Following the pre-release tasting of the 2014 (white) and 2013 (red) Grosse Gewächs (GG) wines in Wiesbaden on Monday and Tuesday, August 28/29, the top producers of Rheinhessen invited for a Rheinhessen Cru Wines (Lagenweine) Tasting on the following Wednesday, just across the Rhein River in Mainz.
See: Germany’s Grosses Gewächs GG Wines Released (2014 White and 2013 Red) - Notes from the Pre-release Tasting in Wiesbaden, Germany
Germany is moving to a terroir-based wine classification, designed along the lines of the Bourgogne classification. Accordingly, Rheinhessen presented dry premium wines of the 2014 (white) and 2013 (red) vintages from its best single vineyards. Interestingly, not only the top layer of quality winemakers in Rheinhessen, i.e. the VDP members, poured their wines, but also those winemakers that are knocking at the door of the VDP, i.e. the second layer of Rheinhessen winemakers in terms of quality.
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.
Wilhelm Weil: “The new VDP Wine Classification System is basically a matrix classification.” On one axis you find the different quality levels of the wines, along the Burgundian terroir approach, with estate wines, village wines, first growth (premier cru) wines and great growth (grand cru) wines.
Like in the Bourgogne, the terroir principle has taken center stage in the VDP classification. Effective with the 2012 harvest, the VDP classification has the following 4 quality layers (In brackets, the equivalent quality classes in the classification system of the Bourgogne):
• VDP.Grosse Lage (Grand Cru in Burgundy)
• VDP.Erste Lage (Premier Cru in Burgundy)
• VDP.Ortswein (Village level in Burgundy)
• VDP.Gutswein (Bourgogne régional in Burgundy)
Note that for some legal reasons, the VDP has started to use the terms Grosse Lage, Erste Lage, Ortswein and Gutswein with the pre-fix VDP.
On the other axis, you find the sweetness levels: Trocken, Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese as well as Eiswein. Please note that in the new VDP classification system the Prädikats have lost their critical importance that they have in the traditional classification system of 1971 and that they have changed their meaning. In the VDP classification system, they have become an indicator for the sweetness range of the finished wine, while in the traditional classification they are an indicator of the sugar content of the grapes at harvest. Generally, in the new VDP classification system, the Prädikats are to be used exclusively for wines with residual sweetness, “thereby enabling the Prädikats to resume their traditional meaning”, as stated by the VDP.
See also:
Steffen Christmann (Weingut A. Christmann) and Wilhelm Weil (Weingut Robert Weil) Presented the New Wine Classification of the VDP, Germany
The new (VDP) Wine Classification in Germany: Tasting Weingut Robert Weil Wines from Gutswein to Grosse Lage Wine
See also:Wine Caravan from Germany Visiting the US East Coast: Dr. Fischer, Fitz Ritter, Bollig-Lehnert, Schneider, Dr. Thanisch
Rheinhessen: 3 Quality Levels Only – Gutswein, Ortswein, Lagenwein
The VDP Rheinhessen has modified the omnibus classification and reduced it to a 3 tier classification: Gutswein, Ortswein, Lagenwein for its wines. It does not distinguish between VDP.Grosse Lage wines and VDP.Erste Lage wines. All cru wines of VDP producers from Rheinhessen are VDP.Grosse Lage wines.
The Cru Wines Tasting in Mainz
40 elite winemakers from Rheinhessen presented their premium wines from the 2014 vintage (white) and from 2013 (red); some red wines were from 2011 and 2012. The Rheinhessen winemakers did not present any fruity-sweet wines (Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese) from their best vineyards. All wines shown were dry wines. The top winemakers from Rheinhessen produce only a very limited amount of fruity-sweet wines. As a rule, premium wines from Rheinhessen are dry (or noble-sweet).
The Rheinhessen Top Winemakers and Schiller's Favorite Wines
Here is a list of all the winemakers that poured their wines (VDP members and non-members). My favorite wines are indicated.
