Day 1: Light golden-green colour. A little quiet on the nose at first,
but opening out with time to show apple, minerals and flowers with
some faint petrol notes. Gorgeous on the palate and much more open -
medium bodied, slightly sweet and very elegant with plenty of acidity,
more flavours of apple, white fruits and minerals with a long clean
finish.

Day 2: Much more forward on the nose with a really intense minerally
character. Similar flavour profile on the palate, but it just seems so
much more seamless with the minerality, bright fruit flavours,
sweetness and acidity all integrating together much more smoothly and
a tremendous long fnish. Outstanding. Makes me want to run out and buy
more - or just open the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr one-star Spat I've also
got sitting around.

Cheers,

Salil

On Feb 29, 4:39�pm, Salil > wrote:
> Day 1: Light golden-green colour. A little quiet on the nose at first,
> but opening out with time to show apple, minerals and flowers with
> some faint petrol notes. Gorgeous on the palate and much more open -
> medium bodied, slightly sweet and very elegant with plenty of acidity,
> more flavours of apple, white fruits and minerals with a long clean
> finish.
>
> Day 2: Much more forward on the nose with a really intense minerally
> character. Similar flavour profile on the palate, but it just seems so
> much more seamless with the minerality, bright fruit flavours,
> sweetness and acidity all integrating together much more smoothly and
> a tremendous long fnish. Outstanding. Makes me want to run out and buy
> more - or just open the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr one-star Spat I've also
> got sitting around.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Salil

thanks for notes, I love Selbach-Oster. I unfortunately drank all of
my 2002s too early.

DaleW wrote:

> thanks for notes, I love Selbach-Oster. I unfortunately drank all of
> my 2002s too early.

Me, too. With Jean around, it's hard to keep any white wine in the
cellar for more than a few years. Hopefully, as we purchase more
Rieslings, Chenin and Muscadet, that'll change. That '02
Zeltinger-Sonnenuhur was a lovely wine...

Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

On Mar 2, 12:17 am, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Me, too. With Jean around, it's hard to keep any white wine in the
> cellar for more than a few years. Hopefully, as we purchase more
> Rieslings, Chenin and Muscadet, that'll change. That '02
> Zeltinger-Sonnenuhur was a lovely wine...

That last comment helped my willpower jump out of the window. Got my
first grad school acceptance earlier this week, so celebrated by
breaking into a 2002 Selbach Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spatlese*.

And... wow. Bigger, richer and more intense than the Schlossberg, but
still so light and elegant on its feet. A slightly different and more
complex flavour profile as well, with some yellow plums and peach
flavours, vanilla and woodsy herbal notes along with the apple,
flowers and slate notes that I normally get in Selbach-Oster's wines.
Really good acidity here, and an incredibly long finish. Another knock-
out (and I preferred this to the Schlossberg, which was a real stunner
as well).

Cheers,

Salil

I received this email from, my good friend, Johannes Selbach of
Selbach-Oster. I have read many good thing in this group about his wines and
thought you might be interested about his philosophy and approach to making
outstanding Rieslings. I have had the privilege knowing the family for many
years and what he writes is from the heart. This is a rather long piece, but
I think it is worth reading.

Hello Chip,
hello Si,

since this touches on a few topics that are occasionally asked about, I am
forwarding my answers to a Riesling related questionnaire ( with emphasis on
Selbach-Oster ) for your information. Thought you might be interested as
this can be useful background info.

Hope all is well with you and your families. No Easter visit this
year...we'll be missing Florida.

Best,

Johannes



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Von: Johannes Selbach ]
Gesendet: Donnerstag, 6. März 2008 22:51
An: '
Cc: Johannes Selbach )
Betreff: WG: Selbach-Oster questions



March 6th, 2008


Hello Kirstin,

sorry for the long pause but it was difficult to find a quiet moment.
Wow, what a questionnaire ! To do it justice, I'd have to retreat in some
undisturbed space for quite some time to give you all the answers. Not
having this opportunity of peace and quiet ( a number of my best customers
is visiting these days ), I hope you will accept my shortened version....

Please find my answers in your text below.

Best regards,

Johannes Selbach



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Von: Kirstin Jackson ]
Gesendet: Montag, 11. Februar 2008 19:23
An:
Betreff: Selbach-Oster questions


Dear Mr. Johannes Selbach-



My name is Kirstin Jackson Ellis. We met towards the end of the Vienna Wine
Company and Terry Theise tasting in San Francisco, where I told you that I
have a wine and food pairing blog on which I'd love to feature an interview
with you. Perhaps you remember that you asked whether my name was German (my
background is mainly Norwegian).


