Riesling Uncovered
Posted by Ray O'Connor | Filed under Out and about
The Winery is the jewel in the swanky crown of Maida Vale. With all its original Dickens-like features, I felt like Tiny Tim stepping into the warm, fire-lit shop from London’s snow shower yesterday. Owner David Motion has a few strings to his bow, working in the music industry as well as running his wine retail outfit. He imports all the wines himself and considers this a strong USP for the shop. It was great to see so many grower champagnes in his fridges and I’m not afraid to say I didn’t recoginse one of them. The shop team have managed to draw people away from the Grand Marques that they request on arrival, sending them home with something far more special for the same price or less. Their house Champagne is by Amyot and sells for £18.99. David described it as a “deep, rich and easy to enjoy style”.
David Clawson & David Motion
Of the 100% Northern Hemisphere collection, 30% of the wines hail from Germany where his real passion lies. Again, I have to say I was nay to familiar with any of these labels but he put my ignorance to rest by assuring me they are not available anywhere else in the U.K. These are a collection of producers, making wines in a more modern fashion as opposed to those we know and love such as Prum and Becker. With 40 different labels, David claims that this is the best collection of German wines anywhere in the world, including Germany. He believes that the UK wine trade is stuck on the fruity style Kabinett wines. As soon as the consumer taste these trocken wines, he claims, they are knocked over by their intensity. You can watch a brief video of my chat with David on the video player to your right.
We tasted 5 Rieslings and 1 Pinot Noir, all cracking, but here are my two favourite:
Clemesbusch Vom Grauenm Schiefer (’from the grey slate’) 2008, Mosel, £18.99
Organic since the 70’s, the grapes are picked late in October/early Novemebr and then vinified dry. They give the must some oxidation for up to 24 hours lending a broad nose to the finished wine. The palate has lime juice with a savory touch. Few wines invigorate the mouth like this one. The broadness of the nose returns again when tasting with immense concentration and an eternal elegance. Smart stuff.
Battenfeldspanier, 2003, Rheinhessen, £26.99
Pungent petrol fumes with aromas of quince and straw. On the palate there’s toasted almonds and cinnamon dusted apple tart. This is amazing stuff. Intense, weighty and rich. Bloody brilliant. (Can I blog ‘Bloody’?)
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