by Randy Caparoso
What does a career restaurant wine professional, and Hawai’i native, think of his new home (of one year) in the Rockies? Having opened some thirty restaurants across the country, from Honolulu to New York, Randy Caparoso thinks Denver is as great a restaurant town as any in the U.S. His “discoveries”… RANDY CAPAROSO: No doubt about it, metropolitan Denver, and the industriously growing five counties surrounding it, is one of the most significant in the nation – population nearing 2.5 million (21st in the country) – but not so intricate that even a newcomer couldn’t get the hang of it fairly quickly. It’s like Manhattan in reverse; broad and muscular rather than tight and deep, but still very much negotiable. Only here, you get around by car rather than taxi or s...
by Julie Brosterman
You know the scene. You're with several of your girlfriends - or work colleagues - and you're gathered for a drink after work, a special time to get together and chat and the waiter arrives to take your drink order. Asking what you'll have to drink, the most immediate response from women is "I'll have a glass of wine" followed by the me toos at the table. The waiter without naming the exact wines poured will rattle off that they have a Chardonnay, a Pinot Grigio, a Sauvignon Blanc, etc. etc. No vintage year is mentioned - no prices or size of the pour indicated. There's three of you and you each say Sauvignon Blanc and the server returns with your glasses of wine. A bit later - depending on how long you're going to linger (and whether you have to drive home) someone waives the server and y...
by Eve Bushman
One of the favorite questions people ask at Willi's, over and above "What have you got for me to taste today?" & "Where can we buy these great posters?" is "Who is Willi?" Well, the answer to this question is simply that Willi – abbreviated from William Foster Simpson Browing III, was the patrons much loved quadruped. Willi a true pedigree party animal if there ever was one – he closely resembled the rare breed of 'B' Basset otherwise known as the Swinging Basset Hound – passed away in the mid 1980's having lived the good life squarely on all fours. His tomb lies beneath the paving stones to the right of the door at N° 13, directly below the gas meter. On the 13th of October each year, the bar's birthday, glasses of the finest champagne, Willi's ultimate undoing, are raised and ra...
by Marisa Dvari
Some German wine makers offer you a tutored tasting of their latest vintage, explaining the wines as you both taste in unison. Dr. Franz Werner Michel welcomes guests to his Hochheim estate with a lineup of his premiere Riesling wines and invites them to taste and make notes on their own time. When guests are finished, the discussion begins. "Riesling pure" is the philosophy of the estate, particularly since Hochheim is credited for the worldwide first documentation of Riesling in history some 550 years ago. The Riesling wines are rich in high mineral content due to the soil, and two types of Riesling are made. The first is a classic fruity style with overwhelming richness of elegant fruit and spiciness, and the second is a dry style with good substance and a moderate, harmonious acidity....
by Marisa Dvari
In Germany, the word “schloss” means castle or “manor house.” These are historic structures, many first built during the Roman times near the very best vineyards in the land. The idea was to create a grand estate to showcase the quality of the vineyards and the wine. With wineries in San Ynez, California considered old at twenty, a 650-year-old winery seems very ancient indeed. Yet this is the age of Schloss Schonborn in Germany’s Rheingau region, which goes back to 1349. Owned by Paul Graf von Schonborn-Wiesentheid, it is the largest family owned estate in the Rheingau comprising some 125 acres (50 hectares) of top vineyard sites. The winery has recently been modernized with stainless steel tanks. Many of the wines produced here make their way to Asia and North America so look ...
by Marisa Dvari
“When your first name is Jakob, you have no choice but to go into the family business,” says Jakob Schneider Jr. with a charming smile, the youngest in a long line of Weingut Jakob Schneiders in the Nahe region of Germany. In his mid-twenties, Jakob is an enthusiastic, engaging, strong-shouldered individual who comes across as an icon for the new winemaking generation of Germany, most of whom have been educated in enology and are bringing modern winemaking practices to their family wine estates. Of course, Jakob was lucky enough to have been born into a family that owns two prized hectares of Niederhauser Hermannshohle, one of the most legendary vineyards in the region. In Germany, soil is the key to quality wine, so if all goes according to plan, the family has essentially been given...
by Marisa Dvari
“I almost prefer inhaling to actually tasting,“ Johannes Leitz told importer Thierry Thiese in an interview. “I can’t really love a wine regardless of how it tastes if it doesn’t excite me on the nose.” I find this quote represents a very keen insight into a remarkable winemaker who is passionate about his vines. Of course, Riesling is such an aromatic varietal being able to inhale the aroma is usually easy. Johannes specifically used the word “excite” which is something else entirely. With people who already know and love quality Riesling, I sometimes use the expression “like biting into a rock” to describe the rapture of how a wine tastes. The term is used to describe the incredible interplay of minerals and sometimes, volcanic soil, that can be found in quality Ries...
by Marisa Dvari
“The man pictured on this wine bottle’s label looks familiar!” I think to myself, peering at the wine bottle with a picture of a somewhat scary looking gentleman in a stiff white shirt and black jacket on the label. Dracula? Nope. As it turns out, the figure just happens to be an ancient relative of Martin Tesch, the low key, yet passionate leader of a family-owned winery that has been in his family since 1723. Looking from the label to Martin Tesch, indeed I can see a flicker of resemblance, albeit the two gentlemen have been separated by three centuries and are opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of attire. Whereas the ancient Mr. Tesch’s picture appears the height of formality, Martin Tesch is dressed like a surfer from Santa Barbara, California in a faded t-shirt and jeans...
by Marisa Dvari
When most wine aficionados visit Germany to meet their favorite producers, they often find themselves knocking at a rustic looking door, with the winemaker/owner or his wife jumping up from the lunch table to welcome the visitor inside. Things are a bit different at Kendermann, which bills itself as the number one “new generation” wine brand, reaching annual sales of 250,000 cases. Instead of a quaint farmhouse, Kendermann is headquartered in a large, modern-looking building with busy-looking, sharply dressed executives rushing about and the fragrance of fresh brewed espresso in the air. You sense a vibrating energy in the air that is almost palpable – these executives are on a mission. And you can see evidence of it when you learn that in ten years, Kendermann has won more national...
by Marisa Dvari
If you’ve been in the wine world for a while, you have experienced the Chardonnay craze, the Merlot madness, and the Pinot Noir obsession ignited by a certain popular film. Perhaps you have come to love Sauvignon Blanc so intimately you can easily tell a New Zealand SB from its French Loire Valley cousin. If so, let me ask you this: have you tried a Riesling lately? I’m not talking about a California Riesling or an Australian Riesling. I am referring to a Riesling from its native Germany. Here, in the cold climate with its glistening river, steep hills, and soils, you will find a true Riesling. If you are new to Riesling, you may think that all Rieslings are the same – especially if they are from a single country. If so, you will be amazed to discover that Riesling is one of the most...