Well, you graciously said yes to an interview. So what I'm including below
are the questions that I'd like you to answer for my blog. Once you answer,
I'll post the interview.


I would very much like to thank you in advance for taking the time to answer
these questions. I feel very privileged to have this chance to interview one
of my favorite winemakers, and I feel very lucky to be able to share this
experience with my readers. Your Rieslings have always been an inspiration
to me. Lastly, I know that you are a busy man and I will be happy to receive
your response whenever you have time to attend to my questions.


Thank you so much, and here is a link my food and wine pairing blog (it's
pretty lighthearted) is case you want to take a look:
vindelatable.blogspot.com.


Sincerely,
Kirstin




INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:


Although more people in the U.S. are developing tastes for German Rieslings,
some still insist that they "don't drink sweet wines." How would you respond
to a statement like this? What are these people missing?

The word "insist" hints of stubbornness and that is too bad because it
precludes giving anything but what they think they know a try. With that
attitude we'd all still be eating maccaroni & cheese or sausages with kraut
and would never have discovered the intricacies of Asian cuisine or the
delight of "raw fish", sashimi or sushi.

First, what is the definition of "sweet" ? Is a soda pop, sweetened with
corn syrup or a diet pop sweetened with aspartame or another sweetener sweet
?? Most likely everyone would agree that such a beverage is sweet, very
sweet.
Is a September apple, plucked ripe from the tree sweet, ... or a peach in
July, ... or a vine ripened tomato from the garden in August ? The answer
will also be yes. Is there a difference between sweetness in root beer and
in vine ripened fruit ? I believe even the most stubborn " I don't drink
sweet wines" blockhead would agree.
At the same time that people insist they don't like "Riesling" they reflect
on their experiences with artficially sweetened beverages ( or food ) and
forget that the quality of an "un-dry" wine with varying degrees of residual
sugar, as long as it is balanced, has nothing to do with that feared thickly
sweet, cloying sensation.

Myself, often confronted with this rather silly ( because it shows people
haven't tried many Rieslings, leave alone good ones ) prejudice, usually
ask them two questions:
One, whether they eat fruit.
Two, if they do, whether they prefer their strawberries green and their
peaches hard or rather red and juicy.
I cringe when I imagine that these people think the poor, usually cheap most
likely sweetened wines they had ( be they Rieslings or blends ) are "it".
Riesling, like no other grape, is capable of showing the full spectrum of
dryness/sweetness from bone dry to very sweet and everything inbetween. Fine
Rieslings, like no other grape, can weave the wine's natural sweetness,
derived from ripe fruit ( not added ), into the multitude of aromatic
expressions this delicately aromatic grape offers ( depending on where
grown, how cropped, when and how picked ) and pack it into an always
noticeable, sometimes vibrant, sometimes juicy acidity that leaves the mouth
salivating in the finish even after it has tasted a touch of sweetness
upfront.
That's a long, complex sentence and doesnt come close to describing the
sensation a fine, balanced fruity Riesling leaves on the palate.
Pity for those who think they know it all and who, after possibly a bad
experience with a cheap specimen, don't give their tastebuds another
chance....
When it comes to Riesling, balance is the key. And a well balanced Riesling
has almost always won determined Rielsing avoiders over into the Riesling
camp as believers. You watch....

Long answer to a short question. !


THE RIESLING GRAPE AND SELBACH-OSTER



Your family has been making Riesling since 1661 and are said to be
traditionalists. Have there been many advances in winemaking within the past
20-30 years that you have incorporated within your practices, or have you
found that the way your family crafted high-end Rieslings for centuries is
the way you will continue making your wine indefinitely?
Some but no radical changes. Most notable changes have occurred with the
canopy management, certainly the reduction of yields and the sanity of vines
and fruit. Less is more is a simple formula and it works well, also
concerning our "input".
The overall vineyard work itself has become a bit more labour intensive,
with more attention paid to smaller details. Everything has become
"greener", geared towards a more organic approach though with the reality of
viticulture on very steep slopes in a narrow river valley we are still
"conventional".



