Are wine auction houses reputable places to buy wine?

Surprisingly, wine auction houses are not any more reputable than street venders selling fake purses.  While auction houses go to great lengths to fend off counterfeits, they have no way of knowing the condition of the wine.  Anyone who finds a bottle of old Burgundy or Bordeaux red wine in their grandparents’ attic can go directly to a wine auction house and consign it through them as long as there is no clear evidence of the bottle being bad.  (I make an assumption here that the reader is aware that improperly stored wine goes bad quickly.)  This means no ullage, no bin soiled labels, and a cork in the correct position.  However these three conditions can not possibly tell if a bottle has been sitting in 90 degree heat for the last ten years despite popular opinion.  It isn’t unlikely that some one would clean a label, push down a protruding cork, or outright lie about past storage conditions in order to gain a few hundred dollars.  Auction houses have no way to know if this is happening with any potential consignment.

How do they fool the “expert” buyers/collectors?

Whether it is for an auction online or in a fancy restaurant, most auction houses say they put every bottle through a vigorous authentication process.  A company should certainly say this when selling bottles of wine for upwards of $500 to ensure the trust of their buyers.  They also have much to gain by passing every bottle whether it is good or not.  With an average commission of 21%, there is a lot of money to be gained and little reason to fail bad bottles even when the bottle in hand is in question.  The authenticators often work for the same company making the commission, so only the worst of the worst bottles fail inspection. 

Further, most people who buy old wines expect there to be some bad ones here or there, and wine auction houses take full advantage of this attitude.  Cork is to blame.  The inconsistency of cork gives wine auction houses the room they need to inspect and pass bad bottles of wine.  For example, if one is buying a case of wine from 1990, there is a possibility that a cork or two had a defect making those bottles no longer drinkable.  This gives the auction house good enough reason and plenty of wiggle room to pass everything and anything.  In the same auction that the hypothetical case of 1990 vintage wine was sold at, there may be other lots that have only single bottles in them.  If those bottles are bad, then the buyer is simply told that it must have been “corked.”  A corked wine is industry jargon for “undrinkable bottle.”

Also, there is only one way to know if wine is bad.  It is impossible to tell simply by looking at, inspecting, or magnifying, a bottle.  It has to be tasted.  Knowing this fact, auction houses simply say that once a buyer opens a bottle, that it can not be returned.  This makes the return policy practically useless to buyers.  Especially considering the auction house already has the money.

The buyers’ habits also work against them

The wine sold at auction is very expensive.  Some wine is old and ready to drink, and others are too young to drink.  A bottle of Bordeaux from 2005, for example, should not be opened for another 10-20 years, as the aging process takes that long in this specific vintage.  This is another aspect of buyers that auction houses take full advantage of when ever they can.  Wine collectors/buyers know what wines need to be cellared and for how long.  So say a case of 2005 Bordeaux is purchased this year, and the collector puts the case in the cellar for 10 years.  After the aging process is done and the collector wants to drink the wine purchased 10-20 years ago, what recourse could possibly be taken on a purchase from so long ago if one or all of the bottles are no good?  None.  Most auction houses also stipulate that buyers can only return bottles purchased in the last year.

Adding to this is the fact that a lot of the uber-rich buyers have consultants do their bidding for them while they are away on business or something of the like.  Most of the time, the uber-rich are uber-busy.  The same can be said about receiving the actual wine.  Most of the time the buyers aren’t around when the wine goes into their wine cellar and don’t get to see it until months or years later.  This adds to the confusion of where and when exactly the wine was purchased.

Where to buy then?

Wine On The Way is a trusted, reliable source for buying wine online.

Wine is sold in different places and fashions.  Obviously if one has had a pleasurable experience with buying from a certain contact, then by all means continue to trust it.  Wine retail stores are very trustworthy and often do not want to alienate clientele with harsh return policies or bogus inspections.  They want repeat customers to keep their business alive.  Wine auction houses are different in that they have thousands of expandable customers on email lists that they will never have to deal with face to face.  Buy from businesses that get their wines the old fashioned way, from distributers with solid reputations.  Did I mention that Wine On the Way get their wines from distributors?

Over the years I have been lucky enough to have had some really wonderful wines from some really wonderful vintages.  This luxury was afforded to me while I worked in the high end wine auction industry.  There was the amazing 1966 Chateau Canon La Gaffliere with my father.  There was that exceptional 1964 Lafite with Mike and Claudia.  I’ll never forget the best bottle I have ever had, the 1964 Lafleur I had at Thanksgiving in 2006.  Some bottles are so amazing, they simply cannot be forgotten.  The grandeur that comes from drinking first growth Bordeaux is simply unparalleled in the wine world.  First growths are hard to come by and difficult to afford though, so I wanted to give some credit to a few of the slightly lesser known Bordeaux.  Most are considered second growths but can go all the way through to the fifth growths.  I wanted to take some time to salute a bunch of vintages I have had and loved consistently.  For the sake of argument, I am leaving out Pomerol.  That is for another blog for another day.

2003, The Fruit Bomb

The 2003 Cos d'Estournel is one of my favorite bottles. (different vintage pictured)

2003 is by far my favorite year to drink when it comes to Bordeaux.  It was a hot summer, with little rainfall.  This caused the grapes to be very concentrated, very strong, and have a high sugar content.  Winemaking was almost easy this year. Every 2003 I have ever had was a big fruit bomb, forward, backward, and on the nose. They will be dying out soon though, as the 03’s aren’t expected to age well or for very long so there is a limited time left before there is no point in keeping them.  The window will probably close around 2012-2014, giving us drinkers less then a decade to enjoy this noble vintage.  2003’s is still relatively easy to get too.  My three favorites were Chateau Cos d’Estournel (St. Estephe), Chateau Pontet Canet (Pauillac), and Chateau Palmer (Margaux).  All three exhibited the fruit forwardness of 2003 and all three are rated in the mid 90’s by the best of the critics.

2000 and 2005, The Twin Vintages

2000 and 2005 produced some of the most valuable wines from Bordeaux.  The seasons’ weather was long and perfect.  There was the perfect amount of sunshine and the rain came when it was optimum for the grapes, mainly at the end of the season.  Not only were grapes in great condition, but they were nicely sized and concentrated with appropriate amounts of sugar and water and were on the vine for an abundant amount of time.  These vintages are capable of aging for three to four decades and simply should not be drunk before 2020.  This being the fact, I have not had a ton of these wines, especially the 2000’s, as they are considered to be worth more than the 2005’s.  Serious wine collectors consider drinking these now to be “infanticide” because they have not been given enough time to evolve in to the wine they will eventually become.  The 2000’s I enjoyed most were the 2000 Chateau Leoville Las Cases (St. Julien) and the 2000 Chateau Pichon Lalande (Pauillac).  But again, I have had less then ten of the great 2000’s.  The 2005’s are a different story though, as I was once invited to a 2005 tasting.  All wines at this tasting had been decanting for about 12 hours as to give them some time to open up and breathe.  The 2005’s are as amazing as the 2000’s in balance, structure, and complexity.  The flavors are out of this world too.  My favorite 2005’s were the Chateau Mouton Rothschild (Haut Medoc), Chateau Lafite Rothschild (Haut Medoc), and the Chateau Haut Brion (Graves). This probably does not come as a surprise as these represent the most prestigious wines known to man, but there were other 05’s that were almost as good and rated nearly as high.  They included the 2005 Chateau Talbot (St. Julien), Chateau Montrose (St. Estephe), and Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou (St. Julien).  Most of these wines are rated in the high 90’s by professional tasters.  One can still obtain these beauties, but it is getting harder and harder.

