Europa Cellars Newsletter, 6 October 2009
		(03) 9417 7220

	Introduction Wine of the Week - 2007 Salomon Undhof Gruner Veltliner Hochterrassen Rheingau Star: J.B. Becker Offer Upcoming Events

Dear Wine Aficionado, Germany produces some of the worlds greatest Riesling. However there are many different styles and a considerable variation in quality. The wines available in Australia generally represent a the top half of the German market as far as quality is concerned as most importers avoid the the less interesting wines. However in terms of style it is a different story. Wines can be in a spectrum of sweet to dry and unless you know the producer or have read an informed review of the wine the style of the wine in particular the level of sweetness you may experience, can remain a mystery. This weeks featured producer J.B. Becker from the Rheingau is no mystery - an unambiguous producer of dry style or trocken Riesling - and one of the lesser known but highly rated producers from this region. The wine of the week is a Gruner Veltliner from Salomon Undhof. This is a wine of great flavour and style. It will also be featured in tonight's tasting Next weeks in store tasting will feature a selection Chardonnays from around the world. Chardonnay is making something of a comeback with some nicely balanced wines that leave behind the big and buttery wine of the past as a fond (or not so fond) memory. We will look at examples in the affordable under $40.00 categories from Europe and the New World. Alsace to Austria - aromatic whites This Evening, 6 to 8 pm, In-Store, $10.00 Gewurztraminer, Gruner Veltliner and Riesling, from top producers including JB Becker (Rheingau), Brundlmayer (Kamptal), Joh Jos Christoffel Erben (Mosel), Louis Sipp (Alsace), and Undhof Salomon (Kremstal) Please note that the store opening hours are midday to 8pm 7 days a week. For phone inquiries to 03 9417 7220 please ring during these times The Europa Cellars team, John, Brian, Nick, and Sam view newsletter online Wine of the Week 2007 Salomon Undhof Gruner Veltliner Hochterrassen Shelf Price $25.00 Offer Price $21.50 The Salomon Undhof is one of the most progressive and quality driven wineries in Austria. The winery, is located in Stein on the western border of Krems, close to Wachau. The family own 20 hectares of vineyards which are planted with equal amounts of Riesling and Grüner Veltliner as well as a tiny amount of ‘Gelber Traminer’. Matching each grape variety with the right soil and climate has always been the main focus of Salomon’s Viticultural efforts. The loamy soils offer optimum conditions for Grüner Veltliner. "Pale green-yellow. Delicate grapefruit zest, discreet apple blossom and dill on the nose. Fine-boned acidity enlivens and carries the refreshing grapefruit flavor of this elegant wine with style. Finishes with decent length. Drink now to 2012. Tanzer 88 pts download order form Rheingau Star - J.B. Becker J.B. Becker This is a family owned and run winery located in the commune of Walluf on the Rhine river in the Rheingau wine growing region of Germany. It was founded by Baptist Becker in 1893. It has been run since 1971 by Hans-Josef Becker, the grandson of the founder, together with his sister Maria. The vineyard area is 11.4 hectares with an annual production of just 70,000 bottles.  They are very good producers who have been making consistently high quality wines for many years. Hans-Josef Becker is a winemaker who has very strong opinions on the style of his wines, and is pretty much immune to fashionable market trends. The one exception this Walluf winery has made since the 2002 vintage is the use of the Vino-Lok glass closures. He still matures his white wines in barrels for a full year before bottling, and his red wines for two years.   The Riesling wines are extremely dry, and very long-lived. A minimum of ten vintages is available for sale at any one time. The estate is also particularly noted for the quality of their Spatburgunder  “The main aim is to make food-friendly wines!” says Hans-Josef. Riesling Kabinett Kabinett is the driest classification. It refers to the level of sugar in the grape at the time of picking. It is no indication of the final result of the wine. Low alcoholKabinett Rieslings can have a relatively high level of residual sugar. In the case of the Becker Kabinett the fermentation continues until a dry or trocken style is achieved 2005 Riesling ‘Wallufer Wallenberg’ Kabinett trocken Shelf Price $39.00 Offer Price $33.00 Riesling Spatlese Spatlese grapes are picked later than Kabinett and have a higher level of sugar at the time of picking. The Spatlese wines offered below have all been fermented to the traditional Becker dry or trocken style. Three vintages are offfered the new release 2005, the previous year 2004 and a wonderfully fresh example from 1990. This last wine is a bargain and there is a limit of 2 btls per customer 2005 Riesling ‘Wallufer Walkenberg’ Spätlese trocken 750ml 2004 Riesling ‘Wallufer Walkenberg’ Spätlese trocken 750ml 1990 Riesling ‘Wallufer Walkenberg’ Spätlese trocken 750ml Shelf Price $59.00 Offer Price $50.00 Riesling Auslese Auslese grapes are late picked and when you see this word on a German wine label you are most likely to discover a sweet wine. But not in this case. Becker ferments the Auslese grapes to the dry or trocken style. Three vintages are offered the new release 2005, the earlier year 2003 and a limited quantity from the classic 1992 vintage. This last wine is an absolute steal and there is a limit of 2 bottles per customer 2005 Riesling ‘Wallufer Walkenberg’ Auslese trocken 750ml 2003 Riesling ‘Wallufer Walkenberg’ Auslese trocken 750ml 1992 Riesling ‘Wallufer Walkenberg’ Auslese trocken 750ml Shelf Price $79.00 Offer Price $67.00 Riesling Beerenauslese This comes above Auslese but below Trockenbeerenauslease in sugar level at the time of picking. In this case you have from Becker a beautifully balanced sweet Riesling with a great acid balance and because of the practice of fermenting a little longer than many of the peers this wine avoids the ersatz. 2005 Riesling ‘Wallufer Wallenberg’ Kabinett trocken Shelf Price $39.00 Offer Price $33.00 Spatburgunder Spatlese The same rules apply for the Pinot Noir regarding grape classification. The Spatlese has a certain level of sugar at the time of picking. Becker is well known for his Spatburgunder or Pinot Noir 2003 Spätburgunder ‘Wallufer Walkenberg’ Spatlese trocken 750ml Shelf Price $99.00 Offer Price $84.00 Spatburgunder Auslese The 2003 vintage was a particularly warm one in Europe and provided enough later picked grapes with higher sugar levels for Becker to make a Spatburgunder Auslese. A stunning wine 2003 Spätburgunder ‘Wallufer Walkenberg’ Auslese trocken 750ml Shelf Price $138.00 Offer Price $118.00 download order form Upcoming Events Affordable Global Chardonnay Tuesday 6th October , 6 to 8 pm, In-store, $10.00 Chardonnay has become a pariah in some eyes due to overripe overoaked and overmaloed versions seen in past. This tasting takes a look at global Chardonnay to see how winemakers are treating the grape from around the world these days in the sub $40.00 price range. On Saturday 10 April 2004, new Australian Federal Government legislation came into force that requires that no unsolicited emails be sent without the permission of the recipient.  Europa Cellars has an email database and sends out periodic newsletters or special offers to especially interested clients. If you do not wish to receive further newsletters or special offers from Europa Cellars in the future, please advise by emailing wine@europacellars.com.au . Alternatively, if you subscribed via our website you may visit the following link to unsubscribe the same way. http://ethreemail.com/e3ds/u.php?g=a1fc2f1a

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