Rudesheim on the Rhein (Rhine) River is a beautiful and rewarding wine travel destination with lots to see and do that has something for everyone. The whole town is one big area dedicated to the glories of Riesling, with great reason, as it sits right below some of the best Riesling vineyards on earth. Even by chance you weren’t a big fan of wine, I still recommend a visit, because this very affordable place has plenty other charms on offer, including river cruises, great beer, sublime natural activities that feature forest walks, river promenade strolling with the local fowl, tough hikes, biking treks and romantic sightseeing. I must say the place was easy to walk and get around, plus I took a train from the Frankfurt International Airport to Rudesheim, so I never had to grab a cab or rent a car or even a bike the whole time I stayed. I did take the cable car and a chair lift, and if you saw the hill, you would too! I did put in two wonderful hikes during my visit to Rudesheim and toured the town by foot, giving me a chance to work up my appetite which turned into a blessing as the food was very enjoyable indeed, especially the fresh white asparagus that was huge and fantastic with hollandaise sauce. The German’s go crazy for the “Spargel” and I was lucky to have timed my trip well, as they only get 8 to 9 weeks of this magic!

Rudesheim is to Riesling as Napa is to Cabernet, so when in Rome as they say, and I went Riesling nuts, but as always I still looked for Pinot Noir and other interesting things. I met some locals that pointed out small wineries and gave nice tips on food and local interest sites as well. I ran into a few winemakers and long solo vineyard walks, but there are “Wine Gardens” almost on every corner here so I got to try lots a great wine in fun social settings and just relaxed and took in the local color. Rudesheim even had Wine Kiosks! What a great idea, it was great to walk by the river, step into the park and find a local vintner pour his wines at a tiny wooden kiosk surrounded by trees and grass, brilliant, though I enjoyed the kiosk near the market square best and it was the place where I had the best wines. I learned to my surprise that the locals drink mostly dry Riesling, and I mean dry, even drier than Alsace, and though I had tasted a few super dry Rieslings from Germany, I was pleased more with the ones I tried here. In fact, I only drunk dry wines here, well I did have few Spatleses, but no Auslese or sweeter. Looking back it seems weird, though it felt perfectly natural, as that is what went with the food and mood of the place.

At Rudesheim’s center square, I found a tiny kiosk that served local wines, and met a local winemaker pouring his wines. Hans-Peter Veith-Bertam a researcher at the famed Geisenheim makes a small amount of beautiful Riesling from family vineyards that have been in the family since the 1800’s at least, and may even go back to the late 1600’s!  Now he leases most of the vineyard sites to other wineries, a move that lets him make high quality wine and keep his well-regarded day job. He showed me 3 stunning Rieslings, mostly in the drier “local” style, which is in fashion here, plus a 1999 Spatlese that was still perfectly fresh and rich in fruit. Best of all, unlike what we find at home in the USA, they all were fewer than 11 Euros, or $16-17 dollars! It was great to find Hans-Peter, as the grapes come from the vineyards I spent my time hiking to above Rudesheim, letting me really taste the place under foot.

Wines

2008 Veith-Bertram “Via Castellum” Riesling “Rudesheimer Bergweg” Trocken (Dry) Rheingau, German White.
This wonderful and fresh young Riesling has plenty of everything to appeal to everyone, but is bone dry and brightly flavored. This wine shows off pretty lime and citrus flower, with tangy white peach, melon, tropical fruit and loads of mineral and flinty slate. Should gain a bit of weight in the future, but is clean, refreshing and zesty now.

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2008 Veith-Bertram “Rosarius Versura” Riesling “Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck” Kabinett Feinlieb, Rheingau, German White.
Roseneck is one of the finest Reisling vineyard sites in German, and is in a stunningly beautiful location overlooking the bend of the Rhein River with castles and eagles all in view as well, this site is steep and gives tiny yields of great fruit. This wine, while only a Kabinett is intense and has vigor, with vibrant deep fruit that explodes on the palate. This vintage looks to be a classic around here and shows loads of stone fruit, peach, apricot and white plum, along with pineapple, guava and pure apple in the background, with some tangerine and citrus flowers. This wine will gain muscle and flesh with time, though it is lovely and balanced now. This wine has good fruit, plenty even, but still remains dry and tangy.

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1999 Vieth-Bertram Riesling Spatlese “Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck” Rheingau, German White.
Even with 10 years of age, this gem is fresh and zesty with full body and a slight honey tone to the lush apricot and applely fruit. The mature side takes a bit to come through, but finally does with a classic petrol fume and thick liquid mineral feel on the nose and palate that adds to the whole, showing the complexities of aged Riesling. Even though a Spatlese, the sweetness feels perfectly balanced and makes this wine great for anytime drinking, though it would be killer with crab.

That said, the Russian influence will continue here as a third of the population in Latvia are ethnic Russians and their language seems to be the most widely spoken, even as the Latvians tear down signs and billboards in that tongue. The German influence remains in the Lutheran churches and of course the beer, of which I enjoyed very much. That first sip convinced me, and the smoke filled pub just added to the atmosphere in this charming city, though the pole at the end of the bar with the beautiful young blonde in a bikini didn’t hurt either.

That first night in Riga, Michael and myself savored the local favorites Aldaris and Cesis beer brands and stuck to their Pils, both of which were fresh and very tasty. Over the next couple of days we ventured Riga far and wide from its riverbanks, parks, soviet blocks, orthodox Russian churches, museums and of course the city’s fantastically located beer gardens and trying some of their more exotic beers and ales. Bee keeping has a long history here as well and honey is cherished and honeycomb is like gold at the marketplaces, so as you’d imagine honey mead is popular and indeed very nice here and the are honey beers too of which I had a few during a sun drenched afternoon that saw us chatting away about how Riga remains totally unique and how it has absorbed western influence without much loss in its old world ways. There are cell phone stores, Puma boutiques and a few Pizza Huts like the rest of western Europe, but in Riga somehow they seem to go unnoticed with everything else that grabs your attention like markets in most squares selling handmade linens, hand crafts, amber jewelry and traditional garments.

The sounds of Riga are different and are like nothing like anywhere else I’ve traveled. An old Russian soldier played fiddle for us, in between telling us of his march to Berlin in 1944 and his time now unwanted by both his motherland and his adopted Latvia, neither of which will not pay his army pension. Things are different here and many struggle with life in this new age here. We were approached by little kids begging, scurried away by Michael shouting at them in his perfect Russian and then smiled and groped at by “massage therapists” with perfect creamy white skin and ultra purple eyes who we gently sent on their way without any tinge of quilt. It was time to get back to the beer, and a wonder live-hop style called Uzavas of which we tried both the Bauska or Tervetas brands at two of our favorite beer taverns. These beers were some of the best hoppy beers I’ve had and highly recommend them. Latvia also does dark beers in porter and stout styles to and we sampled some of these while taking in a real Latvian lunch at a traditional restaurant Michael found here a couple of years ago. It was all dark wood and had many fireplaces and the food was served buffet style with a tray and all, which I found somewhat Las Vegasish, but real in its local feel. Latvian food tends to be heavy and dull tasting, though it should serve them well in the cold of winter. There is fish, though it tends to be cured or pickled, so my quest for a light lunch didn’t fly too well, especially after I sat down with my lightly battered chicken breast which turned out to be stuffed with ground beef and ham! Thank god for the beer, most definitely the best part of the Latvian lunch, no question.

Honestly the best food I had in Riga was had when we slipped off to an Uzbekistan restaurant in the suburbs that had great lamb and couscous, that we eat up with a pleasant Georgian red wine, though we had a few lager style local brews as well. Apart from the great beer, Latvians drink up Vodka like water in the clubs and discos, which are mostly run by the Russians still. Latvians in Riga enjoy a secret liqueur called Riga Balzam or Black Balzams, it is a hundred year old recipe that is made up of roots, flowers, herbs and various juices, it is both sweet and bitter and is an acquired taste much like some of the other herbal liqueurs found across Europe that were made by monks over the last couple hundred years or so.

Riga, one of the great Hanseatic League cities and a place to see an Unesco World Heritage Site for its old town, is an amazing city with lots of soul and life that will intrigue you and leave you mystified and place you’ll want to visit again and not just for the great beer.

