German wine has certainly had its ups and downs. In the early 1970s, it was one of the most popular wine categories in America, the go-to drink for neophytes who were first getting acquainted with wine. Its market share began to slip toward the end of that decade, with the rise of California wine and the epidemic of White Zinfandel. Starting in the late 1990s, however, it became popular again—but with a twist. Wine drinkers had become more sophisticated, and they were no longer content with Blue Nun. Having spent the intervening decades consuming estate bottled, vineyard-designated wines from everywhere else, they demanded a higher level of quality from Germany. Mark chats with Julie Swift, U.S. Marketing Director for P.J. Valckenberg, the largest importer of German estate wines into the U.S. She offers her insights on what to look for, how to choose German wine, and what foods to pair it with. On Bizarre Beverage News, Mark investigates the Coravin, the latest miracle technology in wine preservation.
LINKS:
P.J. Valckenberg—Link to: http://www.valckenberg.com
Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History—Link to:
http://www.iconicspirits.net
Mark Spivak
Author of Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History
(www.amazon.com/Mark-Spivak)