Rudipalooza, the self proclaimed title of importer Rudi Wiest's wine tour of German riesling was held at Tribeca Grill in Manhattan. Wiest is determined to spread the word on the virtues of dry German riesling as opposed to the sweet versions that have permeated the conscience of the American consumer. I am all too aware of his mission as three years ago, myself and eight other wine professionals were guests of Rudi on an intense, one week tour of his producers. It was an expedition of grueling tasting lasting from morning to night, but was an immensely rewarding experience for myself as it provided an unique experience in wine education, not to mention the great meals and hotels taken care of by Rudi.
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| The portfolio cover with a caricature of Rudi Wiest. |
As usual, many of his producers were in attendance, adding information to the tasting of 136 wines which also included selected pinot noir, pinnot blanc and a handful of worthy German Sekt and some grower Champagnes from his two distributors, David Bowler and Maximum Wine Co. Rudi is one of the top importers of German wine and some of my favorite labels from him include Von Buhl, Friedrich Becker in the Pfalz region. Von Hovel, Monchhof and Karthausehof in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. Snaightmann from just outside Stuttgart. Gunderloch and the superb Sekt of Raumland in the Rheinhessen and Kunstler of Rheingau.
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| Dr. Manfred Prum of J.J. Prum and Rudi from my 2008 tour. |
Aside from the spectacular rieslings, Germany is producing some spectacular pinot noir Kunstler's "Tradition" or Heder's "Estate" bottlings, both of which would roughly be in the $30's based on buying strategies. I recall being unexpectedly wowed by several pinot blancs when touring Germany, While these aren't bargains, they should be taken as serious wine instead of their usual value pricing elsewhere.
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| Upstairs at Tribeca Grill. |
Without a doubt, any retailer or restaurant looking to add quality to their inventory would do well to work with Rudi Wiest. And any consumer should definitely be on the lookout for Rudi's name on the back of the bottle.
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| Some old vintages from the cellar of Zilliken in Saar. |