Places to visit
Occupation Museum of Latvia
Address: Strelnieku laukums 1, Riga, LV-1050
Telephone: +371 7212715 Fax +371 7229255
Opening Times:
01.05.-30.09. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 11-17
01.10.-30.04. 1 2,3,4,5,6,7 11-17
Email: omf@latnet.lv
WWW: http://www.occupationmuseum.lv

Zelta beer gardens-Livu Square

Nightlife

La Rocca Night Club
Brivibas 96
+371 7506030
www.larocca.lv

Extra

Hamburg is on the Elbe River and is one of Europe’s largest ports, but it is also a great city to visit and go just this side of wild in. The Beatles made their name here in the smoky cellar bars in the St. Pauli district near the famed Reeperbahn, Germany’s and maybe Europe’s big Red-Light area. The city has a wonderful city center that is easy to walk and beautiful canals and a central lake, the Binnenalster, with many sights to see a main shopping street, the Poststrasse, and great museums and art galleries, like the famed Kunsthalle that has Caspar David Friedrich’s amazing “The Polar Sea” (1823-4).  This city has many charms and depth, and is mostly overlooked as a tourist attraction, that is a mistake I can assure you as Hamburg has everything for everyone to enjoy. The city is home to fashion, millionaires, historic churches, seedy bars, wonderful restaurants, lovely canals that remind you of some sort of German Venice, pretty parks, good soccer (football) teams, a Neo-Renaissance City Hall, and much more. The central square, The Rathausmarkt is a great place to start your tour from and is an easy meeting place near the main rail station, Bahnhof, and both the U-Bahn and S-Bahn stops. I came by train and never needed a car or even a taxi during my time here, so easy and safe was the city to walk.
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Hamburg’s Hanseatic past runs deep and though Lubeck still has it’s old town intact, Hamburg has just a few streets that reflect this historic past, because in 1842 the city suffered an almost total loss of it’s wood buildings in a fire, and then was devastated again in July of 1943 when the allies firebombed the city to rumble, and at least 55,000 people died, as Hamburg was a major target during WWII. This Hansa city is known for its merchant class as well as its seafaring roots, though now it is driven by international finance and by being a hub for shipping. By being a port and merchant trading Mecca, Hamburg, like Amsterdam and Copenhagen, is known for being open to outsiders and is a welcoming city with a liberal view of society and tolerance towards foreign customs. This openness has been a major factor in Hamburg’s becoming a leading city in business and trade, but it also made it a center of shame too. The major plotters and terrorists in the 911 attacks, including Mohamed Atta lived and used Hamburg as their European base. Hamburg also has a huge branch of Melini Bank or Iran, that has come under scrutiny for it’s dealings in sourcing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and it has a large church of Scientology, which is not too much liked elsewhere in Germany. While no one would suggest Hamburg was to blame, it has been terribly unlucky for the associations. Hamburg, never mind who claimed to rule it whether they be Danish Kings or German Kaisers, has always been almost an independent state, and it’s legend is: a “Free and Hansa City”. The Hanseatic period was between 13th and 17th Centuries and was a loose trading group of city states in Northern Europe and the Baltics and made up what was known as the Hanseatic League of mostly merchant ports, like Copenhagen, Denmark, Riga, Latvia and Stockholm, Sweden all of which including Hamburg became rich cultural cities during this time.
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Like all of the North and Nordic cities, the Lutheran movement and the Protestant Reformation influenced Hamburg when Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic Church. This 16th Century movement led to a stable or independent working class and a rule of mans law instead of Church justice alone. This was also a time when these Northern cities embraced beer brewing as well, with Bavarian brewers bringing their yeast strains north to produce lager styles of beer and commercially sell them, and use these port cities as export trade sites. While Hamburg may not be well known as a great beer city it does produce some good beer and has many highly regarded brewpubs making many interesting styles of beer. I myself found one great small brewpub overlooking one of Hamburg’s beautiful canals, Joh. Albrecht Brauhaus, which makes small batches of seasonal beer almost daily. I really enjoyed their Weiss bier, served in a huge glass and the food was flavorful and fresh as well. I could enjoy Hamburg in any season, but being Californian and not suited for long cold Northern European winters, would recommend spring, summer or fall as ideal seasons for Hamburg. I was there in April and it was unseasonably warm with 70-75 F degrees, making lots of walking even more enjoyable with outdoor dinning as well. Speaking of churches, Hamburg has many lovely churches ranging from the mentioned Lutheran to Baroque and even Gothic in styles, the Nikolaikirche with its glorious spire being my favorite. The St. Nikolai was left partially destroyed and burnt from the firebombing in 1943 as a memorial, but it is still a thing of awe and beauty, though a solemn reminder of the horrors of the past.
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For my visit to Hamburg, I stayed in the notorious and lively St. Pauli district, home to the famed Reeperbahn, a street in the middle of the Red-Light heart of Hamburg, where you find neon lit strip and sex clubs, erotic shops, music venues, pubs and windows with sex for sale like Amsterdam. In fact Hamburg’s Red-Light district is bigger than any in Europe officially, even though Prague, in the Czech Republic, maybe bigger now unofficially! Also, there is the huge Erotic Art Museum for those who need to brush up on their sex history and the history of erotic art, though I meant to visit, I just ran out of time. I picked a quiet and small hotel a few blocks away from the main Reeperbahn up on Budapester Stasse and was happy I did, because it was not loud or neon light affected and right across the street from the home of the St. Pauli Football Club, and I enjoyed checking out Hamburg’s second biggest soccer teams’ home field. Since I was on foot, I was glad it was not too far away from the action and some really nice local pubs where Hamburg’s large brewers beer was on tap, Astra is similar to most international style lagers, though a little less polished with a slightly raw flavor which seemed to fit these ex-sailor and drive bars. Some of these places were so dark and gritty I felt like I had been transported to the age of hard sailing ship times.  To get my nerve up to check out some of the more exotic clubs in St. Pauli, I stumbled in to the Thomas Read Irish Pub, where I found ex-pats and locals drinking good beers and watching soccer, so I felt right at home and quickly became happy and comfortably numb.  Why do all of us ex-pats end up in Irish Pubs? That became the night’s big question that was left unanswered.
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Time to go wild in Hamburg, and visit a few places on the Reeperbahn and walk down sum interesting alleyways. During the day the Reeperbahn is pretty tame and you even see tourists and the whole family walking down it as if it were a normal attraction, but at night the neon glow gives it a real wild energy. While there is a main Police station right on the Reeperbahn and it is a fairly safe place despite its reputation, I was careful not to be pick-pocketed and didn’t flash money around. Best to be without the Rolex and expensive camera when you go out here, if just not to get the wrong attention. The Reeperbahn does have some seedy areas, some beggars, some druggies and even a few shouting crazies around, but you can easily avoid them and there is very little in the way of danger to fear here, even if you are a nervous type, which I’m not.  With legal prostitution and health and protection codes, Hamburg is a center for safe sex tourism, and in which many of the sex workers say empowers women and reduces human trafficking, though I’m not expert and will not try to begin to give you all the stats from their argument. I did ask a few women about their lives and they seemed very adjusted, educated and financially secure, so I hope for the best and believe this legal activity is the right way, but everyone can believe as they see fit. My tour of the strip and sex clubs was a thrilling adventure and one I surely won’t forget even if it was tame compared to what Hamburg has to offer. Make sure you haggle with the door people as they can make their own deals to get you in with drink tokens and entrance fees, I learned this early and got some great deals on drinks and free previews of the girls which shows it pays to play hardball and go on off nights for even better deals. I went to a club, which advertised a 50 Euro entrance fee, but I only paid 24 Euros and got 3 beers, schnapps and a lap dance, with the regular 10 Striptease shows included. Not bad, and the women were all beautiful model-types and had smiles and conversations that were both charming and intelligent in manner and substance. Then it was to the next place and a step up in the erotic scale, a sex club where live sex acts can happen both on stage, in public and in private booths, though I only ended up having a nice chat with one of girls, a nice woman that neither pressured me or tried to sell me on anything, and though there was some wild scenes going on a few feet away, we happily talked about Hamburg, healthcare, politics and her nice flat in which she has all ready finished paying off. She was a confident and well-studied woman, who was getting her doctorate degree. While there was some more raunchy clubs and fetish type places, that may not appeal to me, but there is plenty of options for all kinds and all tastes.
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Hamburg is a historic and hanseatic city that has it share of flaws, but that has many more positives to enjoy and offers many interesting highlights for the savvy traveler. While I may not want to spend my whole vacation in Hamburg, if visiting Germany or Europe, it is a city not to be missed if you are in the area. I will most surely go to Hamburg again, as it is close to many of my other favorite cities, like Copenhagen, Malmo, Riga and is easy to get to, especially by rail and not expensive to stay in once there. Hamburg has great eating, shopping and every type of entertainment you could ever imagine and then some. The city is clean and has both a modern skyline and old world charm, but with lots of edgy character and a wild side too. With friendly beautiful people and with an interesting history, this city can capture you and enthrall you. While the relaxed attitude towards sex maybe not be the biggest selling point, with all the culture and maritime trimmings, it does give Hamburg more texture, and food scene is almost as exciting with a surprising array of local ingredients that are delicious. Hamburg is a great city to drink in and savor with an independent and prideful population that is welcoming and friendly.
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Places I went:
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Thomas Read Irish Pub
www.thomasread.com

Nobistor 10
22767 Hamburg, Germany
+49 40 31171840
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Brauhaus Joh. Albrecht
www.brauhaus-joh-albrecht.de

Adolphsbrücke 7
20457 Hamburg, Germany
+49 40 367740
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Hotel Budapester Hof
www.seekhotelrates.com

Paulinenstr. 16
20359 Hamburg, Germany
+49 40 4397972
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Info:
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Hamburg Website
www.hamburg.de/en
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Germany DK Eyewitness Travel Book
www.dk.com

Grapelive: Oregon Trip Report

THURSDAY, 9/11/08:

Dundee Hills

I new it was going to be tough to pack this adventure into two days, so I tried to be careful not to do too much or schedule myself silly, as I wanted to relax a bit and really see the Willamette Valley in the best light possible. And I can tell you, I did just that, in fact it was nearly perfect in everyway. The weather was maybe the best of the year, as we were told by many of the locals, with hot sunshine each day and a light breeze keeping things in check in the vineyards. Driving around got some getting used to, but once we got the hang of it, finding places was not too difficult, though I did get us off course a few times, damn MapQuest!

