Friday 31 January 2014

Volcanic

I regret to say that a) my notes are even shorter for this wine, and b) I didn't even bother with a photograph (it was back in late-November when I was starting on the English manuscript for Vinipazzi. Neither points a) or b) are a reflection on the wine itself.

Weingut Kiefer, Spätburgunder trocken "Dreistern" 2008, Baden, Germany
Cherry, ruby.
Lean. Dare I say: volcanic*.
Powerful yet lean on the palate.

* I say "volcanic", and some might sigh in exasperation, but it is a specific characteristic I've noticed in Kaiserstuhl Pinots. Honest.. How to describe it? Probably as a sonorous bass note. Ok, that's probably not that helpful, but it makes the wine feel very lean and athletic - both on the nose and palate. Maybe this is merely a case of autosuggestion, but it makes me imagine the black rock on which the vines grow.

The wine itself was great fun.

Thursday 30 January 2014

Malterdinger

These tasting notes date back such a long time (to early November 2013) that all I have to go on are what I wrote at the time.

Weingut Huber, Malterdinger Spätburgunder trocken 2009, Baden, Germany
Fairly dense in appearance. Dark ruby.
Bacon. Vivid with red fresh cherries. Quite heady and haunting. Smelling savoury with a touch of seasoning. Then herbs emerge. Dense and brooding on the one hand, perfumed on the other.
On the palate, cherry and forest fruit. Concentrated and tightly woven. Luscious with a firm body. Not an ounce of fat. Impressive. Pinpoint acidity. Long finish.

Friday 24 January 2014

The new art of German Riesling

It's been a while since my last post. Since late November, I've been busy translating a book on German Riesling, written by Swiss author Thom Held. Entitled Nature-made beauty. The new art of German Riesling., it's the first-ever publication under Thom's Vinipazzi brand. The book launch is currently scheduled for the week of 17-22 March. I completed the translation draft only a few days ago. Next week a translator colleague of mine, Keith Hewlett, is due to proofread my text. I will then be checking the final printing proofs in the second week of February.

Nature-made beauty. The new art of German Riesling will be available in both hardcopy and e-book format - the former with a bilingual German/English layout, the latter as a separate language version.

Personally, this has been one of the most exciting translation projects I've been involved in. Much like the wines and winemakers profiled in his book, the author's style of writing is unique and compelling. Translating the manuscript into English was a big challenge, as was the project's tight schedule before and after Christmas. Thankfully, I now have someone like Keith who'll be able to iron out any glitches in the English. When all's said and done, I'm really looking forward to seeing the end result.

To date, the above links (in German) are the limit of what I can provide in terms of related information. I'll add further details as soon as possible.