Thursday Betsy made cha-soba noodles with peppers, bok choy and
shrimp (she had made another version with regular soba and chicken for
friends who can't cook now), wine was originally the 2007 Maximin
Grunhauser (von Schubert) Riesling QbA (Mosel Saar Ruwer). This is the
truly generic, no vineyard designation. Lots of petrol, some lemon and
apple. Soft, more pleasant than interesting. B-

2008 Fritz Haag Riesling QbA (Mosel)
Fritz Haag to the rescue! Now this is interesting Riesling.
Considerably more expensive ($20 vs $12), but worth it. Crisp, zippy,
lively with a saline meets slate minerality on finish. Great for
level. B+

Friday Betsy had dinner in city with friend before opera, so Dave and
I enjoyed some sausages, trumpet royale mushrooms sauteed in goosefat,
and broccoli. Dave tends to like big reds, so decided to try the 2006
Terry Hoage "Five Blocks" (Paso Robles). Ripe sweet blackberries.
coffee, and some herbal hints. Some oak notes, but not overwhelming.
There's some heat on backend, and a peek shows this is 15.5% -whew!
Big verging on huge. Not a style I drink much of, but this is well
done, and could compare favorably to some luxury cuvee CdPs (57%
Syrah, 29% Grenache, 7% Mourvedre, 7% Cinsault). B

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an
excellent*wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I
wouldn't*drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I
offer no*promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of
consistency.**