Praising it as a pure, crystalline form of Riesling, Ian declared that the 2016 Dr Thanisch Berncasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinet, ‘reeks of Riesling’. The fresh, crunchy apple, chalky notes, destined for approval by FWC alumni and customers alike.
Last Tuesday night we enjoyed ten of Dr Thanisch’s Rieslings at a dinner hosted by Bentley Restaurant + Bar. Twelfth generation Thanisch and fifth generation female winemaker Christina Thanisch, led us through the evening, stepping in for her mother Sophia Thanisch, who was unable to make the trip down under.
Between courses of kingfish and corn-fed chicken breast, Christina graced us with anecdotes from her family’s 375 year winemaking history.
We learnt that the “Doctor” vineyard’s namesake, was not in fact a “Doctor”, but rather refers to the “fever curing” properties of wines from that vineyard. We learnt that ‘Badstube’ means bathhouse and that the first female in the business inherited the estate from her late husband in the early 1800s at just 28years old. A female business owner at that time was very unusual, so it is certainly quite the legacy to uphold.
To help explain the warm microclimate of the Doctor vineyard, Christina showed us a photo from 2007. In the image, the steep vineyards of Thanisch act as a backdrop to the town of Bernkastel; the vineyards are laced with snow - except the 3.5hectare Doctor vineyard in the centre of the image, which amazingly stays warm year round. Additionally, Christina showed us an almost identical photo taken in 1946. The only difference being the absence of Bernkastel’s bridge in the foreground, which had just been destroyed in the war. The photos delighted and surprised the dinner attendees, with everyone vowing to add a visit to Thanisch to their bucket list.
The night served as an affirmation of our preference, here at FWC, forRiesling over any other grape variety. Thank you to Bentley and Christina for the night and to all those who placed orders at the end of the evening. You won’t be disappointed.
Annabel Cook, Five Way Cellars