Just last week I was invited to a tasting with wine importer, and now wine maker, Marco de Grazia.  I have met him before, and the last time we met my thoughts were that he was a man who no longer wanted to sell wines from his portfolio, but to simply live and breathe his new winemaker’s life and ponder the thoughts creators ponder. Yet, on this recent visit he seemed to be a bit less reticent when it came to his portfolio of imports and just more, well, creative.

He opened up his thoughts reading from Brideshead Revisited. Speaking clearly and emotionally he read a passage about Charles and Sebastian pulling wine from the cellar of the property and drinking it with veracious abandon to the point that they had lost track of which glass went with what wine and who’s glass was who’s and began to blend wines because they couldn’t keep track of what was what and where was where.  The point of Marco’s reading was that they began to describe the wines less of fruit and minerals, but more of characteristics starting with,

“It’s a shy little wine. Like a gazelle.”  and discussing another as “A prophet in a cave.”

This led to a conversation of how wine words, as we know them, are for every kind of wine imaginable, but how do we raise the vocabulary to match the caliber of a wine and, in fact, isn’t it true that the greater a wine the harder it is to describe?  Ultimately, we landed on the idea that maybe there was something to personifying a wine.

This got me thinking.  I may have, on occasion, referred to a wine as being a dumb blonde – a tacky statement, I know, but understood across many segments.  Meaning that it is easy to drink, not too challenging, good company, provides enjoyment and well.. doesn’t ask too much of you.

Still thinking, I decided to take this analogy into the wine shop.  Having just finished inventory I realized how many great wines were on the shelves that were intricate, unique and being looked over by us and our guests. They should most definitely not be on the shelf anymore, but in people’s homes where they can be enjoyed for their personalities.

Here’s the motley crew I’d like to introduce you to, so that they don’t just sit on the shelves, but come home with you:

Bruna Pigato “Le Russeghine”, Liguria, Italy 2006   $29

She’s a mermaid and in that vein, not for everyone.  Some of us think mermaids are beautiful and some of us may find it strange that there are half women and half fish swimming the sea trying to lure sailors to their death.  I am one who finds them beautiful and for that reason would describe the Bruna as a beautiful mermaid of the sea. She’s briny from the sea, elegant and fluid like her movements in the waves and she will definitely sing you a sweet song tempting you back to the glass again and again. The wine needs food, and is, above all, very unique; like a mermaid.

Kreydenweiss Kritt Pinot Blanc “Les Charmes”, Alsace, France 2006   $28
Again, I am going to liken this wine to a woman.  This time she’s a timeless beauty.  There is absolutely no reason to drink this wine now, even though it’s already six years old, as the Pinot Blanc with a bit of Auxerrois can handle another five years easily.  I’m speaking of Catherine Deneuve when I speak of the timeless beauty of this wine. Perfumed with pear, lemon, apple blossom and nut oils, the wine is round and supple, but not unintelligent. Yellow. Blonde. She’s got a minerally baseline that runs the length of the wine on your palate, maybe even stony - a woman who is not easily swayed.  She’s opinionated and easy to converse with. You’ll miss her when she’s gone.

Sybille Kuntz Riesling “Scharz”, Mosel, Germany 2005   $48

I have had a crush on my imagined Sybille Kuntz for sometime and the reason I had such a crush was because I had personified the wine. I am madly in love with this wine and all of her wines.  I am in love with them for their persistence of minerality, their tenacious lush fruit and their expressively long, long finish!  Turns out, I am equally in awe of the real Sybille too. She is much like her wine. Notice her subtle, clean and modern packaging, a quite demeanor with a slow to reveal steadfastness, wicked humor and seriousness. She is a brunette with thick curls and while the wine is yellow it has thick curls of mischievousness too.  And most importantly, like her, the quality is unquestionable.

