I got a great surprise this last week while preparing for our last tasting of the year in Gainesville. We had a special guest visit Florida all the way from Germany—Hannah Selbach!  I have a special place in my heart for Riesling and she came in to tell everyone about this noble grape. Two weeks ago we got the email that said she would be visiting the stores throughout Central Florida. It is not often that our wine guests get a chance to see our stores in this quiet (yeah right) little town, but this time, not only did she meet our celebration specialists, she got to meet our great guests as well!

Hannah Selbach at ABC in Gainesville

She tasted six wines from her family, all from the Mosel region, each one a little different from the last:

Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spatlese (available in limited stores)

Estate Riesling QbA

Estate Riesling Spatlese

Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese

Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett

Zetlinger Schlossberg Riesling Kabinett             

ABC does carry all of these wines. Just go to your local ABC and ask about our Selbach Rieslings. Combine the slopes of solid slate in which the vines grow, sprinkle in meticulous care in the vineyards, and add a liberal dose of restraint in the cellar as the wines are coaxed to their fullest height by the experienced touch of Johannes Selbach (Hannah’s father and winemaker). The wines positively sing with fruit, terroir and complexity.

One of the best things that I would love to teach everyone regarding Riesling is the difference between fruit and sugar. There are six harvests during perfect years in Germany and the first harvest is more subtle fruit than sweetness. Think pear and crisp green apple. I always think of biting into a Granny Smith with its slight pucker on the finish, that’s the way Mosel Kabinetts can taste. I would say that everyone needs to come in and bring the Noble grape back to its greatness in the states. Come in and try it for yourself! Maybe you might run into a winemaker on your way.

Kathleen Anderson, Northwest Florida wine supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinekat