no Hans-come-lately. His family has been making wine in this region since the 17th century…and Philipp himself took over the family winery in 1992, when he was just 20 years old!
Philipp Kuhn
Above all, I look to Kuhn for dry Riesling. These are the kind of steely, crystalline wines that drive you nuts when served cold in elegant wine glasses in a restaurant or at a dinner party. Can white wine get better, more interesting than this? You are drinking ambrosia…as rich as other big-deal European whites, but much more chiseled and elegant…and they go perfectly with your food!
The two stellar Kuhn Rieslings I’ve just imported are the 2011 Riesling “Alte Reben,” and the 2011 Riesling “Vom Kalksteinfels.”
The “Alte Reben”—which means “old vines”—is a thoroughbred, very dry, packed with mineral concentration. It’s gorgeous right now with all manner of fish dishes, picnics, and cheeses—but if you don’t get to drinking it right away, it’ll be even more magnificent in 10 years! The cost is $32.
The “Vom Kalksteinfels”—as the name indicates in German—comes from a limestone mountain vineyard. At the moment, it is a bit fruitier than the first wine, a little more forward, a little more ready to party…especially if there’s food at the party (smoked salmon is an insane match!) But it too will age magnificently…in case you don’t have enough parties! The cost is $26 (though it is not available as of 2015.)
Lastly, Germany has moved up mightily in the global Pinot Noir game; most are calling it the best place for Pinot Noir in Europe after Burgundy! But here’s the sweet spot: German Pinot Noir (or, as they call it, “Spätburgunder”)…costs much, much less than pricy red Burgundy of the same quality.
Don’t mean to brag…but the Pfalz has become the hottest Pinot spot in Germany…and Philipp Kuhn has become, in Germany, the most celebrated Pinot Noir producer!
The 2008 Spätburgunder “Vom Kalksteinfels”—also from a limestone vineyard, as the best Burgundies are—captures the Burgundy paradox beautifully. It lands on your palate as a light, elegant wine—but then, mysteriously, it picks up a furry weight as you roll it around. Its flavors are gorgeous—just like great five-year-old red Burgundy—starting to develop the range of minerals, earth, chocolate and spice that great Pinot is known for. And the cost? Only $48.
Get ahead of the game. Familiarize yourself with Philipp Kuhn right now! Quantities are extremely limited.
And dazzle your guests with this Easter brunch menu…a Michel Gonet Champagne toast followed by Eggs Benedict with Jamaican Lime Hollandaise served with never-available-before in the U.S. Kuhn Riesling. All of these products are available for 10% off in my shop now (Use TASTE10 at checkout).