Fattoria Le Pupille Morellino di Scansano, Tuscany, Italy 2008   $20

This is both red, and manly.  It is absolutely Italian too. In fact, it’s a tall, dark and handsome Italian farmer.  He’s a little smelly of barn animals, sweat and dirt – a hard working guy with good judgment, a strong sense of self and a thoughtful idea of where he’s going.  It’s a handsome wine made by a beautiful woman – Elisabetta Geppetti. It has musky, barnyard like notes in the nose and opens up into a muscular, brawny and powerful red wine with almost no real fruit, but a dryness that cuts like good judgment sometimes can.  An awesome wine, but you must eat a meal together.

Tenuta Migliavacca Grignolino, Piedmont, Italy 2010   $15
This is sort of an unusual wine.  Usually we have to travel to Italy to see Grignolino.  It comes from a region most well known for Barolo and Barbaresco. When you come from a region full of “beautiful people” you tend roll your green eyes and smirk at the thought of other’s perception of the place.  Grignolino is a wiry, youthful, red headed and freckled young man. Tanned by his hours outside due to his hyperactivity he is lively, interesting and fun to be around.  He’s good-natured and makes you that way too. Like his hair Gringolino is strawberried on the palate with a lively brightness overall like it’s disposition.

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to take a minute to highlight the Massachusetts representation on our cheese wall. We currently have three Massachusetts Farms represented on the wall and within them 9 different cheeses in heavy rotation: First Up! Ruggles Hill Creamery in Hardwick, MA is our newest addition (beginning in January 2012).  Some of us got the chance to meet Tricia and her goat’s this past month, and were so inspired by all that she’s doing for small dairies in our state, that we chose to feature her cheese “Brothers’ Walk” as thee first ‘Cheese of the Month’ in March here at Central Bottle. Ruggles Hill cheeses we carry: Lea’s Great Meadow, Greta’s Fair Haven, Ada’s Honor + Kay’s Eclipse. Tricia’s husband Micheal drops these cheeses off to us weekly.

Next up and a little closer proximity to us is Westfield Farm, in Hubbardston, MA (think central Massachusetts). The farm has been there since 1971, and has created a real name for themselves in the “fresh goat’s milk” or “chevre” world.  We currently have Hubbardston Blue Cow in the small format case. Since most of the farm’s goat’s are getting ready to give birth next month, it pays to have some cow’s on the property as well! This cheese is surface-ripened with penicillium roqueforti(the stuff that makes blue cheese blue!) but the cheese is never pierced so the “blue” stays on the outside, leaving just a subtle blue flavor..dense chalky cream lies within..

Cricket Creek Farm completes the trifecta..Williamstown, MA is waaaayyyy out there in the Berkshires, on the New York State Border. This is a small dairy made up of 35 or so cows. As I type, both Maggie’s Round and Tobasi are front and center on our wall.. the milk used to make both these cheeses is rich with buttery flavors! This cheese is also ordered directly from the farm and shipped to our doors!

Freshly Cracked : Dutch Farmstead, Fiore Sardo, Twig Fuzzy Wheel, Challerhocker, Lea’s Grat Meadow

Gone ‘til another season : Appenzellar, Berghoff Raclette, Chevrot, Moser Cru Blanc Truffle, Equniox

Just a couple FYI: Bayley Hazen Blue will be gone until Friday afternoon so if you’re looking for a blue cheese with texture like Bayley, Mossend Blue is a comparable alternative, raw sheep’s milk from Vermont.

Also, Lincolnshire Poacher has moved off the physical wall and on to the front window table.. tasting mighty fruity these days.. raw cow’s milk from England.

Thanks Everybody!

Stephanie Santos

Cheese Monger

Central Bottle Wine + Provisions

I’ve been intentionally depriving myself of enjoying Spanish wine these days. I’m not sure why. It might be this notion I have that if you hover around something you like too long, you risk becoming one-dimensional, and miss a lot of what else is out there. I hear an eternal calling to other old world greats: a majestic Burgundy, an outspoken Tuscan red, a luscious late-harvest Mosel. So it was with a tinge of guilt and scandal that I decided to break the spell and bring home a tried-and-true pleasure of mine, Spain. I decided on Anima Negra’s “An/2,” a bottle that has stood out to me for its grippingly simple yet powerful appearance. It’s tall and slender with straight Bordeaux-like shoulders, opaquely obsidian glass, and a stark red and black label graced by only the four characters in its name. Tonight was a celebration of Spain, for no other reason than exploring the enigmatic feeling of attachment to a place I have not yet been. 

