Weingut Wirsching, Auslese "Wiqem", 2004

German department store chain Hertie / Karstadt is broke, and the market on my way to work is one of those that are to close permanently. I couldn't help but look in on its second-but-last day out of morbid curiosity. Amid the eery atmosphere of an empty supermarket, on one of those cheesy fake barrels of the wine section, I found them: Ten or twelve little golden half-bottles, like a lost flock of ducklings, sporting blow-out price tags, but shunned by the bargain hunters. One I took home.

Wirsching is one of Franconia's most reputable producers, with hefty dry Silvaners. "Wiqem" is a rip-off on Chateau d'Yquem, of course, the world's best know dessert wine. Even the lable mimics Sauternes. It's a sweet Auslese made from a mix of grape varieties.

Golden colour. Rather strange nose of burned rubber, cough syrup and iodine at first, but that recedes after some time and becomes more of a ripe mirabelle smell.

In the mouth, it is very sweet, quite viscous, mild, but present acidity. A bit of the burned tire and iodine is lingering there, especially on the aftertaste. Maybe a little barrique was used in making the wine. The mirabelle is back too, quite nicely, actually. You could also think of a mirabelle fruitcake that you forgot in the oven, and so make sense of the aftertaste. Not as vibrant as a Mosel Spätlese, of course, but not bad at all.