Germany’s 2012 VDP.Grosse Gewaechs – Grand Cru - white wines were released on September 1, 2013. These are the ultra-premium dry wines from the very best vineyard sites made by some of the best producers in Germany.
At this annual occasion, a number of presentations by the VDP – the association of German elite winemakers - take place in Germany, including one in Berlin during the first days of September and one later in the month in Frankfurt am Main.
Pre-release Tasting in Wiesbaden
One presentation that clearly stands out is the pre-release tasting for a group of about 120 wine journalists, sommeliers, retailers, importers, etc from all over the world, but mainly from Germany, in the old Kurhaus in the stately German spa town of Wiesbaden, which is 45 minutes drive from Frankfurt. It is a seated, very well organized tasting where you have the chance to go through the VDP Grosses Gewaechs wines during 2 days. The invitations for this event are highly sought after. This year, I was happy to get again invited by the VDP and to participate in the event. Others I saw at the event were US wine importer Rudi Wiest, Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland editor Joel B. Payne, winemaker, blogger and internet-TV star Dirk Wuertz and Riesling guru and wine journalist Stuart Pigott.
420 Grosse Gewächse wines were poured. Notable absentees were Weingut Leitz, Weingut Breuer (as Weingut Breuer is no longer member of the VDP) and Weingut Peter Jakob Kuehn (Peter Jakob feels that late August is still too early to present his Grosse Gewaechs wines).
See here for last year's tasting:
Germany’s 2011 VDP Grosses Gewaechs – Grand Cru - Wines Released. Notes from the Pre-release Tasting in Wiesbaden, Germany
Grosses Gewaechs
What is a VDP.Grosses Gewaechs wine? There is currently a bit of confusion (and there will be even more confusion in the years to come) as (1) Grosses Gewaechs was a term that was created by the VDP only a few years ago and (2) the VDP has created a new classification for German wines that differs radically from the German standard classification (and is still in the process of refining and implementing it). The latest revisions were those that came into effect with the vintage 2012.
Grosses Gewaechs and the new German Wine Classification
Although many people think that there is only one wine classification system in Germany – the classification system of the Law of 1971 – this is not correct. True, the classification system of the Law of 1971 is the standard classification system in Germany and the vast majority of winemakers in Germany use this approach. A large number of winemakers, however, have moved away from the standard, in particular the VDP producers.
In a nutshell, the VDP is moving to a classification system that resembles very much the classification system in the Bourgogne. The classification of the VDP puts the terroir principle at the center of its classification approach.
With the latest modifications of earlier this year, the absolutely finest vineyards are called Grosse Lage (for the 2011 vintage still called Erste Lage) and dry wines from these super top vineyards are called Grosses Gewaechs. Grosses Gewächs wines are the finest dry wines from Germany’s finest vineyards.
To qualify for the Grosses Gewaechs label, a number of criteria need to be respected. (i) The fruit has to come from a Grosse Lage (for the 2011 vintage still called Erste Lage) vineyard. (ii) At harvest, the grapes need to be at least at Spaetlese level in terms of the sugar content. (iii) Only certain – typical - grape varieties are allowed, including Riesling and Spaetburgunder. Riesling is the only varietal allowed for Grosse Lage wines in the Mosel, Nahe, and Mittelrhein, but grapes like Spaetburgunder (Pinot Noir), Lemberger, Fruehburgunder, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Gewuerztraminer, and Silvaner are included in other regions. (iv) Further restrictions apply: there are yield restrictions; only hand picking of grapes is permitted and harvest must be late in the autumn.
This is what we had in the glass in Wiesbaden: White Grosses Gewaechs wines from 2012 and red Grosses Gewaechs wines from 2011 as well as a few white Grosse Lage wines that exceeded the sweetness limit of Grosses Gewaechs wines just a bit, but were still presented. The tasting covers most of the winegrowing regions in Germany, and not just Riesling. GG status has been approved for Silvaner, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), and Lemberger, plus even a Chardonnay was included this year. But the majority of the wines are, of course, Riesling wines, and each region’s wines are grouped together for comparison.
