For anybody interested...

I was thinking that somebody else might get some use out of this. It is an email that I received and resonded to. The names have been removed to protect the innocent. Maybe more information than he bargained for, but once I get going....

Christian:

I don't know if you'll remember me but my wife (_______'s daughter) and I visited your shop a few months ago. We bought some paintings from your wife, which by the way let her know we framed them and they look awesome. Anyway, I bought some wine from you on your recommendation. One was a dry Rose I believe it is called Routas. It was awesome and I wish I bought more becuase I have not been able to find it in Baltimore where we live.The other bottle was I believe a french white wine that was in a green glass bottle with a screw cap rather than a cork.The name escapes me and the couple of wine stores I have gone to in the area haven't a clue. When you get a chance can you give me the names and makers to those wines so that I can continue my search with more ammunition. Hope you doing well.

Thanks

____ __________

____ ______ __

Baltimore, MD 21230

______________________________________


_____ ,

It's good to hear from you. I am glad that the paintings turned out well. I will pass the word along to the F.A. The two wines in question are as follows:

The rosé is indeed from Château Routas. This estate is located in Provence and the particular bottling that you bought from me is called 'Rouviere' from the 2003 vintage. It is one of the finest examples of a proper French rosé that I have come across but by all means not the only rosé I have seen recently. If you are having trouble finding this particular label, you may look for wines from the region of Tavel. Tavel is located in the southern Rhône valley (near other appellations like Lirac, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, and Vacqueyras) and the only 'legally permitted' wines to be labeled as 'Tavel' must be rosé. This appellation is arguably the king of rosé, not only in France but throughout the world. A word to wise: Because of the fame of Tavel and the relatively small size of the appellation, the price of your average Tavel will be more expensive than the Routas. I would expect to pay anywhere from $16 - $30 per bottle depending on the producer and the vintage. A couple of producers of Tavel that I would recommend are Chapoutier, Canton-Perdrix, and Ségriès. Also, Guigal makes a pretty good Tavel.

You can learn more about the original wine and others produced by the house at www.routas.com .

The other wine you picked up at that time was in fact from Austria. The producer was Fred Loimer and the particular bottling that I sold you was called 'Lois'. It did have a screw cap and it was the 2003 vintage (the first vintage from this house to carry this type of closure). The grape in this wine is called Grüner Veltliner. This could very well be considered the 'national' grape of Austria. There are myriad houses making wine from this grape and almost without exception, they are all good, if not excellent. If this particular wine is proving elusive, a more general way to find a comparable wine is to take a look at the back label on the bottle. There are multiple wine importers in this country, but very few that I would recommend 'blindly' when it comes to Austrian Grüner Veltliner. The Loimer 'Lois' is imported by a company called Vin Divino based out of Chicago. I am not familiar with any other wines they are importing from Austria but generally speaking, Vin Divino does not sell bad wine. At the end of the day, all importers have only their reputations on which to rely. Another importer I would highly recommend is Terry Theise. This man has probably forgotten more about Austrian and German wines than most people will ever know. I would almost without exception recommend anything with his name on it. Whatever wine it is, it will be 100% sound and true to form. It may not necessarily be the 'perfect' wine that you were looking for, but it will be correct. The back label will read something like this:

A Terry Thiese Estate Selection
Imported by Michael Skurnik Wines
Syosset, New York 11791

You can also get a look at Thiese's portfolio at www.skurnikwines.com.

I trust all is well and I will talk to you soon.

Take care,

Christian Depken