The 1990 Montrose is a famous bottle

1990 is the year all the wine world talks about and compares current wines to as a standard of excellence.  1990 Bordeaux has the most 100-point scores of any vintage.  1990 has similar weather to 2000 and 2005, but has had the extra time in the bottle to age and evolve.  Many 1990’s go for thousands of dollars per bottle.  This vintage was so good that even a second growth classification got a 100-point score.  That score went to Chateau Montrose.  And since it is not a first growth, you can still get this 100-point wine for under $600 per bottle!  I have had this wine more than once and it is truly a masterpiece.  It was unforgettable.  1990 is a coveted vintage and very difficult to obtain.  I have had the pleasure of trying not only the Montrose, but many others.  They were all great.  The critics tend to be very friendly toward 1990, as most are rated in the high 90’s as well.

The 1980’s

Many vintages are sought after, and the 1980’s were a particularly prized decade.  1989, 1988, 1986, and 1982 are all considered to be well above average vintages of Bordeaux.  Wines can fetch big bucks in the 80’s.  I have always loved the 1982’s specifically.  The 1982 Lafite is a 100-point wine and is every bit as good as the famous 1990 Montrose, but is double the price since it is a first growth classification.  These wines are also hard to come by and are very expensive.

Chateau Calon Segur, a great bottle from 1970 (Different vintage pictured)

1970 happens to be my favorite old wine vintage with 1964 being a close second.  The season of 1970 allowed for optimum aging.  Bottles from this vintage are finally opening up to be some of the best wines around right now.  The 1970 Chateau Calon Segur (St. Estephe) and the 1970 Montrose are two of the best from this vintage.  Their age allows the tannins to practically disappear and smooth out the wine.  Their flavors have meshed together and what you get in your glass is a beautiful combination of smooth layers, immense complexity, and wonderful, aged flavor.  There is not a lot of this wine left, but it is still cheaper than previous vintages, as for some reason they were never really rated all too high.

Every vintage offers something different.  Some vintages are known for how horrible they turned out to be too.  Take 1987 for example.  No one will ever seek out a 1987 because it is know to be bad vintage.  Knowing vintages can make the shopper a more educated consumer when buying wine off the shelf.  A little research with regards to region and vintage can make a big difference in the glass.  One doesn’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on first growths to know that good wine is all about the vintage.

Location, Location, Location – The Key to Attems Success

The Attems Winery is located in the heart of the world renowned region of Collio DOC in Italy.  This area is famous for producing world class white wines, from the sweet and heavy Tocai Friulano to the light and dry Sauvignon Blanc.  The location of the winery speaks volumes to what one tastes in the glass.  It is situated along the extreme north east part of Italy.  There, the Alps meet the Adriatic Sea creating a perfect microclimate for white wine production.  Cold air from the sea creates a cool enough breeze to bring the temperature down, as white grapes do not excel in warmer climates.  The Alps block that air from escaping, keeping it over the winery.

Tasting Notes: 2008 Attems Pinot Grigio

In the glass, the wine exhibits a pale yellow, a little light for a Pinot Grigio.  The nose was difficult to find, as it was very light, but complex.  I sensed some sweet cedar, sawgrass, pencil shavings, minerals, and nectar, but nothing was overpowering.  After my first taste, I knew I was drinking an Italian white.  It was sweet and light.  It had hints of vanilla, grapefruit, and obvious pear, and peanut shell.  Overall, it was the citrus and the minerals that came through the strongest though.  All in all, this wine was crisp and layered with complexity.  This is a fantastic summer drink and a great example of how Italian whites are supposed taste.

