Yes, I also counted Egon Müller and Le Gallais as one member. You would think that there would be more than 15 or 17 VDP-Mosel members participating in the annual Trier auction in recent years.
And some of the participants for this year were those who were hit hard by frost.
Thank you Lars- it would then appear your suspicion of lack of interest is right on. I regret that very much. Texas is a significant wine market, as late as the 1990s Houston in particular was one of the most significant hubs in the world for high end wine, but German wines have been difficult here. And so the auctions are really the only way that people like me can get their hands on a number of really interesting things.
If I may suggest- in CT do a search on Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Auction and look at reviews for last vintages of the Auction bottlings of the Auslese GK and Eiswein. As special as the regular version can be, the auction bottlings are incredible. I expect this is going to sell for a lot of money- at least 400 Euro per half and likely more- but even at that price I think it will be worth having one or two if you are a major fan.
This sentence implies that Houston’s position as a significant hub for high end wine has declined since the 1990s? Which is interesting because the population/wealth has grown since then.
That is certainly not true for the rest of the country. My guess is that it has more to do with major changes at the two largest importers of German wine who were most likely supplying Texas in the 1990s. Just an educated guess…
It was the allocations that got smaller. When Parker panned 1993 DRCs, an extra 50 cases- a mix of assortments and full cases of individual wines- came to one store over and above their usual allocation at the time. I remember a time when you could get Le Pin by the case as well.
The allocations are still very good- but now that the entire world is much more into wine- major wine centers like NY and Houston do not get the quantities they used to.
I think you will find Texas is not alone- the NY area is unusually blessed in its selections. German wines are just a harder sell here. The ridiculous mismanagement at a couple of major importers certainly plays into the current debacle, but historically there has not been a major selection of German wines in Texas outside of a couple of retailers. The Austin Wine Merchant and Pogo’s are the rare exception- but even they are not able to get their hands on, and sell, a significant number of the estates worth chasing at any given moment.
My pleasure, Tom. I’m from Central Texas. When I was an undergraduate student at the Universtiy of Texas at Austin, I worked at Wiggy’s on West 6th Street in the early nineties. I also know John Roenigk of the Austin Wine Merchant.
Interesting. Sounds like a lot of different dynamics, with DRC, Parker scores and German wines maybe not moving to the same logic.
But the broader point about more global competition is certainly true. At the same time, there seems to be more US interest in a broader range of wines since the 90s, and overall the selection seems better. (I view DRC et al as irrelevant but I can see how that sub-market might be different)
Oh wow! We just missed each other. I worked at Wiggy’s during college and grad school starting in 1997. Wiggy’s was a really special place- one of the coolest jobs ever. John Meadows took it over after TIm retired and now they are on Lamar near 10th I think. I am not sure what happened to the original location- but that whole little center has changed including the loss of Sweetish Hill, which I assume is where you all- like we did in my time- would hit around 4 to get the lunch leftovers half off for an early dinner.
Roenigk is one of my best friends. I still do a lot of my business there. AWM is further down 6th and just added a second retail location not long ago.
What was your specialty there? Were you around for Rob’s tenure I am guessing? Diane was there too by then I think.
And you and i were there at such a cool time- when you could get everything.
I am not interested in having a fight over semantics/logic etc.
My point about German wines not being popular in Texas to the degree of other wines was one point.
The other was noting and clarifying- when you asked- that once upon a time when far fewer people cared about wine, Texas happened to have a large number of collectors at all levels who happily bought up huge quantities of wine, and that Houston got huge quantities of such wines. I was just giving a couple of sexy examples.
No fight. It makes perfect sense that the evolution in local market dynamics for DRC might not move the same way as the dynamics for German wine.
Either way, I find it interesting because I’m from Nyc and spend a lot of time in Europe and I have a very close friend from Nyc who moved to Houston. He often tells me about his (casual) wine experiences in Houston, so the informed perspective is appreciated.
Thank you for clarifying and apologies- there are some people here who just like to argue and sometimes I can’t tell whether a serious conversation or a battle is evolving.
I would be curious to know your friend’s current experiences in Houston. I have been in Dallas for over a decade now and the landscape of wine retail has changed dramatically in both cities. Houston’s fine wine market is now largely relegated to one source operating two large chains- and so I have been wondering if more independents and wine storage facilities have been getting into the game on a small/semi-private scale. That same big chain has also in recent years relinquished much of its stronghold on major allocations for a variety of reasons. I suspect that there, as here in Dallas, a lot of people just buy on a national scale now to save money.
He’s not a wine geek, but he enjoys it and associates with a lot of people in Houston who seem to exclusively drink Bordeaux and Napa cabernet (while eating lots of red meat). Obviously it’s a big city and I’m sure there are lots of types of people. But it’s been a shift from when he was in Nyc and all sounds extremely stereotypical, so I was also just happy to get some broader perspective from you on the history of at least a few other regions in the market!
You are very welcome, Tom. Best of luck for the auctions - if you decide to participate this year!
Tim invited me to lunch in Trier a couple of years ago. I lived in the Clarkesville neighborhood and frequented the original Swedish Hill and Whole Foods.
John bought his Rothmans at Wiggy’s. The Austin Wine Merchant was on Josephine Street back then.
Yes, Rob was the wine buyer when I worked as an underage clerk at Wiggy’s and learned a lot about wine during this time.