In March I traveled by camper to Düsseldorf to visit the largest wine fair in Europe, Prowein.
I won’t bother you with an extensive report on the fair, the trip, my state of mind and my camper companions, so if you were worried, that is absolutely not what I’m going to describe here.
What will I talk about? Of course about the exciting discoveries I have made, what wines and wineries stood out and what made me (and maybe you) enthusiastic.
Discovery number 1:
With the idea to start the day on a good note, I stopped at a Champagne house to have a glass of bubbly while enjoying a chat about the history of the region, including photos of the chateau and the family.
It was a fairly unknown Champagne house and there was no importer in other countries, the youngest member of the family had just taken over the business and had big plans. They were known for their rosé champagne, which was indeed not to be sneezed at but also their extra brut was wonderfully refreshing. As far as I am concerned, Prévoteau-Perrier deserves a place in this list. Nice to know is that they have a beautiful chateau in the Champagne region where everyone can drop by to taste Champagne and get a guided tour. I went there this October just after the harvest and I was surprised to see how much time they took to show us around even with so much work on their hands. Of course I went home with a bottle or two! On their website you can take a look for yourself.
http://www.champagne-prevoteau-perrier.fr/en/

Discovery number two:
The nice thing about having wine colleagues is not only that you can hitch a ride in their motorhome but also that they tell you about their discoveries. For example, miss winelane, Romy Kooij took me to taste the Beaujolais wines from Passot. What a great discovery! Dominique and Remy Passot produce as many as four out of ten cru’s of the Beaujolais and I got to taste them all. Their slogan is winemaker by passion and that was very obvious.
My favorite was certainly their Fleurie, very elegant and literally to write home about. In addition, Mr. Rémy Passot was a very charismatic Frenchman who certainly deserves to be put in the spotlight.
https://www.domaine-passot.com/en/

Discovery number 3:
Chateau Musar, what need we say more. Of course this winery from Lebanon is not a new discovery but how nice it was to be able to taste the different years next to each other!
I tasted the white Gaston Hochar 2010, an explosion of wine! The white variant of the famous Chateau Musar is made from the grape varieties Obaideh and Merwah. It is a very full white wine that is most reminiscent of a white Bordeaux. The wines are educated in barrique and are kept in the bottle for no less than seven years before they come onto the market. The 2010 was indeed perfect to drink.
Of the red wines I tasted the 1998 and 1966. Special is really the right word. The red Musars are different blends of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault varieties every year and have great ageing potential.
The 1966 is everything you expect, rich and full of blackberries, a touch of leather, ripe tannins and a beautiful amber colour.
See you at Prowein 2020!