Global villages are all the rage. But
when it comes to wine, we prefer the real thing - quaint
European hamlets where they still make a mean bottle of
vino.
The global village has become a fact, for better or for worse. Take
one example: When I'm away, I can monitor my office online via a
Web cam, a nifty device that puts a crimp in my staff's extended
lunch breaks. Better for me, worse for them. And my cable guy
informs me that, thanks to global networking, I can watch sessions
of the Ukrainian parliament on
satellite TV. But, wait, I don't
speak Ukrainian.
Being a part of an electronic village has other drawbacks, too. For
one thing, there are those people who insist on forwarding you the
latest e-mail chain letter, or the faux-savant who invented the
labyrinth called voice mail. It's a brave and dangerous new world.
Thanks to high bandwidth connections, an electronic virus created
in
Thailand can infect a PC in Peoria in a matter of nanoseconds.
And how the holy motherboard did I get signed up on a list-server
for rodentology?
Fortunately, for those who tire easily of information overload,
there are a few old-fashioned villages left. I get to visit them
frequently in my wine travels and meet their resident winemakers.
Many of them are notorious Luddites who, thankfully, have resisted
the headlong plunge into the byte-infested future. Here are three
bottles from a trio of real-life wine villages.
2001 DR. LOOSEN REISLING KABINETT
BERNKASTELLAR LAY ($17)
Seen from one of its nearby vine-covered hills high above the
winding Moselle River, Bernkastel looks like it's right out of the
17th century. This small French village, with its timbered houses
and steep slate roofs, is linked by a bridge to the larger town of
Kues across the river, creating one of the most picturesque views
in winedom. Ernst Loosen, who took control of his family's wine
estate here in 1988, has become a leading force in the Moselle
region. (He's also been active in the New World, where he makes
wines with Washington State's Chateau Ste. Michelle.)