Aw, isn’t that sweet?

Bestill my heart, Eric Asimov’s wine column in this week’s New York Times is about Spätlese Rieslings. There’s not much for me to add to it here; just read the damn thing. His central point is the one we’re all sick and tired of repeating: People are unreasonably afraid of sweetness in wine, holding wine to a foolish double standard they don’t hold their food, soda, or even wine to. When sweetness is balanced as well with such braced, taut acidity as is well-made German Riesling, there is no more transcendent experience in wine. Serious.

Also, note that about half of the wines Asimov and crew recommend are imported by one of my all-time heroes (not wine heroes: life heroes), Terry Theise. Terry will grace our fair city in December, signing copies of his crucial new book, Reading Between the Vines, at Rabelais, and hosting a dinner at Bar Lola.

There are a few Spätlese Rieslings at the Rosemont stores, though the particulars vary from store to store and we don’t have many because not enough of you want to buy them! But maybe reading Asimov’s article will inspire some of you, and then you can hunt me down, either by email (address available at our website, not printed here to avoid spammers) or when I’m wandering the aisles of the Brighton store, and we can talk. The Brighton store just got in a 1997 Spätlese from C.H. Berres that I’ll bet is spectacular. I’m down to one bottle left from a case of 1996 (from a slightly different parcel but the same region of the Mosel) Berres Spätlese I bought a couple of years ago, so if you don’t buy those ’97s I’m-a-gonna…

There are several terrific Spätleses available by special order, and I can help you make some decisions. If you plan on celebrating Thanksgiving this year, that’s all the more reason for you to get in touch with me about Riesling. I also wrote a still-relevant “manifesto” of sorts, about Riesling. Email me if you want a copy.