The Riesling Grape is considered one of the finest grapes in the world, but
demands a fair amount of attention from the winemaker. What are just a
couple of the hardships Selbach-Oster experiences trying to cultivate
Riesling that you believe people working with other grapes may not
encounter?
Sorry but I beg to differ: The winemaking part is the less important part as
there is not so much "making" in the cellar necessary but the quality of
Riesling is rather determined in the vineyard. For obvious reasons, the
place, the soil, the mezzo- and microclimate are of the utmost importance
but apart from those, the differences are huge when comparing viticultural
practices throughout the year and, now comes the most important part, the
harvest.
For me, the vineyard work has to be planned and executed with a certain
quality and type of Riesling in mind. Then, of course, Nature has to
cooperate but it all culminates in the harvest. How to harvest ( when to
pick, where to pick, what to pick and how to pick ) is immensely important.
How one handles the chosen fruit and how one processes fruit and juice are
of equal importance. Of course one needs to know what's needed in the
cellar but the simple formula applies : The better the raw ingredient, i.e.
fruit, the better ( potentially ) the end result, the wine.
Inbetween one has plenty of opportunity to screw this up but if gently
pressed juice from top quality grapes runs into the barrel, most of the
groundwork for delicious Riesling has already been laid. No need to spend
sleepless nights over the choice of forest for the oak or how it's been
dried and which toast the barrels need. No need to worry about whether or
not or when to induce a malolactic fermentation. The fruit is "it" and the
purer, the better.
Hardships occur when the weather doesn't want to play in tune. Hardships
also occur when we gamble for 100% and overshoot the "perfect" day for
picking a certain vineyard when the grapes have reached heir optimum.



It's said that Riesling truly expresses the terrior where its planted. You
have many vineyards from which your grapes come. Which vineyards most
expresses their terrior in the final product?
I firmly believe that Riesling truly expresses the terroir and have had
ample opportunity to put this to the test.
However, caution is to be exercised: "Terroir" has become a buzzword and
that horse has almost been ridden to death.
If there is too much "winemaking", forget abut terroir because many manmade
interventions from aroma-inducing enzymes to the choice of yeast or new oak
can override the terroir - and so does too much of a usually good thing -
botrytis.
Overcropping, over- and underripeness each override much if not all of the
terroir.
Where we make wines, in the heart of the Mosel, the vines thrive in a
mineral rich, relatively soft and crumbly soil that is very old and dates
back to the Devonian age, some 450 to 500 million years ago: Blue Devonian
Slate. It's the silt from the ancient single ocean that surrounded the
single continent, Pangea. The weight of the ocean compressed layer after
layer of silt, forming a deposit that looks like a thin wafer, rich in
minerals and with water trapped in the molecules ( which gives our slate
such a smooth feel when you crumble it with your hands ). When the
continents divided and tectonic plates drifted and collided, the former sea
bottom was lifted and pushed, twisted and turned until it surfaced in our
area where it formed a mountain range through which eventually the Mosel
river cut. The roots can force their way down, courtesy of the relative
softness of the rock and it's being cracked, twisted and turned, so we have
rootsystems in our old vineyards where it is not uncommon to find 10 meter
( 32 feet ) deep roots. With roots deep in the mineral rich soil and with
dry farming, with low yields plus a hands-off approach in the cellar, the
potential for wines to show their "terroir" is excellent.

From my own tasting experience in our cellar I can say that the differences
between the villages, from Bernkastel down to Graach, then Wehlen and
finally Zeltingen are indeed noticeable. From amongst those, I find the
different expressions of the Schlossberg in Zeltingen and the twin Sonnenuhr
vineyards in Wehlen and Zeltingen ( with minor differences between the two
siblings ) the most exciting. Zeltinger Schlossberg probably comes in with
the most expressive "fingerprint" of minerality with some "crunch".


How do you feel about oak in Riesling?
Large casks of old oak - wonderful, they permit the wines to exhale some of
their fementation aromas and also permit a tiny bit of oxidation, something
that the "nouveau" winemakers have rediscovered and now artificially induce
in their stainless steel tanks ( microboullage ).
New oak only once in a while and only for lending some exotic to a blend but
this has to be done very skillfully or else the otherwise subtle and
delicate Riesling carries way to much makeup and smells of foreign
perfume...and becomes hard to recognize ( and enjoy).


