Hip Tastes Blog

Have You Hit This!?
filed under: Events

This is what was shouted across the room from one overly excited wino to another at San Francisco's annual coming together of the wine trade's movers & shakers - the Vienna Wine Company & Terry Theise Estate Selections new release tasting. Held at downtown SF's consummately elegant Fifth Floor restaurant in late January, the event included more than 150 wines, all German or Austrian, and a roomful of swirling, spitting and hob nobbing wine geeks. In a way, it was sort of like the Oscars of wine, with the SF wine world's luminaries all turned out for a healthy dose of back slapping and merrymaking.

Oh, and there was some serious tasting going on as well. As Hiram Simon, the super elegant frontman of Wine Wise/The Vienna Wine Company, announced upon my arrival, "there are 158 wines to taste. Good luck." Here I am in a snap with Hiram taken by hilariously candid La Toque sommelier Scott Tracy. Thanks, Scott.

Indeed, lots to do, and so many wine geeks to meet! I laughed out loud after hearing the "have you hit this?!" remark, especially since the be-suited somm shouting the question did so while waving an elegant-looking bottle of some high-end German dessert wine over his head at the same time. I mean, "hit this?" It's not a pot pipe, for crying out loud! Just goes to show the sort of frenzied reverie that sets in when somms get to taste THIS MUCH rare and super interesting wine.

Hiram's Tall Order
I must confess I wasn't quite able to make it through all 158 wines, skipping all of the reds (there weren't many!) and all of the Kabinett-level German Rieslings. Sorry, Hiram - I gave it my best. I DID, however, make it through pretty much the entire Austrian portfolio and all of the dessert wines (got a sweet tooth, so those were a no-brainer). A few of my favs are listed below.

But the best part of the tasting was learning about the "mystery" taster who comes to trade tastings (including this one - saw him myself!) masquerading as a wine industry person but who really - according to reliable reports - isn't in the industry. Sort of like a wine tasting stowaway, you might say, hitching a free ride on the Terry Theise bandwagon. Even if this is all true, after this event I can't say I blame him: this tasting is DEFinitely worth trying to sneak into, if for other reason than to "hit" at least a few of the super concentrated, devilishly sweet and rare Ausleses and Eisweins.

Although it'd be such a shame to skip the other 144 wines.

My favs:
2005 Hirsch Gruner Veltliner Lamm, Austria - signature white pepper you expect from Gruner along with yummy orange custard, honeysuckle and clover.
2005 Nikolaihof Riesling Steiner Hund "Jungferniese," Austria - lovely citrus-sweet flavors including orange/tangerine marmelade; also flowers, honey.
2005 Brundlmayer Gruner Veltliner Riesling TBA, Austria - crazy intense sweet wine with notes of butterscotch, peach, apricot and - oddly - resin. Delicious!
2005 Selbach-Oster Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese, Germany - really pretty Mosel Riesling notes - flowers, apple-pear, slate. Good value wine.
2005 Schlossgut Diei Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Riesling Auslese, Germany - very good
2005 Weegmuller Haardter Mandeiring Rieslaner BA, Germany - wow! super sweet (and exp!) dessert wine with notes of flowers, cinnamon, sugared lime, orange julias and sweetened hookah tobacco (seriously). Loooong finish.

Vienna Wine Company

Terry Theise

Posted by Courtney on February 7, 2007 07:04 PM