Current Eamments@ Enology. Part 1. Fortifying an Ancient Art with Modem Science Number 29

For the past few years, Philadelphia has been experiencing a restaurant “boom’ ‘— a renaissance of creative dining establishments. 1.2In addition to exotic foods prepared in unusual or extravagant ways, a significant part of this gastronomic revolution has been the prominence of wine as a part of the meal and an accompanying increase in interest in types of wines and how they are served. One of my own favorites is Piesporter, a term that, according to the Encyclopedia of Wine by the eminent wine writer Frank Schoonmaker (1905-1976), refers to wines produced in the village of Piesport in the Moselle Valley of the Federal Republic of Germany-although some wines labeled ‘‘Piesporter” may come from “less celebrated townships nearby. ” Schoonrnaker described Piesport as “one of the small yet deservedly one of the most famous wine-producing” sites along the Moselle and called genuine Piesporter wine “wonderfully delicate and fragrant, fruity, with an incomparable distinction all its own.”3 A truly great Moselle wine is created by a selection process that involves picking grapes colonized by the “noble mold” Botrytis cinerea, which grows naturally on late-harvested grapes and depletes them of their moisture, thus concentrating their inherent sugar and flavor. ‘r As a matter of fact, my preference for Piesporter is even more spexitic-piesporter Goidtropfchen (Golden Drops), of which there are at least a dozen brands that I’ve encountered. But to paraphrase the American humorist Will Rogers, I never met a Goldtropfchen I didn’t like. These sweet, white wines are about as low in alcohol as you can get in a true wine—if the alcohol )UIY 20, 1987