Some readers may not be familiar with the superior aging abilities of German
Riesling. Why are they such excellent wines to age? What is the oldest
Riesling you've tried and do you have some set aside for younger family
members or friends? How long do you plan to age them?
High quality German Riesling can indeed age for a very long time and often
baffles even experts with it's relative freshness and added complexity it
develops over time. Here, "don't like sweet" drinkers listen up, the wines
with residual sugar greatly outperform their dry counterparts. Why ? Because
sugar is a preservative just as acidity is. It's the combination of good
acidity, relatively low pH, usually moderate alcohol and a varying degree of
residual sugar which make for a winning combination for longevity.
The fact that the grapes in the northern German wine regions ( that Riesling
calls home ) mature over a long time in a moderately warm climate, rather
than a hot and arrid one, make for a unique concentration and diversity of
flavours, always healthy acidity and, at the same time comparatively lower
than average alcohol levels.
The oldest Riesling I have been privileged to enjoy was an 1864 Schloss
Vollrads which the late Count Matuschka Greiffenclau opened and shared with
a number of colleagues in the summer of 1986.
We have some old bottles, certainly from all family members' birth years set
aside, though no serious quantities as we adhere to my late father's advice
that fine wines are made to be enjoyed while both we and the wines are
alive, rather than to be locked away from their destiny ( that is to be
consumed and to give pleasure and stimulation of the senses ).
Having said that, I hope I'll live the day to drink the best bottles and the
big question - always - is to find the "right" opportunity.
Seems I am on a good path to find more and more "right " opportunities.

FOOD AND WINE PAIRING:



Due to the success of your winery, you have had the opportunity to travel
all over the world, talking about, pouring, and enjoying your wines with
people of other countries. At the wine tasting where I met you, I heard that
you and the other winemakers at the event would be enjoying a dinner later
at a celebrated San Francisco restaurant. With what different foods do
people pair your wines in various countries?
France, Germany, United States, Spain, Italy, China, for example...
With almost everything they eat. Riesling, contrary to widespread belief, is
an immensely versatile companion at the table. Ask any chef in a top notch
restaurant and you'll be surprised how often Riesling comes up when food
friendly wine or the wine of choice is mentioned. The question is not
whether Riesling but rather which Riesling with a certain kind of food !
Many people still confine Riesling to the ( very wide ) spectrum of Asian
cuisine. Because the yin of fruit and yang of acidity marry so well with the
multitude of flavours and preparations of Asian or Fusion cuisine this is
understandable but the choices are many more. I dare say almost everything
but a thick, bloody steak or leg of lamb & Co. works with a Riesling but you
have to have some selection.
Think American traditionals from turkey with all the trimmings to crabcakes
to simple pleasures like summer greens with a mild vinaigrette or just
sweet corn on the cob and I can think Riesling from left to right.
Go to Italy and think of sweet, vine ripened tomatoes ( which always come
with a nice dose of...acidity ) and think the unthinkable...Riesling.
Fettucini Alfredo with that creamy Alfredo sauce that certainly has a
touch of richness and sweetness...Riesling and when you eat Gorgonzola or
melt it over meat or fruit, think Riesling again...
It is not just duck liver or goose liver for sweet Rieslings but also
rustic, flavourful patés and, of course, aromatic cheeses, particularly ones
with a soft, washed or cured rind ( ... ever tried ripe Epoisses with mature
Riesling Spaetlese ? ) and the whole range of blue cheeeses from Stilton to
Roquefort. Fruits and dishes prepared with fruit, redcutions sauces,
caramelizd things, you name it...Riesling works.

What has put Riesling back on th food map are several things:
One, it's delicacy and relatively low alcohol ( compared to most other
wines ) and the fact it is unoaked and with a crisp finish let the food live
that's served with it. No competition but live and let live - if not
complementing each other. That is why chefs and sommeliers and "foodies"
love Riesling.
Two, it's diversity: Most kinds of food and even preparation styles find a
matching Riesling and that can range from austere and pure and dry to
flamboyantly exotic, rich and sweet.
Three: The much better availability of high quality Riesling . Today's
consumer has much better access to more choices of quality Riesling than 10
or 20 years ago.

But, beware of cheap Riesling. It can be as one dimensional and flavourless
as a "middle of the road" Pinot Grigio.


What is the worst Riesling pairing that you've experienced, perhaps because
someone was so smitten with your wines, they believed they would fair
perfectly with everything?
My biggest fear in wine dinners where the pastry chef doesn't know Riesling
or thinks ( like many) that riesling is syrupy sweet: Elegant, regular
Riesling Auslese with it's traditionally moderate level of residual sugar
put against opulent, super sweet desserts ....


With what foods do you eat with your Rieslings at home, and are these
typical Riesling pairings in Germany?
Almost everything and that explicitly includes roast red meat where we use
aged Riesling ( at least a dozen years old ) .
Same here as said befo The rack of lamb or he thick steak grilled rare
usually come with matching reds.


