The Defense of Pure Riesling

There are times I feel Faulknerian in my love of German Riesling. Customers often ask me "What is it about Riesling? Why do people like it? Why do they drink it at all?" Why, because they like wines with an intensity of fruit (different from sugar), with a purity of flavor and aroma-wines that draw one into the glass, inviting your attention and winning your heart.

I have my own theory of why more people don't like Riesling. When they try it they like it, and, since Rieslings are supposed to be sweet, and since sophisticated drinkers aren't supposed to like sweet wines, they feel guilty about liking Riesling. I call it my Calvinist Theory of Riesling. (In my Hobbesian Theory, people would fight like tigers to drink all the Riesling they could.)

-Robert Harllee, Market Street Wineshops

Winemaker Randall Grahm on Riesling

"Riesling will be the dominant white wine grape variety of the twenty-first century."

-Randall Grahm, Bonny Doon Winery, Wines & Spirits Oct. 1999

Importer Terry Theise on Riesling

These are just some of the keenest, spiciest, most helplessly beautiful wines you can ever drink. The iciest blade of electric, splashing acidity supports a fruit so clear, so sharply rendered; the entire experience is so vivid it makes your toenails laugh! The brothers Merkelbach are going to have to pad the walls down here some day, lest I or someone else do himself injury by bouncing off them. How many wines have ever just made you LAUGH OUT LOUD, they were so happy and irrepressibly gorgeous? Who can possibly dislike wines like these???

-Terry speaking of the Merkelbach brothers

As far as we can be certain, we seem to be the only residents of our planet who can be deeply moved by things of beauty. So I ask: WHY? Why does this sense exist? Why might providence wish us to be sensitive to beauty, with what purpose? And yes, I know it's a metaphysical speculation, but I'll go out on a limb and give you my testament of faith.

I believe we feel beauty because it affirms us; there is a resonance between the objective existence of the beautiful phenomenon, and the place inside us which it touches.And that, I would suggest, tells us WE BELONG, the universe wants us here, there is something we are put here to do. This is my faith.

Few wines - few things - take us to such places of faith. Selbach's wines take me there frequently. You can't identify that slippery little thing soul in wines by how they look, smell or taste. It's how they make you feel. It's how deeply they peal and echo. It is how quickly they leave themselves behind and lead you elsewhere away from 'wine'.

-Terry speaking of Johannes Selbach

Elvis & Riesling

It has come to my attention that ELVIS drank Liebfraumilch
on his first date with Priscilla in the German town where he was stationed.
As we all know, ELVIS loved his mother.

Interestingly, "lieb-frau-milch" literally translates to "love-mother-milk" and bottles of Liebfraumilch traditionally feature the image of the mother and child-the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus.
As we all know, ELVIS loved his mother.

So as he made the first steps away from his sainted mother and toward his future wife,
ELVIS reaffirmed his special, maternal bond by drinking Liebfraumilch.
And, as we all know, ELVIS loved his mother.

-Robert Harllee, Market Street Wineshops
Note: Liebfraumilch is made from the Riesling grape.