Alianza Estate - Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (Chile)

Today I checked my blog attendance and to my surprise, the people reading the blog have surged to 40 a day! So, I decided it is about time to renew my writing and get this blog back on track. It is Christmas time after all! It's time for family gatherings, wine tasting and good old mom's cuisine.

My gap of 4 months not writing a single line is just the result of a busy schedule, not an end to my wine passion or wine tasting. I just hope I can write down at least the most memorable wines I had in the last few months. I will start with the wines which I had during my travels this year. I start from London, where I spent my birthday.

Alianza Cabernet Sauvignon is the typical New World wine from Chile. The colour is dark ruby with some purple. A very intense aroma of berries, cherries and soft menthol. The wine is very soft tannins and good persistence. A brilliant wine for the evening!

We had the wine with the most tasty dinner I have ever tried in London (some pictures attached) - greek salad and some starters, then we finished with a very well cooked home-made pasta, English style. I also highly recommend the restaurant: Fire & Stone (31-32 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden).

Frascati Superiore Terre dei Grifi 2008

Frascati Superiore Terre dei Grifi shows a brilliant golden yellow color and nuances of straw yellow. The nose denotes intense, clean and pleasing aromas that start with hints of plum, apple and hawthorn followed by aromas of citrus fruits, pear and almond. The mouth is masterly balanced by alcohol, good body, intense flavors. The finish is persistent with flavors of apple, plum and almond.

I loved the style and taste of this gorgeous Italian wine, which was a gift from a friend and will always remind me of fresh Italian brusketi, sea breeze and hot summer evenings in Nessebar.

Fazi Battaglia Verdicchio Dei Castelli di Jesi Classico, 2009

Tonight I am going to write about the most stylish wine I have ever tasted. As you can see on the picture, the bottle has a very sexy shape. Every detail in it is classical, stylish, unique. At first I though it is some kind of grappa, but no - it is Italian wine, of course. Just for your information, the little paper roll is a map of the region of the grape in Tuscany, Italy. The bottle was created for Fazi Battaglia winery (which is more than 200 years old! website) in 1953 by the architect Antonio Maiocchi, who was inspired by a ancient Etrusian amphora. The emerald-green bottle has become the icon for Verdicchio.

The wine is lively and has a special character. The taste is of golden apples, pears and hazelnuts. Since it is only last year's, the acidity is strong, but overall a great taste! I still can't believe I found this jewel in the local supermarket costing only about 8 Euro/bottle. Excellent for the summer - refreshing and romantic. What else do we need...

Canti Merlot Sicilia 2007

We had this wine two days ago while dining with friends in a fancy new Italian restaurant downtown Sofia. The wine's aroma is a splendid bouquet of dried fruits and leafs. The wine is full-bodied and harmonious with a long lasting finishing. The taste is sleek, with pleasant viscosity and enough extrusion elements. We had the wine with some tasty taglietelle in parmigiano, Italian style. It did make our evening very special. A recommendation!

Katarzyna Le Rose 2009

Yes, it's summer and it's time for Rose! And we opened the season with the best rose I have tried so far: Le Rose by Katarzyna Estate. It was recommended to us by the waiter in a lovely restaurant in Stara Zagora (Bulgaria) - Uniqato.

The bottle of Le Rose is stylish and cool with a summer playfulness in the shape and romantic french style in the label. Typical for this winery, every detail of the wine experience is carefully observed. Aromatic and fresh, the wine has a light and fruity taste.

A recommendation for the summer! Drink with ice and fresh salads and fruits.

Bi Cycle Rose Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah 2009

I have to say that Minkov Brothers estate is my new favourite. I recently tried their rose Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah and I totally fell in love with it! Fresh, fruity and a bit bitter taste with a splendid red colour, which is very charming and attractive. Well balanced taste, rich tannins and a taste of berries and other summer fruits.

A recommendation for the wine and the winery!

Two Oceans Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 2007

This evening we decided to order a South African wine, while watching a game from the World Football Cup in this country. Although I am fond of South African wines, I wasn't charmed by this one. Let's be honest - if it is not closed with cork, it's not a real wine. We ordered this in a restaurant and we didn't know it is with an aluminium cap. Our expectations, of course, were met. The wine is not among the best I have tasted. Yes, it's a cheap wine, but it could have been better design and taste. The aroma is of strawberries and cherries, but rather nosy.

The wine itself has a taste of red fruits and sweet tannins. Nevertheless, it is soar, not very pleasant. Short and unpleasant finishing. I wouldn't recommend this wine.

Chateau Copsa Cuvee Rouge 2007

The wine is produced in the vineyards of the Copsa winery situated in the heart of the Rose Valley in Bulgaria. The colour is dark red and very intense. The aroma is fresh with tinges of black cherries, french grapes and gentle vanilla. The taste is full-toned and concentrated with, a very pleasant sweet tone and a long lasting memorable finishing.

A recommendation by my ex-classmate and friend Slaveyko Djambazov.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2005

This is another Italian wine in my top list of favourites. It has a delicate black almandine ruby with black reflections. A rich fruity bouquet , supported by some spices. Very well balanced, soft and delicate taste. The aroma is deep and full. A lovely colour too.

Vino Nobile do Montepulciano is one of the best reds with Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita status, produced in vineyards surrounding the town of Montepulciano, Italy. The wine is made primarily from the Sangiovese grape varity (known locally as Prugnolo gentile), blended with Canaiolo Nero and small amounts of other local varieties. The wine is aged in oak barrels for two years.

One of the best wines I have tasted in a while...

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Valdadige 2009

We drunk this charming pinot grigio during our wonderful trip to Rome. It was a small bottle we shared with our lunch. It was actually offered and recommended in all restaurants we were sited. Obviously, it is a good value for money and a very popular one in Italy. Reading the winery Santa Margherita's website, I found out that this winery offered the first Italian Pinot Grigio and no suprise it is the most popular wine by the winery, winning many gold medals in international championships.

As the picture shows, the wine had a very pleasant gold colour. With the golden labels, it is a real eye candy and looks very stylish, and "Italian". The wine had a sweet taste of fruits. It is very light and pleasant to enjoy with seafood on a sunny, charming day in this splendid country full of history and love...

Elisabetta Geppetti Morellino di Scansani 2008

I got my first taste of Morellino di Scansani in Rome on our first evening in a wonderful, cosy restaurant somewhere near via Salaria (the Salt street). It was splendid. I fell in love with this "strange typical Italian variety", which actually turned out to be 85% Sangiovese grape, but the Italians call it Morellino (I guess because it does sound better! :). The grapes are grown around the hills of Scansano and have been produced in Italy for more than several hundred years.

The wine is a very good value for money. It costed only about 15 Euro, but the taste was wonderful. It leaves a very memorable and long lasting finishing. Light and young, the wine is a very good companion for a hot summer evening.

Terrae Nobilles Piave Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

This is the last wine we had during our trip to Rome. A brilliant ruby red with hints of garnet in colour. Generous aromas, remarkable for their velvety elegance, infuses with ripe fruit and a gentle note of spice and herbs. A remarkably length finish with some notes of wild berries. A truly wonderful wine.

The wine comes from the collection of Barrone Bianchi, who was a famous sommelier in Italy during the 19th century. Source: www.lesommelier.com

It was a wonderful Italian evening in the middle of old historical buildings and a truly romantic atmosphere with the most pleasant company.

Bonterra Zinfandel 2004

We had this wonderful Californian Zinfandel on my graduation day and it did make my evening very special. The taste was intense and unique. A wonderful combination of dried blueberries, plums and spices. Its grapes are 86% Zinfandel, 11% Petite Syrah and 3% Syrah. The combination is refined and very elegant.

The Zinfandel grape variety is typically grown in Italy. I have already blogged and liked very much an Italian Zinfandel, but honestly, I cannot tell which one is better. The American one has this strong aroma and certain style that is different and better in a way than the Italian. Furthermore, this Zinfandel is said to be organic, and I am much fond of organic foods.

If you have time you should check out the website of Bonterra Winery here. It contents a very colourful and unique way of presenting the wines. Good job!

Bi Cycle Pinot Noir & Merlot 2008

This is a great wine from the Minkov Brothers Winery in Bulgaria, coming from the popular Bulgarian Thracian region. It is new for me, although recently I tried Chateau Karnobat Merlot and I wasn't charmed. Nevertheless, I was recommended to try the Minkov Brother's higher class wines and I wasn't disappointed. Starting from the bottle, it is stylish and original. The picture on the label is very interesting - at first sight it looks as if a man is riding a normal bicycle. However, it is not a normal bicycle, but one made of a bed! Interesting...

