An Oktoberfest of German wines

Nothing says October like Oktober, and the Boston office welcomed the fall season with a sampling of German wines. This event doubled as a belated celebration of Germany's victory in the World Cup.

First up was Unckrich, a 2011 Pfalz Spätburgunder, which we know better as Pinot Noir. There was some debate as to whether we were detecting black cherries or sour cherries, but a second visit revealed a hint of baking chocolate. While this is a dry red, it would complement a meal that was meant to finish with Black Forest Cherry Cake.

Next we compared two Gewürtztraminers. The Lucien Albrecht 2009 Réserve is from Alsace, which is technically in France. But this border region has been contested for centuries enough to be partly German in spirit. Alsacian wines generally have a drier and more floral character than their German counterparts, but this bottle gave off a strong aroma and flavor of honey. We would recommended this as a white wine for mead lovers. The G & M Machmer 2011 Gewürtz from Bechtheim, Germany, was an unapologetic dessert wine. One of our tasters found liquid love and melted into a puddle of happiness.

We then moved on to three Rieslings. The 2013 George Albrecht Schneider Kabinett (dry Riesling) cleared the palate with its limestone astringency. It proved a good pairing to the Sauerkraut over slow-cooked Kielbasa in Beer. The medium-dry Ulrich Langguth 2012 Hessian Riesling was modest on its own, but it sprang to life with the cinnamon, toasted nut and dried fruit in the homemade Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut cookies. The Loosen Brothers 2013 Dr. L, a Mosel Riesling with engaging complexities over a medium-sweet base, got many favorable nods.

The hands-down crowd pleaser was the non-alcoholic Welch's Sparkling Caramel Apple juice. An aroma of unwrapped caramels invited you into a flavor playground of apple-infused cream soda. We were a bunch of grinning kids sipping candy in a glass. Pass the Gummi Bears!