| If you are looking for fine German wine
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| | imported cheeses that we were lucky
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| and food, consider the Rheinhessen region
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| | enough to purchase at a local wine store
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| of southwestern Germany. You may find a
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| | and a local Italian food store, here are
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| bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun
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| | a few suggestions of what to eat with
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| on this fact-filled wine education tour
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| | indigenous wines when touring this
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| in which we review a local red
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| | beautiful region. Start with
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| Dornfelder.
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| | Zweibelkuchen (Onion Pie). For your
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| Rheinhessen is a relatively small area,
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| | second course enjoy Haxen und
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| sometimes called the land of the thousand
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| | Bratkartoffeln (Pork Hocks and Home
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| hills, nestled between the Rhine and the
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| | Fries). As a dessert indulge yourself
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| Nahe Rivers. It already was known for its
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| | with Frankfurter Kranz (Buttercream
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| wines in the days of Charlemagne. To some
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| | Cake).
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| extent it is famous or infamous for
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| | OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we
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| Liebfraumilch, to be reviewed in another
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| | taste and review are purchased at the
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| article in this series. Of all the German
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| | full retail price.
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| regions Rheinhessen is the one with the
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| | Wine Reviewed Rappenhof Dornfelder
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| largest area planted in wine grapes and
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| | Trocken 2004 13.0% alcohol about $15.50
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| also has the highest wine production.
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| | Let's start by quoting the marketing
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| Rheinhessen alone claims over a quarter
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| | materials. Dornfelder is a cross, bred in
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| of the German wine acreage and wine
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| | 1956 by August Herold. In its genealogy,
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| production. It is also produces the
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| | the grape claims every important red vine
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| highest percentage of generally low
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| | grown in Germany. Fortunately, it has
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| quality table wine, coming in at almost
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| | inherited most of the positive attributes
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| 12%. More than 60% of Rheinhessen wine is
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| | and very few of the negative. The wines
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| middle quality QbA wine, and a bit more
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| | are deeply coloured, velvety in texture
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| than 25% is higher quality QmP wine.
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| | with hints of floral. Slightly off-dry,
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| About seven of eight bottles contain
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| | this example gives good aroma replays on
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| white wine, but the percentage of red
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| | the palate. Serve with Wiener schnitzel.
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| wine is increasing. The most widely grown
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| | Now for the review. (By the way, I
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| varieties are the German hybrid
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| | thought the color was more of a dark
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| Mueller-Thurgau and Silvaner. The usually
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| | rose.)
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| higher quality Riesling represents about
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| | My first pairing was with a barbecued,
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| 10% of the total production. Dornfelder
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| | marinated rib steak with potato patties,
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| is the most widely planted red grape
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| | potato wedges, and a commercially
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| variety. The marketing materials, quoted
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| | prepared eggplant and tomato side dish.
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| below, present one viewpoint of this
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| | When I ate the meat and potatoes the wine
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| German-bred grape.
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| | came out very short with moderate fruit.
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| Mainz has a population of about eighty
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| | It crept back into the woodwork when
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| thousand. It is one of the centers of the
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| | faced with a fairly powerful eggplant
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| German wine trade. It is the capital of
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| | dish.
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| Rheinland-Pfalz, the only German state
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| | The next tasting involved a cheeseless
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| government that has a wine minister. The
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| | broccoli, mushroom, and zucchini quiche
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| city is built on the site of a two
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| | with mashed potatoes. The Dornfelder
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| thousand year-old Roman citadel. In this
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| | tasted sour and I sensed some sort of
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| part of the world two thousand years is a
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| | strange fruit in the background. I
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| short time; a local museum contains three
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| | finished the glass with beer nuts. The
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| hundred thousand year-old artifacts. In
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| | wine was fairly flat but the sourness did
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| season the Marktplatz (Market) and
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| | disappear.
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| Höfchen (Little Courtyard) buzz with
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| | The final meal consisted of meatballs in
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| farmers selling their wares on Tuesday,
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| | a tomato sauce with rice and green beans.
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| Friday, and Saturday. Check the exact
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| | The wine was somewhat rounder than before
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| dates for the annual Sektfest (Sparkling
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| | but was still ever so short. I thought I
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| Wine Festival) held in late May or early
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| | was drinking an alcoholic fruit juice.
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| June and then Johannisnacht, another wine
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| | The initial cheese pairing was with a
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| festival several weeks later.
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| | French goat cheese that really resembled
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| Other sites to see include the Dom
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| | a Camembert. While the wine was a bit
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| (Cathedral of St. Martin and St. Stephan)
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| | flat it did taste lightly of black
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| which broke ground shortly prior to the
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| | cherries. Then I went to a Swiss Gruyere.
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| turn of the first millennium. Because of
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| | The Dornfelder did become a bit more
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| seven fires most of the Cathedral is
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| | robust but lost some of its fruit on the
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| newer, dating from the Eleventh to the
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| | way. I terminated this disappointing
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| Thirteenth Centuries. The cloisters
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| | bottle with a locally produced, fairly
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| contain a museum of religious artifacts.
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| | sharp Asiago cheese that I prefer to its
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| Right near by is the Gutenberg Museum.
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| | presumably more authentic Italian cousin.
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| Other local museums are devoted to the
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| | Finally a decent pairing; the wine was
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| Middle Ages, Roman warships, art, plants,
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| | pleasant.
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| animals, and fossils. If all this touring
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| | Final verdict. I had no intention of
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| makes you thirsty for more than knowledge
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| | reviewing two Dornfelders one right after
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| visit the Kupferberg Sektkellerei
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| | the other. But we don't get many of them
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| (sparkling wine cellars), the deepest on
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| | in our neck of the woods so I figured why
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| earth. There are several concert halls,
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| | not give it a try. I am definitely not
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| theaters, night clubs, and wine bars. Not
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| | planning on a third round before the cows
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| far from the city are the Mainz Sand
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| | come home. I fail to see why such a grape
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| Dunes, a tiny area home to plants and
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| | should cost more than many better grapes
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| animals rarely seen in Western Europe.
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| | from German and other countries. Needless
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| Before reviewing the Rheinhessen wine and
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| | to say, if this wine were better...
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