Salute to a greatly-respected colleague and friend - New Zealand ...

September 2004Police News The Voice of PoliceKeen On Wineby Ricky CollinsGerman Rieslings impressI went along to a very interesting winetasting a few weeks ago, where a New Zealanddistributor, MacVine International Ltd presented the fullrange of wines from one of the wineries they represent.Nothing extraordinary in that, apart from the fact that thewines were from Germany and all 11 wines were Riesling.I’ve tasted quite a few German Rieslings before, but never11 from the same producer at one sitting.This tasting of Rieslings produced by the Kerpen family ofthe Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region certainly gave me a betterunderstanding of what German Riesling is all about.So what’s so special about German Riesling?The Mosel-Saar-Ruwer is known to produce some ofthe best Riesling in the world. The Kerpen family’sestate is based in the village of Wehlen, which is in theprime middle region of the Mosel. These prime sites areknown to produce Riesling with razor sharp intensity offlavour, and a mineral tang resulting from the slatey soilsthroughout the area. The wines will age for years. Wetried a 1997 example that was drinking beautifully, andstill had plenty of life left in it. Some of the premiumwines will last in excess of 25 years. They are great winesto drink at lunchtime, as the alcohol content is generallylower than most wines, often between 8 to 10%. Thewines also vary in levels of sweetness, from bone drythrough to medium sweet on the palate.Non-sworn staff made upPolice numbers duringpresidential visit to CanberraVolunteers and office workers were dressed as police to bolstersecurity numbers during a visit to Canberra by US PresidentGeorge W Bush last year, according to Associated Press..Around a dozen non-sworn members of the AustralianFederal Police were issued vests labelled “Police” and workedin secure areas during the president’s visit.A report by ACT Policing’s Professional Standards Unit saidthe move was inappropriate and urged a policy change.ACT’s chief police officer, John Davies, said while the inquiryfound non-sworn members wore vests with police labelling, italso found they did not perform roles or functions of officers.“The people identified wearing these items were given formalpermission and strict instructions on the wearing of theitems on police buses and within secured areas only,” MrDavies said.What about the Kerpen Wines?We started by tasting the drier styled wines, and my pickof these was the Kerpen Riesling Trocken 2002 (around$24). This standard Riesling was produced from fruit froma variety of sites. It had a fresh and vibrant nose, and wasclean and fresh on the palate. The slightly acidic and citruscharacteristics gave it flavours similar to acid drop lollies. Agood example of entry level German Riesling.Interestingly, we tried an aged version of one of the simplerwines, to get an impression of what these wines can dowith a bit of age on them. The results were stunning. The1997 Kerpen Riesling had a beautiful balance of citrus fruit,sweetness, acidity, and beautiful mouthfeel. It had developedthose wonderful honey and mineral secondary flavours thatRiesling is renowned for. The standard Riesling sells for around$24 also. Given the potential these wines have to develop, Ithought this was good buying.When we got into the single vineyard classified Rieslings thequality stepped up dramatically. The Kerpen WehlenerSonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 2002 was a wonderful wine. Theviscosity or texture of this wine is dramatic, as are it’s expressiveflavours and length on the palate. This is a complex wine, bestserved on a special occasion with fine seafood. Priced in the mid$30’s it’s not an everyday wine, but is still well priced when youconsider it is a premium example of Riesling from arguably thebest Riesling region in the world.So where do you buy these wines?Sorry, you won’t find these wines in your favouritesupermarket. However, MacVine International Ltd operatefrom Blenheim and distribute these wines to fine wine retailersthroughout the country. Their phone number is 03 570 2118.Logan Alderson’s retirement functionSergeant Logan Alderson of Napier Prosecutions is retiringon Friday, 24 September 2004. Logan’s retirement functionis being held at the Napier Police Canteen (2nd Floor, NapierPolice Station) from 5.00pm.If you wish to register your interest and/or would likeaccommodation details please contact: Senior Sergeant JoHill (67870 or 06 873 0570) or Sergeant Freddy Van Duuren(67046 or 06 831 0746). Alternatively, Jo or Freddy can becontacted by Email via Lotus Notes.Logan will look forward to seeing as many of his old friendsand colleagues as possible.Henderson Police Club 30th anniversaryThe Henderson Police Club is celebrating the 30th anniversaryof its foundation with a function on Saturday 30 October 2004.The club is wanting all past members, who may be interestedin attending, to contact the club to register their interest.Please contact the following for details:Theresa McCabe or Frank Meason, Henderson Police,Phone: (09) 839-0600 or Fax: (09) 836-9432.Memorial WallOur sympathies to all our members’families for those who have passedaway in recent months...We remember…Who passed away…PARTRIDGE Allan Joseph 12-Jul-04 Spouse of non-sworn member InvercargillWILLIAMS Brian John 24-Jul-04 Retired member NapierBARNARD Nigel John 31-Jul-04 Retired member AucklandHICKS Walter Michael 31-Jul-04 Retired member WaikanaeSENIOR-PARTRIDGE Jeanie 10-Aug-04 Widow of sworn member HamiltonSAMUEL Miimaria Vanessa 18-Aug-04 Non-sworn member Wellington164