“All that we did was human,
stupid, easily forgiven,
Not quite right.”Gary Snyder
Tuesday.
I am running out of alliterations.
Breakfast and then we head to the park to read.
Blue skies and sleepy villages.
Shell finishes the final book in the Lonesome Dove series. Not a light hearted undertaking at almost 3000 pages over four books.
I suggested she read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
We head to J&J Bistro for some lunch and beer.
Shell determines it is time for some wine.
I find a great wine bar called Vinařský Svět.
I spend some time filtering through the ‘natural wines’ and the Pétillant Naturel to save myself the disappointment.
I grab a bottle of German Riesling from a young winemaker I had read about in Decanter. Lukas Kesselring has been making some decent wines under his own label and has recently purchased some ancient vines in the Pfalz region.
I was pretty happy to find his Hofgut Gönnheim wines in sleepy Śumperk.
I grabbed a bottle of Czech Pinot Noir as well. The wine regions of Czech are only a few hours south of Šumperk and it would be rude not to try their wines. When in Czech and all that…
“One never reaches home,’ she said. ‘But where paths that have an affinity for each other intersect, the whole world looks like home, for a time.”
Hermann Hesse
Downstairs for dinner. A round of Moscow Mules becomes several.
We order carp pancakes and flatbread to start. For mains, deep fried pork cheeks and roast beef.
Details are hazy.
Back to the room and I finish the Riesling.
Bed.
Sleep.
Tomorrow, Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Tonight’s wines –
2023 Hofgut Gönnheim Riesling trocken (Pfalz, Germany)
This is excellent Riesling. Powerful yet balanced. Great fruit and bone dry with a stunning minerality. Modern, world class winemaking techniques with ancient vineyards would always be special.
2021 Vinařství iLias Reserve Pinot Noir (Pavlov, Czech)
This is a decent Pinot Noir, certified organic, 50 year old vineyard on the Stará hora. There is whole bunch of fermentation and the green notes slightly overpower the pinot character. A big wine for a pinot but well made with some cellaring potential.