I was playing sidekick and navigator for my friend and winemaker Jennifer Pandol, who makes a wonderful Pinot Noir herself from the Santa Cruz Mountains. I was here to get the story and learn about the terroir, Jenny was here to do the same, but also to see family and relax a bit before her harvest/crush madness. We both learned a lot and came away excited and very impressed with what we saw and tasted.

For the first day it was all about the red hills of Dundee, now known as the “Dundee Hills” and tasting wines that highlighted this area’s unique terroir profile. The Dundee Hills are home to some of the best of the best, plus an amazing array of small family producers. The big guns here are Domaine Serene and Archery Summit, I flipped a coin and it came up Domaine Serene, so that ended being the first stop. At this point, I would like to mention that I owe a big thank you to Tom Elliott of Northwest Wines, as he was my go to guy to set up most of these appointments, so Thank You Tom. Northwest Wines brokers mostly Oregon and Washington wines in California, and they do a fantastic job of promoting the region. Now, it was time for my Pinot quest.

Domaine Serene
With beautiful vineyards and pine forests in the background, Domaine Serene certainly is a wonderful setting to get your feet wet and dive into Oregon Pinot Noir. This is a luxurious and expensive villa with everything done with class and elegance, but as with most places in Oregon there is a cozy laid back air and Tara showed us their wines with ease and good humor. We started with their 2006 Clos du Soleil Chardonnay, which was full of character and flavor, with peach and pear fruit, hazelnut and elegant balance. Then it was a selection of their famed Pinot, the 2005 Evenstad Reserve and the 2005 Jerusalem Hill, both of which were great. I gave the Evenstad the nod as my favorite now, and Jenny gave her affection to the Jerusalem Hill. Both were lush, rich and full of texture and showed deep red fruits with fine creamy oak notes. The tasting finished with the 2004 Rockblock Syrah from the Rogue Valley in southern Oregon. Sourced from the Del Rio vineyard, this wine shows a pure Syrah nature with black and blue fruits, cassis, mocha, game and spices. This was a great way to start the day and my first tasting ever in Oregon.

2005 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir “Evenstad Reserve”, Willamette Valley, Oregon
One of my favorite wines year after year, the Evenstad Reserve gives lots of pleasure and is an amazing Pinot Noir most every year, with the 2005 not letting me down, in fact it surely proves the quality in even a tough vintage. This wine shows sweet smoke, wild flowers and raspberry on the nose and lush red fruits on the palate. This s a deep and complex wine that allows instant enjoyment, but keeps you entertained with the changing layers. Red plum, strawberry/rhubarb, and round cherry fruits, mineral and spices, and a long creamy finish with beautiful French oak shadings. 94 Points, grapelive

Domaine Serene Winery – Tara Shepersky
6555 NE Hilltop Lane, Dayton 97114
503-864-4600

De Ponte Cellars
Down the hill from Domaine Serene and in the shadow of Domaine Drouhin, De Ponte is a small family winery and farms the Rudolf Steiner way, purely Biodynamic. This friendly and warm place produces some very good wines and I can recommend them as a great value as well. Their line up was all good and offered a fun selection. To clean the palate, we started with the 2007 DFB Estate Melon; Melon is a rare Loire Valley grape that makes a fresh and light white wine. Their version has zesty apple and lime fruit and tangy acidity, perfect for hot days and or seafood. I also liked their pink wine, a 2007 Rose of Pinot Noir that has flowers, light cherry, watermelon and fresh citrus. Then it was back to Pinot, and Suzanne poured us three, a light Smokey 2006 Clay Hill (their second label) Pinot Noir that had lots of fresh cherry fruit and sweet oak shadings. Then the savory and rich 2006 Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Noir, the flagship wine, which was full-bodied, big and round with layers of fruit and good depth. As a special, we also got to taste the Burgundy like 2004 Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Noir that was packed with dark fruit, truffle, mineral and classic Pinot flavors, hands down our favorite and the most interesting.

2004 De Ponte Cellars Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Thanks to De Ponte Cellars for letting me try this library wine from the classic 2004 vintage. This Pinot is very compelling and super interesting with lots of Burgundy like intensity and style. There are layers and layers here and the wine changes greatly with air and is a stunning wine. This Pinot shows truffle, earth, spice and deep flavors and subtle quality oak notes with a full array of dark and red berry fruits, plum, tangy currant and a smoky sweet finish. No question this wine is still a baby, but it is all ready drinking great and should do so for many more years. 93-94 Points, grapelive

De Ponte Cellars – Suzanne Baldwin
17545 Archery Summit Rd. Dayton 97114
503-864-3611 offices
503-864-3698 winery

Stoller Vineyards
The Stoller family spared no expense to build an award winning green design winery and the first winery to be Gold LEED certified. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) The Stoller’s believe in a sustainable work place, and their winery is all done to the highest standards and seems very well thought out. We were very impressed with Kenny Stoller as he led us on a tour of the facility, as he explained each area and the family goals with energy and patience. I had tried a few Stoller wines prior and had been impressed and nothing changed my views after tasting their solid line up of current releases. The highlights from Stoller included; the 2007 JV Chardonnay, an un-oaked gem with fresh bright apple and pear fruit with crisp citrus that was both rich and refreshing. And the 2006 SV Pinot Noir (red label) that was powerful and at the same time elegant with rich red fruits, wild flowers and big round body. I also want to Thank Mitch, as she made us feel very welcome and was especially good at explaining the wines we tasted.

2006 Stoller Pinot Noir SV, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Deeper and richer than the lovely 2005, this wine seems to have it all with ripe intense dark fruits and lush textures. This bold wine shows dark cherry, brambleberry, sweet plums and liqueur with wild flowers, rose petals, incense spices and smoky sweet vanilla oak shadings. This is a fun and serious Pinot that drinks great now, but should smooth out and get even deeper over the next 3-5 years. 94 Points, grapelive

Stoller Vineyards - Kenny Stoller
15151 NE Stoller Rd
Dayton 97114
503-864-3404

Dundee Bistro and Ponzi Wine Bar (next door)

This upscale Bistro in the little hamlet of Dundee offers a great selection of plates and the wine list is amazing, I am very grateful to my friend Christine Baker for giving me the heads up on this place. We especially enjoyed the claims in a Pinot Gris and garlic broth, in fact we keep the broth through out lunch to dip our bread in, sending the busboy away many, many times with out that bowl! I had a lovely 2007 Ponzi Pinot Gris that was lively and pure with green apple and cool citrus notes, very nice. My curious winemaker friend opted for a rare Dao white from Portugal that opened with a sherry note, but really got some life after a minute in the glass turning rich and flavorful. Next to the Dundee Bistro is the Ponzi Wine Bar and tasting area that had a great selection of wines for take away and to taste from the Willamette Valley. Ponzi has long been a favorite of mine and their Reserve Pinot always impresses me with depth and flavor richness.

Ponzi Wine Bar
 100 SW Seventh Street, 
Dundee, OR 97115
503.554.1500

*Grapelive Notes
The Dundee Hills “terroir” flavor profile seems clear and distinct to me, I find lots of sweet red cherry fruit, red berry, strawberry/rhubarb and baking spices (like maybe nutmeg) giving way to creamy textures. This may come from the Red Jory Soils and to a lesser extent climate factors. The dirt here is red in color and high in iron and minerals, which make it different from other areas in the Willamette.

FRIDAY, 9/12/08:

Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill County

This was an exciting day, as I’ve been a big fan of the main three wineries we planned to visit and I was finally going to walk and taste the famed Beaux Frères Vineyard in person. To me Beaux Frères, is like a top Grand Cru Burgundy comparable to Domaine Romanee-Conti, or better yet Domaine Comte Georges du Vogue makers of the great Musigny & Bonnes Mares. But first we were headed to Penner-Ash and then Shea Vineyards; it doesn’t get better than this! After finding the right road leading to Ribbon Ridge and Yamhill County things were all right in the world, with beautiful sunshine and views of wild blackberries and hazelnut orchards. This is pretty country and very peaceful, with stunning vistas across the valley with the impressive Mount Hood in the background.