Upon arriving home from my day, I pulled out my trusty bamboo cutting board and on it composed some thin slices of Jambon Serrano, a wedge of Manchego, and a dollop of Central Bottle’s own fig jam, made by Chef Stacey Daley. I toasted some baguette crostini drizzled in olive oil and nudged it onto the corner of the board. In mere moments, this rustic board of classic Spanish treats materialized. There’s beauty in simplicity, and I wanted everything to belong. I was ready to unveil the wine.

The initial pour revealed a lighter body than I expected; translucent and slightly tawny, with cherry red and blood orange hue. The first sniff unlocked the sensory chambers of my mind that have lain dormant, last touched when I enjoyed an aged Campo de Borja tempranillo well over a year ago. A combination of cherry bubble gum, sweet cigar wrapper, cedar, and jasmine unfold in that order. Hints of olive and balsamic whisper. On the palate the wine is fresh and light, with balanced acidity and tannins. Spice hits the mid-palate and then I land back on the ground. At the base of all these flavors is that of the soil, and for me, drinking this wine is like laying in the grass on a summer night and simultaneously experiencing the earth and its beautiful floral gifts around me all at once. I’ve undoubtedly just tasted another place, one I might very well want to reside someday. 

Not only did I find the careful intersection of all these aromas and flavors fascinating, but the conversation that occurred between the “An/2” and the artisan board. The moment the aromas of the salty, gamey Serrano entered my field, there was a gravitational pull of savory, animalistic qualities emerging from the wine. Lifting the board to my nose and moving across the fig jam and Manchego, the sweet, juicy fruit returned. So often these moments of sensual suggestion pass us by, and it is so exciting when you can find them and make them harmonize. I want everyone to be able to take delight in this wonderful combination, and I have no trouble advertising it, because it’s surprisingly easy, affordable, and worth every penny.

Now, to demystify this gem.  Anima Negra means “black soul,” and the wine is pronounced “An dos,” referring to the fact that it’s the second and lower tier offering of theirs (it gets better?). The winery was founded in 1994 by three brilliant Mallorcans: an enologist, a salesman, and a farmhouse owner. They believed their island was capable of producing great wines, and after contracting with 200 acres of small local vineyards, they started making wine. The vines are 50 to 85 years old, hand harvested and dry farmed w

ithout fertilizer. “An/2” is composed of the most important indigenous Mallorcan varietals Callet, Mantonegre and Fogoneu, with the last small amount left to Syrah. The grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature, and the wine aged in oak for 13 months. You can find this unique Spanish red at Central Bottle for $28, along with aforementioned Spanish accompaniments, and spend an evening satisfying your soul’s hunger. I recommend it.

submitted by: Ryan Connelly

Cheese and wine pairings are as ancient and traditional as the acts of eating and drinking themselves.  The most tried and true are best enjoyed in season; first of spring Chevre with honey-kissed Chenin Blanc or in late November, when a glass of Ruby Porto & a perfectly blued wedge of Stilton has a way of taking the sting out of an early winter day..  As the calendar flips closer to December 31st we’re just in time for one of the greatest pairings to date!

Sparkling Wine and Cream Laden Cheeses are more than just a pairing, they’re a partnership, they need each other.  Cream needs bubbles to cleanse the palate just as much as bubbles need cream as a soft place to land.. their dance and their chemistry are things of beauty, so much so that I’ve dreamt up some cheese pairings to offer along side your Central Bottle Sparkler of choice this New Year’s Eve…

First up from Spain we’re offering Dibon Brut Reserve Cava ($12bt), keeping ‘value’ in mind I chose Cremont ($9ea), a double creme and mixed milk disc (it’s a blend of goat’s and cow’s milk) from our friends at Vermont Butter and Cheese Company in Websterville.  It’s creamy in all the right ways and balanced with just enough saltiness.. always begging for just one more sip that sparkles..

