Blogcritics Author: Marisa DVari

Riesling Nirvana with Weingut D�nnhoff

Marisa DVari — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:28:38 EDT

Why is this German Riesling on everyone's hit list?
“Nature or nurture,” you might ask, wondering about the temperament of a child or the elements that go into a particularly delicious, well balanced wine. Today’s wine world is often a hotbed of deception. For example, if you find yourself admiring the buttery, oak-y aroma and palate of an affordable Chardonnay, watch out! You very...

Experiencing Hochheim Riesling with Dr. Franz Werner Michel

Marisa DVari — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:36:06 EDT

Visit this wine estate for a Riesling tasting and emerge an expert.
Some German wine makers offer you a tutored tasting of their latest vintage, explaining the wines as you both taste in unison. Dr. Franz Werner Michel welcomes guests to his Hochheim estate with a lineup of his premiere Riesling wines and invites them to taste and make notes on their own time. When guests are finished, the discussion begins....

A Tale of Two Schlosses

Marisa DVari — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:27:32 EDT

Taste Riesling in these exciting ancient castles.
In Germany, the word “schloss” means castle or “manor house.” These are historic structures, many first built during the Roman times near the very best vineyards in the land. The idea was to create a grand estate to showcase the quality of the vineyards and the wine.With wineries in San Ynez, California considered old at...

Inhaling Wine with Johannes Leitz

Marisa DVari — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:49:45 EDT

Can't believe inhaling wine can reveal as much information as sipping? Talking Riesling with winemaker Leitz.
“I almost prefer inhaling to actually tasting,“ Johannes Leitz told importer Thierry Thiese in an interview. “I can’t really love a wine regardless of how it tastes if it doesn’t excite me on the nose.” I find this quote represents a very keen insight into a remarkable winemaker who is passionate about his vines....

Tasting Riesling with Jakob Schneider Jr. in Nahe, Germany

Marisa DVari — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:29:23 EDT

Meet the new generation of German winemakers.
“When your first name is Jakob, you have no choice but to go into the family business,” says Jakob Schneider Jr. with a charming smile, the youngest in a long line of Weingut Jakob Schneiders in the Nahe region of Germany.In his mid-twenties, Jakob is an enthusiastic, engaging, strong-shouldered individual who comes across as an icon...

Riesling Unplugged: Talking Wine with Martin Tesch

Marisa DVari — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:47:18 EDT

Curious to discover Riesling wine for the MTV generation?
“The man pictured on this wine bottle’s label looks familiar!” I think to myself, peering at the wine bottle with a picture of a somewhat scary looking gentleman in a stiff white shirt and black jacket on the label. Dracula? Nope. As it turns out, the figure just happens to be an ancient relative of Martin Tesch, the low key, yet...

Discovering Kendermann: Behind the Scenes of a Best Selling Brand

Marisa DVari — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:05:44 EDT

Curious to peer inside a best-selling German winery?
When most wine aficionados visit Germany to meet their favorite producers, they often find themselves knocking at a rustic looking door, with the winemaker/owner or his wife jumping up from the lunch table to welcome the visitor inside.Things are a bit different at Kendermann, which bills itself as the number one “new generation” wine...

Visit to Weingut Strub in Germany's Rheinhessen Region

Marisa DVari — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:17:15 EDT

Love Riesling wine? Enjoy a virtual visit to a winery that has been around since 1710.
If you’ve been in the wine world for a while, you have experienced the Chardonnay craze, the Merlot madness, and the Pinot Noir obsession ignited by a certain popular film. Perhaps you have come to love Sauvignon Blanc so intimately you can easily tell a New Zealand SB from its French Loire Valley cousin. If so, let me ask you this: have you...

Kosher Wines for Rosh Hashanah

Marisa DVari — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:18:48 EDT

Curious to find the most delicious, affordable wines for the high holidays?
“This is delicious!” exclaims a friend, tasting a wine and requesting a second glass. “Are you sure it’s Kosher?”If you are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, this year, you are in for a delicious treat. For much of this century, most families sipped the sweet, grape-y Manishevitz. Today you will find some...

Wine Review: Domaine de la Batardi�re Muscadet de S�vre-et-Maine Sur Lie 2007

Marisa DVari — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:11:16 EDT

Curious what wine to pair with oysters and seafood?
Let's imagine that it is New Year's Eve, and you want to find the perfect wine to pair with a first course of fresh briny oysters. Or maybe you are vacationing in a chic French island like St. Barts, and just bought a freshly-caught snapper from a sleek, tanned fisherman in Prada swim trunks who had moments before cast his net into the emerald sea....