Germany
Bloom
Pfalz
2005 Pinot Noir
$9.99
Recently, when I came across a bottle of Bloom pinot noir with a screw top and drawings on the label that looked a lot like burgundy hubcaps, I probably would have passed it by if I had not noticed the wine was from Germany. They don’t grow red wine, I thought, but curiosity got the best of me, and I couldn’t resist an inexpensive red from the Rhine. If I had kept walking, I would have missed a very good wine.
Instead of tasting rough and tannic as I’d expected and like some of the less expensive Eastern Bloc reds on the Upper Valley market, Bloom is well crafted with light cherry flavors and a full blown cherry aroma.
German winemakers have been producing pinot noir, which they called Spatburgunder, since about 1970, but didn’t tap the export market until recently. Bloom is produced by a partnership between Seattle importer Precept Wine Brands and the largest wine-growing cooperative in the Rhine region, Moselland, which has been producing quality wines for 25 years. The wine has gotten good reviews, and winemaker Mathias Kramer has received international acclaim. He also makes a pretty good and dry Bloom Riesling from the Mosel region and a lot of other more expensive wines.
Bloom is 100 percent pinot noir and is about 13 percent alcohol. It’s a good wine to make the leap from rosé to cabernet sauvignon. It goes well with pasta, fish and even red meats.