Viognier, a Great & Rare Rhone Grape, Perfected by Australia’s Oldest Family Winery

Viognier has long been considered one of the great grapes of France’s Rhone Valley. Less than a decade ago, this variety was considered one of the wine world’s rarest, but most intriguing varieties. In fact, outside of the Rhone, Viognier was virtually unknown to the rest of the world’s vineyards until more recently. Now, Viognier is arguably the most en-vogue white varietal tease show in California today and it is one of California’s most expensive wine crops. The Yalumba Winery is the source of Australia’s first commercial Viognier plantings from back in 1980 long before there was the same level of interest as today. Yalumba continues to be the largest mature Viognier resource in addition to being Australia’s oldest family winery. Yalumba was founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith a British migrant and English brewer. After buying 30 acres of land, Smith and his son began planting the first vines by moonlight. Samuel named his patch “Yalumba” an aboriginal word for “all the land around”. Six generations and more than 150 years later, Yalumba is doing the world a great kindness with their work in Viognier.

A Rare and Vibrant Treat in Viognier

The twist off cap is forgivable only because this wine is so delicious. The nose has been said to speak of lemon meringue, ginger, grapefruit and white flowers. I found it very delicate and almost had to hunt to find the words to inhale. There was a fine whiff of pineapple, an undisclosed blossom, but still very lightly done, nothing overpowering at all. Definitely, a rich, soft wine. It’s very gentle, but yet full-bodied with grapefruit and apricot flavors, and displays a persistent finish.  The texture is extremely silky and almost luminous on the tongue. Its richness of body and flavor suggests a sweet wine, yet its finish is long and dry.  Wine Spectator gave Yalumba’s Viognier a well deserved 92 point rating and the same 2008 vintage graced the number 39 spot on the Top 100 list. If you haven’t gotten on the Viognier bandwagon yet, this is a great selection to start with.  Normally priced at $19.00 a bottle, Yalumba’s 2008 Viognier can be had now on sale for $16.00!

Over a hundred years old and still, these vines produce some great wine

I recently tried a Old Vines Grenacha from Bodegas Atteca, or simply “Atteca”. The back label says old vines are from hillside vines at 3000 feet with gravely soils in the Catalayud region of Spain.

How Old is Old in the Life of a Vine?

Frankly, I love anything from “old vines”; literally anything. But lately some wines have been labeling themselves “old vines” and perhaps in comparison to their recent plantings they are old. But there is “old”, and then there is “old”. How about vines that are 110-120 years old as in the case of Atteca? They must be pretty knarley looking, but at least they would fit their “old vine” label in my book. Pouring it in the glass, one notices immediately the dark, inky purple color that is just right for staining the teeth.  The nose shows a good bit of spice with deep, right blackberries, blueberries and black cherries with hints of licorice. The mouth feel is lush and balanced. The finish is long, supple and very, very enjoyable. The package of this wine is also impressive and suggests a wine of some substance and power. The bottle has high shoulders and is big. The label is edgy and modern. For some reason those that drink wine tend to not give the packaging much mind. Perhaps the mindset is that one “shouldn’t judge a book by the cover.” And while that is hard to argue against, nevertheless, the packaging does create a series of expectations of what the wine will be.

This “old vine” wine doesn’t disappoint.

The Atteca Old Vinces Garnacha fulfills the promise or promises. It fulfilled my hope that old vines really means something in this case. The quality of the wine in the bottle doesn’t disappoint either. Looking at the package, one might be willing to pay $18-20. Less than $15 it’s a bargain. At $13, 2007 Bodegas Atteca Old Vines Garnacha wine is a must buy.

A Gourmet Gift Basket + Some Top Quality Wine = Perfect Present

Wine gift baskets for the holidays?  The fluster of the holiday season is indeed upon us, and we could all use a little bit of help when it comes to our gift-purchasing decisions, less time deliberating and stressing means more time to celebrate, right?  There is no need to be shy when it comes to looking for gift assistance, for many other people are in similar boats who also are unsure as to how to show their gratitude to, say, relatives and/or friends who live quite some distance away and whose gift preferences you know little about.  These circumstances can be easily handled:  the value of a gift basket is, for all intents and purposes, quite universal. Isn’t that relieving to hear?  Who couldn’t use a little bit of gourmet cheese, crackers, chocolate truffles, almonds, olives, and, most importantly, wine for this joyful portion of the season?