WINE AND RIESLING ABROAD



Who do you count among your favorite winemakers in Germany? In the U.S?
France?
Germany: Helmut Doennhoff, Hans-Guenter Schwarz
France: a plethora of Burgundians, too many to single one out and I can't
afford DRC...
US: Warren Winiarski for his ability to make lasting, impressive Cabernets
at 13% vol and below .
Paul Draper for his Zins but more so Monte Bello Cabs for their "terroir"
and relatively moderate alcohol.
Steven Kistler and Mark Bixler for big but balanced and very long lived
single vineyard Chardonnays.
Larry Turley and Ehren Jordan for always puzzling me with delicious,
aromatic alcohol bombs, big but still elegant Zins, that belie their
analyses and don't tasted the slightest bit alcoholic nor hot but rather
fascinating.

PS: I must confess I have been bitten by the Zin bug and I believe this is
the truly unique "American" wine.


At least in the U.S, Austria has been receiving much attention lately for
their Rieslings. What are your thoughts on their Riesling style?
Very fine examples of big, aromatic, dry Rieslings that carry their high
alcohol well. The best in the league of the "heavy hitters" from warmer
climates.


Are there Rieslings in the U.S. that you particularly like or dislike? Any
thoughts on the Rieslings from the Fingerlake regions or from Washington?
I greatly dislike the abundance of simple, cheap domestic ( and imported )
Rieslings, semi-industrially made made from overcropped vines planted in
unsuited terrain and too hot a climate with no finger to point into one
particular region. The sweet cheap ones are the worst since they ruin the
image for the entire category!
However, I do want to point a finger to a region whose Rieslings I have been
following since the early eighties and that is the Finger Lakes in upstate
New York. Great potential there, never understood why they weren't known by
a larger crowd.
I believe there is also still unexploited potential for Rielsing on the
West Coast, in cooler areas. If the valley floors are too hot, there are
higher altitudes or the proximity to the ocean. It will take a few more
years and some more people with a vision and a will ( and the stamina to
hold on for several years - - after all it didn't happen in just two
generations over here !) .


YOUR RIESLING AND WINEMAKING
The typical Riesling style in Germany has residual sugar. At the tasting,
one of the ten or twelve Rieslings I tried of yours was dry. How long has
Selbach-Oster been making a dry Riesling, and what inspired you to do this?
We have been making dry Riesings for as long as I can remember and that's
the answer I got from my father, too. Speaking of my father, who was one of
the true grand old men of the Mosel with an immense wealth of knowledge and
even more experience, far beyond the valley, he, like his father, firmly
believed in the regional and single site typicity of the wines and also of
maintaining a consistent style rather than going with the "Zeitgeist", hence
they made the whole range, from dry to sweet, depending on what the
individual vintages yielded. So the question dry versus sweet ( or instead
of sweet ) never was an issue here and dry wines coexisted with sweet wines
for as long as I can think.
Dry wines, trocken by definition of the German Wine Law, however, have never
accounted for 50% or more at Selbach-Oster. Roughly a third of our
production qualifies as dry wines today.
What he and I always considered "typical" Mosel and I still prefer as our
house style, are Rieslings that offer ripe but not overrripe fruit ( the
French would say "à point" ) with an infusion of (slaty) minerality and a
similarily present, invigorating and balancing acidity, where the wine
pleases with a blend of fruits and stones, a refreshing touch of acidtiy but
never lets sweetness nor acidity become obvious or take over the palate.
None of the ingredients should dominate: ...inner tension...balance ...
pleasure. The ideal reflex is "swallow"... and ..."more!" .
That unique sensation of a wine drawing one's attention and being fruity but
not sweet is most easy to experience in very good Kabinett from a ripe but
not overripe vintage.


I overhead someone asking you about Boony Doon Rieslings at a tasting. What
is your involvement with the company, and what inspired you to work with
them?
Both Randall and I are nuts about Riesling. In 1996 Randall and I started,
after he visited and on his initiative, blending Mosel Riesling (
occasionally from yet another German region, like the Nahe ) with his
California and Washington components to make an even better "Pacific Rim
Riesling". It worked!
Randall is a man with a vision and it was he who forecasted the coming out
of Riesling a long time before that happened. We also published the
"Riesling Manifesto" together with André Ostertag from Domaine Ostertag in
Alsace in 1999 and stuck our head out and our bodies in straightjackets in
the "Riesling Asylum" in Bordeaux during Viexpo in 1999.


GERMAN WINES


Which German wines do you hope will receive more attention abroad in the
future, and why? Do you think red German varietials such as St. Laurent or
Lemberger could develop a large fan base in the U.S, for example?
My focus and hope is on Riesling, Riesling and Riesling. That's where
Germany is unique and where I dare say we ( the northern German regions )
lead the rest of the world. German reds may get a little more attention in
the future because the quality is still making progress but for quality I
believe this to be Spaetburgunder/Pinot Noir.