Next we’ve got a bubbly Gruner Veltliner from the house of Schloss Gobelsberg ($42bt), someone special once told me, ‘Gruner goes with Green Things’, so I chose a cheese covered in ‘Green Things’.  Roger’s Robusto ($7ea) is a fresh cow’s milk cheese with a rind made of herbs.. (think Italian meatball herbs, oregano, garlic, onion…).  The cheese is tangy and creamy, but savory.. and I imagine a glass of Gobelsberger will leave you daydreaming some serious Springtime thoughts…

Now for something Italian.. Nino Franco’s deliciously festive Prosecco ($22bt). The cheese pairing also hails from the North of that infamous boot.  Our pick is Robiola Castagno ($28/#), made in the Piedmont, this perfectly ripened goat’s milk cheese has been aging in Chestnut leaves and it wasn’t until just this week that I started to hear the whispers.. “Stephanie, we’re ready.. please send us to be centerpieces on someones Holiday cheese plate..” This is a cheese that truly gives itself to wine, but I think it’ll really shines with the Rustica…

We finish with the Classic Pairing.. (small grower) Champagne & Triple Creme. Meet Aubry Brut Rosé ($69bt) and Pierre Robert($21/#)…. Does what grows together really go together? I’ll let you be the judge, but If I had it my way, at the stroke of midnight this Saturday evening the whole world would have a little piece of Pierre Robert to savor with a sip of Aubry’s Rosé.. that bite, taken in unison, around the world would certainly get things rolling in 2012…

These our my thoughts.. they’re just what I was thinking at the time, Thanks for letting me share them with you. 

Happy New Year Everybody! 

*all of these cheeses are made from pasteurized milk, and are available at Central Bottle Wine + Provisions, while supplies last…  

We’ve compiled our top ten cheeses that you’re most likely to catch us squirreling away nibbles of in the middle of a marathon-session, no-break, on-your-feet, death-defying Holiday rush.   Enjoy them soon, as you may just have to fight us for the last morsels..

#1. some call it ‘salva’, some call it ‘salsa’. just don’t forget the ‘cremasco’! Central Bottle’s Lombardian King and our collective #1 RIGHT NOW- full-flavored, full rinded, creamy + at it’s center? dense & chalky, Salva Cremasco.

 raw cow’s milk, Lombardy, Italy

#2. bound in cloth, crumbly to the touch + delightfully sharp + mustardy to the taste, our Cabot Clothbound Cheddar has 13 months under its belt and it’s only getting better, just like the creamery itself. 

pasteurized cow’s milk, Cabot Creamery, aged at The Cellars at Jasper Hill, Vermont

#3. you know it, i know it, we all know it—you want world class goat’s milk cheese, you go to France’s Loire Valley.  save your sky miles, we’ve brought it to you—Bonde d’Antan, is perfectly balanced, rich, delicate and completely delightful!

 pasteurized goat’s milk, Poitou, France

#4. our favorite blue cheese and a west coast staple on our New England-laden cheese wall, Point Reyes Blue is salty, sweet, and fruity.. it’s light semi-freddo texture will have you California Dreaming all winter long. 

raw cow’s milk, Point Reyes Station, California

#5. Vivace! probably the top 10 favorite that’s also the funniest to say, it means spicy,but it’s buttery too & and it’s best said with a hand gesture..this cheese is a New England native but it’s right at home with our love for all things Italian inspired! 

raw cow’s milk, Cato Corner Farm, Connecticut

#6. Interesting things happen when you take something great and make it your own—Valençay Affinee arrives to us naked&chalky but for a few vegetable ashes. we take it in, bathe it, and let it get to work blooming its rind & doing its thing, ash gives way to creamy wrinkles and A Voila! 