The wine's taste is harmonious and rich. A very pleasant taste of dried fruits and caramel. Definately a good choice for the evening.

Baron Philippe de Rothschild Bordeaux 2008

This adorable French wine is from the vineyards of one of the most famous winegrowers in France - Baron Philippe de Rothschild. When I read his biography I was shocked. He is not only a famous wine grower, but also a member of the Rothschild banking industry, a Grand Prix race-car driver, a screenwriter and playwright, a theatrical producer, a film producer and a poet. Well, how is this possible? Is he good in all these fields? At the moment I can only say about his wine. It was splendid! The wine is an aromatic bouquet of cherries and strawberries. Classical dry, the taste is well integrated and balanced. A pleasant, full aroma of dried fruits and light red dark shade of red. The grapes are 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 60% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Costing only about 8 Euro from supermarket, the wine is a good value for money.

Cabernet Sauvignon Rupci 2007

Although middle class, this wine surprises with wonderful taste. It has a dark red ruby, dense colour. The taste is a mixture of old wooden barrels and dried fruits. A typical Bulgarian taste, but very saturated and well balanced with a fruit aroma.

A very well balanced wine with wonderful aroma. A great surprise for me, because the Vidin region is not well known for its wines (at least to me). I have never heard of this winery before, but I will try something else from it soon, especially vintage 2007. I am left with wonderful impressions. The bottle also looked very stylish and elegant. I liked the wooden "retro" label and the bottle form. A pleasure for my senses and great value for money, costing only about 5 Euro from the supermarket.

Oriachovitza Special Reserve Merlot 2005

Although I had some time off the blog due to my approaching graduation, I had not stopped drinking wine. No, not at all! :) There are so many pictures, memories and some notes waiting to be released that I even feel a bit trapped and do not know where to begin from - from the oldest wine, the cheapest, the most memorable, the darkest, the last or the first I drunk during this time? No, I will simply start with Oriachovitza.

Maybe this name sounds complicated to you (it's a wine region in Bulgaria). The wine IS a wonderful complicated combination of chocolate flavour with some strawberries and oak barrels. Very dark and rich colour, wonderful aroma and long finishing. I enjoyed the wine with my family and it made our evening cheerful and pleasant. I also loved the bottle and its style.

Katarzyna Twins 2008

Continuing with the wines from Katarzyna Estate, we can't miss the Twins. Again a catchy name - twins symbolises a single grape variety cabernet sauvignon blended by two oenologists.

The wine itself has a deep dark red colour and a very memorable aroma. The taste is light and fruity, yet harmonious and with long, deep finishing. I enjoyed the liveliness and richness of the taste. A lovely цомплемент to a long and romantic dinner.

The wine costs about 8 Euros from the shops. A recommendation.

Chateau Karnobat Merlot 2008

To be honest I am not charmed by this wine. I was rather sour and edgy. Although I could taste the Merlot variety in it, its not one of the best I've tried, although the deep ruby colour charmed me at first.

The wine comes from the Karnobar region in Bulgaria, which used to be a huge wine manufacturer in the country during the Communism (Karnobat Vinprom). Then, the winery used to export cheap wine, and I must confess that despite the 50 years of experience and recent investments, not much has changed. The winery is still one of the cheapest and not very qualitative wineries in Bulgaria. However, I am determined to write about as many wines as possible and give my feedback for you. I hope I've been clear for this one.

Brunello di Montalcino 2004

"I brought this wine from Italy for a special dinner. It is 2004 famous Tuscany wine. It is made from Sangiovese, colour and flavour coming from the skins of the grapes. The aroma is of cherries, black raspberry, chocolate and leather. I recommend it heartily."

by Slaveyko Djambazov

Baron Philippe de Rothschild Mapu Merlot Reserva 2007

The Mapu Merlot comes from the Mapu region in Chillie and we had it with currey from Shri Lanka at my friend Rouja's place. Quite an interesting and magical combination. The wine was absolutely splendid, I really loved the rich, flowery aroma. The taste was deep and intense, very unique and different from the Bulgarian merlot. I am starting to be completely fascinated by Chilean wines. Light, delicious and utterly gorgeous taste, this wine goes into my top listed.

