The VDP.Weinboerse is an annual 2-day event in Mainz, Germany. It is the first comprehensive presentation by the VDP, the association of about 200 German elite winemakers, of the white wines of the new vintage, for trade, restaurants and press only. This year about 175 VDP producers were on hand to present more than 1500 wines. Some 3200 professionals from all over the world attended.
The VDP Producers of the 2014 ombiasy Germany South Tour: The Sun-kissed German South
With the 2 German wine tours coming up later in the year, I focused on those winemakers that we will visit in September 2014. In this posting, I confined myself to the Sun-kissed German South Tour.
The Sun-kissed German South (Germany-South)
From September 14 – September 20, 2014, we will explore three wine regions (Baden, Pfalz, southern Rheinhessen) in the south of Germany and will experience the German red wine revolution. We will visit 16 crème de la crème wineries in southern Germany, normally not open to visitors. We will cross the Rhine River and visit the Maison Trimbach in Alsace to taste the difference between German and Alsatian wines despite the geographic proximity. Among the highlights will be tasting first class Pinot Noirs with the winemakers, and experiencing the culinary South. A special treat will be wine pairing lunches at 1-Michelin-star restaurants.
See here for more on the tour:
The Sun-kissed German South (Germany-South)
See here for the other German tour:
Quintessential German Whites (Germany-North)
2014 Weinboerse in Mainz – The VDP Producers of the 2014 ombiasy Germany North Tour
This is a new tour, with a large number of southern producers of ultra-premium German wine included:
Weingut Schloss Neuweier
Weingut Schloss Neuweier showed 10 wines. Winemaker and owner Robert Schaetzle, who will host us in September, and his father, did all the pouring themselves. With two exceptions, all wines were Erste or Grosse Lage wines. Here are my favorites:
2012 Goldenes Loch, Riesling GG, VDP.Grosse Lage
2012 Mauerwein, Riesling GG, VDP.Grosse Lage
2013 Neuweier, Riesling trocken, VDP.Ortswein
Weingut Karl H. Johner
Not a VDP member.
Weingut Freiherr von Gleichenstein
Not a VDP member.
Weingut Franz Keller
Weingut Franz Keller showed 8 wines. Weingut Franz Keller is part of a larger empire, owned and run by Fritz Keller, who also poured the wines. I talked with him, but mainly about soccer (Fritz Keller is also the President of the FC Freiburg). Most of the time, his son Friedrich Keller jun. did the pouring. I also spotted Melanie Wagner, Sommeliere of the restaurant Franz Keller Schwarzer Adler, but I saw her only at other tables, tasting the wines there. My favorites were:
2012 Oberbergener Bassgeige, Spaetburgunder trocken, VDP.Erste Lage
2013 Oberbergener Pulverbuck, Weisser Burgunder trocken, VDP.Erste Lage
2010 Chardonnay – Sect Zero Dosage, Sekt
Weingut Huber
Weingut Huber showed 10 wines. Bernhard Huber was there to pour on the first day and his wife Barbara Huber came for the second day. My favorites were:
2012 Malterdinger Auxerrois trocken, VDP.Ortswein
2011 Bienenberg Spaetburgunder GG, Barrique, VDP.Grosse Lage
2011 Schlossberg Spaetburgunder GG, Barrique, VDP.Grosse Lage
Weingut Dr. Heger
Weingut Dr. Heger poured 5 wines. Owner Joachim Heger poured only occasionally, while winemaker Markus Mleinek, who will host us in September, took the lead at the tasting table. Again, with Joachim Heger I talked about soccer. My favorites were:
2011 “Mimus” Ihringer Winklerberg, Spaetburgunder trocken, Barrique
2012 Ihringer Winklerberg, Chardonnay trocken, Barrique, VDP.Erste Lage
2011 Winklerberg Haeusleboden, Spaetburgunder GG, Barrique, VDP.Grosse Lage
Weingut Zaehringer
Not a VDP producer.
Maison Trimbach
In Alsace.
Weingut Friederich Becker
Weingut Friedrich Becker showed 10 wines. When I tasted the wines, Friedrich Wilhelm Becker (jun.) poured the wines, but I also had a chat with Friedrich Becker (sen.). My favorites were:
2012 Reserve, Chardonnay trocken, VDP.Gutswein
2011 B, Spaetburgunder trocken, VDP.Gutswein
2011 Sankt Paul, Spaetburgunder GG, VDP.Grosse Lage
Weingut Oekonomierat Rebholz
Weingut Oekonomierat Rebholz showed 10 wines. Interestingly, all wines were either an Ortswein or a Gutswein. Hansjoerg Rebholz took the lead at the tasting table. My favorites were:
2013 Pfalz, Sauvignon Blanc trocken, VDP.Gutswein
2013 Pfalz, Muskateller trocken, VDP.Gutswein
2013 vom Loesslehm, Grauer Burgunder, VDP.Ortswein
Weingut Bassermann-Jordan
Weingut Bassermann-Jordan showed 10 wines, covering all 4 quality levels. My favorites were:
2013 von Bassermann-Jordan, Riesling trocken, VDP.Gutswein
2012 Jesuitengarten, Riesling GG, VDP.Grosse Lage
2013 Ungeheuer, Riesling Auslese, VDP.Grosse Lage
Weingut A. Christmann
Weingut A. Christmann showed 10 wines. Owner and VDP President Steffen Christmann poured the wines, assisted by his team. My favorites were:
2013 Pfalz, Riesling trocken, VDP.Gutswein
2013 Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten, Riesling trocken, VDP.Erste Lage
2010 Koenigsbacher Oelberg, Spaetburgunder trocken, VDP.Erste Lage
Weingut Weegmueller
Not a VDP member.