Penner-Ash Wine Cellars

Lynn Penner-Ash makes some of the finest Pinot Noir period, and I have always been a fan since I first tried her wine some five or six years ago. Lynn went to Davis, did some time in Napa, then headed north taking the winemaking role at Rex-Hill Vineyards before creating her own label. In 2005 she got her own winery up and running, as well as sourcing her own estate vineyard, the Dussin Vineyard. Since then things have only got better she continues to showcase her talent and gather acclaim worldwide. In fact, recently she was hired by a “Cult” Napa Valley producer to make a special Willamette Valley Pinot Noir for them to partner their highly rated and priced Cabernet Sauvignon!

Natalie gave us the tour and told us all about the place, Natalie runs the front of the house and is a wonderful guide with great stories and a good sense of humor. The best story she told was of how the winter rains flood the lower driveway to the winery, which hits about a mile up on a hill, with the raging waters too deep to drive through for up to two weeks at a time. No problem for Natalie, she puts her laptop and cell phone in her backpack and canoes across the river of water and then hikes the mile trek to the winery and office each day! I think she needs a raise Lynn, don’t you? That is the real pioneer spirit, and shows some of the down to earth nature of the Willamette Valley that comes through when you get to know people here.

Did I forget to tell about the wine? Well, I’ll fix that now, as this was one of the best line up’s of wine by a single winery that I’ve tasted ever! We started with a lovely Rogue Valley 2007 Viognier, which was a classic in flavors and purity with honeysuckle, spice, apricot and peach. Then we were treated to five fantastic Pinot Noirs, four of which were single vineyard wines that showed each terroir well, and the fifth was the flagship wine of the Penner-Ash Wine Cellars, the 2006 Willamette Valley. Included in the single vineyard selections were: the 2006 Dussin (Estate), the 2006 Goldschmidt (Dundee Hills), the 2006 Carabella (a vineyard Lynn advised on) and the 2006 Seven Springs. The 2006 Willamette Valley is drinking great all ready and should age great too, with amazing layers and complexity it won out in the end as our top choice, even though I was torn between the Seven Springs and the Dussin as well. Really they all were top notch and rival top Pinots from anywhere. After the Pinots, Natalie poured us the dry rose of Pinot Noir, the 2007 Roseo, which was a delight and I made sure I got a bottle before heading out.

2006 Penner-Ash Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
This lusty dark Pinot Noir has to be one of the best Pinots in the new world and a world-class wine. This multi vineyard cuvee delivers all the ingredients for an amazing wine, and is sourced from only top sites that all add to the success of this Pinot. Lynn Penner-Ash is a proven master with this grape and region and this wine showcases all of her greatness to perfection. The wine is deeply layered and unfolds with lush fruit and textures. The 2006 vintage is a blockbuster and shows the darker nature of the Pinot with lots of black fruits, plums, blackberries and a medley of red berries and black cherries. The wonderful wine is perfumed with violets, wild flowers and roses leading to a thick palate of fruit and touches of smoke and spices, finishing with lavish, pretty toasty oak. Wow, without a doubt this is an awesome wine! (Est. $48-50) 95-96 Points, grapelive

Penner-Ash Wine Cellars – Natalie Sigafoos
15771 NE Ribbon Ridge Rd, 
Newberg, OR 97132

Shea Wine Cellars & Shea Vineyards
Dick Shea is the man behind the legend of Shea Vineyard, Oregon’s most famous vineyard. The Shea Vineyard has graced the label of some of the greatest wines of this region and has the top winemakers in the Willamette and even California begging for this fruit. Mike Etzel (Beaux Frères), Ken Wright (Ken Wright Cellars), and Lynn Penner-Ash (Penner-Ash Wine Cellars) are just a few of the Oregon winemakers using these grapes to make amazing Pinots, and then there is the Californian wineries: Loring, Pali and Auteur as well. The Auteur 2006 Shea was utterly amazing and as close to perfect as Pinot gets. I would also compare Shea Vineyard with the Pisoni and Garys’ Vineyards (Santa Lucia Highlands) here in California, or even maybe also similar to the Melville Vineyard (Santa Rita Hills).

We found Shea Wine Cellars and met up with Drew Voit, Shea Wine Cellar’s Winemaker, who I am grateful to for taking so much time out of his day to show us around and answer a massive amount of questions. Drew is a great guy and was kind, with a bright smile and lots of passion for his work. He has also consulted with Domaine Serene and really got their Chardonnay program to the next level. Here at Shea, he has the pick of the place and gets the most interesting selections for their line up of Pinots. Shea has lots of different sites on the vineyard, in fact Shea Vineyards is in reality two separated vineyards, and they have most clones planted. They use different blocks to blend into their main wine, the Estate Pinot, and then they have single block wines as well, and sometimes they produce even single clone wines like, the Wadenswil (a Swiss clone) and the Pommard (French clone).
As we walked through the vines at Shea, it was hard not to feel content and at peace, as it is a special place, I even mentioned my thoughts to Drew who agreed with a knowing grin.

Drew is very excited about the Chardonnay at Shea, and after tasting it I can see why, this is great stuff and a heady wine with bold richness and sublime balance and texture. This was the 2006 Estate Chard, which even though a hot year by Oregon standards showed focus and bright flavors with apple, pear and white peaches along with hints of fig, lemon, clove and vanilla. This is a very complex and layered wine that has class and body that are more Batard-Montrachet like than some quality California Chardonnay. Then we dived into the Estate Pinot, the 2006 vintage, which was extremely ripe and bold at first, but opened up nicely into a balanced and deep wine with lots of plum and dark fruits all held in with pleasing toasty oak. I can’t wait to get back to Shea and taste from barrel and see how the Chardonnay ages, plus after 2009 Drew is planning to due his own label and that will be really fun to keep up on. Shea was planted first in 1989 and they started producing their own wine in small amounts in 1996, and now are par with the worlds best, congrats Dick, you have a awesome place and make super wines.

2006 Shea Vineyards Chardonnay “Shea Vineyards” Estate, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Watch out Burgundy, Oregon has your whites in their sights now and they are on target! This has the beginnings of a Batard-Montrachet beater, with solid structure and intense fruit. This Chardonnay shows pear, white peach, apple, fig and hazelnuts in beautiful layers. The texture is rich and creamy with plenty of soft sweet oak, but there is vigor and life here too. A hint of lemon goes well with the brioche and vanilla on the finish. (Est. $45-50) 93-94 Points, grapelive

Shea Wine Cellars – Drew Voit, Winemaker
12321 NE Hwy 240, Newberg, OR 9713

Beaux Frères Winery

Michael Etzel came to Oregon, liked what he saw and bought and took on a hog farm. This was 1986, and he only had a slight connection to wine, though an expert one, he had the famous wine critic Robert Parker as a brother in law. I guess Parker liked what he saw and became a full partner in the pigpen, soon to become vineyard. Michael hand planted Beaux Frères Vineyard in 1988 to 1990, all 23 acres, and took part-time work in the cellars of Ponzi and others to learn about wine. From bacon to Grand Cru in 10 years! In 1994 Michael produced one of the greatest Pinot Noirs in the new world and has never looked back. I was lucky to have tried that vintage recently and was amazed by what I was tasting, and I became a believer again. I remember the joy of tasting Beaux Frères from the 1998 and 1999 vintages and thinking of someday going to this place, and today was going to be that day! The Beaux Frères Vineyard and the newer Upper Terrace Vineyard at Beaux Frères are both farmed biodynamic and much love and respect is given the land, and they feel this connects them spiritually to the place and makes much better wine.

