Paula Maia's Wine blog

When I think of Rheingau the first name that comes to my mind is Robert Weil- one of the world’s best producers- and his monumental Chateau-like estate. It was around ten in the morning when we arrived and I have never been so happy to start drinking this early.

Made of Riesling grapes from First Growth vineyards, and only in the best declared vintages, their dessert wines are granted 100 points almost always. Not your everyday wine, but rather for very special occasions, being it a pic-nic in the park or your wedding day, depending how you look at it.

The day kept getting better and better. Lunch had been planned at Schloss Vollrads, which I regret to remember that we missed it. Nonetheless viewing the castle was spectacular and lunch at a nearby winery was so good that I didn’t care. I had a Riesling Flamm Kuchen, a crisp flat bread with cream fraiche, bits of bacon, shallots, and roasted Riesling grapes. Seriously, to die for!

Next stop was Schloss Johannisberg, another symbol of Rheingau region. A majestic sight founded as a Benedictine Monastery around 1100 A.D. Plantings are 100% of Riesling variety and the wines are very nice. The terrace overlooking the vineyards was the perfect place to watch the sunset, while savoring a glass of their own Sekt.

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After being spoiled rotten on my first trip to Europe, I told my husband we had to go back- asap. Back in NY I started to plan a trip to Germany’s wine country. The plan was to visit as many renowned estates as possible. Out of 13 regions, we covered 7: Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Mittelrhein, Mosel, Nahe, Pfalz and Baden.

We landed in Frankfurt, and to my surprise there was a wine fest just outside the hotel. I couldn’t believe it! Right away- off a truck- I had started my journey. Bubbles, Roses, Rieslings all together with sausages, cheese and cured meats. I was like a kid in a candy store, and that was only the first 15 minutes of the beginning of this trip.

Finally my husband managed to drag me out of the fest and show me around. It was mind boggling to walk along the river and see castles and roman ruins in sync with skyscrapers, hookers, beergartens, gothic churches, bicycles, boats, tourists, locals, audis, benzes, bimas, applestrudel, you name it!

My head was spinning- I needed a drink! What do I see? An amazing market with a weinstube on the rooftop. Weinstube is a pub or a wine bar traditional of Southern Germany. Local wines are preferred and served in a very informal setting. So right there, sipping the best Sekts I could possibly ask for, watching people and produce, I realized I was hooked. I had fallen in love with Germany.

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Last year I took my first wine trip. Technically it was my second or third, but, at that time I had no idea I was actually in a wine country.

I’ll explain. It was in the 70′s and my family used to spent weekends in the mountains north of my hometown Porto Alegre, Brazil. Believe it or not, they grow grapes there and they are big in sparkling wines.

Back then they didn’t produce so much sparkling wines, but mainly rustic, every day table red wine. So my family went straight to the source to get wine jugs and grape juice, and those were officially my very first visits to a winery.

However, I like the idea that my first adult trip to a wine country was also with my family, but to no less than CHAMPAGNE! No other wine evokes celebration, joy and happiness like Champagne, and to go there, touch those vines, smell that soil and sip the final product was simply rapture.

Driving through the Champagne Route we couldn’t help but stop by and taste the wines from smaller houses that cater only to their strong local market. With such a limited production and high demand, they don’t even bother to export.

Then we toured Pommery Estate and their 18 kilometers (11 miles) long roman-time cave, where 20 million bottles of the bubbly stuff lies at 30 meters (100 feet) below ground at a constant temperature of 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahreinheit).

It was heaven!

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Although I’ve been drinking wine since I was a child (yes, in my home country this is not only ok, it’s natural), I only became aware of its magnitude when I started studying about it at the Sommelier Society here in NYC.

I can honestly say that this single event changed my life and I finally knew what I wanted to do once I grew up.

Since then I have been fortunate enough to live up my dreams of having a Wine Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY and visiting wine regions all over the world- on a regular basis!

That’s why I created this page: to share my travelings and what I learn between sips of wine and sunsets in the vineyards.

I hope you come along!

Cheers,

Paula.

Paula at Bodega Elias Mora, Toro, Spain