C.H. Berres 2002 Urziger Wurzgarten Spatlese

 C.H. Berres 2002 Urziger Wurzgarten Spatlese

 

Christmas Eve happiness.  The tradition in our house is to have antipasto and a nice bottle of wine on Christmas Eve.  This year, as a nod back to my roots of German inspired, sweet wines growing up, I picked a bottle of Riesling from Mosel.

The choice was as much seeped in nostalgia as it was in searching out a particularly expensive or elegant bottle of wine.  Sometimes, you just need to remember where your tastes came from and embrace the experience.

German wines are generally lower in alcohol content (this wine was only 9%).  You can feel better about that extra glass (because baby, it’s cold outside and how about a half a drink more). 

This Riesling has a sweet tart appeal, pairing nicely with salty meats and hard cheddar cheeses.  It was less good with my shrimp cocktail, but I’m not complaining.  Riesling is light and festive, a good complement for Christmas Eve – I saved my heavy red wines for Christmas Day when my husband and I have a tradition of dinner at a nice restaurant that is open for the holiday. (Along with an appetizer glass of champagne.)

The next time you’re looking for a light, fun, festive wine and you don’t want to go as far as a sparkling, think about a German Riesling.  Personally, I prefer Spatlese style (check the label for that word, German wines are defined by their sweetness and I think this style is the perfect balance of sweet and mineral).

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