TBA – Something special for the holiday?

Trockenbeerenauslese, is not the German way of saying “To be Announced” – however, this delectable, liquid love kind of wine – deserves a special fanfare.

TBA’s translation literally means – “Dried berries harvested late”. It’s a German wine lingo so to speak to mean “we let these berries hang on the vine as long as possible prior to the frost (had they froze they’d be Ice Wien ;) to concentrate the sugar and this is good stuff!”. 

TBA as that in the know call it – is intensely sweet, nectar of the God’s like dessert wine. TBA also has the pedigree and clout to make it in the highest quality category of Prädikatswein  - which means “Wines with Predicate” (or for us non-Germanic speakers – VIP vino) – and this applies in both Austria and Germany. TBA wines aren’t your $2 buck Chuck, because the berries literally are hand harvested one by one, we are talking individually selected grapes which have been kissed “botrytized” by the proverbial “noble rot” as it were…This is where funky mold is a good thing (kind of like expensive cheese but not really…) are made from individually selected grapes affected by noble rot, i.e. "botrytized" grapes.

The raisin like, shriveled berries have more wrinkles than Madeleine Albright, but they are far sweeter indeed. These wines are redolent with nuances of toasty caramel, honeyed apricot, and of course – that funky “noble rot like wine musk” that once you learn to appreciate – you never quite get enough of. TBA’s are made from a few grape varieties - namely  Scheurebe, Ortega, Welschriesling, Chardonnay, and Gewürztraminer, however, the Super Duper VIP of them all is that famous German grape…Riesling grape, it is precisely Riesling’s raciness (due to its abundance of acidity even at super ripe status) that allows for extra complexity you just can’t get with the other candidates.

TBA’s are somewhat esoteric and will not abound in most wine & liquor shops – but a good wine monger will order them for you. In Baltimore Swirl, Spirits of Mount Vernon and Bin 604 are all more than capable of tracking them down and I highly suggest you consider adding this new guest to your Thanksgiving table… (makes a great gift too!).

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