At the end of March we were lucky enough to have Lara Haag, daughter of Thomas Haag of Schloss Lieser, Mosel with us in New Zealand for a few days to help host a series of fantastic Schloss Lieser Riesling events with Dhall & Nash in both Auckland and Wellington. Lara was able to tell her inspirational family story as well as present some of Schloss Lieser’s award winning wines.
While Lara was in New Zealand, she took part in various trade visits in Auckland and in Wellington where she was able to talk first hand about the Schloss Lieser wines, specifically from the 2016 vintage.
2016 was a year of extremes. It started off with a cool, long, damp spring with a lot of work keeping the fast growing canopy under control at Schloss Lieser. Flowering came late in mid-June, followed by an uneasy summer of both sun and rain. Finally by August everyone could breathe a little easier. Warm temperatures continued until Autumn, enabling the grapes to ripen perfectly. Harvest began on 10th October and for four weeks they were able to harvest extremely healthy, very ripe, golden yellow grapes. The result is a vintage of wonderfully fruity, high quality wines, with racy balanced acidity.
Auckland Dinner Event
A degustation was held at Culprit Restaurant in Auckland on Tuesday 27th March which included a range of impressive dishes and 4 of the Schloss Lieser Rieslings from the 2016 vintage. The evening began with a glass of the Feinherb and the Niederberg Helden Trocken GG. The Niederberg Helden Spatlese and Auslese were introduced later on in the night to accompany the various dishes.
The Schloss Lieser wines were paired with the following menu:
NZ Wakame & Market Fish, preserved lemon mayo, sesame, furikake wafer
Pork Cheek Nduja, Olafs Volkorn Toast, radish, cress, parsley, lemon oil
Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho, smoked mussel, cucumber
Chicken Liver Parfait, donuts, pinot noir syrup, char
Duck Fat Fried Brussel Sprouts, buttermilk ranch, old bay vinegar
Roast Bone Marrow, dill pickle gel, old edam toast, shallot & caper salad
On the Side
Culprit Roast Duck, hoisin sour cream, plum sauce, peanuts, iceberg
Cloudy Bay Tuatuas, chorizo XO sauce, fried vermicelli
Dessert
Steamed Ginger Kiss, vanilla mascarpone, stewed rhubarb, fairy floss
Wellington Dinner Event
A 5 course wine matched dinner was held at Noble Rot Wine Bar in Wellington on Wednesday 28th March with all of our Schloss Lieser Rieslings, including a special sweet Beerenauslese Riesling with dessert.
Menu:
Crayfish Carpaccio, cucumber, celery, verjuice, seasoned roe
Paired with Schloss Lieser Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
Organic Chicken and Hock Roulade, confit carrots, pink grapefruit, dashi, brioche
Paired with Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Spatlese
Catch of the Day, hazelnut, cauliflower, broccolini
Paired with Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Trocken GG
Baked Endive, granola padano, cabernet vinegar, malt & walnut crumb
Paired with Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Auslese
Dessert
Whittakers 50% Dark Ghana, soft chocolate, tomato raisin, thyme, feijoa
Paired with special Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Beerenauslese
2016 Schloss Lieser Riesling Feinherb
Slate-like fruit aroma. A juicy, piquant and salty Riesling.
2016 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Auslese
Rich, deep, complex mineral aroma. Complex, concentrated, and piquant on the palate.
2016 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Spatlese
Very fine, elegant mineral notes. Fresh and racy with a lots of grip.
2016 Schloss Lieser Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
Very fine, clear and precise perfume. Ripe lemon flavours. Piquant and slate-like on the palate.
2016 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Trocken GG
A masterly scent of peaches and classy exotic fruits. Great complexity with an infinite elegance.
