Hi guys
The German section of wines here in our Singapore stores looks somewhat miserable....often hidden at a secluded corner with just a couple of dusty bottles. I'd interviewed a few of our local storekeepers and the answer was " Nobody drinks those awfully sweet stuff with meals!" Paradoxically, drinking Coke or Pepsi is expectable and common. French is like the king and Aussie the prince here. I'd not disagree that as far as red wine is concerned, the French is most renown. I read recently that a bottle of Chateau Lafitte 1820 can fetch as high as USD 20,000, even Bill Gates might find it astronomical. Majority of people here have the notion that if one drinks French, he knows his stuff and the preference of reds over whites is like 10 to 2. Why? Partly because we always associate food and beverages with health, potency or libido. Red wine looks like blood therefore it should nourish the blood. The only thing I am quite certain is that tannin to some extend reduces heart diseases and lower cholesterol. When it comes to fruity, floral aroma, I must say the German whites particularly the Riesling aren't too bad. In fact, slight residual sugar with good acidity enhances the wine. How would one like his apple to have every trace of natural sugar removed. Not all German wines are sweet. The trocken style is dry right to the bones. Apart from the price of say a bottle of spatlese which can cost almost twice the amount of a bottle of French or Australian.Chardonnay (80% stock up in our supermarkets), I can't find another bad point about German wines. The German and the new world formats of labeling are a little more informative compared to the French. Price is my only criterion when buying French wine because they're almost always Chateau this and Chateau that, giving nothing but the regions which I have little idea about. Trust me, a bottle of Riesling spatlese halbtrocken goes extremely well with Black pepper chilli crabs or barbeque crayfish - our Singapore style. What is you guys' impression about German wines?