The wines of Selbach-Oster

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Tonight I attended a tasting dinner for the wines of Selbach-Oster, hosted by Rare & Fine Wines and Montrose Wines, the supplier for the wines. The venue was Chiuchow Garden (潮庭), and I must say that I thought the food was very good, as was the pairing of the wines with the food.

The menu for the evening:

2007 Piersporter Michelsberg - mildly sweet on the palate, with some minerals in the nose.

Signature Combo of Chiu Chow Specialties - Sliced Soyed Goose, Deep-Fried Cuttlefish Rolls, Deep-Fried Crab Ball, Fried Scallops (潮庭四喜拼盤: 鹵水鴨片，炸花姿卷，酥炸蟹棗，油泡帶子)



2007 Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett halbtrocken - slightly sweet nose, with minerals, green apple notes. Pretty dry on the palate.

2006 Riesling Kabinett "fish" - this was a real interesting wine, which is a blend of different vineyards rather than the typical single-vineyard offering. Really powerful nose of petrol, lemon citrus, glycerin and urethane plastic. A full-bodied wine which tastes a bit "oily".

Double-boiled Soup with Sea Whelk, Fish Maw and Cordyceps (蟲草花角螺燉花膠湯)



2006 Weissburgunder Kabinett trocken - made from Pinot Blanc, pretty dry with a touch of sweetness on the after palate. Ripeness was evident on the palate and in the nose, with minerals and a bit of spice.

Soya Sauce with Chef's Sliced Weaver Fish (玫瑰燒雪魚)

2007 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese trocken - made from ungrafted vines that are over 60 years' old. Steely minerals and osmanthus floral notes, with sweetness on the nose but not on the palate, and a ripe after palate. A complex and rich wine.

Braised Sea Cucumber with Mushroom (原條西非遼參扣花菰)

2007 Zeltnger Schlossberg Riesling Kabinett - powerful nose of minerals and flint, glycerin. Sweet on the palate with a finish of decent length.

Fried Chicken with Chinjew Sauce (碧綠川椒雞) - could do with a bit more spice

2007 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese - a bit of plastic and minerals in the nose. Nice, smooth and sweet on the palate.

Braised Brisket with Red Wine Sauce (富貴牛腩) - nothing really special here.

1999 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - this has to be the wine of the evening. An explosion of minerals and petrol, with a bit of rich butter and plastic. Very rich and smooth on the palate, with orange marmalade on the after palate. This is actually only medium sweet for an aisles.

2007 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese halbtrocken - nose of minerals, green apple and a bit of honey. Slightly sweet on the palate.

Pan-fried E-Fu Noodles (黃金煎伊麵)

2007 Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling trocken - muted nose with some minerals, a bit of almond marzipan. Very dry on the palate.

Sugar-frosted Taro Stripes (反沙芋條)

2006 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese* - the wine that Mr. Selbach claims has a lot of aging potential. Nose of honey, minerals and even a touch of white pepper. The wine is already very sweet here, much more so than the 1999 tasted earlier, but right now it is far less complex. Hopefully this will develop after some aging.

This was a really good evening both in terms of food and wine. I got a chance to taste 11 wines from Selbach-Oster, and immediately put in my order for a few cases of my favorites from the evening...