WTN: 2002 Alde Gott Riesling QbA

[Brad Ballinger]

2002 Alde Gott Riesling QbA, Baden. This wine was sent to me from a co-woker of mine in Hamburg. He was in the U.S. in January, and I had to take him to the emergency room. We had about a two-hour wait and talked about many things, including wine. I mentioned that we typically only see German wines from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, and Pfalz. He asked if I've ever had the wines of Baden-Wurttemburg. I confessed that I've not even had the opportunity. A month later, another co-worker from Germany comes to my office with two bottles of wine, one of which is this one. If I had to pick one word to describe the wine, it would be "refreshing." The color had a greenish tint to it. The aroma was of golden delicious apples, limes, and rain water, with only a small amount of mineral. It was light, crisp, and fruity in the mouth. Not a structurally complex wine, but delightful in it's simple freshness. It's a wine suited more for the wine glass or as an aperitif than for the dinner table. It had trouble standing up to a simply sauteed chicken breast with a light sauce.

I looked at the Alde Gott web site, and it seems they have a large selection of wines, featuring reds. If you check it out, click on the link for "aktuelles" from the menu. The picture will bring a smile to any face. Yeah, I'm sure that's how they dress to work in the vineyards.