Private event: Shimoo introduction + wine tasting with close friends
Saturday, September 10, 2022 | 2:00 PM 5:00 PM
Friends, thank you for coming to celebrate my new journey.
After coaching clients part time for the past few years, I decided to become a full time coach in May 2022. I am thankful for my family’s support on my transition. Also, I thank all of you for the support you have given me along the way. Many of you actively helped me in substantial ways - by hearing me out, by encouraging me, and by coaching me. I consider all of you Shimoo (deeply connected and trusted friends). While we are gathering, I hope that we all can talk about our journeys to becoming better moms, dads, managers, leaders. I am planning to do a short experiment with you that will help us see others.
I’d also like to share another passion of mine at this gathering. We are going to taste wines from Alto-Adige, Italy and Pfalz, Germany, where I traveled in July this year. This trip gave me an opportunity to transition from one part of my career to another mentally. During the trip, I spent time with an old friend and together we visited these two wine regions, which are not well known in general.
During this event, we will taste roughly 10 different wines from two regions. I picked different grape varietals from the Alto-Adige regions, and most of them are from the wineries I visited. From Pfalz, I picked Rieslings and Pinot Noir. For people who are not drinking alcohol, we will prepare some non-alcoholic beverages.
Some suggestions for your wine tasting:
Try to taste every wine (pour small portion, feel free to throw away and taste the next one)
Try to articulate smell and taste of each wine. Which flower, fruit, or other things do you smell? Discover what you like and don’t like from various white grape varietals. Observe any differences from multiple Pinot Noir wines.
There will be a QR code under each wine where you can log your notes for the wine. I encourage you to take notes on what you smell, taste and like about the wines. I will send your notes and some comments to you after the event.
I chose this destination for a few reasons. First, Jennie and I have been drinking more whites than red these days. Alto-Adige is known for high-quality international varietal white wines. Also, Alto-Adige and Pfalz are conveniently located about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Munich, where I based my trip.
Some information about Alto-Adige: the culture is firmly German. The street signs are written in German and Italian (Alto-Adige was part of Austria until after World War I). Grapes are planted between 300m and 1,000m (3,280ft) above sea level. The Alps protect the area from cold wind, and steep slopes create excellent expositions for long, slow grape ripening. Unlike other Italian regions, Alto-Adige grows mostly international grape varieties and state them on their labels. 2/3 of Alto-Adige wines are produced by co-operatives which produce wines with grapes from hundreds/thousands different farmers. My friend and I stayed in a town called Ritten, about a 20 minute drive on a hilly road from Bolzano.
Alto-Adige is a mountainous region with Bolzano its chief city (Austrian until 1919); arguably best Italian whites today but also underrated reds. Germanic vines dominate. Gewurtztraminer, Kerner, Sylvaner, but Pinot Grigio too. Riesling and Gruner Veltliner hopelessly overrated; probably world’s best Pinot Bianco. Pinot Noir often overoaked; Lagrein in good yrs.
[From Hugh Johnson Pocket Wine]
Also, I love Riesling as a grape varietal. Recently together with Alex and SangJeong, we had a wonderful bottle of 10 year old Riesling from a winery called Basserman Jordan, from Pfalz. Germany is one of the coolest wine producing regions in the world. Pfalz is a cool region but warmer than other German regions such as Mosel, therefore producing fuller body dry riesling. We visited three wineries in Pfalz - Basserman Jordan, Von Winning, and A. Christmann. The vineyards are mostly on flat grounds or very gentle slopes.
The region has long been associated with the cheap and cheerful wines. Since the 1980s, the region acquired a national and international reputation as an innovative and exciting wine region based on the demand for red and dry white wines. Unlike the Mosel wine region, where late harvest sweet wines are famous (they are excellent, in my opinion), Pfalz wine producers are focusing on dry riesling and Pinot Noir red wines. The highlight was meeting Mr. Steffen Christmann, the 6th generation owner of A. Christmann winery, which I knew and admired through some of the wines I tasted. He was a confident producer and a down to earth person. He gave us a tour of the winery and explained their wine making philosophy and styles.
Pfalz is the 2nd-largest German region, 23,680 ha, balmy climate, Lucullian lifestyle. MITTELHAARDT Riesling best; South Pfalz (SÜDLICHE WEINSTRASSE) is better suited to PINOT varieties. ZELLERTAL now fashionable.
[From Hugh Johnson Wine Pocket Wine]
I look forward to seeing you all.
Joonki