The Spring Europe MARATHON BRAD LEWIS, DIRECTOR OF WINE SALES All of the trade shows in Europe happened in succession this year. I couldn’t do them all but signed on for three in a row. I flew out with Bill Stobbs, West Florida wine supervisor, on March 20th for ProWein in Düsseldorf, Germany. ProWein has become one of the most significant trade shows in the world. It lasts only three days and draws visitors and exhibitors from all over the world. The event is spread throughout nine buildings, so planning is essential to avoid backtracking and wasting time. We got our exercise and made some new contacts that will fill holes in ABC's selection. We had dinner one night with Wilhelm Steifensand, whose family has owned P.J. Valckenberg in Germany since 1786. I have known Wilhelm since the 1970s, and it’s always a pleasure to spend some time with him. He had us meet him at a restaurant that he heard was one of the best in the city, Tante Anna. With Julia Lergenmüller and her dog with the village of Burrweiler in the background We left the exhibition and headed for the Rheingau to visit three of the top, most historic estates in the region. Schloss Reinhartshausen was, until recently, the property of the princes of Prussia but was bought by the Lergenmüller family in 2013. The estate includes parcels in a number of the top sites in the Rhiengau, including the Erbacher Marcobrunn, and is the sole owner of the most unique vineyard, the Mariannenaue, an island in the Rhein. It’s a protected wildlife habitat but also has winery buildings and a vineyard. I have always wanted to see it but access is restricted and is only by boat from the estate. Scratch one from the bucket list. Not far from Schloss Reinhartshausen is the estate of Baron Langwerth von Simmern in Eltville. The estate has been in the family since 1464 and is run largely today by Baroness Andrea Langwerth von Simmern. This estate also has prime vineyards in the region. We tasted through a number of the estate’s current releases, followed by three wines from 2002 and 2003. The older wines easily dispel the myth that white wines can’t age. Last stop of the day was at the J. Wegeler Estate for a tasting and dinner with owner and manager Tom Drieseberg. This estate is one of a kind, with vineyards and wineries in the Rheingau and Mosel. With dinner we had a 1959 Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Spätlese. The wine was incredible with years of life ahead still. The next morning we drove to Hainfeld in the Pfalz to visit the Lergenmüller’s home estate. Stefan’s brother Jürgen runs the Pfalz estate and we were shown the winery by him and his daughter Julia. They grow a number of grape varieties and produce some of the most distinctive wines of the Pfalz. It’s a short drive south along the Pfalz wine road into France and Alsace. We stayed in Colmar, the ancient capital of Alsace, that night and took a hiking tour around the heart of Colmar in the morning. The city is ancient with half-timbered houses along narrow streets and canals. We visited the Hospice de Colmar vineyard, a rare site within the city. The next morning I was off to Bordeaux for the annual tastings there and Bill headed home. Jim Greeley met me in Bordeaux and we did the annual grind of tasting young wines out of barrels. We started Sunday afternoon with a négociant at his house, went four full days in the tastings and finished Friday with four visits in négociants’ offices. The 2013 vintage had a lot of problems and it’s the kind of year when the stars really shine. Work in the vineyards was crucial, followed by careful selection and cellar work. As usual, the top estates took the steps and made good wines—but many of the others suffered. The good news is that, on the whole, prices have dropped, in some cases back to the level of 2008. Jim went home from Bordeaux, and I moved on to Verona, Italy, for the big Italian trade show, Vinitaly. Paul Quaglini, our Italian expert, joined me there for four days. A lot of the time was spent with existing suppliers and owners discussing future programming and visits, and tasting the new vintages and wines. Aside from that, we always find some new and interesting things, and this year included a real revelation. We visited Aldo Rainoldi whose vineyards are in the Valtellina, a high valley bordering Switzerland, where the Nebbiolo grape rules. After tasting the wines we went to visit the Rainoldis. Giuseppe Rainoldi, Aldo’s septuagenarian uncle, took us on a walking tour through the vineyards. The vines are planted on extremely steep slopes and just climbing them is difficult. The sun is direct and so hot in the daytime that work stops at 1:00 p.m. The wines are unique and the drive to the valley was well worth the time. The next day we flew home with some new ideas. wine journal | 12
The vineyards and castle of Grumello