Kurt Johnson, Beaux Frères Sales Manager and his boxer Jackson lead us on a march through the vineyard and told us the tales of this stunning site. Michael greeted us warmly, then went to sell metal scraps with his assistant winemaker Grant in tow, but Kurt and Jackson put on a great show and we were in no way disappointed and I really enjoyed my game of tug of war with Kurt’s dog while he talked about Beaux Frères’ past and future. Kurt also let us know that Ribbon Ridge and especially Beaux Frères produces darker and more intense fruit profiles, this might be from the sedimentary soils here, it seems all of the Yamhill-Carlton region is set on ancient seabed. I also learned that the original vineyard was and is planted to the Wadenswil (Swiss clone) and the Pommard (old French clone) giving me a new insight on these Pinot clones, both of which are not so popular in California, but make wonderful and complex wines here. He also let us know the newer vineyard the Upper Terrace that Michael planted modern French clones like 113, 114, 115, 667 and 777 as well as a tiny plot of Grenache, yes I said Grenache. Well, that is crazy I thought, but I got have one; I mean I really need this wine! So I bought one, and took it away with me. (I drank it later that night, I could not wait…)

Beaux Frères does three Pinot Noirs normally, a Willamette Valley from purchased fruit and the Beaux Frères Vineyard Estate Pinot and the Upper Terrace Estate Pinot, plus that crazy Upper Terrace Grenache mentioned above. We able to try the 2006 Beaux Frères Estate Pinot Noir, which never regularly gets poured, but they had sold out of the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, oh too bad! So, after all the build up how did it taste? Well now, even though I have had the 2006 earlier and rated it way up there close to perfect, this wine did not let me down. Let’s just say with only a tiny sip and sniff, I was in heaven, as this is a great and almost perfect wine. In fact I was so utterly convinced I gave my winemaker friend the rest of my glass! Amazing is all I can say now, the dark rich fruit and sublime smoky oak notes frame it perfectly and the depth is compelling all ready, even though it should be a wine for the ages. Maybe, just maybe, we had saved the best for last, at least I think so. It was a great moment to live, Beaux Frères is an important place and one of the Grand Cru sites in the new world, and it was fun to catch up with Kurt, oh yeah, I had met him before when he had been with Etude in Napa Valley and more recently when he was down showing off Beaux Frères in California this last March. People do make a difference and Kurt is one of the good guys in this business and it great to see that nice guys make good in this world.

2006 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir “Beaux Frères Vineyard” Estate, Ribbon Ridge, Willamette Valley, Oregon
I originally tasted and reviewed this wine in March 2008, and though it was one of the best Pinots I’ve tasted and compared it to the great Burgundies, and now I am even more impressed. Mike Etzel has crafted a fantastic wine, even if he thinks the 2006 vintage is over hyped and not typical of Oregon. This wine compares to the great Burgundy vintages like 1990 and 1999, with huge fruit and power. That said the wine is opening up nicely and has lovely perfume and sublime depth and balance. I could rave on and on, but I guess I should say it s close to perfect. The fruit is dark and lively with blackberry, plum and currant mostly with only a hint of cherry at this stage. Pretty smoky sweet oak toast frame this wine perfectly. This Pinot Noir is one of my all time favorites. (Est. $75-80) 96+ Points, grapelive * Tasted at Beaux Frères, September 2008.

Beaux Frères   - Kurt Johnson, Sales Manager
15155 NE North Valley Road   Newberg, Oregon 97132 USA
Telephone: (503) 537-1137   Facsimile: (503) 537-2613   e-Mail: info@beauxfreres.com

*Grapelive Notes:
The Yamhill-Carlton District and Ribbon Ridge area in the Willamette Valley form sort of a horseshoe shape of raised ancient seabed and produce wines of slightly darker color (in general) and more intense dark flavors, led by blackberry, plum and briar notes. Though most Oregon wines have good acidity, it seems that the Yamhill-Carlton have more tannins which would lead me to believe that they might have aging advantage. It is something I’ll keep exploring, for sure.

All Oregon Wine Reviews *Click Here For Reviews 

New! Beer Cities: Moscow, Russia

Moscow, Russia: First Impressions of the Capital

Landing in Moscow at the Sheremetevo 2 airport, what a mix of emotions, fear excitement and expectations of this land, Russia. Growing up when I did, Russia was the bad nuclear enemy and a dark and tragic place that held a certain fascination and until recently was a big mystery. Once landed and the terrifying passport and customs control was cleared it was into the Moscow night and amongst some of the worst traffic I’ve scene since a Friday night on the 405 in Los Angeles!

I’m here to celebrate, a boyhood friend and now ex-pat living here, Michael Cordy is my guide, lucky for me as English is not spoken very much here and nothing is printed in Latin, so finding places is near impossible. Sitting in a taxi catching up, Michael shows me the massive building projects going on, this is a huge city that is growing at a phenomenal rate. Moscow all ready rates as one of the great cities of the world and now it is charging up that list and fast. I learned quickly that Moscow is a city whose citizens are obsessed with Politics and are some of the biggest beer drinkers in the world. Everywhere in the city people are buzzing about this cabinet minister or the new deputy prime minister, I mean for Russian’s it is deadly serious. They are freaks for it, much like the Brit’s are for the royals or like us American’s go for pop stars or pop tarts, read Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton.

In March 2008, Putin is stepping down and there will be a new leader taking office, that was the big question while I was visiting, and now it looks set to be Dmitry Medvedev, one of Putin’s most trusted deputies. He is also the youngest and seems to be the most business and markets serious and a moderate. This could be great news for us, in American and western governments politically, giving hope that relations will get back on track. Putin is not going away though and Russians are very happy about this, he is wildly popular and looking at his reign in total, his policies have brought stability and middle class growth that no one could have imagined, and this has also created maybe the biggest beer market in the world.

Even though they have only a slight history in brewing beer the Russian’s have gone crazy for beer since it became unregulated in 1991. Besides the beautiful Orthodox Church and it’s amazingly pious faithful, Russia has two new icons, Putin and Baltika (Beer).

I know, yes I know “What, you must be crazy, it is vodka and caviar!” but you’d be surprised as I was.

Moscow The Russian Capital: Quick & Basic Facts

Moscow started as a small trading village in the 8th century in a turbulent rural area that was on an ancient merchant route, but really became a fortified city in around 1147 and was founded by Yuri Dolgorukion at the confluence of the Moskva and Neglinnaya rivers. Now at least 10 Million People call Moscow home, and more are coming in all the time. Moscow became the capital of the Principality of Muscovy and it started to grow into a coveted city. Moscow then become a target of raids and was pillaged few times, finally being sacked by Khan Batu of the Golden Horde (in 1237) which lead to more than two centuries of rule by the Tartars.

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Moscow was known as the “Third and Last Rome” and it took on the Byzantine double-headed eagle emblem, which is now the symbol of the Russian State. In 1584 Ivan ‘the Terrible’ dies, after making a regional power of Moscow by using supreme brutality and force upon his people. In 1613 the Romanovs come into power with Mikhail Romanov becoming the Tsar of all the Russias. The Tsars ruled without mercy and cruelly until the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Moscow became one of the world’s greatest and most powerful cities though it did lose its capital status a few times under the Tsars and it burned down by fire twice, once in 1712 after which Peter ‘the Great’ named St. Petersburg the capital, then again by its own citizens to force Napoleon and his out in 1812! Between 1825 and 1905 the Tsar tried to repress the population and live beyond the dreams of Gods and Kings of which lead to many revolts, wars and even terrorist attacks, one even ended in the assassination of Alexander II.

This took its toll on the Tsars, and finally the last Tsar Nicholas II introduced a constitution and allowed an elected body to be formed as an assembly known as the Duma. Sadly Nicholas, lead Russia into the disastrous WWI, ‘a straw that broke the camels’ back moment in history. The result was the 1917 Bolshevik uprising and Vladimir Lenin was swept into power in St. Petersburg, but he knew Moscow was the place to cement his place as the supreme leader and in Nov. 1917 he proclaims Moscow the capital. In 1918 he has the Tsar and his family executed, as their presence kept some hopes alive that they would return to power and he had a civil war and foreign armies to deal with. In 1922 the Soviet Union was formed with Moscow as the capital and seat of power, but Lenin died shortly after not seeing his Marxism-communism utopian dream come true or to real fruition. That was 1924 and in the fight to fill the vacuum of power was won by Josef Stalin ‘the Butcher’ who ruled the USSR until his death in 1954.

Stalin from his wing of the Kremlin over saw one of the most violent and murderous regimes of all time, it is said that he ordered the death of close to 20 Million people. Some died through failed attempts to create farm collectives, which led to massive relocation and famine that took about 5 million lives, or just because of paranoid whim. He thought everyone was out to take his power so he had the secret police, the CheKa (NKVD) that became the dreaded KGB, find traitors and ship them off to Gulags in Siberia or just make them disappear. Most were not traitors, in fact he was more afraid of the hero’s of the motherland and many patriots were slaughtered for no good reason. Moscow was the most feared city in the world during this time and it kept its reputation until even today. The Nazis sneak attack against Russia made strange bedfellows of the USA and the USSR. Hitler’s panzers and storm troopers got to the outskirts of Moscow, but the Red Army held out bravely and when winter came the Germans were doomed. It is said the best Russian generals were January and February, but Marshal Zhukov was the man that led the Russians to Berlin and the end of the Third Reich. Russia lost 20 Million souls during what they still call the Great Patriotic War.