I give all my respect to Chilean people who lost hundreds of their people, homes and beloved ones in the earthquakes at the beginning of this year. I do hope the country will soon recover from this terror.

Baron Philippe de Rothschild Mapu Merlot Reserva 2007

Freixenet Carta Nevada Seco

Carta Nevada is a dry sparkling wine from Spain. It is a blend of three white Spanish grape varieties called Macabeo (33%), Xarello (33%) and Parellada (33%) and combines fruity taste with robust and high-acid taste. Sparkling and tasty, it is perfect for a festive evening. In Google I also found a semi-dry version, which I intend to try soon.

It is interesting to mention that Cava is the Spanish sparkling wine equivalent to France's Champagne, as they state in Freiexent's website. Freixenet is one of the the oldest and largest Cava producers in Spain, starting in 1914 by Pere Ferrer Bosch and became a family business and now, almost 100 year later the Freixenet Group is still family owned. Actually, it turns out most wineries worldwide are family owned. I am sure it needs a lot of love and devotion to build a successful winery brand and no surprise a family is able to achieve it.

Ferreira Porto Tawny

This wine was brought by a friend from Portugal and I would like to thank him, because otherwise I would have never tried this wonderful variety which is typical Portogese. I have never visited this wonderful warm country, but will do soon, I hope. The Porto Tawny is actualy not a typical wine: it has 19,5% alcohol, light ruby colour and very sweet taste. The flavour is of fresh fruits and toffee. The Porto is more like a liqueur or brandy. More of a "woman's drink", but quite strong. It is not drunk in the typical wine glasses and is not going well with dinner. It is a dessert wine and will go best with a chocolate or toffee cake. Yammy!

Ferreira Porto Tawny is from the Dauro Valley in Portugal. The Ferreira company has been founded by a family of Douro winegrowers back in 1751, and is usually classified as one of the best sellers of Port worldwide. Port wine is a Portogese style of fortified wines originating from the Douro Valley. It is typically sweet and is served as a dessert wine at the end of dinner. Although Porto is produced in US, Argentina, India, Canada and other countries, in the European Union it is protected and only a Portogese Porto use the term. Port can be produced from different grapes, but usually it is fortified by adding a grape called Aguardente. Very interesting stuff, I am already a Porto fan. (Source).

Question mark Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 2007

I shall close this month with probably the best wine of all. Maybe it's the cold weather this month, or it's St'Valentine but the total wine posts this month count to 19! I will probably hold this record for a long time!

Question mark is the most famous wine by the Katarzyna estate. It has a deep, dark red colour and unique, rich and plentiful taste of peppers, tobacco and black chocolate. The finishing is long lasting and harmonious. The wine is a wonderful mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot, vintage 2007 from the famous Thracian region in Bulgaria. It is a bit expensive, but totally worth it (about 20 Euro in shops).

Question mark is the first wine by Katarzyna Estate. It started with the question how to launch it successfully and it turned so successful that the name stayed the same. I like the idea. A great wine and a great finishing for my wine script this wonderful February.

Katarzyna Estate Halla Merlot 2008

Katarzyna is one of my favourite Bulgarian cellars and thank God it has endless list of wines, varieties and vintages to taste. Halla is one of the higher ranked ones, a bit more expensive than Mezzek, Contemplations and Junior.

The wine has a deep taste and is a very good combination of dried fruits and, vanilla aromas and oak. The finishing is long and memorable. A good value for money and wonderful for the evening dinner or friendly lunch with red meets and soft cheese. I personally drunk it on the glass with a friend of mine, while studying for exams. Nevertheless, it was still good.

Todoroff Boutique Merlot 2008

Excellent wine. The look of the bottle, the refined taste and the great aroma send this one on the top places of my wine script. I loved the purple bottle neck and the art label. Actually, as I already wrote about Todoroff winery, it is one of the bulgarian cellars that combine wine & art very successfully.

Todoroff Boutique is a selection of young wines aged for four to twelve months. Young and fresh taste, very well balanced with a notable fruity aroma and dark ruby, even purple colour. The wine is intended to be served straight away. A dry red Merlot, vintage 2008, which we had for lunch with my colleagues from university.