The VDP
The VDP is the world’s oldest association of wine estates in the world. In fact, it is the only one of its kind worldwide. No other country has a national organization of the top wine makers of the entire country.
Throughout the past century, the quality-driven goals and strict standards of the VDP have played no small part in shaping the viticultural and winemaking practices in Germany. With their stringent statutes and their establishment of a German vineyard classification, the 200 members of the VDP have served as role models and justifiably can be viewed as the vanguard of the nation’s producers of top-quality wines.
The Tasting Notes
Silvaner
Franken
The tasting list started with 20 Silvaner from Franken – wines which I liked very much but which are difficult to find outside of Germany. I liked in particular the wines of Wirsching from Iphofen, the Kronsberg with strong mineral notes and the Julius Echter Berg which was smoother and more approachable at this point.
Riesling
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
The Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Grosses Gewaechs wines came in 2 groups: (1) Here, at the beginning, wines within the dryness limits of the VDP and (2) then at the end again a few wines from a Grosse Lage vineyard, that were kind of dry, but slightly above the dryness limit and thus did not qualify as a Grosses Gewaechs
With regard to the first group, although I know that my fellow colleagues at the German Wine Society Board (Washington DC Chapter) all love the fruity sweet wines of Ernst Loosen, Dr. Loosen put on a very strong performance with his ultra premium Grosses Gewaechs wines from Himmelreich, Wuerzgarten, Praelat, Sonnenuhr and Treppchen. In particular the 2012 Praelat is a sensational wine. Treppchen is more withdrawn. The Graacher Himmelreich shows a lot of tropical notes.
I would also like to mention the impressive Marienburg collection of Clemens Busch, the non-conventional winemaker from Puenderich. Clemens Busch shows year after year what is possible in the Mosel Valley, following biodynamic practices. The Grosses Gewaechs from the Marienburg "Rothenpfad" vineyard is a very elegant and pure wine.
The Top 10 Mosel wines of my New York colleague Justin Christoph were:
1. Himmelreich Willi Schaefer
2. Saarfeilser Peter Lauer
3. Scharzhofberger "Pergensknopp" van Volxem
4. Rausch Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken
5. Karthäuserhofberg Karthäuserhof
6. Laurentiuslay St. Urbans-Hof
7. Schonfels Peter Lauer
8. Prälat Dr. Loosen
9. Juffer-Sonnenuhr Fritz Haag
10.Marienburg "Falkenlay" Clemens Busch
Saale-Unstrut
1 wine – the Edelacker of Weingut Pawis is a wine that I always like: clear, juicy and animating – good.
Mittelrhein
4 wines.
Rheingau
56 wines, up from 42 wines last year.
There was again a lot of – in my view undeserved – Rheingau bashing, as in previous years. Clearly, the Rheingau winemakers are not the darlings of the wine writers currently. Sommelier Jan Wilhelm Burmann went as far as saying that the Rheingau has reached a new low point. I strongly disagree with Jan Wilhelm. Kuenstler, for example, presented wines from Ruedesheim (Berg Rottland and Berg Schlossberg), Hochheim (Hoelle and Kirchenstueck) and Kostheim (Weiss Erd) and all 5 of them were in the top league, as far as I am concerned.
As expected, the Graefenberg of world class producer Robert Weil was an Ambassador for German Riesling, a wine very popular among wine connesseurs around the world.
There was less talk this year about the wines of Balthasar Ress, but all agreed that wine blogger and wine maker Dirk Wuertz continues to lead Weingut Balthasar Ress to new hights. Another name that came up in this connection was Theresa Breuer, Weingut Breuer, who did not present her wines, as Weingut Breuer is not a member of the VDP.
Few people had Desiree Eser, Weingut August Eser (who sells predominantly in the domestic market), on their list, but I think she is a young, promising winemaker. Her Siegelsberg showed fine herbal notes.
Another producer that sells predominatly on the domestic market and that is someboday to watch is Weingut Jakob Jung. Alexander Jung presented 2 wines, the Siegelsberg and the Hohenrein, both steely, with a vibrant acidity.
Mark Barth is also one of the “Jungen Wilden”. Weingut Barth had 3 wines in the presentation: Schönhell, Hassel and Wisselbrunnen, all highly interesting wines.
The Nonnberg (Wicker) and Königin Victoriaberg (Hochheim) of Joachim Flick were the only FairChoice certified wines at the tasting, combining excellency and sustainability.
The Rheingau is also experimenting with wood. Weingut Allendorf presented with the Winkeler
Hasensprung an excellent example of how it should be done.
In Erbach, von Oetinger showed 3 wines that were extremely good. In particular, Siegelsberg showed good fruit intensity and a round character, supported by good acidity.
The Top 10 of my New York colleague Justin Christopher were:
1. Doosberg F.B. Schönleber
2. Lenchen August Eser
3. Lenchen "Rosengarten" Spreitzer
4. Kirchenstück Künstler
5. Rothenberg Wegeler
6. St. Nikolaus Spreitzer
7. St. Nikolaus F.B. Schönleber
8. Marcobrunn Knyphausen
9. Weiß Erd Künstler
10.Berg Rottland Künstler
Nahe
23 wines, down from 26 wines last year.
There were just 4 flights of Nahe Rieslings this year, but it goes without saying that there were a lot of excellent wines on hand. For many I talked to, the Nahe and the Pfalz were battling for the top position in this tasting. In the Nahe region, the leading trio is Dönnhoff/Emrich-Schönleber/Schäfer-Fröhlich. Close behind is Caroline Diel, Schlossgut Diel; I was also very much impressed by the 2 wines Georg Rumpf, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, presented.
Schäfer-Fröhlich presented 6 wines. All of these were excellent and had a distinct “sponti” scent on the nose. Clearly, 2012 was a spectacular year for Tim Fröhlich.
In a rather different style, the wines from Dönnhoff were also excellent: More pure fruit and no sponti aromas. Doennhoff offered 3 wines – Dellchen, Hermannshöhle and Felsenberg, with the latter showing a superb balance of fruit and acid with some minerality and a very long finish.
Schlossgut Diel showed 3 excellent wines, all from Dorsheim - Pittermännchen, Goldloch and Burgberg. My personal favorite was Goldloch, with vibrant acidity and a long finish.
Kruger-Rumpf is generally viewed as a second tier top producer in the Nahe, but I must say, the Pittersberg was an impressive wine: Fresh acidity, fruity and elegant, quite lively, good length. Georg Rumpf is clearly somebaod to watch.
Rheinhessen
32 wines, up from 26 wines last year. Keller and Wittmann are the acknowledged leaders, widely regarded as among the greatest producers of dry Rieslings Germany, and their wines did not disappoint in 2012. Close behind the leading duo is H.O. Spanier with his Battenfeld-Spanier and Kuehling-Gillot wines. Gunderloch also showed excellent wines.
Keller only showed two of his numerous GG and high-end dry wines this year. No Kirchspiel, Morstein, Absterde or G-Max, but the two wines he did show – Hubacker and Pettenthal - were outstanding. As to the latter, for the first time this year he presented a wine from the “Roter Hang”, which showed a touch of sponti on the nose, but also great depth and minerality.
The other big name in Rheinhessen is Wittman, the 2014 Gault Millau Winemaker of the Year. Interestingly, Philip Wittmann was awarded the winemaker of the year title, but was not promoted to the top group of 5 grapes winemakers. Wittmann showed 4 wines, all from Westhofen, and many considered these 4 wines as the stars of the event: Aulerde, Kirchspiel, Brunnenhäuschen and, last but not least, Morstein.
There is no need to introduce the wines of H.O. Spanier. Perhaps not yet so well known is the fact that he is responsible for the wines of both Battenfeld-Spanier (his estate) and for Kuehling Gillot (the estate of his wife Caroline Spanier Gillot). There was general agreement among the various tasters I talked to during the breaks that H.O. Spanier is closely behind Wittmann and Keller.
Flight 33 – Morstein (Wittmann), Hubacker (Keller), Am Schwarzen Herrgott, Frauenberg, Kirchenstueck (all Battenfeld-Spanier) was arguably the strongest flight of the tasting.
Pfalz
60 Rieslings, up from 53 last year.
With 11 flights, the Pfalz showed that it is one of the largest and most important producers of GG Rieslings. While all the regions have a number of vineyards with perhaps two or three Grosses Gewaechs producers, there were several flights in the Pfalz tasting with 6 or 5 wines from the same vineryard and different producers, including Pechstein, Jesuitengarten, Kirchenstueck and Ungeheuer.
The star and the most controversial Pfalz producer was von Winning, because many of the von Winning wines have a toasty/savory component from exposure to new oak barrels. According to Terry Theise, the von Wiining wines are not aged in barriques, but in new large oak casks which von Winning did not steam to reduce their new oak character. Also, I was told that some of von Winning’s wines are put though malolactic fermentation, although I could not taste it. Overall, von Winning wines tend to be different from the other wines. I found the wood too dominant in the Kirchenstück, but well integrated in the Kalkofen. Also, I liked von Winning’s Riesling most in the Pechstein flight. Dirk Wuertz: “von Winning plays in a different league. So much authentity and absolute will for his own style are unique.”
Christmann’s wines, by contrast, are the wines of a President, like the wines of Weil in the Rheingau – Ambassadors for the Pfalz. They show very well what the world can expect from the Pfalz and what the Pfalz is abel to delivery – world class crisp and fresh Riesling. I liked 2012 Christmann Idig Riesling GG: Hints of floral and orange peel notes on the nose, fruity, elegant and lively on the palate, good length. 89
Von Buhl is going through some difficult times, but the 5 GG wines von Buhl presented showed all very well. The Pechstein was fruity, elegant, with a lively palate and long.
The Top 10 of my New York Colleague Justin Christopher were:
1. "Ganz Horn" Im Sonnenschein Rebholz
2. Pechstein Bassermann-Jordan
3. Jesuitengarten Mosbacher
4. Im Sonnenschein Rebholz
5. Jesuitengarten von Buhl
6. Kalkofen Bürklin-Wolf
7. Mandelgarten Christmann
8. Kastanienbusch Rebholz
9. Idig Christmann
10. Gaisböhl Bürklin-Wolf
Franken
20 wines.
A surprisingly large number of Rieslings from Franken
Baden
While the focus of the wines from Baden was red wines, Baden also presented 14 Riesling wines, up from 6 last year.
Württemberg
Again, another German wine region that is not known for its Rieslings. I must admit I almost never drink Rieslings from Wuerttemberg. 14 wines, up from 12 last year. Ernst Dautel’s “Gruebenstein” Sonnenberg was my favorite.
Weisser Burgunder (Pinot Blanc)
Sachsen
2 wines.
Saale-Unstrut
1 wine (of Pawis).
Franken
3 wines.
Pfalz
11 wines.
Baden
11 wines.
Wuerttemberg
3 wines.
Grauer Burgunder (Pinot Gris)
Saale-Unstrut
1 wine.
Wuerttemberg
2 wines.
Baden
11 wines
Chardonnay
Baden
1 wine.
Frueburgunder (Pinot Noir Précoce)
Pinot Noir Précoce is a form or mutation of Pinot Noir which differs essentially by ripening earlier than normal (thus the use of the descriptive nomination 'précoce').
All the red wines were 2011.
Ahr
2 wines.
Spaetburgunder (Pinot Noir)
There is a red wine revolution going on in Germany and the world increasingly takes note of it. Of course, given its location, the red wines of Germany tend to be not like the fruity red wines we know from warmer countries, but lean and more elegant, with a lot of finesse. 30 years ago, the share of red wine in total German wine output was not more than 10 percent; in the international wine scene, people would not talk about German red wine. But this is changing. Germany now produces red wines that can compete with the best of the world; the share of red wines in terms of production has increased to about 35 percent now in Germany and increasingly the international market takes note of what is happening in Germany.
Today, Germany is the third biggest producer of Pinot Noir (called Spaetburgunder in Germany), after France and the US, with more planted than Australia and New Zealand combined. However, despite being the world’s third largest producer of Pinot Noir, the country exports just over 1% of its production.
Ahr
14 wines, up from 2 wines last year.
