With the holidays in full swing, we need to escape from the joy/stress of shopping, family/work parties. So Wayward Wine will up posts EU Austerity Drinking Tour in the following weeks.

Last Monday’s post, Munich’s Residenz palace managed to glow through winter.  We slighted some rather nice beer (mainly out of frustration with the monopoly of big producers). So let us give Germanic wine a chance.

Munich lacks water bodies to make wine this deep into the continent. So this white comes of the steep banks of the Rein, in the heart of Germany’s western wine country: the Rheinhessen:

Amongst Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, and even Pinot Noir, 3.5% Scheurebe vines grow here. Dr. Scheu created his silly-sounding crossing just for the Rheinhessen’s sandy red soils. Let’s see…

Brüder Dr. Becker, Scheurebe (grape), Kabinett, Prädikatswein Gutsabfüllung, Rheinhessen, Germany, 2010 bio €10.00

This is a Kabinett classification: basically a main harvest, reserve wine, meant for cellaring in your “cabinet”. So game on:

Appearance: A bright, crystalline lemon color.

Aromas: Youthful, powerful aromas of grapefruit, black currant, and steel carry.

Palate: A smidge of sweetness tames prickly acidity, mild 10.5% alcohol, and a nice, medium body.

Flavors: medium intense grapefruit, lime jelly, and slate mineral wind into a dry finish of medium plus length.

Conclusions: Becker’s sugar balance is perfect. This Scheurebe grips and grabs attention with an excited but light touch.  It is very good quality (4 of 5). Scheurebe, who knew? Now if only I could pronounce it!

Next post takes us to Dachau’s concentration camp. Here’s a moment of lightness beforehand: