About
I admit it. I like residual sugar. A Riesling can be dry, but it doesn't have to be. I even dare to say: sometimes a wine must not be dry.
My given name (Uwe) looks and sounds similar to the word "uva", which means grape in Italian. But this is already where it ends. My family did not own a vineyard and as a little boy I never roamed happily between vines. I grew up in Germany - and yet, for a regrettably large part of my life, I lived in complete ignorance of German wine and therefore of Riesling.
This changed fundamentally during a trip to the Finger Lakes region of New York. Surrounded by rolling hills and peaceful lakes I tasted the Rieslings of Dr. Konstantin Frank and Hermann Wiemer, amongst others. Being able to compare different Rieslings next to each other was eye-opening: it was fascinating to see how the same grape managed to produce such different wines. The trunk of the car full with Finger Lakes Riesling I returned to New York City and decided to take fermentation more seriously.
I started taking wine classes at the International Wine Center in Manhattan, worked in the wine department of Balthazar (known for its exquisite French wine list) and gained wine retail experience at Appellation Wines & Spirits, a wine store dedicated to organic and biodynamic wines.
I am also currently a student of the Diploma program at the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET).
Riesling is a sadly misunderstood wine, not only, but particularly, in the United States. Der Kellermeister is simply a way of sharing what I am learning about Riesling with every sip.
My tasting notes
I have a lot of respect for the people who make wine. I am trying to first give a somewhat objective view of the wine's characteristics (aromas, sweetness, acidity etc.), followed by an admittedly less objective conclusion of it. I can taste a wine best if I drink it at home, with and without food.
I love to go out and buy a wine, take it home and then listen to what it has to say. This is why I drink wine, and Riesling in particular.
Together with Riesling I share an inborn aversion to French new oak, at least when it's obscenely obvious. I live on Staten Island, which apparently is the least popular of the five New York boroughs, but I do find it enjoyable here. I live here with Kelly, my son Johann Serenus and 9 vines.
You can contact me here.
Uwe Kristen, aka Der Kellermeister