Wine Gift Baskets to the Rescue

 Gift baskets are an opportunity for you to get creative, and the aforementioned food items wonderful and highly recommended as they are are just the tips of the proverbial iceberg.  You can pair a number of fine basket foods with a fine bottle of wine (or, if you really want your adored recipients to really celebrate for the holidays, several bottles of fine wine), but you should always remember that it is your gift basket, and therefore you are by no means confined to the suggestions above although they’re really not confining; actually, they’re all very tasty.  For example, your wine gift basket might be filled with, well, wine along with any other trinkets that are geared toward those special someone’s hobbies, interests, inside jokes, and so on and so forth.  Perhaps a gift basket that is created for the wine lover with various items that every wine lover would enjoy.  Or a gourmet wine and cheese gift basket  for anyone with fair taste. If your wine gift basket screams of personalized attention, it will certainly not be lost among the pile of gifts, and neither will your thoughts.

The Gift of Wine that Keeps Giving

A unique gift idea is a member ship to Wine on the Way’s “My 90 Point Wine Club”.  You have the choice of how many month’s the recipient will be gifted with two different bottles of our highly rated wines that they will be sure to love. We will include a personalized message from you on a full sized gift card, with an explanation of the gift, tasting notes and food paring ideas and delivery is guaranteed by the holiday such as long as we have proper notice. My 90 Point Wine Club also makes a great corporate gift! Click over to the Wine Club for more information about how to sign up. Of course, we have the right wines for your unforgettable gift basket, and they are certainly gifts unto themselves.  However, what you do with the remainder of your gift basket is up to you, but the wine you get from us to complete it will be the perfect centerpiece.

Difference between Merlot and Cabernet; both from Waterbrook Reserve 

Washington Wines have always been among my favorites. Waterbrook has also been one of my fondest vineyards from Washington wine country. I have long been a Waterbrook lover and have some older vintages in my cellar. The other night over a nice steak dinner, I noticed that I had, on hand, a bottle of both Merlot and Cabernet from Waterbrook. I decided to open both the Waterbrook 2006 Reserve Merlot and the Waterbrook 2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

It was time to review “Merlot vs. Cabernet”

I wanted to try both red wines as I was interested in a couple of things:

• First of all, I was interested in the reserve bottling of both the Merlot and the Cabernet wines. Were they decidedly on a reserve level? 
• I also wanted to try the Waterbrook Cabernet against what I assume was their signature Washington wine varietal, Merlot.
• I also wanted to see if I could identify similarities between the two wines since they were both from the same Washington soils. Same winery, same winemaker, same vintage; there should be some aspects in common. 

Washington Wine #1: Waterbrook 2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

The Cabernet was first. My first impression was that it was a good red wine, but not special. The first taste seemed a touch bitter and the tannins a bit hard. But this wine improved from that point on. Big cherries combined with undertones of tobacco and leather.  The finish was long and complex. Even after tasting the Merlot, I went back and confirmed my first impressions. Taste a little off, but wine improves in the glass and on the finish.

Waterbrook 2006 Reserve Merlot

The Merlot was next up. My initial opinion was that this was a better wine. Make no mistake, this was the same winery. You knew they were siblings of sorts.  You knew they were related. The Merlot fruit was solid, but was not a layered as the Cabernet. Same hints of cherries. The finish was creamy and smooth.

Merlot vs. Cabernet “taste-off” was a draw.

The Cabernet Sauvignon was more complex and has a more layered finish, although it started off with a bitter taste. The Merlot was easily more accessible and drinkable, but a little simpler. Both were enjoyable, both a touch better that the regular bottling and not really at a whopper reserve level.  These wines cold be cellared for a bit, but there is nothing wrong with having one of these Washington Wines at dinner, tonight!

Cuvee Juveniles sure doesn’t sound like a Barossa Valley wine at all.