After Stalin’s death the communist party took over and the Supreme Soviet elected first Nikita Khrushchev, and the Cold War started in earnest. Moscow was a scary place if you were a US citizen and we lived in nuclear fear through the line of General Secretary’s (Soviet leaders) that followed Khrushchev; Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, and Konstantin Chernenko. By this time Russia had enough, it had no money and no will to keep it up, especially after the disastrous invasion of Afghanistan, and Mikhail Gorbachev came to power and he oversaw the end of the Soviet Union and began opening up Russia to the West. His Glasnost and Perestroika policies took hold and led to Moscow’s revival as a great world city. It was a bumpy ride and the mayor of Moscow, Boris Yeltsin, had to come to the rescue to after a communist last gasp coup attempt. This though brought Gorbachev down and Yeltsin took the helm of the new Russian Federation.

Moscow was now free, but unfortunately freedom led to chaos and crime was the real winner, and the Russian Mafia stripped any and every asset left in the city and the whole of Russia. The free market system was not making life much better in Moscow and poor Yeltsin had too many crisis to fix and turned to Vodka, though he tried to hold it all together. He sent troops into Chechnya in 1994, which they were not prepared for, so worried he’d have another Afghanistan he signed a peace accord. This saved him, and he was re-elected in 1996, but he soon started sinking into depression and alcohol again. Russia needed a strong and forceful leader to deal with crime lords, oligarchs and the Chechen terrorist, and an ex-KGB leader came in from the cold to bring Russia back in line, this was Vladimir Putin. Putin took power as an appointed Prime Minister then as the elected President in 2000. Since this time Moscow has regained its glory and is as dynamic as any city anywhere, even though it has had to deal with terrorist attacks and still suffers from that threat and even though major violent crime is down it still can be a problems. Moscow is growing by leaps and bounds and even if Putin is taking the country away from a true democracy the people of Russia are firmly behind him as their lives continue to get better and better. The population has seen a major increase in wealth under Putin, most people’s salaries have doubled in the last few years and the middle class is growing at a faster rate than in the West. There is hope here and overall it looks positive.

Oil and natural gas wealth has been diverted from big companies domestic and foreign to the Kremlin controlled companies leading many to cry foul, but it has given the government real stability and economic clout. Even with this heavy-handed approach there has been a real boom for all business and with a 13 percent flat tax on income Russia has become a great place to do business and earn good money. The market there is growing at a great rate and looks to become the second largest luxury market after the USA in the next few years. Lots of uncertainties about Putin leaving power are now the headlines, as he is supposed to step down in March 2008, when his second term as president ends. He has set in motion a movement to keep power and looks set to lead from behinds the scenes. All this intrigue makes Moscow just that much more exciting and electric!

Moscow: A City Obsessed With Politics and Beer

Most people think of Vodka when they consider Russia in a drinking way, but in Moscow beer is wildly popular and drunk everywhere. Beer is well thought of in Russia, it is a cultured beverage even though it is also more commonly found on the street than our plastic water bottles seem to be in every ones hands in major cities in the USA. In fact beer and tea are still much more popular in Russia than coffee. I saw more Carlsberg than cappuccino or mochas in people’s hands, no question. So what is going on? Beer is exploding in Russia, and especially in the capital Moscow. There was one real beer is Russia under Soviet rule, a light and boring brew that tastes more like Corona than Imperial Stout, but since 1991 the market for premium beer has grown at an unbelievable rate. Now everyone wants a piece of this lucrative market and global brands are pouring millions into advertising and promotions here.

The beers in Moscow were all very drinkable and some rival Western brews, their most popular brands are Baltika and Arsenalnoye, according to the late beer guru Michael Jackson. Baltika brews around 12 different styles and exports to at least 38 countries and is jointly owned by Carlsberg of Denmark and Russian partners in St. Petersburg, even though the brewery started in 1990 in Saint Petersburg. I tried most of Baltika’s line up and found the Porter and Wheat Beer excellent and fresh, though their Lager is the most found in the pubs and taps which is by no means a bad thing as it is a good glass of suds. Beer has been helped by the fact that the former Soviet Republics of Georgia & Moldova have had embargos forced on them by the Russian government, so these countries have not been sending wine into Russia. These countries produced the best and cheapest wine in Russia and now the choices are mostly Italian or French, both of which are not traditional to Russia and they are much more pricy. So beer took advantage of that, plus beer actually goes better with the Russian menu of foods. Politic Games have favored brewski in this case, you just have to love the intrigue here, and this is an exciting city.

In Moscow you will find beer gardens, well out-door cafes that really end up as beer gardens and thousands of warm pubs all over the city. You can even find rolling kiosks that serve beer from a keg on tap in the parks, in fact we had a draft at the Kremlin, right in front of the cadets in training doing exercises in uniform at the Kremlin gate. It was an experience that I would have never dreamed of as a teenager! Sitting on the grass, overlooking the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, mere feet from Red Square, sipping on a nice Baltika lager. Growing up hearing about Stalin, Brezhnev and Khrushchev and lived in fear of Russia, now I wish that I had learned about the real Russian soul and read Pushkin, Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky. This is an amazing City with a long history that is both tragic and heroic, but always fascinating. Walking down the “Old Arbat” gets the heart pumping with graceful buildings, uneven cobblestones, street performers, outdoors dining, lots of tourists and very beautiful women dressed to kill, and it has to be one of the great beer drinking spots in Moscow. From here you can find souvenirs, people watch and catch up with friends after a day of sightseeing or work.

Moscow: Getting Around

Forget ever thinking about driving in Moscow unless you have a death wish or love LA traffic and your homesick for a parking lot, as the city was never set up for the personal automobile. The Russian drive aggressively, but fairly. I can attest to the crazy nature of driving here, as we went through the process of renting a car and driving around town. Reading the local papers has examples horrific crashes almost everyday, these are very sobering stories and my friends here tell terrifying tales of the worst crash scenes this week! If this keeps up, well, Russia might catch up with us Americans! Besides the threat of being part of a fireball or any other gruesome image that come to mind, it is almost as scary to just fill out the paperwork at the rental car agency. I swear it lasted an hour and was a form that makes Tolstoy’s epic “War & Peace” seem a weekend read! So enjoy Moscow, take the Metro!

The Metro here is amazing and more like entering a museum than a subway. Everything is spotless and ultra clean with statues and marble everywhere. Riding the trains is fast and easy and safe, though you need to study Cyrillic and do your homework into where you need to go and which line gets there, I was lucky to be with natives and they guided me around without me venturing into Tunnels alone. All the stations are different and unique with beautiful socialistic artworks adoring the walls and ceilings. Most of the Metro system was accomplished under the brutal hand of Stalin, but you might even let that slide when you marvel at these wonderful holes in the ground. More people ride the Moscow Metro system each day than London, New York and Paris combined and there is a train every sixty seconds and no spray paint! You can study the Metro layout well in advance either online or any good travel guide, please do this before any trip to Moscow, oh yes, trust me on this one.

Moscow: Info & Reference

Beer and Hot Spots

Baltika, now owned by Carlsberg of Demark, and the biggest brand in Russia now, is available everywhere. This is a company that is exploding in popularity and brews about 13 different types of beer, all of which taste like crafted beers and of high quality.

Arsenalnoye, a Baltika brand label, that remains big in the market and has a high profile in Moscow itself.

Bavarius Beer House, a big beer house with a big selection of local and imported beer.
www.bavarius.ru
Kosomolskiy Prospekt 21/10

Reference

.

The Moscow Times
English Language Newspaper
www.themoscowtimes.com
*Daily free paper, great guide to the city with restaurant and club reviews as well as political news.

Thomas Cook Guide Travellers “Moscow & St. Petersburg” 2nd Edition

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide “Moscow”

DK Eyewitness Companions “Beer” editor-in-chief Michael Jackson

*Facts checked and researched with the following guidebooks:

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide ‘Moscow’ & Thomas Cook Travellers ‘Moscow & Saint Petersburg’ 2nd Edition

Moscow: Extras Gallery

(click images for larger views)

Copenhagen The Danish Capital: Basic Facts

Originally a Viking fishing village, Copenhagen really started to coming into being a major city around the 12th Century and most put 1167 as the founding date. After sieges and Swedish invasion attempts, which were successfully repelled by the brave and hardy Danes in the 1600’s there was a calm spell before the British attacked the Danish fleet and Copenhagen itself from the harbor in 1801. In the 1850’s the city opened up and increased in size dramatically and united with the borough of Frederiksberg in 1901 making it the city we know today. Copenhagen’s art and commerce scene flourished in the late 1800’s with J.C. Jacobsen and his son Carl leading efforts in both areas with their famous Carlsberg Brewery helping bring the standard of living and culture to the highest of levels within Europe and the city has flourished ever since, except between 1940 –45 when Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany.

Copenhagen has a multitude of great museums, parks and cultural centers through out the city as well as many lovely churches and stylish old buildings and neighborhoods. Copenhagen is a beautiful and intriguing city that is both lively and laid back, with plenty of options for all that visit. Copenhagen is connected, by the Oresund Bridge, to Malmo, Sweden (since 2000) making car and rail travel possible, not to mention fast and easy, as well as opening the area to more regional integration. Both the Swedes and Danes enjoy the ability to do day trips for shopping or even commuting for work now.