My favorites were the 3 wines of Meyer-Naekel: Sonnenberg, Kraeuterberg and Pfarrwingert. The Sonnenberg had a long, tarry finish.
Sachsen
1 wine.
Rheingau
6 wines, up from 3 last year: Kuenstler (2), Georg Mueller Stiftung, August Kesseler (2), Fritz Allendorf.
Rheinhessen
4 wines. Was not represented a year ago.
Pfalz
13 wines, unchanged from last year.
My favorites: Idig A. Christmann, Kammerberg, Friedrich Becker and the 3 Knipser wines: Kirschgarten, Mandelpfad, Burgweg.
Franken
5 wines, up from 4 last year.
Baden
12 wines, down from 19 wines last year.
My favorites: the 3 wines of Bernhard Huber – Bienenberg, Schlossberg, Sommerhalde – and the 2 wines of Dr. Heger – Schlossberg, Winklerberg “Haeuslerboden”.
Württemberg
10 wines, down from 11 last year.
Lemberger
Wuerttemberg
11 wines.
All interesting wines. The Austrians a currently showing the world what the Lemberger variety (called Blaufraenkisch in Austria) can produce. Again, Graf Neipperg was my #1.
Off-dry Riesling
Mosel Saar Ruwer
6 wines, down from 13 wines last year.
As referred to above, these were wines that exceeded somewhat the limit for dryness and thus can not be sold as Grosses Gewaechs.
5 of these wines came from van Volxem and 1 wine from Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken.
Summary Assessments
Fallstaff
97 Riesling 2012 Gottesfuß, Wiltingen VDP Grosses Gewächs Weingut van Volxem Wiltingen Mosel
96 Riesling 2012 Hubacker, Dalsheim VDP Grosses Gewächs Weingut Keller Flörsheim-Dalsheim Rheinhessen
95 Riesling 2012 Goldtröpfchen, Piesport VDP Grosses Gewächs Reinhold Haart Piesport Mosel
95 Riesling 2012 Altenberg, Kanzem VDP Grosses Gewächs Weingut van Volxem Wiltingen Mosel
95 Riesling 2012 Schonfels, Ayl VDP Grosses Gewächs Weingut Peter Lauer Ayl Mosel
95 Riesling 2012 Ohligsberg, Wintrich VDP Grosses Gewächs Reinhold Haart Piesport Mosel
95 Riesling 2012 Hölle, Hochheim VDP Grosses Gewächs Weingut Künstler Hochheim am Main Rheingau
95 Riesling 2012 Hermannshöhle Niederhausen VDP Grosses Gewächs Weingut Dönnhoff Oberhausen Nahe
95 Riesling 2012 Halenberg, Monzingen VDP Grosses Gewächs Weingut Emrich-Schönleber Monzingen Nahe
95 Riesling 2012 Morstein, Westhofen VDP Grosses Gewächs Weingut Wittmann Westhofen bei Worms Rheinhessen
95 Riesling 2012 Pechstein, Forst VDP Grosses Gewächs Weingut von Winning Deidesheim Pfalz
95 Riesling 2012 Ungeheuer, Forst VDP Grosses Gewächs Weingut von Winning Deidesheim Pfalz
95 Spätburgunder 2011 Sankt Paul Schweigen VDP Grosses Gewächs Weingut Friedrich Becker Schweigen Pfalz
Mario Scheuermann
96
2012 Van Volxem Riesling Scharzhofberger “Pergensknopp” (Saar)
95
2012 von Winning Kirchenstück (Pfalz)
2012 Van Volxem Riesling Gottesfuss (Saar)
94
2012 Heymann-Löwenstein Uhlen “Blaufüßer Lay” (Saar)
2012 von Winnning Pechstein (Pfalz)
2012 von Winning Ungeheuer (Pfalz)
2012 von Winning Kieselberg (Pfalz)
2012 Künstler Hölle (Rheingau)
2012 Van Volxem Riesling Volz (Saar)
2012 Van Volxem Riesling Goldberg (Saar)
93
2012 Heymann-Löwenstein Uhlen “Laubach” (Mosel)
2012 Heymann-Löwenstein Röttgen (Mosel)
2012 Schlossgut Diel Goldloch (Nahe)
2012 Dr. Wehrheim Weissburgunder Mandelberg (Pfalz)
