Celebrating a new job with some home-style cooking and…SCHEUREBE!

So, I applied for a new teaching position and as it turns out, I got it. Leaving the world of teaching Chemistry, Biology, and Math behind, I will now focus 100% on Math. Above all, to the benefit of those who would like to see more regular reports on German wines and a benefit to myself, because this change of work will greatly facilitate me in - finally - launching both The Riesling Report and The Piedmont Gazette this year. My current teaching job requires a 2 hour commute on the bus and subway each and every day, making it 10 hours per week and about 42-44 hours of commute every month. Brutal! The new job after summer, will logistically be somewhat different. After I leave my home, I’ll spot my school about 1 minute and 40 seconds later (yes, I actually measured it and a few minutes later, I’ll be in my class room). What a difference… Once this was confirmed, I needed to indulge in some simple home-style cooking, with a wine or two to celebrate. The choice fell on potatoes with rosemary, combined with a simple salad and chicken breast.

I guess you have to be logged in to see these photos but here it goes:

2016 Keller Scheurebe Kabinett
This is a class-act straight from the first sip. It literally jumps out of the glass and attacks you with crsipy pink grapefruit, vivid minerality, a lovely bitterness and a saline finish, making you do those unmistaken lip-smackig sounds as you crave for more. There is tension and a slim laser beam of focus, while retaining an aromatic profile - that’s one of many reasons why I love Scheurebe. A world-class wine, no doubt. 93 points.

2014 Keller Scheurebe Kabinett
Well…this particular wine is difficult to describe. First of all, try to search for it on the internet. I wish you good luck. Second, I’ve had this four times in a row while scoring it a perfect three digit score. Not tonight, but I’ll come to that later. This. Is. A. Complete. Wine. There’s no gravity at all to speak of, so consider it completely and utterly weightless. Not even “light as a feather” but without any detectable weight at all. And then there’s the transparency…like looking through a polished glass and walking straight into it because you actually didn’t realise it was actually there right in front of you. Aromatics? Yes, you bet. Elderberries, pink grapefruit, gooseberries - try imagining it if you can. But that’s not all. Razor-sharp finesse, with a sparkling acidity, oscillating energy and a hypnotic minerality that combines the sweet and sour components with a lovely and intriguing salinity and…makes this a hauntingly beautiful wine. There’s such lift and tension in every sip, that all you can do is to surrender, unzip and just spill it out there, for everyone to see. One’s happiness of course! What else did you have in mind? 98 points.

As it turns out, these tasting notes had to be written down from memory. I opened these two beauties before and was planning to just take a second sip right now ahead of publishing some impressions but when I opened the fridge, both bottles were gone. Now get this, I’m not talking about the ultra-rapid evaporation that is so common among wines from Weingut Keller, but the physical bottles were really…gone. My fridge was empty. Apparenly, someone not only emptied them but also removed the bottles to hide what had actually happened. Interrogation with possible suspects will commence shortly. First out is my…mother. I’ll let you know the results of my investigation once I have gathered all the facts.

Speaking of Scheurebe… While writing up this mini-report I was searching for flight tickets to NYC. Shouldn’t we stage a major Scheu/Riesling party in NYC this summer (or next, if this one doesn’t work out)? I wonder of there would be any Naw Yawkers interested in participating if I and Robert Dentice would host a little gettogether for the seriously thirsty and passionate Naw Yawkers.