A Boot-full of Wine

Tasting notes from Italy (and beyond!)

May 2011

Much has changed – and continues to change – in the German wine landscape. After much effort, Germany’s reputation for dilute, over-cropped, insipid, sweet wines has given way to one of a producer of quality wines, especially from that most noble of varieties, riesling.

The change has been marked by a preference for dry wines amongst German wine drinkers, and the emergence of a new generation of talented winemakers with university qualifications and international oenological experience, committed to crafting wines that reflect Germany’s unique terroir. Some would argue that Germans still do not fully appreciate the vinous treasures produced within its own borders; Germany imports more wine than, say, the UK.

I had never visited any of the German wine regions before my recent trip, where I was based in Mainz near Frankfurt, the venue for Weinbörse, a trade show showcasing the best of German wines and organized by the VDP – Verband Deutscher Qualitäts- und Prädikatsweingüter (I shall use the abbreviation!) The VDP as an association is not a new one – it has celebrated its centenary recently – and has always had a commitment to promoting wines of quality. The organization has been at the forefront of proposing a new classification system for German wines, one which emphasizes the importance of vineyard sites, much in a similar vein to the French system. The system devised in 1971, however, based on must weight and potential alcohol, continues to prevail.

Nonetheless, producers of quality wine are invited to become members of the VDP, and have their vineyards classed as Grosses Gerwächs (or in the Rheingau, Erstes Gerwächs, which means the same thing) – meaning Grand Cru – if they pass stringent requirements including yield restriction, grape varieties grown and selective harvesting, and produce wines from what are regarded as the best sites in Germany.

Weinbörse itself was preceded by an afternoon’s tastng focusing on just the Rheinhessen, called Orstweine Vintage 2010, where intermediate VDP level vineyards – akin to Premier Cru – in the Rheinhessen were featured. This was quite an education, with tastings organized according to soil and terroir types, in addition to specific houses. As an example, wines from Kalkstein (limestone) soils showed uniformly greater body and viscosity, while those from loess soils a more fruity, even tropical, edge. In my book anyway.

Weinbörse followed for two days – I chose to focus on the Mosel, Baden, Pfalz and Nahe on day one, and then on the Rheinhessen (again), Rheingau, Ahr and Franken regions on day two. My only criticism is that many, if not most, of the wines were tank samples, with bottling due to occur for some in the coming weeks. The situation, it can be argued, is at least better than is the case for the even larger Prowein trade show, which occurred two weeks before (and is scheduled for an even earlier start in 2012.)

What were my overwhelming impressions? Firstly, as already mentioned, Germans prefer dry wines, and it is us foreigners that continue to be enchanted by the exquisite balance of residual sugar and piercing acidity that their off dry and sweeter styles offer. For the most part, dry German Rieslings have that inimitable finesse, that minerality, and linearity that is so typical. Occasionally, however, as in 2010, Rieslings without that hint of residual sugar can be just too tart and acidic to be enjoyable. (2010 was not the easiest vintage in Germany, particularly in the Rheinhessen, with lower yields and high acidity.)

[As an aside, when exporting dry white wine, German producers routinely label them QbA wines as opposed to QmP wines, even though their must weight would allow QmP classification, as consumers in many importing countries expect a sweet wine when labels such as Auslese or Spätlese are encountered.]

Secondly, increasing numbers of producers are returning to, or continuing in the case of Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, the use of large (old and inert) oak vessels. I have always thought that with dry aromatic whites, and with Riesling in particular, protective handling was de rigueur. But at Weinbörse I found many a producer using oak cooperage, in the main to add complexity (but of course still handling protectively.) And I have to say, it works.

The days after Weinbörse I hired a car and visited wineries in the Mosel, Rheingau and Rheinhessen. The wineries I visited tell a story in themselves, and I shall write about them in a subsequent post.

Ciao for now!

Brendan Jansen