European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 19, 1973, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 20 the stars and stripes monday november 19, 1973 German american Friendship the texan who was t a real texan1 continued from Page 19 snack bar she would get Hagen and Helga began to write letters too. Soon they were exchanging a series of letters and tapes with Bill s parents and then Girlfriend Bobbie in Corpus Christi. Bill says he did t realize How much a part of the family he was until the sad news came that Helga s father had died. They asked me to take part in the funeral and i went in my uniform says Bill. When we were walking to the graveside grandma took my Arm to escort her in leading the family behind the that says Hagen meant he really is As close As a son to Bill told his German family of his plans to marry in August and immediately they set to work to find Bill and Bobbie an apartment. They knew ways to track Down things no american could find Bill says. They spent Long hours on the phone but they found a place and even found furniture for that s when he asked Hagen to be his Best Man. My greatest experience says Hagen. When Hagen flew into Corpus Christi air port Bill s parents and sister greeted him with a Large sign in German Hearty greetings to your american every moment was an adventure beams Hagen. They took me to Dallas to the Alamo to Houston to Mexico. Every one was so kind like i was a part of Hagen saw Home run slugger Hank Aaron play in the Astrodome and one morning on television saw the launch into space of sky Label. That afternoon the rhames took Hagen on a tour of the Nasa space Center in Houston. He still proudly shows his me mento skylab key Fob. I Learned to eat mexican food and had my first Corn on the cob which was just As different for me As Bill s first German dinner says Hagen. And i Learned to drink my soft drinks with ice he says though he admits holding to the european belief that ice cold drinks Are not Good for the stomach. Mrs. Hoehnke gets an assist in the Kitchen from Bobbie Rhame. He also found some . Beers that he liked not a Small Concession on such a Point of National Pride. And he says i would now like to open a hamburger place Bill and Bobbie s wedding taught him More he says. Standing there in the Church i saw that we have different languages different ways of life but we Are All people. I Felt at Home there and i m proud to say i was at Hagen was invited to stay on after the newly weds returned to Europe. The rhames took me camping with them i guess i looked a Little nervous he says. In Germany Bill had kidded me about rattlesnakes so at night i went All around the. Tent with a flashlight. I never he also tried water skiing he says but i am the worst sportsman in Germany. I stayed up about three and he did get to meet what he Calls a real i received a tour of a ranch and the owner was tall slow talking boots. Just like the movies. Hagen now Dis plays a Stetson hat and Lasso on his Din ing room Wall As a memento of the visit. Back in Germany the Hoehnke have helped Bill and Bobbie Settle into their new Home and Are trying to help Bobbie find work As a dental assistant. I spend at least part of every Day with them says Bobbie. Helga helps me with German and i help her with her English lessons she began night classes when Bill moved in. They re like my family and Helga is Happy because now Little Elke gets the Best English grades in her class. Uwe has followed brother Hagen s Lead. Spec. 4 Mike Reed now lives with him and his wife Moni in nearby Back Nang. I m glad to say we be become close friends says Mike a 23-year-old from Radford a. Uwe s not that much older than me so he introduces me As his american brother in my mind says Hagen everybody can do his own Little bit for understanding. I Hope perhaps people see from us How easy it is. We can All be together and it helps us Alii alsatian wine it was t always such a Good thing by Frank j. Pril not staff writer thank heaven they Don t know about Alsace yet. The Texas millionaires the British Bankers the japanese All the people who Are willing to pay any Price for a wine with a famous name. Why because they have driven Well known Bordeaux prices beyond the reach of anyone of moderate Means. And they have made great White Burgundy Little More than a fond memory for most wine lovers. But they Haven t discovered Alsace where Superb French White wines Are still produced in Good Quantity and sold even these Days at reasonable prices. The French themselves Are of course on to Alsace. They obviously know a Good thing. But Alsace wines were not always such a Good thing. Al Sace was under German control from 1891 to 1919 and again from 1939 to 1945. The germans resolving that alsatian wines should never compete with their own had the finest vineyards ripped up and the wine from the cheap replacement vines shipped in bulk to Germany. Then during world War ii Alsace was the scene of some of the bitterest Battles. Whole villages not to mention the Vine Yards were obliterated. Not until the 1950 s were the alsatian winemakers Able to produce the kind of product they had made in the 19th Century. Today possibly As a result of the Vicissitudes of the last 10 years alsatian Quality control Laws Are among the toughest in the world. For instance now All exported a1-. Satian wine must be bottled there. Alsatian wines like the Best californian ones Are varietals that is they Are named after the grapes from which they Are made. Except for some Rose and an even smaller amount of undistinguished red alsatian wines Are White and the chief varieties Are gewurztraminer riesling Tokay d Alsace Muscat and sylvaner. Sylvaner is the least expensive riesling the most expensive and most Subtle. Gewurztraminer with its big bouquet full spicy taste and dry finish is probably the easier Way to get to know the Best in alsatian wines. Alsatian wine is meant to be drunk Young. Even now the 1969 s and 1970 s Are at their Peak and the 1971 s Are beginning to look like one of the great vintages. But there Are some who think that alsatian wines unlike their German cousins made from the same grapes can enjoy Long and memorable lives. Hubert Trimbach the scion of an old and famous alsatian wine family held an Impromptu tasting of some of these wines recently at the Trimbach winery in Ribe Auville. Included were a 1959 riesling and gewurztraminer and a 1962 Tokay d Alsace. They were beautifully balanced wines with an elegance unlike any Ordinary Youthful alsatian. These wines have two lives Trimbach said. In the first life they improve for two to four years and remain at their Peak for three to five years. Then for a year or so they go downhill. Then they come Back. They Are great wines at the Peak of their first life and interesting wines at the Peak of their second the second life he added May last for decades if the wines were Well made in the first place. Thank heaven they Don t know about Alsace yet
