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Percentage of all the riesling vineyards in the world that are in Germany, even though German vineyards account for just 1.5% of the total vineyards of all kinds. Grown on all the best sites in all the country’s 13 wine regions, German riesling has remarkable finesse, elegance, and aging potential. Most have 7 to 9 grams per liter of total acidity. By comparison, even briskly crisp Champagne only clocks in at 5 to 6 grams.

The Romans fattened which of the following, raising them in special airy boxes, until they were ready to be cooked in wine then eaten:

A. Finches

B. Frogs

C. Shrews

D. Snails

The Romans fattened snails on choice tidbits of food and housed them in special snail boxes, before they were cooked. Today, the French, and especially the Alsatians, have raised the eating of escargots to a fine art. The drizzling of snails with garlic butter is merely the tip of the iceberg. There are dozens of ways of preparing snails, including a famous one in which the mollusks are simmered with wild chanterelle mushrooms, garlic, and shallots in a wine and whipped cream stock, then served with a chilled riesling.

“And as the best melodies reverberate within us long after the piece has cadenced, the greatest wines live far past their finish, their expression so clear that they give us the power to taste them eternally.”

—Bryce Wiatrak
for Vinous, On Music and Wine

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