Copenhagen Intro: Getting into town

I arrived in Copenhagen’s central station from Sweden almost five years exactly to the date I last visited, and walking off the platform I was very glad to have my directions figured out as I merged on the street and steered toward my hotel. I booked online and got a two-night deal at Copenhagen Island Hotel, an ultra modern Danish place on stilts that sort of made it an island sitting in some dingy water of a main canal. It was a long walk, especial dragging my worse for wear orange bag that had been battered by rough airlines and equally rough Swedish cobblestone streets, both of which had cause its wheels to give up the ghost and I was now mostly dragging it. Not too bad it was 22 minutes from the train to the hotel without getting lost or even worried about being lost. Danes are some of my favorite people and they are very nice, polite and generally very helpful since most speak better English than I do! The hotel staff didn’t seem to mind much letting me in to their spotless shiny pad even if I had just been camping at a race track for the last three days in Sturup near Malmo, Sweden and was looking a little worse for wear myself (not just my duffel) and I was checked in quickly and with a smile. I managed to decipher the room card and get in after a few tries and found a modern room that looked cold and sleek, but felt much more comfortable than it looked with pleasing Danish design touches and enjoyed the George Jetson bathroom and showered in space age style. Then I ventured out for a few beers and sightseeing, luck for me the Global Warming thing was working for me, as it was early April and was enjoying 70-degree weather! It strolled though some dark neighborhoods and quiet streets, but as I finally reached the Vesterbrogade near Tivoli Gardens things got lively and it was warmly crowded with grinning faces.

Beer time! But where, that was tough, should I go into Tivoli and sip a Pils while watching the tourist and children enjoy and scream there way through the amusement park, or slip into Murphy’s Pub grab a Guinness and watch football (soccer) or hike further and hang out in Nyhaven? This time it was Nyhaven the famous “New Harbor” where beautiful wood canal boats shuttle by filled with sightseers while looking envious at those on the dockside benches of the many outdoor cafes that are more like a beer gardens, drinking up fresh Carlsbergs. Yes, that is where it’s at for first timers and old pros alike. This pretty little harbor canal has a mix brightly colored buildings and steep sloping Scandinavian roofs where everyone has got a beer in hand. This time I chose a perfect people-watching table at a Danish food café about half way down the dock sat down and took in the moment. Old men scrubbing and restoring an old fishing boat, sexy Danish girls rushing by on their way somewhere in tight skirts and long slinky boats with golden locks flowing and the gruff looking, but charming tough waiter bring me a huge two pint size glass of Carlsberg Export fresh off the tap, yes life was good. Then things got even better with a smoked salmon sandwich with cucumber and dill, that was a moment to really savor and I did.

Touring Carlsberg

It is a long uphill walk to Carlsberg, but well worth the fitness test as there are beautiful views of the city to be had and the thought of a fresh brew in their Jacobson Brewpub after the tour kept me going. Oh, don’t hike up here on Mondays, as it is all closed that day, and yes, I learned that the hard way, though the fresh air did me well. Copenhagen is an easy city to walk and there are many things that are well placed for getting to by foot, and I did. In fact I didn’t take a single cab or bus in my three days here. Walking up to the Carlsberg Brewery and Museum you pass through the Carlsberg gate with the Elephants, which for me brought flashbacks to my high school years when I used to down mass quantities of the high alcohol Carlsberg Elephant after soccer practice. Through the gate and around the corner to your left you find the entrance to the visitor center and a self-guided tour. I won’t bore you with every single item and display here, as you really need to see this for yourself, but I’ll say that it is fascinating and down to earth in presentation. Carlsberg founder J.C. Jacobsen was a pioneer and fanatic for quality, he led research into brewing developing steam brewing, refrigeration techniques and the propagation of a single yeast strain. I think Carlsberg was the first to study and research the process of malting, building a complete laboratory and science center on site in the late 1800’s. There are hundreds of cool old photos marking the history of the brewery, though my favorite was of the British Army liberating Copenhagen from the Nazis starting with the Carlsberg Brewery, I’m not making this up! Just seeing the faces of the war weary soldiers, all smiles standing with cases of beer was worth the ticket price. I think it was a Scottish unit that reached the site first, awesome. Also, there is what is reported to be the largest beer bottle collection in the world in a huge wine cellar like area with thousands and thousands of the globes bottled beers, and I thought I’d collected a lot in my youth…
After taking pictures of the old Tuborg truck, I walked through the original stables and saw the delivery wagons, they continue to maintain the horses and parade them, and now I know where Bud got the Clydesdale idea. By this time I was thirsty and I barely noticed all the Carlsberg branded items in the low-key gift shop, though I still wish I had scored the soccer jersey. Then at the end of the line, the Jacobsen Brewpub (tasting room) was waiting and with my admission ticket, 2 pints of my choice were to be had. Some other tour goers opted for basic Carlsberg lager and Tuborg are you kidding me, I went for the limited Jacobsen line, savoring the Bromley Wit and the Saaz Blonde in the cozy and airy hall. These beers are super and very tasty from the taps, especially fresh too as they are brewed downstairs. The Jacobsen line has about 8 different styles and a limited seasonal offering, these are brewed in small batches and are just now being sold in bottles in selected markets. I was able to pick up a bottle or two while in Europe and hope it will be available in certain US markets soon. Before the long walk down the hill to the city center I grabbed another pint, this time I went for full tasting Brown Ale that satisfied my nourishment needs, though it made the hike feel somewhat longer.

Bryggeriet Apollo and the Little Mermaid

After Carlsberg, I strolled the highest point above Copenhagen in the lovely tree lined park and view the city on a clear and warm day, it was magnificent as I looked down on the rooftops and spotted the church domes and spires rising above the classic old town skyline. This is a great and charming city, with too many interests to name here, but a no brainer as a place to re-visit soon. These were the thoughts I was having as I caught the Vesterbrogade (Boulevard) and weaved my way dangerously through blondes on bikes looking more and more like the tourist I was. I passed one of the best damn bakeries in Denmark, snapped a picture and marched on with much regret as I should have grabbed a table on their patio and took in the afternoon sun and scenery, but I had a mission to see the Little Mermaid and nothing was going to stop me this time, as I missed her on my last visit, because my Swedish friend rather drink and eat than hike the two mile out to the harbor to see her. This time was different and I was going to make it out there then as a reward I was going to get a little shopping in on the Stroget and then some good organic brewskis at Bryggeriet Apollo near Tivoli. This was a tough job, but I knew I was well trained for the task, even if the distance from Carlsberg to the Little Mermaid was a long way indeed. Resisting the red light district sex clubs, the Erotic Arts Museum, and some of the other seedier temptations of the space between I finally found the pretty Little Mermaid of Hans Christian Anderson looking as forlorn as ever with her eyes longingly looking out over the port of Copenhagen as cargo ships passed. Lucky for me, this being early April not a soul was around as I got some snaps under brilliant sunlight and warm weather. I must admit walking back I felt silly at being a man in his forties going all this way for a fairy tale character, though the route I took was filled with amazing sights and overall it proved enjoyable. So now it was time to cruise back by Nyhaven, up the Stroget, which is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe with everything you can imagine right there for the taking. Okay Denmark is not cheap, but sometimes you just have to forget the weak dollar and enjoy the moment, so I wondered into the Puma store and bought a wildly expensive sweatshirt, though that was more me converting the Danish Krone at 7 to one against the dollar as I did in Sweden, whoops, it was really 5 to one, so my bank statement came back at $80 bucks instead of what I thought was $50 or so. Ignorance is bliss and I hardly took the darn thing off for three weeks and still wear it a lot, to get my monies worth and because I like it. Then I made my way back to Tivoli and Vesterbrogade to Bryggeriet Apollo where I reflected on my day with one of their fantastic organic pale ales freshly brewed on the spot. I enjoyed my oversized pint at an outside table and watched the world go by in complete anonymous heaven. Inside the beautiful copper vessels gleamed

and the brew masters busied themselves with their labors of love, this is my kind of place. The food here is tasty and the selection of brews changes often which makes it a must stop for any visit here, in my case at least twice. There is another brewpub next door, but it was inside seating only and dark, but I’ll try it next time. The pale ale was hoppy and thirst quenching, so I had another and nibbled on a rye bread Smorrebrod with Ham. What a city and what a day!

