Week 4 of my wine class took me to discovering the world of fuller-bodied white wines.  So far I have experienced three different types of white wines and I can distinguish a difference between the three types…..wine, you’re so……interesting.

These fuller-bodied whites have thick bodies and lots of finish.  The first one I tried is a 2007 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett from Germany.  Long name? Not really when you can break it down.  Wehlener Sonnenuhr is the name of the winery. Kabinett describes the sugar content of the wine.  So Kabinett is on the bottom then Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiwswein, and finally Trockenbeerenauslese.

The quality levels for German wines are Tafelwein, Landwein, Qualitatswein Bestimmter Anbaugbiete (QbA), and QmP being the highest.  Most of the German wines you will see here in the US will be of QbA and QmP quality.

The characteristic of the two German wines we have tried are that they have a diesel smell….kind of weird but I think it will accompany some strong foods well.   Sauerkraut or lots of crazy awesome sausage to start.

This wine was nice. It had a sweet taste but with a slightly acidic finish. Nicely balanced and was kind of like eating a meyer lemon. I would pair a chanterelle mushroom stew with this.

2008 L’Ecole No. 41. Semmillon Fries Vineyard (Washington). What’s up with the fancy name???? You’re from Washington!! Le Blog Culinaria du Eric Rivera (or something like that).

This was my favorite wine of the night.  Nice, heavy, smoky, and slightly oily finish.  This would go great with any type of stew but maybe try a seafood jambalaya and you’re starting the party off in the right direction!

Oh, it has an alcohol content of 14.4% so it leaves you with a nice warm feeling…..drink the whole bottle, you’ll have no problem making up your own fake French names.

Speaking of French things. Here’s a French wine and once again I was not impressed.  This is the second highest quality French wine behind a Grand Cru.  The wine itself was fine but when you consider the price of $40 per bottle this definitely goes into my “whine time” category.

It has a mineral taste to it which is quite nice from a nice cheese pairing or even a little foie gras.   Personally, I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy this wine especially for $40.

Oh Private Reserve….sounds fancy!  It really doesn’t mean anything other than the winery trying to tell you that they believe it’s their “best” wine.  I’ve seen Beringer wines before and have always been curious to try them.  If this is their private reserve of wines then I suggest they spend a little more time drinking and less time thinking about marketing names.

It has a nice smoke and oak flavor to it but it didn’t really do anything for me.   “Eric, you’re not really making any friends in the wine world.”   Well, it’s my opinion.

Want to know why I have always been so frustrated with the world of wine?  The price difference between a “good” wine and just another bottle of wine.  Isn’t the French one supposed to be the best?  Well at $40 per bottle it should be but it’s not.  The least expensive one is $20 and is from Washington.  Fine, just call me a fan of my home state but try all four together and you’ll agree with me and if you don’t then just go to a wine blog that will support your thoughts.  This is a cooking blog.   GO WASHINGTON!!!!!

Eric