Weingut Markus Schneider
Not a VDP member.
Weingut Wittmann
Weingut Wittmann showed 6 wines. 4 of the 6 wines were at the Ortswein lelel. Weingut Wittmann did not show any Grosses Gewaechs wine. Philipp Wittmann poured the wines, assisted by his team. My favorites were:
2013 Silvaner trocken, VDP.Grosses Gewaechs
2013 Westhofen, Riesling trocken, Fassprobe, VDP.Ortswein
2013 Morstein, Riesling Auslese, VDP.Grosses Gewaechs
Weingut Klaus Peter Keller
VDP member, but did not attend the Weinboerse.
Weingut Gunderloch
Weingut Gunderloch showed 7 wines. I saw Agnes Hasselbach pouring as well as her son (and now owner) Johannes Hasselbach and her husband Fritz Hasselbach. Weingut Gunderloch will be the final stop on our forthcoming tour. My favorites were:
2013 Gunderloch Riesling trocken, VDP.Gutswein
2013 Jean Baptiste, Riesling Kabinett, VDP.Gutswein
2013 Rothenberg, Riesling Spaetlese, VDP.Grosse Lage
Postings on schiller-wine About the Winemakers
Here is a selection of postings on schiller-wine about the winemakers we will visit.
Neuweier
Weingut Schloss Neuweier– Robert Schaetzle, Baden, Germany
Karl H. Johner
Visiting Winemaker and Web 2.0 Guru Patrick Johner - Weingut Karl Heinz Johner and Johner Estate - in Baden, Germany
German Wine Makers in the World: Karl Heinz Johner in New Zealand
Freiherr von Gleichenstein
In the Glass: A 2007 Pinot Noir from the Gault Millau Shooting Star of the Year - Estate of Baron Gleichenstein
Fritz Keller
Lunch at an Iconic Restaurant in Baden, Germany: Restaurant Schwarzer Adler
Huber
One of the Fathers of the German Red Wine Revolution: Weingut Huber in Baden
Dr. Heger
Joachim Heger, Weingut Dr. Heger: Winemaker of the Year, Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2013, Germany
Zaehringer
The Millésime Bio 2010 in Montpellier, France: A Discovery of Organic and Biodynamic Wines from Around the World at the One of a Kind Wine Trade Show
Maison Trimbach
A Feast with Jean Trimbach, Maison Trimbach in Alsace, and Chef Bart M. Vandaele at B Too in Washington DC, USA/France
Back in the Washington DC Area: Jean Trimbach Presented Maison Trimbach Wines at a Winemaker Dinner at Open Kitchen, USA (2013)
Visiting Jean Trimbach at Maison Trimbach in Ribeauville in Alsace (2011)
With Jean Trimbach from Domaine Trimbach, Alsace, at Bart M. Vandaele’s Belga Café in Washington DC (2011)
Jean Trimbach and the Wines of Maison Trimbach in Washington DC (2010)
Friederich Becker
5 Top Wine Makers at Premier Cru Wein Bistro in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Rebholz
Bassermann-Jordan
The German Winemakers at the 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, USA
Christmann
The German Winemakers at the 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, USA
Steffen Christmann (Weingut A. Christmann) and Wilhelm Weil (Weingut Robert Weil) Presented the New Wine Classification of the VDP, Germany
Weegmueller
The World Meets at Weingut Weegmueller, Pfalz, Germany
Markus Schneider
The Wines Chancelor Merkel Served President Obama and Michelle Obama in Berlin (and the Wines she did not Serve), Germany
German Riesling and International Grape Varieties – Top Wine Makers Wilhelm Weil and Markus Schneider at Kai Buhrfeindt’s Grand Cru in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Wittmann
Germany's Top 16 Winemakers - Feinschmecker WeinGuide 2012
Klaus Peter Keller
Germany's Top 16 Winemakers - Feinschmecker WeinGuide 2012
Gunderloch
Special Wine Event on March 18, 2014, in Washington DC with "Wurzelwerk": 3 Terroirs, 3 Winemakers and 9 Wines
"Wurzelwerk" Goes America: 3 Vineyards, 3 Winemakers and 9 Wines
Weingut Gunderloch– The New Generation: Owner Johannes Hasselbach in Washington DC, US
Visiting Agnes and Fritz Hasselbach at their Weingut Gunderloch in Nackenheim, Rheinhessen, German
Riesling Lounge Goes Lomo, Germany