Weingut Vereinigte Hospitien Riesling (Off-Dry) Scharzhofberger Spätlese Alte Reben 2020

Glorious and historic vineyard...check. Germany’s oldest cellar...check. Winery founded hundreds of years ago by NAPOLEON?! Check, as well. This spectacular, off-dry riesling is something special to behold, with a pedigree that is tough to beat! At our price today? Wow!

Vereinigte Hospitien. It's a typical German mouthful, I know, but just think of it as United Hospices...one of the truly great producers in all of Germany. These guys were literally founded by NAPOLEON back in 1804 as a social endowment strategically placed along the El Camino pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela and the Hospice of St. James. Their named vineyards go back to the Middle Ages, with their cellar dating back to 330 AD! That’s the oldest in Germany...by a ways. Their home base is located in the heart of Trier, Germany’s oldest city – in a former Roman Imperial residence at the center of Mosel wine.

This is from the revered site of Scharzhofberg – considered one of the greatest riesling vineyards in the world. The German wine control board, called V.D.P., designated this site as Grosse Lage – the very top classification of German vineyards. For reference, Egon Müller’s rieslings from this site typically sell for ~ $250 plus!! We’re talking UNDER $30!!! BooYAH! This is Spätlese level sweetness – which tends to the off-dry side of the riesling spectrum, and this is a perfect example...low alcohol (7.5%!), ripping acidity, and a perfectly balanced sweetness to really make everything POP! You’ll finish this faster than you thought possible...so get more than you think! Will age for decades!

One sip and it's as though heaven itself parted the clouds and shot rainbows and sunshine across a verdant gorge, reflecting particles of happiness off a cascading waterfall shimmering across a never-ending blue-green pool of serenity. Yep, EXACTLY like that. But seriously, just bursting with aromas and flavors of honeysuckle, star jasmine, ripe peaches, pineapple sage, wild clover honey, candied citrus, and myriad spices and wet river rock minerality. This beauty is ALIVE! Uber-fresh, ELECTRIC even, with a titillating, lingering finish that just doesn’t quit! Do not miss!

PAIRING IDEAS: You seriously can’t beat some fiery Thai food with this off-dry beauty. Some cashew chicken with red chilis and plenty of lemongrass, bean sprouts, ginger, and shallots perhaps? So good!