pasteurized goat’s milk, Loire, France

#7. all together now: She-Moo-DEEN! She-Moo-DEEN! doesn’t sound Italian, does it? but it is! from the Valtellina of Italy, Scimudin has buttery depth and a striking white interior and exterior. if Salva Cremasco is our king, scimudin is his (&our) queen, and she’ll be back in the shop just in time for Christmas! 

pasteurized cow’s milk, Lombardy, Italy

#8. the name Madonna may conjure up thoughts of the 80’s, or cones, or kabalah. But in our world, Madonna could only mean one thing, ‘perfect, pillowy disks of fresh local goat’s milk’. 

pasteurized goat’s milk, Sage Farm, Vermont

#9  Every family needs a black sheep—in a sea of white-rinded Pecorinos, our favorite, Pecorino Ginepro, is black-rinded. washed in juniper berries and balsamic vinegar, this cheese is fruity, tangy, striking, and memorable. 

sheep’s milk, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.

#10. And last, but certainly not least, SO Northeastern in style and in taste. Ascutney Mountain is just as popular among our staff as is it with our guests..its supple, nutty, and always an over-achiever! 

raw cow’s milk, Cobb Hill Farm, Vermont.
 

If you have any questions or want to talk directly to one of our cheesemongers, please email Stephanie or David your questions!

{eat cheese every day}

Happy Holidays!

In an effort to make your Holiday shopping easier and a lot more fun, we’ve consolidated a few gift ideas that will make you that good gift giver you’ve always wanted to be.. Happy Holidays!

Never heard of verjuice? What about verjus? vert jus? It’s all the same to me now that I know what it is! Literally, they all mean “green juice”. “Green harvesting” occurs midway through the growing season at vineyards. Winemakers will prune or thin excess fruit or late to ripen fruit from the vines so that the remaining grapes growing on the vines can develop a more concentrated flavor in a less crowded space. Many vineyards will discard these green grapes, compost them or use them to make oils. Very few vineyards will use them to make verjuice. These unwanted clusters of grapes that are not yet ripened can be pressed and will render a high acid, low sugar juice that will be stabilized to prevent fermentation. The result is verjuice!

Now, what to do with this unfermented grape juice? So much. It a handy alternative to lemon juice and a milder alternative to vinegar, but that’s just the beginning. Zesty and bright, verjus is delicious used in salad dressing, when deglazing a pan after roasting a chicken or root vegetables, or making a quick sauce with butter for fish or scallops. Anyone for an aperitif? Try verjus mixed with sparkling water + ice. You like martinis? Mix vodka with verjuice, shake with ice, strain and drink immediately!

Our choice for verjuice at central bottle is made by Australian food author, cook and restaurateur, Maggie Beer. While verjuice was well known all the way back in the Middle Ages in Europe, she was the first to produce verjuice commercially in modern times and we thank her! Check out her website for more great suggestions, www.maggiebeer.com.au

Carrots in Verjuice from Maggie Beer

1 bunch small carrots peeled (4” or less is great for this recipe), 1 cup Verjuice,  6-7 tbls unsalted butter, 
¼ cup Dried currants, 
¼ cup Pine nuts, 
½ cup chevre, ¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Place currants into small plastic container, cover with ¼ cup of the Verjuice and let stand until reconstituted. Fill the a small pot with water. Make the water ‘salty like the sea’ and bring to a boil. Trim the carrot tops but don’t remove them all together – leave just a little at the top. Blanche the carrots in the boiling water for approximately 3 to 5 minutes. In the sauté pan, toast the pine nuts over a low heat until light brown. Do not go darker or pine nuts will taste burnt. Remove the pine nuts from the pan and heat the butter over a medium heat until melted. Add the carrots and increase the heat to take the butter to nut brown. This will take 5 – 6 minutes. Add the Verjuice to the pan and let cook with carrots to form a syrup. Add strained currants, parsley and pine nuts and place onto the serving dish. Top with chevre and serve.

