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Hello, my name is Tom,
and I'm stationed in Germany with the
US Air Force. I've recently taken an interest
in wine collecting, but I am more then
a novice. I was wondering if you could
tell me what wines I should collect while
I'm stationed over here. I have access
to many vineyards, and countries. My friend
just brought me several wines back from
Italy, and I don't want to open them,
as I'm trying to establish a good collection
for when I come back to the states.
I am partial to dry reds,
but also like the German Auslese and Eiswines.
I would like to collect both for my own
tastes, which is the easy part, but was
wondering if you can give me the skinny
on which wines I should collect from an
investment standpoint. I am stationed
in the Eiffel Region of Germany, but am
very close to Belgium, France, Luxembourg
and have connections in Italy. Thanks
- Tom
Thank you for your email and for reading
the Wine Skinny! You are in a great part
of the world for wine buying/drinking/collecting
-- have a great time with it. There are
so many wines from small wineries that
never make it to the States, that it's
hard to give you specific names to look
for. Since you have a preference for the
spectacular German dessert wines -- if
I were you, I'd concentrate on Trockenbeerenauslese
(commonly abbreviated as "TBA").
These are the most famous and collectable
wines from Germany -- and have the price
tags to match.
"Trockenbeerenauslese"
indicates information about the ripeness
and harvest of the grapes used to make
the wine. For TBAs the grapes are allowed
to get super-ripe and develop the so-called
"noble rot" (same technique
used in France's famed Sauternes) that
gives a distinctive, complext flavor to
the wine.
TBAs age practically
forever -- 40 or 50+ years is not uncommon.
They are also pretty darned good when
you buy them. It's worth tasting a few,
if you have the opportunity, to get a
feel for them. They typically offer caramel,
apricot, spice, lemon rind, mineral notes
and refreshing, balancing, mouthwatering
acidity.
Bring back a few of these
beauties and you will have an addition
to your collection that most people will
never match. And they are outstanding
investments.
On a less expensive note,
Rieslings in general are a great buy.
They, too, have the naturally high acidity
that make them particularly age-worthy.
I would really recommend buying what you
like, rather than worrying about investment
value.
As for dry reds, you're
not really in "dry red" country.
Italy, of course, but if I were you, I'd
take full advantage of all the world class
Rieslings that simply cannot be matched
anywhere else in the world.
Hope this helps. Cheers
-- and stay safe!
Robyn Tinsley, Managing
Editor
I have a boxed bottle
of Dom Perignon, vintage 1990. I am worried
that it may have become flat with age,
and am relecutant to serve it to guests
for that reason. What are the chances
of it being good or bad, and what is its
current value in dollars? Many thanks!
Theodore
The 1990 Dom is a spectacular wine --
it was a bold, blockbuster of a wine and
was released at around $110 in 1997.
You need not worry about
it becoming flat at this point -- unless
it was stored in a particularly warm setting.
Most reviewers have recommended drinking
the wine over the last couple of years,
but I feel pretty confident that it's
still in good shape.
In case you do not already
know, aged vintage Champagnes (and I have
had some much older than this one!) take
on fascinating characteristics, including
toasty, nutty, spicy, earthy flavors.
They are often much darker in color --
so don't let that put you off.
If I were you, I'd put
together some aged cheeses and a loaf
of good bread and pop that cork. But in
case you think you're more interested
in selling it, I'd estimate the value
around $150 to $225, based on some auction
prices I've seen lately. Hope this helps.
Cheers!
Robyn Tinsley, Managing
Editor
We read your reviews of
Ibiza Wine & Restaurant in Houston,
TX and decided to make it our celebration
location for our annual holiday dinner.
It was PERFECT! The atmosphere, the food,
and the service was experienced with just
the right touch of attentiveness. It was
a winning experience for all. There were
6 of us and all ordered different entrees.
Nothing was short of delicious! Then,
the finale…the cinnamon bread pudding…mmmmm…the
entire evening was a wonderful experience
and we all plan to frequent Ibiza often
and share our recommendation with many
friends. Hats off to Chef Charles. We
LOVE your restaurant! (Matt, Melissa &
Team took excellent care of us!) Nikki
