Wine experts - what is this?

StewartR

StewartR

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We were given this bottle of wine recently as a present. (Celebrating our silver wedding anniversary.) I'm surprised to see that it's a 2005 vintage. That makes me wonder whether it's a seriously good wine that we ought to save for a special occasion. Are there any experts out there who could help me understand just what it is we have here? Thanks.
 
I'm not an expert, though I have a little knowledge. TBH I don't think it's ever going to be enormously 'good', but if it's been stored well then I'd expect it to be pleasant and very drinkable in the manner of slightly better quality (Kabinett) lighter Riesling style (Kerner grape variety) German wines.

A quick web hunt suggests these aren't highly priced wines, even when much older: have a look about 1/2 way down the page http://www.tennants.co.uk/Catalogue/Sale514/page3.aspx
 
Looking at the chart HERE, I'd do what the givers probably intended you to do - drink it and enjoy it!
 
stevewestern said:
From what I can see of the label it looks like it's alcohol free, so give it to someone else.....
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Exactly what I thought.
Anyway, as a rough guide, assuming that it is a white, reisling kabinett, it should go well with pork, or maybe lightly spiced dishes such as Chinese or Thai.
 
stevewestern said:
From what I can see of the label it looks like it's alcohol free, so give it to someone else.....
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andy700 said:
Exactly what I thought.
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Ha ha. That's what we thought at first, but then we took a closer look. Observe the mark on the label just to the left of the "0,0% Vol". Observe that the "0,0% Vol" is not justified properly relative to the text above and below, but if there were an additional digit to the left then it would be correctly justified. I think it's 10.0%.
 
A present for your silver wedding is something special, therefore I'm guessing the giver(s) know(s) you and good lady do not drink. If so, then this is probably a very nice present.

If you do drink then, eek! It is an abomination. :)

Dave
 
Nod said:
Looking at the chart HERE, I'd do what the givers probably intended you to do - drink it and enjoy it!
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That's really useful, thanks. It's very interesting to see that 2005 was an outstanding, 10/10 year for German wine, and the only such year since 1990. That suggests that it's a half-decent wine that's been chosen with some thought (as we'd hoped).
 
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ancient_mariner said:
I'm not an expert, though I have a little knowledge. TBH I don't think it's ever going to be enormously 'good', but if it's been stored well then I'd expect it to be pleasant and very drinkable in the manner of slightly better quality (Kabinett) lighter Riesling style (Kerner grape variety) German wines.

A quick web hunt suggests these aren't highly priced wines, even when much older: have a look about 1/2 way down the page http://www.tennants.co.uk/Catalogue/Sale514/page3.aspx
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Thanks. I did try searching for this wine online, but all I came up with were things like you've found here: auction parcels which include wines by the same maker, but different types of wine and different years. I didn't feel confident in extrapolating values from one wine to another.

We're not into fine wines, so if it had turned out to be expensive then we'd probably feel a little uncomfortable about it! But your answer together with Nod's suggests that it should be at least half decent, and that's fine. Should go down well with roast pork for Sunday lunch.
 
Tringa said:
A present for your silver wedding is something special, therefore I'm guessing the giver(s) know(s) you and good lady do not drink. If so, then this is probably a very nice present.

If you do drink then, eek! It is an abomination. :)

Dave
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I don't understand. Why is it an abomination?
 
If you drink, then, IMO, an alcohol free wine is an abomination.

Dave
 
This may help a little

Kabinett wines are often noted for having a pronounced light and elegant character when from the colder German wine regions, such as Mosel, and in wines made from the grape variety Riesling (which dominates much of the coldest German regions).[9]


Typically, a Riesling Kabinett from Mosel exhibits a high acidity, with floral aromas, and often hints of slate and minerality. In cooler regions, semi-sweet Kabinett wines have an alcohol content of around 7-8% ABV and dry Kabinett wines are usually around 10-11% ABV. When made in other regions, or from other grape varieties, this can vary. For example, a dry Kabinett made in Baden or the Palatinate made from a Pinot varietal may well have an alcohol content of 13% ABV.

Typical German Kabinett wines are usually best enjoyed when aged for between 1 and 5 years. However, some better examples can be cellared for over a decade.

The classification of German wine from lowest to highest goes like this.

Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein, Trcokenbeerenauslese.
As you go up the scale the wines become sweeter each time, so Kabinett is the dryest, freshest wine of the lot, and the Trocken is a very sweet dessert wine.
 
StewartR said:
Ha ha. That's what we thought at first, but then we took a closer look. Observe the mark on the label just to the left of the "0,0% Vol". Observe that the "0,0% Vol" is not justified properly relative to the text above and below, but if there were an additional digit to the left then it would be correctly justified. I think it's 10.0%.
Click to expand...

Only one way to find out.......DRINK!!!!
 
StewartR said:
Do try to keep up, Dave. We resolved this back in post #7.
Click to expand...

Hehe, very true. I knew there was a reason to read each post, especially the one immediately before making a comment myself :)

Dave
 
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