Handmade (by our own Anja) Picnic Bags

Designed to be an eco friendly re-usable bag for baguettes, wine bottles, beer bottles, govino glasses, fried chicken legs – you name it. We discovered it could have a secondary function:  picnic “table” or picnic tablecloth, if you will. Then we realized they’re just plain adorable – buttons and all. $21 a bag + cost to fill.

Grab + Go

A kitchen towel (yes a kitchen towel) wrapped up so it has a handle with a salume or veggie panino, a beer and somethin’ sweet (nougat, mast bros. chocolate) inside. Take it to the esplanade, bring it to a picnic, buy it ‘cause it’s cute! We have them pre-made for the 4^th or make your own all weekend. Various prices starting at $22.

Picnic Platters

Going over to someone’s house? Need a gracious host’s gift, want to have your own stash of cheese in the car? We’ve put together 3 individual cheeses for you – Champlain Valley Creamery Triple, Plymouth Original Chedder and Vermont Butter + Cheese Bijou. Oh, and a sweet Boska cheese knife too.  $26

WHO:        Our in-house nonconformist + wine educator Andrea Davis*

WHAT:      Wednesday Workshops

   Two 5-Week Sections: It’s Elemental (Class 1-5) + Let’s Elaborate (Class 6-10)

WHERE:    Central Bottle Wine + Provisions

WHEN:       6:00 - 7:00 pm | begins June 15th 

COST:        $30 / student / class (includes wine/cheese/materials) or $150 / section

We’ve decided to put together a fun, comprehensive and casual class on wine. We want to keep it small and focused (just 12 students). Raising a glass of wine shouldn’t be scary; it should be pleasurable and approachable. 

To attend our workshop please call Central Bottle at 617.225.0040 or email info@centralbottle.com 

It’s Elemental (Class 1-5) 

Class 1 and 2. 

I Smell Lemons, You Smell Floor Wax: Learning to Discern Wine Aromas and 
Tastes.

Do you nod vaguely when a friend tells you that the wine you are both drinking smells like wool socks and tastes like roasted beets? Speak for yourself by learning how to pick out the basic aromas and tastes of the most common red and white grapes. In these two classes you will be sniffing the real thing (think lemon zest and bell peppers) and comparing it with what’s in your glass.

Class 1: (June 15) White Wines

Class 2: (June 22) Red Wines

Class 3: (June 29) Tannins, Acids, Minerals, Wood and Funk: What Are These Nasty Things Doing in My Wine? 

If certain red wines make the roof of your mouth feel like sandpaper, then you know what tannins are. And if a particular white wine causes you to wince, then you know acid. These are characteristics, not tastes per se, and without them, we may as well be drinking spiked Kool-Aid or White Zinfandel, no offense to the fine folks at Beringer. Learn to love what these components do and how pairing them with the right food makes it all better.

Class 4: (July 6) All That is Fruity is Not Sweet 

A Pinot Noir can smell and taste like a bowl of ripe raspberries but taste dry as a bone. A peachy Riesling can taste dry because of a high level of acidity, and conversely, an earthy Barbera can taste sweet because of the high level of alcohol. We shall endeavor to figure out how this is so and why it matters when drinking them with food.

Class 5: (July 13) Very Basic Rules of Wine and Food Pairing for People Who Question Authority 

Rule #1. Drink what you like. This isn’t North Korea.
  Rule #2. On the other hand, like Lucy and Desi and bagels and cream cheese, certain wines are natural partners with certain foods.
  Rule #3. Don’t call them rules. They are guidelines. And you don’t need a degree in physical chemistry to ace this class.

Let’s Elaborate (Classes 6-10)

Class 6: (July 20) Fizz, Crackle, and Pop: Sparkling Wines for Every Day of the Week 

There are lots of delicious effervescent wines from Italy, Spain, France and Austria that make life worth living, even on Wednesdays. No need to wait until your graduation, wedding or retirement to enjoy all that sparkles.

Class 7: (July 27) Cradle to Grave: The Life Cycle of a Wine 

Just like people, some wines improve with age. That bottle in the back of the fridge may taste better than when it was first opened. Or maybe it won’t. We will see for ourselves by tasting a number of wines at various stages of decay, which like Lauren Hutton at age 68, may be a thing of beauty, or like Bob Dylan at 70…well, maybe not Dylan.

