Category: blog

Drinkers of German Spätburgunder are surely family with Weingut Jean Stodden in Rech on the Ahr.

A few days ago, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published a lovely profile of Alex Stodden. Alex  has had primary responsibility for the winery since his father Gerd died suddenly of a heart attack five years ago in 2013.  The  winery was founded by Alex’s great-grandfather Alois and is named after his grandfather Jean.

Alex makes some of the finest Pinot Noirs in Germany (and it is often said that he makes the absolute finest German Pinots).  They present intoxicating Pinot aromas and luscious fruit, but always in balance.  They are refined and elegant.  The best are age-worthy.

My personal favorites are those that Alex makes from the Herrenberg in Rech, a sundrenched parcel that faces south and east.  Alex produces a variety of wines here at different price levels.  His Recher Herrenberg Spätburgunder Grösses Gewächs could be the definition of a perfect Pinot, with a nose that is worth the price of admission alone, but is a delight on the palate as well.  And for those who are not familiar with Frühburgunder (a early-ripening mutation of Pinot Noir), Stodden’s Recher Herrenberg Frühburgunder Grösses Gewächs offers an almost unbelievable nose, with spice and floral notes.

The FAZ article is a great tribute to Alex’s winemaking abilities, but also discusses the overall quality on the Ahr.  I think the article’s assessment that the average quality on the Ahr is higher than anywhere in Germany is true.  Admittedly, it is a very small wine-growing area, but the strides that have been made over the last 30-40 years are amazing.  Climate chance has probably also helped a bit.

If you haven’t tried Weingut Jean Stodden’s wines (or any other wine from the Ahr)… you should!

See the article (Translated into English by Google.  The translation isn’t great, but it will give you a sense.)

Tonight is our last night in London. I’ve been here for four months, Alison has joined me for a week in March and the last two weeks.

It might be a stretch to say that living in London has been a life-changing experience, but my visit to the London School of Economics has been nothing short of spectacular. But living in London has also given me the chance to start down the path of sequence of courses at the Wine and Spirts Education Trust.  As I blogged about yesterday, I took my WSET Level 3 test yesterday.  If I pass, I’ll enroll in the WSET Diploma in the Fall.

Serendipitously, the owner of the apartment I rented in London is Mark Barber, one of the proprietors at Marlings Vineyard.  Mark was kind enough to give me a bottle of their 2014 Sparkling Rosé.

It seemed only appropriate to celebrate a wonderful stay in London with it. It’s a great wine.  Dry, but not brut-dry, with a lovely pearlescence, it has a hint of yeast on the nose, and a soupçon of cherry on the palate.  Totally refreshing and delicious!

We are headed to Germany (and all that wonderful Spätburgunder) tomorrow.  Friday Night Flights will start in earnest next week and we’ll be adding much more content to the site over the next few weeks.  But I am certain we will be back to London very soon!

Auf wiedersehen, England!