Watching Fritz

Chapter Fifty-Three

David watched as the soldiers open the rear doors and four men emerged from the cars. Though they were now out of uniform, he recognised them as four of the generals from lunch. He released his held breath and stepped toward the one who had replied to his comment in the dining room. "Now I'm the one who should be concerned. Are you following me?"

"What are you doing here?"

"My family owns wine estates in Schaffhausen, and I was intrigued by my Liebfrauenmilch at lunch. I'm always curious to see how others make fine wine." He looked into the general's eyes. "And may I ask, what are you doing here?"

"You're a bold one, aren't you?"

"No, simply curious."

"I... We are —"

"Welcome to Weingut Valckenberg," a white-haired man said as he strode across the courtyard. "We are delighted you have accepted our invitation." He extended his hand to shake. "I'm Nikolaus Valckenberg."

The man with whom David had been speaking made the introductions; "Wilhelm von Hohenzollern, Erich von Falkenhayn, Dedo von Schenck, and I'm Konstantin Schmidt von Knobelsdorf." He turned to David. "And this is a winegrower from Swiss Schaffhausen whom we met at lunch."

David extended his hand to Nikolaus Valckenberg. "David Meier, Sir."

Nikolaus led them across the courtyard toward a door, speaking as they walked. "My great-great-grandfather bought the vineyards around the church of the Blessed Mother in 1786, and he added surrounding plots to them during the following decades. He named the wine after the church, calling it the Milk of the Blessed Mother."

He paused to open a door and usher them in; then he led them down broad stone steps into the cellar as he continued the story. "His son and grandson gained renown with sales throughout Europe, and our wines were prominent on many royal tables." He turned to Wilhelm. "Including those of your great-grandmother, Queen Victoria."

At the bottom of the steps, Nikolaus switched on the lights, and rows of huge oaken barrels appeared. "Unfortunately, our wines became so famous, others began using the name Liebfraumilch for their wines, and this has debased our reputation. We now call our wine Liebfrauenmilch Madonna, and the knowledgeable, such as you..." He swept a hand past the group. "The knowledgeable still consider it one of the finest wines in the world."

He gathered them around a tall table laden with glasses and bottles. "Our Madonna has a unique smoky taste which comes from the soil of the vineyards. During the aftermath of the War of Palatinate Succession in the late sixteen hundreds, the charred wood from the burnt houses was buried around the Church, and our vineyards were built on it."

"The soil makes such a difference. Like in our Schaffhausen vineyards; they're underlaid with a narrow streak of chalky limestone, and the wines resemble those of Musigny and Montrachet." David shrugged. "Without that chalk, our neighbours make ordinary wine."

"As do our neighbours. Yes, the soil is a vital determinant of quality." Nikolaus opened a bottle and poured wine into six glasses. "This is the normal harvest. Please taste it; then we'll compare it to later harvests."

David tasted, then he asked, "I'm curious to know how you keep the sweetness for balance. Do you kill the yeast before fermentation has finished?"

"That would be one method. But we have a far greater control with Sußreserve. We set aside a quantity of unfermented juice, treat it with sulphur to kill the yeast, and then add it to the fermented wine to balance the palate."

David nodded. "Yes, much more control that way. I like this."

"It gets better." Nikolaus opened a second bottle and poured wine into another six glasses. "This is made from grapes which are left on the vines after they have matured to gain extra flavour. We label it Spatlese."