Class 8: (Aug 3) Confusion Reigns 

Marsanne and Roussane. Vermentino and Verdicchio. Muscadet and Moscato. Brunello and Barolo. The list goes on, and on, and on. We’ll focus on the ones that we mix up as well. Why do you think we stick post-it notes on our foreheads?

Class 9: (Aug10) Cheap or Expensive: Is It Worth It? 

 Well, to set the record straight, nothing is cheap in the store. We call it “$15 and Under” and we are very proud of the selection. As far as expensive goes, there are bottles in the pricier range. But is that $33 bottle of Malbec all that much better than the $14 one? Quality and value are subjective. Or are they?

Class 10: (Aug 17) Take Out + Wine Pairings or Not Kentucky Fried Chicken and Meursault Again 

 Sometimes a Dr. Pepper won’t cut it, especially when you’ve just brought home a steaming carton of shrimp and lemongrass. We’ve got great ethnic take-out in our area of Central Square and our more eclectic wines make good partners. Matches are made in heaven — and on Mass. Ave. 

*Andrea drank her first glass of wine (Chateau Manischewitz) at the age of 5 and has never looked back. Although she was diverted for many years working as a technical editor, she eventually came to her senses to pursue what she had always loved most: food, wine, and obsessing about them both. Circuitously she ended up Central Bottle, where she can happily combine all three and get paid for it. Andrea attended the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and the Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center at Boston University.

{first in a series of answers to questions many are afraid to ask.. about wine folks}

What’s up with the ‚er’ in German vintages, like 1989er?

 1. -er like in ‚emergency room’

    Meaning that this vintage is a killer vintage!

2. -er like in „1989er … um, er … or something like this“.

    Hint that this vintage might actually be a nonvintage, kind of like 1989ish.

3. -er like in 1er Cru,

    Meaning that this wine is the 1989th growth, so it’s really the last of the last and is

    only used for shipment to the USA since in Germany we need all the 1er to drink  

    them ourselves. Sorry buddies!

Okay, that was a lie. Here’s the plain, dry truth about the -er. Attention, find a padded surface to let your sleepy head fall on to in three, two, one …

… Germans like to build … cars, machines and words. There are super long words like Trockenbeerenauslese or even Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

(63 letters, meaning “beef labeling regulation & delegation of supervision law”)

This was a 1999 German Word of the Year, and it also won a special award as the longest German word for that year. It refers to a “law for regulating the labeling of beef” - all in one word, which is why it is so long. We Germans also like abbreviations, and because that word is like really too long, it has one as well: ReÜAÜG.)

And then there’s all these declinations and derivations, the latter we use to constantly built new words out of existing ones to even better describe or name people or things. We just drive for perfection I guess (fahrvergnügener!)

How do they do it, you might ask. Well, just like you, we have a little helper called the suffix. In this case it’s the suffix –er. The suffix is very productive and helps us build many many new words. Take the noun Trockenbeerenauslese (select harvest of dried berries). Someone who is harvesting the selected dried berries is a Trockenbeerenausleser. Easier now, take the noun Berlin. Someone who is from Berlin is a … yes, a Berliner.  And someone from New York? A New Yorker, right. Works with verbs as well. Someone who drinks is a drinker  as well as a stinker because if you do that too often you just stink. And what works with nouns works with cardinals as well, at least for the Germans since once we made up a rule we must follow it.

So do that thing now with the wine of the year 1989 and you get a 1989er, for example the „Weingut Josef Longen, 1989er Riesling Spätlese Thörnicher Ritsch“, whose awesome acidity our cheesemonger  (!) David Seaton describes as „like a German nun swiftly correcting your posture, with a thick wooden cane“.

Now imagine that nun standing behind you and giving you the cane everytime you say the name of that wine incorrectly as well. Yes, on top of that „bracing“ acidity.