Ben's Bubbly: Triebaumer Muscato

I was out of town all last week, so I've gotten a bit behind in posting. Aside from not writing, I was away from Ben for a full week. It sure is fun walking in the door after being away and seeing his little face light up as I pick him up. Needless to say, he seemed happy with my return and didn't want me to put him down for quite some time. The new thing he picked up while I was gone is throwing his food. We give him Cheerios to snack on pre- and post-meal time and while he used to gobble them up, he now likes to see how far they will travel through the air. It is at this point in his life I wish we had a dog to clean up after him; the cats couldn't care less about food on the floor, even when it is theirs. Even as I type this and glance down, I see a cheerio on the floor below his highchair.

Weingut Günter & Regina Triebaumer Muscato

While most sparkling wine from Germany and Austria is called Sekt, this bubbly is actually Perlwein. Perlwein (mild sparkling wine) is the legal name for a sparkling wine which has a residual sugar of more than 5% and an alcoholic content of less than 9% abv. This is my first taste of Austrian muscato, and though I don't dislike it, I prefer the real stuff from Moscato d'Asti. This wine is a bit simple and linear compared to its Italian brethren. Gold in color, it smells sweet and simple. It tastes like candy. Its thick and creamy texture gives way to copious amounts of mango and pineapple flavors and not much else. If you're looking for something simple and sweet to gulp, this might be right up your alley. 7% abv Purchased $15. Average

Ben's Bubbly: Clusserath Weiler Riesling Trocken Sekt

Last week, Ben started to find his voice. He would babble and grunt and squeal while he played with his toys. He is also starting to understand he can move to get toys. While he has only put a roll or two together to get a toy, he is already spinning around on his stomach to reach objects at his side or just out of reach. He is doing so much now, I don't want to miss him learning any new tricks. Nevertheless, over the weekend I went to Boston and Cape Cod for a bachelor party. While it was incredibly fun to hang out with a group of friends that I have only seen once in the past five years, I missed my little guy. It is so satisfying now when Ben gets excited when he sees me after school or a long weekend away. It will make this weekend away for the Colorado Mountain Winefest a bit easier. Who knows, maybe next year he'll be able to make the journey with me!

Clusserath Weiler Riesling Trocken Sekt, Mosel, Germany

This week's sparkler is something a bit different. This sparkling riesling was produced by the traditional winzersekt method (méthode champenoise). It is bright yellow, almost like Mt. Dew, but without the neon glow. It has a very floral nose with notes of pears and apples. The palate is quite different than most bubbly. I tasted Meyer lemons, nectarine and golden delicious apples in this viscous but not syrupy sparkler. It has a long, slightly nutty finish. Very interesting sparkling winzersekt riesling worth a try. 12% abv Purchased $13. Very Good

Ben's Bubbly: Knipser Pinot Brut

Ben had several adventures this week. He had his first babysitting adventure while mom and dad went to the Colorado Corks and Cuisine event at the Four Mile Historic Park. Local caterers partnered with area wineries, breweries, distilleries and artists to provide a lovely event despite the rain. Grandma was very excited to look after the little guy while we enjoyed our first 'date' night out in more than two months. We sampled some tasty food (the lobster mac and cheese and the wild mushroom wontons stood out in my mind) and sipped on a selection of wines from Augustina's Winery, Bonacquisti Wine Company, Canyon Wind Cellars, Snowy Peaks Winery, Water 2 Wine and Wild Women Winery.

A few nights later we went up to Boulder to have dinner with friends. Ben was a perfectly behaved gentleman while we had dinner, which we started with a Sekt for this week's Ben's Bubbly, a 1999 Knipser Pinot Brut. We also enjoyed a far too young 2000 Cos d'Estournel alongside a 2001 Cottonwood Cellars Reserve Merlot and finished with a beautiful 1993 Weingut Gunderloch Nachenheimer Rothenberg Riesling Auslese Gold Cap that will hold for many years to come. Ben slept soundly as we drove home well past our bedtime.

Our final outing with Ben this week was to downtown Denver for EatDenver's Big Eat. We arrived thirty minutes before the event was supposed to end, but the vendors were all out of food and we were out of luck. Since Ben was asleep in our new Okkatots carrier, we decided to make the trip worthwhile and grab a bite to eat at Rioja. However, against my wife's better judgment, I left the diaper bag in the car six blocks away. Needless to say that was a bad idea with explosive consequences. Not three bites into my salad did I have to rush to the car to fix the problem. I have to thank our server, skinny Mike, for his awesome service and making an otherwise uncomfortable meal enjoyable even if we did have to finish it at home. We will definitely have to return more prepared to fully appreciate the restaurant.

1999 Knipser Pinot Brut, Pfalz

Hailing from Germany's largest wine, this wine was sort of an enigma. The back label said this was a rosé, but it definitely was a lovely golden color of a blanc de noirs. I assume that this error was due to the importer believing a sparkling pinot noir would be pink. Aged ten years on the lees, this wine was young at heart and would easily hold its own against much more expensive vintage Champagne. Slightly doughy and very fruit forward on the nose, this exquisite sekt tasted like brioche french toast with a strawberry compote. If you see this rarity from this world-class producer pick up a few bottles! 12.5% abv Purchased $34. Very Good/Excellent (tasted 5/21/11)