Wine tasting at a Christmas market.
Who knew you could taste wine, actual high-quality wine, not mulled or Glühwein (as it's called in Germany) while wandering a Christmas market on the Mosel River?
The town was Traben-Trarbach. Once upon a time, Traben-Trarbach was a busy wine trading place, and the town became wealthy around the turn of the last century. The large wine cellars and magnificent big art nouveau villas bear witness to this. Around 1900, Traben-Trarbach was one of the most important wine trading towns in Europe and it was the second largest wine trading center in Europe after the French city of Bordeaux.
All that aside, this beautiful little town has, as most towns do in the region a Christmas market, but with a lovely twist.
As luck would have it I stumbled across some wonderful wines. The Moselle Wine Night Market takes place in five designated wine cellars and I was lucky enough to go into the one with Walter J Oster pouring.
The first taste was the 2022 Riesling Devon - Trocken. A lovely easy-drinking wine that would appeal to the majority of white wine lovers.
Next up we got a little more serious with the 2021 Riesling Neefer Frauenberg - Trocken. What a beautiful wine. It had an inviting soft character with a fine and spicy minerality and intense fruit aromas.
Next up the stunning 2022 Riesling Ediger Elzhofberg. With fruity notes of pear, apple, and peach that are in harmony with spicy minerality and a tangy finish. My favorite! Purchased a bottle. It's now waiting to be shared with someone who will appreciate it.
Upon discovering that this producer also makes reds I was eager with curiosity to taste! A bit of a rarity in this region.
With 18 months of maturation in French and Hungarian oak underline its medium-body. Lovely vanilla and chocolate notes as well as nuances of cherry and currant. This is rounded off by a soft and silky tannin structure. Avery light and delightful wine.
Lastly, I tasted the 2018 release of the Cuvée "Primus Inter Pares" A red wine cuvee made from five different grape varieties and eight vintages, aged for up to 70 months in French, American, and Hungarian oak. Expressive and powerful, the Primus impresses with nuances of sour cherry and black currant. A wonderfully interesting and tasty wine. Could not resist purchasing a bottle.
With 90-year-old vines, a wine-making history spanning 15 generations, and deep roots in the Mosel region Walter J. Oster is a must-stop at the cellar door when in the neighborhood.
Cheers to wonderful surprises,