2012 Bernhart Weissburgunder Sonnenberg “Redling” (Pfalz)
2012 von Winning Langenmorgen (Pfalz)
2012 von Winning Kalkofen (Pfalz)
2012 Mosbacher Freundstück (Pfalz)
2012 Bassermann-Jordan Kalkofen (Pfalz)
2012 von Buhl Kirchenstück (Pfalz)
2012 Künstler Kirchenstück (Rheingau)
2012 Langwerth von Simmern Mannberg (Rheingau)
2012 Balthasar Ress Wisselbrunnen (Rheingau)
2012 Van Volxem Riesling Altenberg (Saar)
Kaufempfehlung (Buy!) (Martin Zwick, Berlin)
2012 Keller “Pettenthal” GG
2012 Schäfer-Föhlich “Stromberg” + “Frühlingsplätzchen” GG
2012 Battenfeld-Spanier “Frauenberg” GG
2012 Bürklin-Wolf “Pechstein” + “Kalkofen” + “Gaisböhl” GG
2012 Wittmann “Morstein” + “Brunnenhäuschen” GG
2012 Emrich-Schönleber “Halenberg” GG
2012 von Winning “Ungeheuer” GG
2012 A. Christimann “Idig” + “Mandelgarten” GG
2012 Dr. Loosen “Prälat” GG
2012 Clemens Busch “Falkenlay”
2012 von Othegraven “Altenberg”+”Bockstein” GG
2012 Wagner-Stempel “Höllberg” + “Heerkretz” GG
2012 Toni Jost “Hahn” GG
2012 Heymann-Löwenstein “Röttgen” GG
2012 Diel “Pittermännchen” + “Burgberg” GG
2012 Dönnhoff “Dellchen” + “Felsenberg” GG
2012 Kranz “Kalmit” GG
2012 Kühling-Gillot “Rothenberg” GG
2012 von Buhl “Kirchenstück” GG
2012 van Volxem “Altenberg” + “Scharzhofberg Pergensknopp” GG
Top 25 Grosses Gewachs Rieslings tasted in Wiesbaden this week (Justin Christoph, New York)
1. Felseneck, Schäfer-Fröhlich (Nahe)
2. Pettenthal, Keller (Rheinhessen)
3. Ölberg, Kühling-Gillot (Rheinhessen)
4. Pettenthal, Kühling-Gillot (Rheinhessen)
5. Heerkretz, Wagner-Stempel (Rheinhessen)
6. Hermannshöhle, Dönnhoff (Nahe)
7. Halenberg, Emrich-Schönleber (Nahe)
8. Frauenberg, Battenfeld-Spanier (Rheinhessen)
9. "Ganz Horn" Im Sonnenschein, Rebholz (Pfalz)
10. Himmelreich, W. Schaefer (Mosel)
11. Pittersberg, Kruger-Rumpf (Nahe)
12. Morstein, Keller (Rheinhessen)
13. Kirchspiel, K. F. Groebe (Rheinhessen)
14. Saarfeilser, Peter Lauer (Mosel)
15. Doosberg, F.B. Schönleber (Rheingau)
16. Scharzhofberger "Pergensknopp", van Volxem (Mosel)
17. Goldenes Loch, Schloss Neuweier (Baden)
18. Sackträger, Rappenhof (Rheinhessen)
19. Kupfergrube, Schäfer-Fröhlich (Nahe)
20. Felsenberg, Dönnhoff (Nahe)
21. Pettenthal, St. Antony (Rheinhessen)
21. Pechstein, Bassermann-Jordan (Pfalz)
23. Frühlingsplätzchen, Schäfer-Fröhlich (Nahe)
24. Frühlingsplätzchen, Emrich-Schönleber (Nahe)
25. Jesuitengarten, Georg Mosbacher (Pfalz)
Also in the running:
Höllberg, Wagner-Stempel (Rheinhessen)
Geyersberg, Winter (Rheinhessen)
Im Sonnenschein , Rebholz (Pfalz)
Lenchen, August Eser (Rheingau)
Lenchen "Rosengarten", Spreitzer (Rheingau)
Kirchenstück, Künstler (Rheingau)
Dautenpflänzer, Kruger-Rumpf (Nahe)
Stromberg, Schäfer-Fröhlich (Nahe)
Dellchen, Dönnhoff (Nahe)
Jesuitengarten, von Buhl (Pfalz)
Kalkofen, Dr. Bürklin-Wolf (Pfalz)
Mandelgarten, A. Christmann (Pfalz)
Idig, A. Chrimann (Pfalz)
Kastanienbusch, Rebholz (Pfalz)
Karthäuserhofberg, Karthäuserhof (Mosel)
Plauelrain, Andreas Laible (Baden)
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Germany’s Top 10 Winemakers (with 5 Grapes) - The Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2013
German Spaetlese Wines Can Come in Different Versions. I Have Counted Five.