Why do you think that you don't see more German Pinot Noir in U.S. wine
shops? Where do you see them, besides Germany?
I believe you don't see more German Pinot Noir in US wine ships because
a) most of them, certainly the majority of the top tier, are bought and
consumed in Germany
b) prices for the high end Pinots Noirs from Germany reach Burgundian levels
and whilst a German wine lover is willing to spend that money, an American
would ( understandably ) think twice .


If touring the wine areas of Germany for the first time, what major areas or
wineries would you suggest people visit?
Major areas to visit first: Mosel, Rheingau. Mittelrhein as cradles of
Riesling with the added benefit of a breathtakingly beautiful landscape but
the remainder of the German wine regions is definitely also pretty and worth
a visit.

Winery visits are difficult as the system here works much different from
what you know in California. Most wineries are small, family operated
businesses who do not give tours and who don't have a hospitality person or
a tasting room where one can pop in for a tasting or tours. When the family
is in the vineyard or in the cellar or on tour, nobody will be available to
answer the door, leave alone do a tasting or a tour. There are producers
who are set up to receive guests, offer tastes and sell wines and they
advertise with signs "Weinverkauf - Probe " ( Wine Tasting - Sales ). The
better, more desirable estates, however, are solely by appointment and, due
to the fact most are small shops, run by the family, they are hard to get
in.
Always try to make an appointment in advance to avoid disappointment.

Many restaurants, wine bars and little shops, however offer the opportunity
to taste a selection of the village's or vicinity's wines.
In Zeltingen we have the Weinbar "Ratsschaenke", near the church and
marketplace which not only serves a great number of Selbach-Oster wines but
wines from top estates from all over Germany, incl. a selection of Pinots
Noirs, The Ratsschaenke also serves tapas and local delicacies that
complemet the wines and offers three very comfortable guest rooms in their
recently renovated 1550ies walls. Contact: www.ratsschaenke-zeltingen.de
( hosts: Andrea & Willi Settelmeier ph +49 6532-954273 ).



If people wanted to read more about German wines, is there a book that you'd
suggest they read?
The English journalist Stuart Piggot has written a couple of nice books on
Rieslings with special emphasis on German Rieslings which are higly
recommendable. Then you have the German Wine Atlas by Hugh Johnson and
Jancis Robinson and certainly the yearly catalogues written by the venerable
Mr. Terry Theise are certainly worth seeking out. Those are not available
in book stores but rather through Michael Skurnik Wines (
www.skurnikwines.com ).





Thank you again for your time Mr. Selbach,
Kirstin

My great pleasure.

Best regards,

Johannes Selbach








"Salil" > wrote in message
...
> On Mar 2, 12:17 am, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>> Me, too. With Jean around, it's hard to keep any white wine in the
>> cellar for more than a few years. Hopefully, as we purchase more
>> Rieslings, Chenin and Muscadet, that'll change. That '02
>> Zeltinger-Sonnenuhur was a lovely wine...
>
> That last comment helped my willpower jump out of the window. Got my
> first grad school acceptance earlier this week, so celebrated by
> breaking into a 2002 Selbach Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spatlese*.
>
> And... wow. Bigger, richer and more intense than the Schlossberg, but
> still so light and elegant on its feet. A slightly different and more
> complex flavour profile as well, with some yellow plums and peach
> flavours, vanilla and woodsy herbal notes along with the apple,
> flowers and slate notes that I normally get in Selbach-Oster's wines.
> Really good acidity here, and an incredibly long finish. Another knock-
> out (and I preferred this to the Schlossberg, which was a real stunner
> as well).
>
> Cheers,
>
> Salil

"Si Beer" > writes:

> I received this email from, my good friend, Johannes Selbach of
> Selbach-Oster. I have read many good thing in this group about his wines and
> thought you might be interested about his philosophy and approach to making
> outstanding Rieslings. I have had the privilege knowing the family for many
> years and what he writes is from the heart. This is a rather long piece, but
> I think it is worth reading.

How generous of Herr Selbach to share this. Thank you for sharing it
with us, and thank him!

