Axel K.
Master Wine Judge
Guild Educator
Member since 2001
What is your most memorable wine or wine and food experience?
My most memorable wine experience was sharing a 27-year-old bottle of Chateau Laffite with my uncle. He was so happy that I had recovered from my cancer and could taste again. We just wanted to celebrate. I opened the bottle 3 hours before drinking it and I should have opened it 6 hours before. It was getting better and better as we were drinking the wine and after we had finished the bottle, we looked at each other and wished that we had another one. What amazed me was that the wine had still lots of fruit , very little browning and incredibly silky tannins an also still had great structure. It also had great mouthfeel and great length. The aroma had incredible volume and a lot of the secondary characteristics while still having fruit as well. It kept changing as we very enjoying it and becoming more and more complex as it was opening up. I doubt that I will ever have another wine like it.
What wines have you always wanted to try but haven’t? What is your favorite vineyard? Region?
I have travelled to many wine regions in the world but never Bordeaux. That is very high on my bucket list. Of course, I would love to try some Chateau Petrus while I am there. I am too cheap to buy one here. I also love travelling along the Mosel and trying some of the spectacular Rieslings there. My favorite is the Bishops Winery in Trier. The Catholic church has been collecting the premier vineyards along the Mosel over the centuries. All their Rieslings are incredible and range from 8 Euro to mid-20 Euro per bottle. Even the 8 Euro wine would be a top-notch wine here.
What event or experience started your journey in wine?
My wine journey started very early in life. My grandfather was a lover of good wines and maintained a very good cellar. From when I was 6 years of age, he would take me by the hand and go into the wine cellar and told me why he selected a certain wine to go with the meal we were about to have. Even as a 6-year-old I would get an eggcup full of wine, so that I knew what this food and wine pairing was all about. By the time I was 11 of 12 he would say to me ‘we are having this food for lunch, go get the wine’. Of course I had some spectacular failures, but they would drink the wine anyway and then tell me why it was the wrong selection. With time, of course, you learn.
What got me into wine judging was meeting Frank Clark at a competition. I was stewarding with him and after talking about the wines, he insisted that I come out for a Guild tasting session. This was sometime in the mid-90’s. I never left the Guild after that. Frank was a great wine judge and teacher. I learned a lot from him, and he became a great friend over many years. I still miss him dearly.