VDP: C. Spanier-Gillot and H.O. Spanier (Battenfeld-Spanier and Kühling-Gillot)
Favorites: 2014 Kirchenstück Riesling GG, 2013 Kirchenstück Spätburgunder GG, Pettenthal Riesling GG and 2013 Kreuz Spätburgunder GG
See also: Wine Tasting at Weingut Kühling-Gillot in Bodenheim: Kühling-Gillot and Battenfeld-Spanier Wines– Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Becker Landgraf
Beck – Heidesheimer Hof
J. Bettenheimer
Bischel
Bossert
Braunewell
Favorite: Teufelspfad, Essenheim, Riesling
See also: Frankfurt/Wein Celebrated with the German Wine Queen Nadine Poss and 5 Winemakers: Simone Adams, Weingut Simone Adams, Markus Berres, Weingut C.H. Berres, Stefan Braunewell, Weingut Braunewell, Carmen von Nell-Breuning, Dominikaner Weingut, and Stephan Attmann, Weingut von Winning
VDP: Brüder Dr. Becker
K. and K. Dautermann
Dreissigacker
Favorites: Kirchspiel, Westhofen, Riesling and Morstein, Westhofen, Riesling
See also:
The Wines Chancelor Merkel Served President Obama and Michelle Obama in Berlin (and the Wines she did not Serve), Germany
Espenhof
Winzerfamilie Flick
Oekonomierat Johann Geil J. Erben
VDP: K.F. Groebe
Favorites: Aulerde Riesling GG and Kirchspiel Riesling GG
VDP: Gunderloch
Favorites: Rothenberg Riesling GG, Pettenthal Riesling GG and Hipping Riesling GG
See also: Wine Tasting at Weingut Gunderloch in Nackenheim, with Owners and Winemaker Fritz Hasselbach and Agnes Hasselbach-Usinger – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
VDP: Gutzler
Hofmann
Favorite: Hundertgulden, Appenheim, Riesling
See also: Slate meets Limestone (Schiefer trifft Muschelkalk): Weingut Hofmann in Rheinhessen and Weingut WillemsWillems in the Saar, Germany
Kampf
Keller
Favorites: Hubacker Riesling GG, 2013 Morstein Spätburgunder GG
See also: The 11 Winemakers: Rieslingfeier 2015 in New York City, USA
Knewitz
Favorite: Hundergulden, Appenheim, Riesling
VDP: Kruger-Rumpf
Favorite: Scharlachberg Riesling GG
See also: Lunch and Wine Tasting with Georg Rumpf, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe Valley – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Landgraf
Favorite: Hölle, Saulheim, Riesling
VDP: J. Neus
Pfannebecker
VDP: Rappenhof
Riffel
Sander
Schätzel
Favorites: Hipping, Nierstein, Riesling; Ölberg, Nierstein, Riesling; Pettentahl, Nierstein, Riesling
See also: Tour, Tasting, and Lunch at Weingut Schätzel in Nierstein, Rheinhessen – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Seehof
VDP: Schloss Westerhaus
Spiess
VDP: St. Antony
VDP: Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Oppenheim
Thörle
Favorites: Hölle, Saulheim, Riesling and 2013 Hölle, Saulheim, Spätburgunder
See also: Visit: Winzerhof Thörle in Saulheim, Rheinhessen – Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
VDP: Wagner-Stempel
Favorite: Höllberg, Riesling GG
Wechsler
Favorites: Kirchspiel, Westhofen, Riesling; Morstein, Westhofen, Riesling; Benn, Westhofen, Riesling
See also: Winetasting with Katharina Wechsler, Weingut K. Wechsler, Westhofen, Rheinhessen – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Weedenborn
Favorite: Steingrube, Westhofen, Riesling
Weinreich
VDP: Winter
VDP: Wittmann
Favorites: Aulerde, Riesling, GG; Kirchspiel, Riesling, GG; Morstein, Riesling, GG
See also: Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Philipp Wittmann and Eva Clüsserath-Wittmann at Weingut Wittmann in Westhofen – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
See also: The Premium Apple Wines of Andreas Schneider - Obsthof am Steinberg - in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Steffen Christmann (Weingut A. Christmann) and Wilhelm Weil (Weingut Robert Weil) Presented the New Wine Classification of the VDP, Germany
The new (VDP) Wine Classification in Germany: Tasting Weingut Robert Weil Wines from Gutswein to Grosse Lage Wine
Wine Caravan from Germany Visiting the US East Coast: Dr. Fischer, Fitz Ritter, Bollig-Lehnert, Schneider, Dr. Thanisch
Germany’s Grosses Gewächs GG Wines Released (2014 White and 2013 Red) - Notes from the Pre-release Tasting in Wiesbaden, Germany
Wine Tasting at Weingut Kühling-Gillot in Bodenheim: Kühling-Gillot and Battenfeld-Spanier Wines– Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Frankfurt/Wein Celebrated with the German Wine Queen Nadine Poss and 5 Winemakers: Simone Adams, Weingut Simone Adams, Markus Berres, Weingut C.H. Berres, Stefan Braunewell, Weingut Braunewell, Carmen von Nell-Breuning, Dominikaner Weingut, and Stephan Attmann, Weingut von Winning
The Wines Chancelor Merkel Served President Obama and Michelle Obama in Berlin (and the Wines she did not Serve), Germany
Wine Tasting at Weingut Gunderloch in Nackenheim, with Owners and Winemaker Fritz Hasselbach and Agnes Hasselbach-Usinger – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
The 11 Winemakers: Rieslingfeier 2015 in New York City, USA
Slate meets Limestone (Schiefer trifft Muschelkalk): Weingut Hofmann in Rheinhessen and Weingut WillemsWillems in the Saar, Germany
Lunch and Wine Tasting with Georg Rumpf, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe Valley – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Tour, Tasting, and Lunch at Weingut Schätzel in Nierstein, Rheinhessen – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Visit: Winzerhof Thörle in Saulheim, Rheinhessen – Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Winetasting with Katharina Wechsler, Weingut K. Wechsler, Westhofen, Rheinhessen – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Philipp Wittmann and Eva Clüsserath-Wittmann at Weingut Wittmann in Westhofen – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
See also: The Premium Apple Wines of Andreas Schneider - Obsthof am Steinberg - in Frankfurt am Main, Germany