+359 Cabernet & Syrah 2007

Well, I can say that the label of this bottle of Villa Lubimetz winery is more important to mention than the wine itself. I read about the label's latest design in a magazine some time before and I anticipated to taste it. I liked it, but it was a bit soar and not memorable. The aroma is bit strong and tastes of spirit.

Enough about the wine, let's say something about the label. As I already said, its more famous than the wine itself. The idea is to have a strong national appeal: +359 is the telephone code of Bulgaria and the font is the one used by the first Bulgarian Post in 1960s. However, it seems to me that the bright yellow covering on the bottle neck totally ruins the idea. More information about the label you can find on the world's number 1 package design website.

Uniqato Melnik 2008

This typical Bulgarian wine from the Damianitza winery is coming from the Melnik region (Early Melnik variety). Melnik is the most famous winery region in Bulgaria. It's a small, cute town among the mountains, where almost every house's basement is a winery and a guesthouse for wine tourists. Basically, in Melnik wine and wine tourism are the core sources of income for the local people. Many people go there and spend the evening tasting local wines in a typical Bulgarian "mehana". Then, when leaving, everybody buys one of those plastic bottles of home-made wine, which is simply amazing - a young, pure and very dry home-made wine from Melnik is priceless for everyone who've tasted it.

Besides my expectations to taste something similar to home-made Melnik wine and the exaggerated popularity of Uniqato Melnik, the wine was a disappointment for me. A bit tasteless and very edgy, it doesn't really comply with my image of Melnik wines. The label and the bottle itself were nothing special. I think it would have been nice to write something more about the town of Melnik or at least writing why it is so unique (uniqato?).

Zinfandel Redwood California 2007

This is the first American wine I picked from our local Bulgarian supermarket on quite reasonable price (about 7 Euro). Its amazing how the world is becoming so small. Only about 10 years ago it was impossible to find American, Chilean or Argentinian wine in a Bulgarian supermarket.

Second new for me is the variety - Zinfandel, which is very well known and popular in the US, as I have been told. This Californian Zinfandel is grown in Redwood Valley, California and is very close as taste to the Italian variety Primitivo. Actually, only just recently it was recognized as a separate variety (Source) . It is full and rich in flavour and I can feel a spicy note. Very well balanced and fine. I really loved it. We had it with some cheese and vegetable and it went very well. Will definitely taste another Zinfandel soon as well as some more American wines. I am curious what else can be grown in sunny California.

No Man's Land Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

This wine from the famous Damianitza region is very reasonable price and therefore very popular in Bulgarians restaurants. However, I haven't tasted it before and after trying it last weekend, it seems I haven't missed much. The wine was a little disappointment, but fortunately it didn't spoil the great evening we had.

The taste of the wine is very intense and a little heavy I have to say. Maybe the wine will go well with a red meat, but for me, as a vegetarian, it is a little too heavy. Neverthless, I liked the fruitiness taste in it.

As almost any popular Bulgarian wine, the label has a story behind it. No man's land does sound memorable and somehow mysterious. The story behind it is that No Man's Land is a 5 mile land in Southwest Bulgarian border that used to separate the worlds of Socialism and Capitalism. During the Cold war, it used to be a scary place for those who tried to escape abroad. Although the story sounds sleazy, knowing the situation inside out, during Socialism people in Bulgaria were living better than in the recent years during Capitalism. Not so many tried to escape back then and the scary stories about the horrific Socialism are a bit exaggerated.

Frankenseele Spätburgunder 2007

This is the last wine I bought during my trip to Germany. Not knowing the complicated German language I had to seek help by Google Translate to find out what is the variety. So, it turns out that Spatburgunder is the word for the variety and it means Pinot Noir. Frankenseele refers to the region (Franken) where the grape comes from.

To be honest, if I knew that before buying the wine, I wouldn't have because I am not a Pinot Noir lover. Nevertheless, the wine was surpassingly brilliant!

The Spatburgunder is the best red grape grown in Germany, like the Riesling is for the whites. It was brought to Germany from Burgundy in the 14th Century. The wine had a velvet, delicate taste, wonderful, strong aroma and light, ruby colour. I loved its delicate taste. It's definately the best buy I made in Germany.

