Thomas,
Weibel is now located in Lodi & focuses on cheap Sparkling. No longer associated w/ MendoCnty. Still run by FredWeibel (Jr, now).
Best I can tell, no more GreenHungarian. I recall it coming in a sort-of Beaujolais pot btl, squarish looking.
When Matt expressed interest in making an old-timey GH, some 4-5 yrs ago, I, of course, encouraged him on this folly. Forlorn-Hope, indeed.
I spent several hrs one day trying to track down the availability of GH grapes and contacted several grower friends up in MendoCnty.
No luck…it’s vanished in Calif. Matt was able to eventually track down a single vine growing in an old vnyd…think it was the LibraryVnyd in StHelena.
He got cuttings and, as they say, the rest is history…that is still playing out, anyway.
It definitely shares some of the same ‘misconceptions’ as riesling does - most ‘newbies’ think that both of these varieties are only made in ‘sweet’ styles. Unlike Riesling, though, most think that Gewurz’s smell ‘sweet’ as well and therefore back away from even trying them. Believe me, I know this all too well . . . .
That said, to me, there are few better pairing than Panang Curry with a Gewurztraminer . . . .
Geezus, I’m WAY late to this thread. Riesling is my vote also - and that’s great! More for us geeks who get it. Let the masses believe it’s cheap sweet junk and laugh at anyone paying more than $20 a bottle, while we keep on enjoying it in our secret little club.
Vouvray doesn’t get the praise it deserves either. I don’t know if it’s because people don’t want to understand it as they think it’s too high end, or if they just don’t bother with it at all. Again, more for me!
That’s a great analogy. I have no idea how people can NOT like cilantro/gewürztraminer, but those who don’t seem to feel the same way about my enjoyment of them. I don’t drink enough gewürztraminer at all, but whenever I do, I absolutely love it.
We KNOW that the cilantro thing is genetic, I believe the other two are as well.
I have NEVER gotten “dirty ash tray” from any Pinotage I have tasted while other people in the same room were spitting it our over just that.
From wikipedia:
Different people may perceive the taste of coriander leaves (Cilantro) differently. Those who enjoy it say it has a refreshing, lemony or lime-like flavor, while those who dislike it have a strong aversion to its taste and smell, likening it to that of soap and bugs. Twin studies have shown that 80% of identical twins shared the same preference for the herb, but fraternal twins agreed only about half the time, strongly suggesting a genetic component to the preference. In a genetic survey of nearly 30,000 people, two genetic variants linked to perception of coriander have been found, the most common of which is a gene involved in sensing smells. The gene, OR6A2, lies within a cluster of olfactory-receptor genes, and encodes a receptor that is highly sensitive to aldehyde chemicals. Flavor chemists have found that the coriander aroma is created by a half-dozen or so substances, and most of these are aldehydes. Those who dislike the taste are sensitive to the offending unsaturated aldehydes, while simultaneously may also be unable to detect the aromatic chemicals that others find pleasant. Association between its taste and several other genes, including a bitter-taste receptor, have also been found.
We get a lot of older, midwestern tourists here due to a budget hotel next door and a LOT of them ask “Why can’t I find any Green Hungarian any more? I used to LOVE that wine!”
Soap - exactly. There’s a Mexican restaurant local to us that most everyone likes except me. Too much cilantro, and I keep telling my wife and friends that I perceived the smell of poorly rinsed dishes each time we visit because of that. Now I have some back up so thanks Roberto!
Muscat is a descriptive term, not a variety. (Like noir, petit, gris, tinta…) Some of the various muscat grapes aren’t closely related at all. It seems to be an atavistic trait that can appear by mutation in probably any grape (but would only be saved and propagated where it succeeded).
