The Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020 was released on Thursday, October 31, 2019. The Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020 reviews on about 1000 pages more than 11.000 wines of 1000 wineries. Its rating symbol is a star and Germany’s best winemakers are awarded one to five stars. The wines are rated on the 1 to 100 scale.
12 winemakers received the top rating of 5/ 5 stars in the Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020.
See:
Germany's 12 Top Winemakers (With 5/5 Stars) - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020
The Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020 honored the following three outstanding personalities of the German wine world with Winemaker of the Year, Rising Star of the Year and Discovery of the Year awards:
Winemaker of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Matthias and Hansjörg Aldinger, Weingut Aldinger (Württemberg)
Rising Star of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Carl Ehrhard, Weingut Ehrhard (Rheingau)
Discovery of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Carsten Saalwächter, Weingut Saalwächter (Rheinhessen)
This posting lists the #1 wines in 12 different categories in the Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020.
Postings/ Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020
I am releasing 4 postings with regard to the Vinum WeingGuide Deutschland 2019:
Germany's Best Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020 Awards
Germany's Best Wines: 12 Categories - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020
Germany's 12 Top Winemakers (With 5/5 Stars) - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020
Winemaker of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Matthias and Hansjörg Aldinger, Weingut Aldinger (Württemberg), Germany
12 Categories: Germany's Best Wines - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020
SEKT
Vinum: Volker Raumland from Rheinhessen is (almost) unbeatable in this category. In the Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020, four of the ten best Sekts are from him, including this year's winner, the 2010 Raumland X. Triumvirate Grande Cuvée Sekt Brut (95 points). "A truly profound sparkling wine, carried by a prancing lightness," enthuses the jury. "More is not possible - at most different."
SPÄTBURGUNDER
Vinum: In the Pinot Noir category, the winner came from a tiny producer in the South Palatinate Region, which alread wone gold as a surprise last year. With 96 points the 2017 Pinot Noir l’Artiste by Hans-Erich Dausch (Pfalz) "dances between fruit and structure. The Pinot Noir of the year has immense length and depth." His biggest competitor this year was he himself, because his "simple" Pinot Noir came in second, ahead of Knipser, Koch, Huber, Fürst and Rebholz.
WHITE BURGUNDY GRAPE VARIETIES
Vinum: Not beatable however was Rebholz when it came to white Burgundy varieties: With 95 points, the 2018 Birkweiler Mandelberg Grosses Gewächs set itself apart from the competition for the second year in a row. "Hansjörg Rebholz brings elegance and harmony into the bottle in all respects," Matthias Mangold praises the white Burgundy of the year. "Fruit, play and spice - all elements are in perfect balance."
OTHER RED WINES
Vinum: For the first time, the jury honored red wines that are not Pinot Noirs with their own category. This list is made up of domestic and international red grape varieties, which made the tasting exciting - and also challenging. In the end, Hanspeter Ziereisen (Baden) came out on top with his 2016 Syrah "Jaspis". "A fragrance emanates from the glass like the great models from the Rhone Valley," said the judges. "Cool, graphite and with a hint of black pepper, the winning wine relies entirely on structure, character and individuality."
SILVANER
Vinum: At VINUM, the Silvaner has had its "traditional place among the major German white wines" for a longer period of time. The most outstanding wine in this category - and thus Silvaner of the year - is, according to the experts led by Harald Scholl with 93 points, the 2018 Sulzfelder Creutz from Weingut Zehnthof Luckert in Franken, which was already among the winners last year. The roughly 400 ungrafted vines planted at the end of the 19th century always produce a wine of great finesse and elegance. "The 2018 will really start to open after days only," said the jury. "It is worth trying!"
RIESLING DRY
Vinum: In the Riesling dry category, Theresa Breuer (Rheingau) created with her 2018 Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland (97 points) “an exceptional Riesling from an otherwise difficult year,” says Joel B. Payne. "Race and strength at the same time, fine wood, inner density, great draw, salty reverberation - Chapeau, Madame!", he continues his hymn of praise. It was a long time ago that a Rheingau was at the top. Theresa Breuer is following in the footsteps of her father Bernhard, one of the pioneers of the new dry wave in Germany.
GUTSRIESLING
Vinum: Another new category is Gutsriesling/ Estate Riesling, entry-level Riesling. These wines are the calling card of every winemaker, that is, the "simple" drops that you really don't have to kneel down to drink - and in many cases they are still reasonably priced. This year one was surprisingly good too! The 2018 Schieferterrassen from Weingut Heymann Löwenstein (Mosel) is in the book with 90 points. Although the entry-level Riesling of this estate, this honor says a lot about the other, even higher-quality Rieslings of the house. "Here the consumer can buy blindly," recommends the editor-in-chief.
RIESLING FEINHERB
Vinum: "A special knack for the Riesling feinherb category" attests Harald Scholl to the Weber family from Hofgut Falkenstein (Saar). Their 2018 Niedermenninger Herrenberg Spätlese - 21 - took first place with 94 points. The wine of the same name with barrel number four reached fourth place with 93 points - behind Molitor and Loewen.
RIESLING KABINETT
Vinum: In the Riesling Kabinett category, the producers in the Mosel wine-growing region are again among themselves this year: all ten top wines come from estates on the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer. The tasters describe the winner, the 2018 Kanzemer Altenberg, auction wine of the Saarweingut von Othegraven (94 points) as "dream", which is now owned by the well-known TV star Günther Jauch. "A thoroughly hedonistic wine, smoky and yellow-fruity at the same time," praised the jury. "It is juicy, has endless pressure and tension. What more do you want?" ask the experts.
RIESLING SPÄTLESE
Vinum: One is hardly less impressed by the number one in the Riesling Spätlese category, the 2018 Enkircher Ellergrub (95 points) from Weingut Weiser-Künstler (Mosel): "The Ellergrub Spätlese from this estate has always been good," says the description of the editors. «This time it is almost perfect. Dense and powerful, fresh as a clear mountain stream!
RIESLING AUSLESE
Vinum: In the past, German producrs could only make Rieslings of the "Auslese" grade two or three times a decade, but thanks to global warming, these exquisite drops of golden, fully ripe grapes are now made almost every year. The Mosel Region also dominates in this discipline: Egon Müller (Saar) showed the best Riesling Auslese of the year 2018 with his Scharzhofberger Goldkapsel Versteigerungswein (98 points), just a tick ahead of a Selbach-Oster with the same points.
RIESLING NOBLE-SWEET
Vinum: Selbach-Oster (Mosel) has also won first place in the noble-sweet Rieslings category with its Trockenbeerenauslese. Joel B. Payne describes the “breathtaking Trockenbeerenauslese” from the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr vineyard as an “elixir of infinite life”. In the opinion of the jury, it is one of the very rare perfect wines with 100 points! With a second Trockenbeerenauslese from the same vineyard, Johannes Selbach also won bronze with 99 points.
Earlier Years
Germany's Best Wines: 10 Categories - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2019
Germany’s Best Winemakers– Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2019 Awards
Germany’s Best Winemakers and Wines – Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2018 Awards: The Award Ceremony in Mainz, Germany
Germany’s Best Winemakers and Wines – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2017 Awards
Germany’s Best Winemakers and Wines – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2016 Awards: The Awards Ceremony in Mainz, Germany
Germany’s Best Winemakers and Wines – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2015 Awards Ceremony in Mainz, Germany
Best German Wines and Winemakers: Gault Millau Awards – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2014
Best German Wines and Wine Makers – the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2013 Awards
2012: Best German Wines (Awards) – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2012
2011: Gault Millau WeinGuide Germany 2011– Ratings
Gault Millau Wine Germany 2010
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Announcement: Upcoming ombiasy Wine Tours 2020 - (1) Alsace and Germany South, (2) Rhône Valley, (3) Bordeaux and (4) Germany: Christmas Market, Wine, Concert Tour
Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in Washington DC, USA (2019)