Copenhagen Notes: Final Thoughts

Copenhagen is an easy city to visit and adore, with affordable hotels of every taste and style. I went ultra modern, because I found a deal at hotels.com, but I’d go for rustic and old school next time, even if the comforts were luxurious and the fast wireless appreciated to the fullest. Copenhagen Island Hotel is somewhat in the sticks too, then again not too far away and it is next door a huge cinema and shopping center complex making it really good if your traveling with kids or a girlfriend. Getting into Copenhagen is a breeze, especially by train from either Sweden or Germany, plus the airport, a major international hub, sits right above the train route and just a few minutes by rail and half an hour by taxi. I took the train into Copenhagen from Malmo, Sweden which is both clean and convenient with trains running every 20 minutes or so. From Copenhagen I traveled on to Hamburg, Germany on a whim, in fact I asked the tourist info guy at the station and he found a special second-class round trip ticket that ended up being about $25! That was a killer deal, I could not pass that up and after a quick search got a deal in Hamburg for a room, and off I went. So don’t be afraid to ask about things, the Danes are friendly and direct people. While in Copenhagen, I had a medical emergency, a nasty eye infection came on suddenly which I didn’t really notice until about 9:30pm one night, and I was treated kindly by the front desk attendant and he directed me to a late night pharmacy. I was dreading the possibilities while waiting in the long line to get to the counter. As my number came up I was in a lot of pain, but the Pharmacist took the time to call a doctor for me and explain my ailment and after a few words with him myself confirming only a few questions they agreed on a prescription and went about filling it. Then I worried about cost, as at

home the meds would have cost about $85, so to my astonishment and joy my total bill was $16 US. So I have nothing but high regards for the people of Denmark and of Copenhagen itself. I recommend doing some research before going anywhere and carrying a couple of travel guides. I suggest using Thomas Cook Travel series books, DK Eye Witness Guides and Insight Guides done with the Discovery Channel. These three I own and use, and I found the Denmark and Copenhagen ones might useful, in fact I was able to use them as my fact checker for a lot of articles.

Beer in Copenhagen

Carlsberg Brewery Visitors Center & Jacobsen Brewery (Pub)
www.visitcarlsberg.dk
Gamie Carlsberg Vej 11, Vesterbro
Copenhagen, Denmark
From USA Phone: 011-45-33-27-13-14

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Bryggeriet Apollo (Organic Beer)
http://www.tivoli.dk/composite-3367.htm
Vesterbrogade 3 (Tivoli)
Copenhagen, Denmark
From USA Phone 011-45-33 12 33 13

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Faergekroen
www.faergekoen.dk
Tivoli
Copenhagen, Denmark
From USA Phone: 011-45-33-12-94-12

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Norrebro Bryghus
www.norrebrobryghus.dk
Ryesgage 3
Copenhagen, Denmark
From USA Phone: 011-45-35-30-05-30

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Vesterbro Bryghus
www.vesterbrobryghus.dk
Vesterbrogade 2
Copenhagen, Denmark
From USA Phone: 011-45-33-11-17-05

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*Details confirmed with Insight Guides “Copenhagen Smart Guide” & Thomas Cook Travellers Denmark (2nd Edition), Guide Books. Both of these books proved to be worthy companions and interesting reads, and the compact size made them easy to tote around.

Wine Travel: Tuscany

The Twelve-hour flight helped build the anticipation and I couldn’t sleep a wink on the Lufthansa red-eye to Florence. I had dreamt of Italy all my life and now I’m finally going to be there, not just Italy, but Florence the romantic heart of Tuscany. Florence is a beautiful city and it was just magic to walk from palazzo to piazza and to museo. The Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio were just as advertised, nothing disappoints here. I had heard terrible stories of crowds, gypsies and litter, though no of these were in evidence to the extent of any problems. I guess with all the art and history on display, I only saw Florence’s lovely side and enjoyed every minute. In fact the only thing I can remember being annoying was the buzzing of thousands of vespas, and that even didn’t matter much. I was looking forward to my first night in Italy, and it was made all that more special that the Antinori winery was treating me to dinner at the La Cantinetta Antinori,

their bistro at their family Palazzo di Antinori. The Antinori family is distantly related to the Medici Family the former rulers of Florence and Tuscany, and are thought of as Italian royalty. I must say the Caninetta was simple in appearance, but amazing in service and quality. The evening was very special and one of the best wine nights I ever had, with some of the finest Tuscan wines available. The tasting started with antipasto to die for, with their estate olive oil drizzled on everything including my shirt. The wines kept coming almost the entire Antinori lineup from their various estates. The only white was a crisp and lively Vermentino from Bolgheri that cleaned up my palate and left me mouthwateringly ready for the impressive reds that were to follow. The night went in a blur of fantastic food and stunning wines, but here are the highlights of the wine. Peppoli Chianti Classico, Tenute Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva, Guado al Tasso Estate Bolgheri rosso and the famed Tignanello “Super Tuscan” red. Whew, the time just flew by and my head was spinning as I sat back with desert and vin santo and a double espresso waiting in the wings just to make sure I could find my way back to the hotel! Lucky for me it was only three blocks away, sadly it didn’t give me all that much time to reflect on my first meal in Italy. I awoke surprisingly refreshed and stepped out onto the hotel’s rooftop terrace and enjoyed the finest cappuccino I’ve ever had, made for me by a man in a elegant uniform that I had mistook for a submarine captain. As I sat at my small table in the sunshine I smiled at the view of terra cotta tiles and church towers, yes Florence is wonderful. Read Dante, view Michelangelo and drink Antinori and you’ll just start to understand this beautiful historic city.

Next up was touring the ancient hilltop towns of Tuscany by rental car. Again I was very lucky that all those horrible tales of mad Italian drivers and terrible medieval roads proved not to be the case. OK, I do admit that the line at the rental car place was frightening as was driving out of Florence through impossibly narrow lanes, but once out of the city it turned to pure joy. The roads were excellent, the drivers courteous and the road signs easy to read, please I’ll take this over trying to get around San Francisco or LA anytime! I just made rules for myself, never ever drive into a walled city no matter what the guidebook says. Trust me on this, because I had read that Lucca had quote “wide Roman streets that are easy to navigate” Sure, I drove in and promptly turned onto what was promised as a main avenue, in reality it was a pedestrian walkway barely wide enough for the tiny VW I was driving. To make it absolutely perfect, it was pouring rain and packed like sardines with people! I quite literarily had to push the mass of humanity along as I in almost a complete panic attack found a way out. Finally I found a side lane where luck would have it there was a police car full of laughing policeman that very nicely escorted me to my hotel, it made me wish that I understood Italian, because the parting words were lost on this guy, but I’m sure they were hilarious. So never break that rule, even though I almost drive into San Gimignano through the back entrance to the city of towers, but at the last second I braked hard and reversed out scaring the hell out of German family in a Mercedes as I went blazing by backwards at 45 MPH. Those streets were so narrow that vespas had to fold their mirrors to get through.

I stayed in a beautiful villa in the small commune of Bucine; the place is an olive oil and wine estate named Tenuta di Lupinari, set in the Eastern hills of Chianti. Seven days and nights of Heaven, that offered a castle view with the rising sun to wake up to every morning. The estate produces easy drinking Chianti that went great with the local menu, but Tenuta di Lupinari’s star is their olive oil, which is flavorful and cloudy green and very full bodied. Foodies listen up, I found a gem, with some help from couple that were staying at the villa, from San Francisco bless them. The best meal in Italy was had at Osteria di Rendola, a fabulous restaurant in the little town of Montevarchi. The place was amazing and the food was out of this World, the best of show dish was a porcini mushroom risotto with buffalo mozzarella and avocado cream. Of course they had a great wine list, but I went for their own wine a Cabernet Sauvignon bottled just for them. I had been drinking local Chianti and other Sangiovese based wines, so I was curious to try the Cab. It was lovely and fruit driven with big flavors and good depth. This was as good as most $50.00 Napa wines, so I was even happier to find, even though this was not a cheap place the Cab only cost $25.00, this was a great evening meal. The other highlights were the visits to Cortona, with its Etruscan tombs, Siena with its huge fan shaped Piazza del Campo and the harvest of grapes in Montepulciano. Before leaving Tuscany behind for Portofino and Milan, I had to drive though and explore Chianti Classico. The beautiful Radda in Chianti was a wonderful place to spend the afternoon with its tiny Piazza and cute little shops including a wine shop offering for sale and taste some of the finest small estate Chianti’s. Lunch in Radda was great pleasure and humorous. The place Villa Miranda; is a little roadhouse that is run by an old woman and her family. The food was fresh and vibrant that delighted the senses, the homemade ravioli in sage butter sauce still lingers in my mind. The funny part was the wine service, I thought a light white would go with the food ordered, but I found this was just not done in Radda. The troll of a woman brought me a half bottle of ancient Villa Antinori Chianti Bianco that was brown in color and totally cooked with a label that was bleached out by sitting on a window sill for ten years. Totally undrinkable, but the food was so good I didn’t even send it back. I got a good chuckle out of it and hell I was sitting outside overlooking the gorgeous hills covered in vines, Villa Miranda gets mixed reviews for quality and service from travel books, I was lucky I guess. When in Radda please drink Chianti Classico, I learned my lesson the hard way.