Predela Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2008

This Italian wine is from the Abruzzo region in Italy which is a famous wine region for many red and white varieties. One of the most grown red grape variety is the Montepulciano, known for its brilliant dark ruby colour and dry, tannic taste.

The Abruzzo region is known for its mountain landscape and is not particularly wealthy. The local people are proud and stubborn. The Predela wine had a very distinctive taste of wild fruits and flowers, which I loved. Very light and easy to drink table wine. Great for a cosy evening with friends.

Contemplations Merlot & Malbec 2008

This is one of the best Bulgarian wines I have tasted recently from Katarzyna winery. It has a deep tannic taste and wonderful finishing. The colour is dark ruby and the aroma is intoxicating. A wonderful companion for the evening.

The bottle of Contemplations is very memorable, so it is worth saying something more here. I picked the wine from the shelves, because I thought it's interesting to read the story on the label. It also looked stylish and cool. Actually, every variety and vintage of the Contemplations series has a different story in rhyme or in prose on its label. The word contemplation means to provoke thinking, considering and expecting something, so the purpose of the story is provoke your thinking, so the wine becomes your companion for the evening. Interesting, but I wouldn't recommend to drink it on your own though. This originality has won a bronze medal for Katarzyna in the 2009 Label Design Awards in San Francisco. Congratulations for the great combination of quality wine and original bottle.

35° South Reserva Shiraz 2007

Although cold, snowy and dull, February is lovely, because it is the month of St.Valentine and Trifon Zarezan (The Bulgarian holiday of vine-growers and wine-makers). I think it is seen from the intensity of my wine posts this month that I am totally on a wine spree and very much in love too. So this wine from Chile is very special, because we drunk it on St.Valentine's Eve. It was splendid.

The wine itself has a very intense fruity aroma and dark violet colour. The taste is a bit edgy, but gentle and fresh. I could feel the dried cherries and strawberries in the taste. The wine has been left to get old for five months in French barrels, so the taste of oak can also be identified. The finishing is long lasting and memorable.

The grapes are 100% Shiraz variety from the Elqui Valley in Chile and have been hand-picked. The wine has won several medals in London and Paris.

Penfold Rawson's Retreat Shiraz Cabernet 2007

The wine we had for dinner last night was a wonderful Austrilian red vintage 2007 of variety Shiraz (Syrah) and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine's aroma is a wonderful floral and fruit bouquet. The colour is medium to light red. The taste is tannic and harmonious with a fruit flavour. Very well balanced. The wine is from wineries in South Australia such as Padthaway, Langhorne Creek, Riverland and McLaren Vale. I wish I knew those places. I have always wanted to visit this amazing country, although it is so far away from where I am based.

On Penfolds website I found some interesting info about the name of the wine. It is named after Christopher Rawson Penfold's original stone cottage built in the year 1845, which is still standing among the vines of Magill Estate in Adelaide, South Australia.

The wine is very light and easy-drinkable. It goes great with beef, lamb or pasta. The floral aroma of the wine relates to the exotic country it come from.

Santa Sarah Black C. Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 2005

We had this wine with a lovely dinner in a fish restaurant downtown Sofia last weekend. I have to say I was very pleased with the choice we made - the wine is amazing, It has a dark ruby colour and a memorbale finishing. The taste is of dried fruits, tabacoo and oak. The finishing is memorable, leaving a lasting tannic tatse in the mouth. It would go best with red meats and Bulgarian yellow cheese. Although, we had it with fish, it was still very nice and we spent a lovely evening.

The wine is produced in Santa Sara winery on the Black Sea, but the grapes are transported from the Thracian region. In the winery's website the producers say that making this wine was like realzing a dream. They also say that its their best selling wine and I can see why. All the feedbacks I read for it were all positive. It is a very good choice for the evening or a special occasion. A recommendation.

Franken Müller-Thurgau 2008

This wine, which I bought from Wurzburg as well is of the Muller-Thurgau variety. As I already explained, the round bottle signifies that it is from the Franken region in Germany. It is a variety of white grapes that was created by Hermann Muller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882. It is the Germany second most planted variety, but its planting is declining.

The wine is dry and reminds me of the Muscat vareity. The taste is medium sweet and smooth. Although this variety is quite outdated and abondened in Germnay I loved it and would definately buy some more when in Germany.