Visiting Weingut Josef Leitz in Ruedesheim – Johannes Leitz is Germany’s Winemaker of the Year, Gault Millau WeinGuide 2011
JJ Pruem Goes Supermarket: Meeting Katharina Pruem and Tasting the Incredible JJ Pruem Wines at Wegmans
German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy, 2013
Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany
Tasting with Wilhelm Weil the 2010 Weingut Weil Wines in Kiedrich, Germany
Riesling, Pinot Noir and Indian Cuisine: A tête-à-tête Dinner with Winemaker Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at Rasika in Washington DC, USA
Germany's VDP Wine Estates Celebrate 100th Anniversary in Berlin
The VDP - the Powerful Group of German Elite Winemakers - Refines its Classification System, Germany
Approaches to Classifying German Wine: The Standard Approach (the Law of 1971), the VDP Approach and the Zero Classification Approach
Lighting and the Flavor of Wine - With Winemaker Ulrich Allendorf in his Aroma Vineyard and Color Room at Weingut Allendorf in Oestrich Winkel, Rheingau, Germany
Barth Primus is Germany’s First Sekt Made with an Erstes Gewaechs Wine
Meeting Winemaker/Owner Desiree Eser, Weingut August Eser, on the Banks of the Rhein River in the Rheingau in Germany
FairChoice Certified Wine in Germany: Weingut Joachim Flick in the Rheingau
A Painted Winetasting at Weingut Georg Mueller Stiftung in Hattenheim (Eltville), Rheingau, Germany
Impromptu Winetasting with Alexander Jung, Weingut Jakob Jung, Erbach, Rheingau, Germany
An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany
A Pinot Noir Star: Visiting August Kesseler and his Weingut August Kesseler in Assmannshausen, Germany
Kuenstler, Meyer-Naekel, Wirsching – Winemaker Dinner at Kronenschlösschen in Hattenheim, Rheingau, Germany
Chat Sauvage Versus Peter Querbach– An Impromptu Pinot Noir Wine Tasting with Kai Buhrfeind at His Grand Cru Wine Bar in Frankfurt, Germany
Dirk Wuertz Presented the 2012 Grosses Gewaechs Wines of Weingut Balthasar Ress, Germany
Rheingau Riesling Gala 2013 at Kloster Eberbach, Germany
Impressions from the Riesling and Co World Tour 2010 in New York
The Wines of Franz Kuenstler from Hochheim, Rheingau, Germany
Hanging out with Rheingau Winemakers: Dirk Wuertz, Desiree Eser, Alexander Jakob Jung, Hansi Bausch and Christian Ress in Hattenheim, Rheingau, Germany
Headwind (Gegenwind) – A Protest Wine against the Unbridled Exploitation of Culture and Nature
The VDP - the Powerful Group of German Elite Winemakers - Refines its Classification System, Germany
Visiting Armin and Caroline Diel and their Schlossgut Diel in Burg Layen in Germany
A Pinot Noir Star: Visiting August Kesseler and his Weingut August Kesseler in Assmannshausen, Germany
Visiting Agnes and Fritz Hasselbach at their Weingut Gunderloch in Nackenheim, Rheinhessen, Germany