Germany’s Best Dry Rieslings – Feinschmecker Riesling Cup 2017

Picture: The Winners of the Feinschmecker Riesling Cup 2017 - Maximilian von Kunow, Weingut von Hövel, Amelie von Schubert, Weingut Maximin Grünhaus, and Franz-Josef Eifel, Weingut Franz-Josef Eifel (Photo: Feinschmecker/ Facebook)

The results of the Feinschmecker Riesling Cup 2017 - Germany’s Best Dry Rieslings - were published in the February 2018 issue of Der Feinschmecker, Germany's leading gourmet journal.

Der Feinschmecker: The Riesling Cup 2017 goes to the winery Franz-Josef Eifel (Mosel) for the 2016 Trittenheimer Apotheke Alte Reben Riesling trocken and the winery Maximin Grünhaus (Mosel/ Ruwer) for the 2016 Abstberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs - because of equality of points both wineries share first place. In third place follows the winery von Hövel (Mosel/ Saar) with the 2016 Saar Riesling trocken. Congratulations!

Picture: Feinschmecker Riesling Cup

The Award Ceremony - Feinschmecker-Gala des Rieslings - took place in the Grandhotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich on November 18, 2017.

Picture: Feinschmecker Riesling Cup 2017 Award Ceremony in Munich

Dry Riesling in Germany

There are approximately 47,000 hectares planted with Riesling worldwide. Germany—with 22,500 hectares—accounts for about half of the total. From a global perspective, Riesling is a niche grape variety, accounting for less than 1% of world wine production. From a global perspective, it is the fruity-sweet style (with the fermentation stopped so that the wine remains sweet and the level of alcohol low) and the rare noble-sweet style (lusciously sweet wines due to noble rot or frost in the vineyard) that are receiving the attention of the connoisseurs of premium wines.

Pictures: Cellar Visit, Vineyard Walk and Tasting at Weingut Maximin Grünhaus in Mertersdorf, Ruwer, with Owner Dr. Carl von Schubert – Germany-North Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours

Dry Riesling has played a minor role in the world of wine, but this is changing. The Rieslings from Alsace and Austria, both considerably smaller producers of Riesling than Germany (Alsace produces approximately 15% and Austria approximately 7% of what Germany produces), have always been in the dry category (although the Rieslings from Alsace have shown a trend toward an increasing level of remaining sweetness in the wine over the past decades), and, importantly, Germany, the dominating Riesling force in the world, has undergone a major trans-formation in the past 40 years: The fruity-sweet Rieslings have been crowded out from the wine lists in Germany, while the “dry wave”—“Trockenwelle”—has swept the country. When you go to a wine bar, wine store, or restaurant in say Frankfurt, Berlin, or Munich, it is very difficult to find a fruity-sweet Riesling. The wine lists are dominated by dry Riesling.

Picture: Annette Schiller, Max von Kunow, Johannes Hasselbach, Alwin Jurtschitsch and Christian G.E. Schiller at BToo. See:Weingut von Hoevel – The New Generation: Max von Kunow in Washington DC, USA/Germany

Pictures: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut von Hövel, Saar, with Owner/ Winemaker Maximilian von Kunow - Germany-North Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours

The Top 15 Wines

01 2016 Trittenheimer Apotheke Alte Reben Riesling trocken Franz-Josef Eifel (Mosel) Euro 18
01 2016 Abstberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs Maximin Grünhaus (Mosel/ Ruwer) Euro 27,90

03 2016 Saar Riesling trocken von Hövel (Mosel/ Saar) Euro 10,80

04 2016 Deidesheimer Kalkofen Riesling Spätlese trocken Jul. Ferd. Kimich (Pfalz) Euro12,30
04 2016 Blauschiefer Riesling trocken Dr. Loosen (Mosel) Euro 10.60

06 2016 Chara*** Riesling trocken Alexander Laible (Baden) Euro 15

07 2016 Alte Reben Riesling Spätlese trocken Karthäuserhof (Mosel/ Ruwer) Euro 15,90
07 2016 Kreuznacher Paradies Riesling trocken Korrell (Nahe) Euro 18
07 2016 Schloss Saarsteiner Riesling Grosses Gewächs Schloss Saarstein (Mosel/ Saar) Euro 28,50
07 2016 Kiedricher Turmberg Riesling trocken Robert Weil (Rheingau) Euro 25,94

11 2016 Maximin Herrenberg Erste Lage Riesling trocken Carl Loewen (Mosel) Euro 19,90

12 2016 Steeger St. Jost Erste Lage Riesling trocken Toni Jost (Mittelrhein) Euro 14

13 2016 Rosengewächs Riesling trocken August Kesseler (Rheingau) Euro 30
13 2016 Oberhäuser Kieselberg Riesling Spätlese trocken Sitzius (Nahe) Euro 7,80

15 2016 Lorcher Pfaffenwies Riesling Erstes Gewächs Altenkirch (Rheingau) Euro 19,50
15 2016 Kaseler Nieschen Auf den Mauern Riesling Grosses Gewächs Erben von Beulwitz (Mosel/ Ruwer) Euro 19,50