The name makes it sound rather French, but the well known Barossa Valley winery, Torbreck, is known for its tongue in cheek plays on words, plus a strong tie to Rhone wine regions in France. Plus, there it was on the label: Barossa Valley. Flipping the bottle over and reading the back label, the story is that this South Australian blend was created by winemaker and Torbreck founder, Dave Powell, for his friend who just happened to own a wine bar in Paris: Juveniles Wine Bar.  It begins to all make sense. I opened the bottle and began to drink the wine. Then it became even more clear. As both Torbreck and the Barossa valley wines are known for in general, old wine producing vines make very interesting new wines. A blend of Grenache (60%), Mataro (Mourvedre)(20%) and Shiraz (20%) make a wine that seemed on first impression to be youthful and natural, without a heavy wine-making presence. Sort of pure. It got me thinking about what each of the three grapes bring to the table?

• Grenache: The Grenache brings volume—I get that at 60%. It also brightens it up and I think a good amount of the spices might come from the Grenache.
• Mataro: While used to make to make both strong, dark red wines and roses, Mataro if often used in a Grenache blend, as we see here, giving it both softness and structure.
• Shiraz: Here is the backbone and fullness. Good, balanced tannins come with the Shiraz as well.

This is a wine with a lot of complexity. The Torbreck website says its unoaked with natural malo-lactic fermentation and without filtration or fining.

Barossa Valley does it again!

The dark, dense color belies the ready accessibility of this wine. A pleasant, full and lively mouth feel. Nothing like a good Rhone from Barossa Valley! I was a little surprised with this wine. I was expecting something a little rougher and more one dimensional. I got a layered wine with lots of spices, cherries and blackberry that was ready to drink. Which, I was quite pleased to do. With a Wine Advocate rating of 91, we know these old vines still got it!  Torbreck Cuvee Juveniles 07 is ready to drink now, but with a price like this, it’s worth it to put a few bottles away to mature as well.

In this current economy it seems everyone is looking for a wine bargain in terms of price. With everyone cutting back, we become very price sensitive especially in regard to “extras” such as wine.  But is price sensitivity really a new anything new?  For the last thirty years or so, I have been searching for good wine values and I will, like almost anyone else, take the price of the wine into consideration.

Good wine does not have to be expensive and expensive wine may not be necessarily good.

Evidence of this is frequently found in various wine ratings in Parker, the Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and so on. Take, for example, the 2006 Peter Lehmann Shiraz from Barossa Valley, Australia scoring 91 points in the Wine Spectator. I’ve loved this wine for years and at $15 or less is a real bargain. But one will also find many wines of the $50+ variety scoring in the 80’s. But that is a topic of another blog: the relationship of wine prices to ratings.

Back to retail wine prices.

Big Box Discount Retailers and Wine Prices

Wholesale clubs may have started this rush to discounting wine prices and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out it’s because they buy nationally on quantity. But have you ever looked for a sales associate at a discount whole sale club store like Sam’s Club or BJs to ask about the flavor components of the wine or the possible food pairings for a particular wine? You might find have found a real bargain based on the wine price, but if you require assistance, then it is not to be found.

Then along comes the big wine and spirit stores with their method of pricing wine.

You know them, the wine supermarkets. They line case stack featured wines by the front door as you grab your shopping cart to load up. Then aisles and aisles of what seems to be great wine bargains. A single wine may have 20 separate facings in different parts of the store. Makes it look like a candy shop for adults. Here they have sales associates ready to direct you and answer your most demanding wine question. Or so it seems. In my judgment, they are playing to the novice wine drinker who accepts their responses as fact. Many of them are not fact, and they would rather give what seems to be an informed response than to say they don’t know.

Local Wine Stores and Local Wine Prices

A local friendly wine retailer, and one who knows something about wine, will also buy wholesalers’ “close outs”. These are wines that are sold a deep discounts by the wholesaler to reduce inventory. Sometimes these are distressed wines or sometimes there are some bargains. You just never know. And if you buy a bottle and like it, there is a real good chance that next time you go in (heck, you can even call the next day), it will be gone, never to return. Don’t forget…they are close-outs. 

Trust the Wine Source, not the Wine Price

What if you were to pay say one or two dollars more, but knew you were buying from someone that actually took the time and knew something about the wine, the winery and winemaker? What if you knew that they selected a particular wine from the 1000’s of wines in distribution because it was better? And what if you bought wines from this purveyor, knew their tastes and how they compared to yours? You might even come to trust their judgment and know that the dollar or two you pay extra in the price of the wine would always come with a sense of satisfaction.  Buying wine from a trustworthy wine purveyor does not mean you have to pay a fortune. If $15 is your limit, there are great, highly ranked wines avaialble for $15.00. I’ll bet you can even find some wine priced out at $12 or $10. Don’t forget, “life’s too short to drink bad wine”, but it doesn’t have to be expensive either.

Meeting the Famed Dr. Loosen

Just recently, my wife, Gigi, and I had the pleasure of meeting THE Dr. Loosen at Luma on the Park in Winter Park, Florida.  Needless to say, the experience was just about as unforgettable as the wines he creates. The setting was perfect.  The invitational wine tasting was held in the Cellar of Luma, a beautiful and very impressive wine vault.  They use this space as a private dining room that can seat up to 48 for gatherings and event and, if you are in the area on Mondays, host some nice wine tasting events. The deserved height Dr. Loosen (aka Ernst we didn’t have to call him Dr all the time, but a part of us certainly wanted to out of sheer respect for this gentleman’s accomplishments) has earned throughout the wine world certainly hasn’t diminished his personable characteristics, and his readily approachable attitude and his exceptional expertise are no doubt two very crucial reasons for his success Having the opportunity to actually taste wine with him was nothing short of extraordinary and as you can tell by the pictures: we had a great unforgettable time!

Dr. Loosen’s Entry into the World of Wine

Winemaking is engraved into Dr. Loosen’s pedigree; for over two centuries his estate by the Mosel River in Germany has been in his family, and his family’s legacy throughout the time has been, you guessed it, winemaking.  In essence, our dear Dr. Loosen comes from a kind of royal wine (or, more tellingly, Riesling) family that, in turn, is from and dwells in one of Germany’s many beautiful regions.  What’s particularly interesting about Dr. Loosen’s development as a winemaker, however, is his initial indifference (though this might be too strong a word) toward the industry.  The early Dr. Loosen was quite captivated by the Roman ruins near his estate and, thus, spent the first few years of his career studying archaeology. Based on what I have heard and now seen for myself, I am quite confident that Dr. Loosen would succeed in just about anything he put his mind to, and would have no doubt been a very capable archaeologist if that is where his life had led him.  However, due to the need for an heir, he found himself faced with the choice of maintaining his family’s vineyards or continuing his archaeological studies.  He, obviously, chose the former, and has indeed realized that it was his true calling since.  Dr. Loosen’s decision was and continues to be a blessing to the wine world, particularly when it comes to Rieslings! 

And Wine on the Way Has Some of Dr. Loosen’s Masterpieces Available!

You will recognize the mark of Dr. Loosen by the fine taste and you will know that you’re about to experience winemaking skill that has been honed for over 200 years. We are thrilled to be able to offer his fine wine craftsmanship  here at Wine on the Way: 

• Dr. Loosen’s Blue Slate Kabinett Riesling Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
• 2008 Loosen Brothers/ Dr. L’s  Riesling which is, inspired by our meeting, one of this week’s Top Wine Picks and our review of Dr. L’s Riesling.
• And also the  2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica Riesling from Columbia Valley, Washington which has been made in collaboration with the Dr. Loosen estate in Germany’s Mosel region.

Enjoy! I know we did!