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A very informative tasting organised by the Wines of Germany UK looking at the new waves of German wines. In the UK, dry wines are a la mode and as record producer turn London wine merchant (called The Winery) – David Motion mentioned, back in the 2000, he was told that dry German wines were rubbish and he should look for sweet style wines to import.
He went to Germany in a van thinking to buy a pallet of German wines back to the UK to see if he could sell them. He aimed for buying 25% of dry wines and 75% sweet style. The 25% sold out immediately the 75% stayed on the selves. Gradually, his buying strategy changed and now he buys almost only dry German wines!
During this virtual tasting, we tasted 6 wines. 4 Rieslings from 4 different regions and 2 Spätburgunders from the Ahr Valley.
Rieslings from Germany never disappoint so the tasting today was like a treat. The quality of German wines was already high a few years ago when I was doing my WSET Diploma and tasted lots of it back then. But it has improved every year and has become so diverse and creative. Climate change has a part to play in this and producers are coming up with different strategies in order to tackle the challenges. Heat is a problem and Riesling likes cool and moderate climate so finding the right location to plant Riesling is the key and some producers have started to plant different varieties too.
Lots to look forward to!
Photo credit: Wines of Germany
Today’s tasting notes below.
Wine 1: 2018 Riesling, Pur Mineral, Rudolf Furst, Franken. ABV: 12.5% RSL 2g/l, TA: 8 g/l
Importer: Awin Barratt Siegel Wine Agencies. Smoky wet stone, lime, blossom, green apples. Crisp, subtle and delicious.
Wine 2: 2019 Riesling, Organic, Dreissigacker, Rheinhessen
ABV: 12% RS: 6.9g/l. TA: 7.9g/l. Importer: Liberty Wines. Sadly this sample arrived with a leak so only 2/3 of bottle left and it has lost the vibrancy that other attendees talked about. But I gathered from others that this is also a brilliant Riesling.
Wine 3: 2018 Riesling, Zeltlinger Sonneneuhr Spatlese, Selbach-Oster, Mosel. ABV 12.5%, RS: 8.8 g/l, TAL 6.2 g/l. Importer: Bancroft Wines. 2018 was a very healthy vintage. The wine is from blue slate soil and it shows the explosive mineral (smoky) notes with pineapple and passion fruit. Very balanced on the palate.
Wine 4: 1998 JB Becker, Rheingau. ABV: 11.5% RS: 10g/l, TA: 7.6g/l/ Importer: The Winery
JB Becker makes wines in traditional wines (large wooden casks). Golden colour, waxy, honey, coconut, lemon cream tart, candied fruit. Very long on the palate. Honey, candied fruit on the finish. An old wine that tastes amazingly young!
Wine 5: 2019 Spätburgunder, Stodden, Jean Stodden, Ahr
ABV: 12.5 % RS: 2.2 g/l, TA: 5.5 g/l. I visited Stodden in Ahr a few years back and was super impressed by his Spätburgunder. Solid, serious and really well made. This is his entry level Spätburgunder. Wild berry, red berry with a hint of savoury note. On the palate, it has very juicy vibrant red berries and strawberries. Subtle and elegant.
Wine 6 2018 Spätburgunder, Ruber Nelles, Ahr
ABV: 12.5% TA 5.8 g/l. Importer: The Winery. Forest floor, spicy, hint of savoury note. On the palate, good fruit purity and structure with fine tannins.
*Help Ahr rebuild its wine industry*
On 14th July Ahr Importer: The Winery
The flood disaster On 14th July has had a devastating impact on many, including the wine producers of the Ahr Valley. Particularly in Ahrweiler, but also in the surrounding villages of Mayschoss and Dernau, the deluge of water has carried away barrels, wine bottles and machines, thus destroying entire wine-producing businesses and livelihoods. The number of winegrowing businesses affected, the severity, and the extent to which the disaster will affect the entire Ahr region with its 563 hectares of vineyards, will probably take weeks to quantify.
More info on how to help Ahr producers: https://bit.ly/2VvRAra
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