2006 Gerhard Riesling Spätlese Halbtrocken (Rheingau, Germany)
We're very pleased to get this into this month's Traveller's Club! We secured all the last bottles of this superb German Riesling made by the great producer Stefan Gerhard. There are several designations for German Riesling that demonstrate the balance of sweetness and acidity in the wines. Trocken designates wine made in a dry style (low residual sugar, low alcohol), and the Germans have very strict laws for what qualifies. Hence the term "Halbtrocken" which was created to label wines with slightly more residual sugar, exceeding the limit for "Trocken", but still tasting dry and in balance because of the level of acidity. It is hard to achieve such a balance, and therefore requires careful monitoring of the grapes on the vines as well as a very keen sense of the fermenting process (whereas the French tend to let their wines "become" what they will, the Germans watch and watch and watch . . .). This Riesling has some age on it which has softened the acidity some and therefore is letting the full range of flavor rise to the main qualities of the wine. Crisp green apple, peach, and just a touch of grapefruit lead to an incredibly refreshing mineral character overall, with just a hint of spice on the finish, where echoes of the fruit return and linger. This would be fabulous with a number of foods, including medium spicy Thai and the like, but it is fantastic on its own as well. A real treat here, for as mentioned above, there is almost no bottles left; come in soon if you like this and want more!

2008 Elena Walch Gewutrztraminer (Alto Adige, Italy)
The Walch estate has been making wine since the late 1870s, and their results are world renowned. In fact, Dave and I are quite struck by the exceptional quality and reasonable prices of these wines given their international recognition. Production is not high, for some wines only about 1000 cases total, so please be aware that they tend to disappear quickly (especially to restaurants!). If you want to taste why so many people (it's not just us!) consider Trentino/Alto-Adige to be one of the best wine producing areas in the whole world, this is great example. This was featured at a recent tasting and the style is old school: aromatic, spicy, focused in its full flavors yet not heavy. What else might you expect from a Gewurztraminer made in the town it was invented in, Traminer? The winery is located there, and the expertise going into this wine has not changed for centuries. A delightful nose on this wine, showing apple blossoms, spiced apple, lychee, and hints of honey which follow through to the main body of the wine; it's bold and expressive through the nice, lengthy finish. An excellent accompaniment with pasta, recipes with Ricotta cheese, cordon bleu, and fish baked with spicy ingredients, such as a white fish with lime-chili macadamia nut topping.

2007 Valdueza (Extremadura, Spain)
This is from brand new importer in Washington State, Vinea Imports! When we met the founder, Jay Beattie, we were impressed right away. Jay's selections have been excellent and very distinguished so we look forward to featuring more of this wines. An intersection between New and Old World style, this has old Spanish qualities in flavor and structure, but uses grapes that tend to be considered more "new world," especially for Spain: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot. Grown in the harshly dry and rather remote region of Extremadura (which literally means "extremely hard"), the wine is full bodied with plum and blackberry backed by fig and coffee notes, finishing with a hint of dark chocolate. While this might sound decadent and heavy, the wine puts forth of a great deal of flavor and power without being heavy handed in its expression. It lasts very well after being opened, and is enjoyable to taste the changes it undergoes over several days (if it lasts that long before you drink it all!). This is currently in good supply. A great pair with steak or other grilled items.