On Mar 6, 7:47�pm, "Si Beer" > wrote:
> I received this email from, my good friend, Johannes Selbach of
> Selbach-Oster. I have read many good thing in this group about his wines and
> thought you might be interested about his philosophy and approach to making
> outstanding Rieslings. I have had the privilege knowing the family for many
> years and what he writes is from the heart. This is a rather long piece, but
> I think it is worth reading.
>
> Hello �Chip,
> hello Si,
>
> since this touches on a few topics that are occasionally asked about, I am
> forwarding my answers to a Riesling related questionnaire ( with emphasis on
> Selbach-Oster ) for your information. �Thought you might be interested as
> this can be useful background info.
>
> Hope all is well with you and your families. No Easter visit this
> year...we'll be missing Florida.
>
> Best,
>
> Johannes
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------�-----
> Von: Johannes Selbach ]
> Gesendet: Donnerstag, 6. M�rz 2008 22:51
> An: '
> Cc: Johannes Selbach )
> Betreff: WG: Selbach-Oster questions
>
> March 6th, 2008
>
> Hello Kirstin,
>
> sorry for the long pause but it was difficult to find a quiet moment.
> Wow, what a questionnaire ! �To do it justice, I'd have to retreat in some
> undisturbed space for quite some time to give you all the answers. Not
> having this opportunity of peace and quiet ( a number of my best customers
> is visiting these days ), I hope you will accept my shortened version....
>
> Please find my answers in your text below.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Johannes Selbach
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------�-----
> Von: Kirstin Jackson ]
> Gesendet: Montag, 11. Februar 2008 19:23
> An:
> Betreff: Selbach-Oster questions
>
> Dear Mr. Johannes Selbach-
>
> My name is Kirstin Jackson Ellis. We met towards the end of the Vienna Wine
> Company and Terry Theise tasting in San Francisco, where I told you that I
> have a wine and food pairing blog on which I'd love to feature an interview
> with you. Perhaps you remember that you asked whether my name was German (my
> background is mainly Norwegian).
>
> Well, you graciously said yes to an interview. So what I'm including below
> are the questions that I'd like you to answer for my blog. Once you answer,
> I'll post the interview.
>
> I would very much like to thank you in advance for taking the time to answer
> these questions. I feel very privileged to have this chance to interview one
> of my favorite winemakers, and I feel very lucky to be able to share this
> experience with my readers. Your Rieslings have always been an inspiration
> to me. Lastly, I know that you are a busy man and I will be happy to receive
> your response whenever you have time to attend to my questions.
>
> Thank you so much, and here is a link my food and wine pairing blog (it's
> pretty lighthearted) is case you want to take a look:
> vindelatable.blogspot.com.
>
> Sincerely,
> Kirstin
>
> INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
>
> Although more people in the U.S. are developing tastes for German Rieslings,
> some still insist that they "don't drink sweet wines." How would you respond
> to a statement like this? What are these people missing?
>
> The word "insist" hints of stubbornness and that is too bad because it
> precludes giving anything but what they think they know a try. With that
> attitude we'd all still be eating maccaroni & cheese or sausages with kraut
> and would never have discovered the intricacies of Asian cuisine or the
> delight of "raw fish", sashimi or sushi.
>
> First, what is the definition of "sweet" ? Is a soda pop, sweetened with
> corn syrup or a diet pop sweetened with aspartame or another sweetener sweet
> ?? Most likely everyone would agree that such a beverage is sweet, very
> sweet.
> Is a September apple, plucked ripe from the tree sweet, �... or a peach in
> July, �... or a vine ripened tomato from the garden in August ? The answer
> will also be yes. Is there a difference between sweetness in root beer and
> in vine ripened fruit ? I believe even the most stubborn " I don't drink
> sweet wines" blockhead would agree.
> At the same time that people insist they don't like "Riesling" they reflect
> on their experiences with artficially sweetened beverages ( or food ) and
> forget that the quality of an "un-dry" wine with varying degrees of residual
> sugar, as long as it is balanced, has nothing to do with that feared thickly
> sweet, cloying sensation.
>
> Myself, often confronted with this rather silly ( because it shows people
> haven't tried many Rieslings, leave alone good ones ) � prejudice, usually
> ask them two questions:
> One, whether they eat fruit.
> Two, if they do, whether they prefer their strawberries green and their
> peaches hard or rather red and juicy.
> I cringe when I imagine that these people think the poor, usually cheap most
> likely sweetened wines they had ( be they Rieslings or blends ) are "it".
> Riesling, like no other grape, is capable of showing the full spectrum of
> dryness/sweetness from bone dry to very sweet and everything inbetween. Fine
> Rieslings, like no other grape, can weave the wine's natural sweetness,
> derived from ripe fruit ( not added ), into the multitude of aromatic
> expressions �this delicately aromatic grape offers ( depending on where
> grown, how cropped, when and how picked ) �and pack it into an always
> noticeable, sometimes vibrant, sometimes juicy acidity that leaves the mouth
> salivating in the finish even after it has tasted �a touch of sweetness
> upfront.
> That's a long, complex sentence and doesnt come close to describing the
> sensation a fine, balanced fruity Riesling leaves on the palate.
> Pity for those who think they know it all and who, after possibly a bad
> experience with a cheap specimen, don't give their tastebuds another
> chance....
> When it comes to Riesling, balance is the key. And a well balanced Riesling
> has almost always won determined Rielsing avoiders over into the Riesling
> camp as believers. You watch....
>
> Long answer to a short question. !
>
> THE RIESLING GRAPE AND SELBACH-OSTER
>
> Your family has been making Riesling since 1661 and are said to be
> traditionalists. Have there been many advances in winemaking within the past
> 20-30 years that you have incorporated within your practices, or have you
> found that the way your family crafted high-end Rieslings for centuries is
> the way you will continue making your wine indefinitely?
> Some but no radical changes. Most notable changes have occurred with the
> canopy management, certainly the reduction of yields and the sanity of vines
> and fruit. Less is more is a simple formula and it works well, also
> concerning our "input".
> The overall vineyard work itself has become a bit more labour intensive,
> with more attention paid to smaller details. Everything has become
> "greener", geared towards a more organic approach though with the reality of
> viticulture on very steep slopes in a narrow river valley we are still
> "conventional".
>
> The Riesling Grape is considered one of the finest grapes in the world, but
> demands a fair amount of attention from the winemaker. What are just a
> couple of the hardships Selbach-Oster experiences trying to cultivate
> Riesling that you believe people working with other grapes may not
> encounter?
> Sorry but I beg to differ: The winemaking part is the less important part as
> there is not so much "making" in the cellar necessary but the quality of
> Riesling is rather determined in the vineyard. For obvious reasons, the
> place, the soil, the mezzo- and microclimate are of the utmost importance
> but apart from those, the differences are huge when comparing viticultural
> practices throughout the year and, now comes the most important part, the
> harvest.
> For me, the vineyard work has to be planned and executed with a certain
> quality and type of Riesling in mind. Then, of course, Nature has to
> cooperate but it all culminates in the harvest. �How to harvest ( when to
> pick, where to pick, what to pick and how to pick ) is immensely important..
> How one handles the chosen fruit and how one processes fruit and juice are
> of equal importance. �Of course one needs to know what's needed in the
> cellar but the simple �formula applies : The better the raw ingredient, i.e.
> fruit, the better ( potentially ) the end result, the wine.
> Inbetween one has plenty of opportunity to screw this up but if gently
> pressed juice from top quality grapes runs into the barrel, most of the
> groundwork for delicious Riesling has already been laid. No need to spend
> sleepless nights over the choice of forest for the oak or how it's been
> dried and which toast the barrels need. No need to worry about whether or
> not or when to induce a malolactic fermentation. The fruit is "it" and the
> purer, the better.
> Hardships occur when the weather doesn't want to play in tune. Hardships
> also occur when we gamble for 100% and overshoot the "perfect" day for
> picking a certain vineyard when the grapes have reached heir optimum.
>
> It's said that Riesling truly expresses the terrior where its planted. You
> have many vineyards from which your grapes come. Which vineyards most
> expresses their terrior in the final product?
> I firmly believe that Riesling truly expresses the terroir and have had
> ample opportunity to put this to the test.
> However, caution is to be exercised: "Terroir" has become a buzzword and
> that horse has almost been ridden to death.
> If there is too much "winemaking", forget abut terroir because many manmade
> interventions from aroma-inducing enzymes to the choice of yeast or new oak
> can override the terroir - and so does too much of a usually good thing -
> botrytis.
> Overcropping, over- and underripeness each override much if not all of the
> terroir.
> Where we make wines, in the heart of the Mosel, the vines thrive in a
> mineral rich, relatively soft and crumbly soil that is very old and dates
> back to the Devonian age, some 450 to ...
>
> read more �

I'll add my thanks for this, great reading!

Thanks for sharing that Si Beer. From what I've read of him, Johannes
Selbach seems like one of the really 'good guys' out there in the wine
world - doesn't gun for high scoring wines if he feels they're
contrived/artificial, apparently plays a major role in picking out
good up and coming producers in the Mosel (based on Terry Theise's
catalogue) and from what I've heard, went as far as dropping the
prices a little bit on one of his recent vintages for Theise's imports
so the US consumers wouldn't feel the price pinch too much (with the
dollar's decline v. the Euro). Really comes off as a great person -
and his wines all rock.