The BerlinKabinettCup 2017 took place in Berlin, Germany, a few weeks ago, orchestrated by Martin Zwick. 47 German Riesling Kabinett 2016 wines were included and ranked in the tasting. 2/3 of the wines came from the Mosel Saar Ruwer area. The wines were blind-tasted by 11 wine experts, including Winemaker Kai Schätzel of Weingut Schätzel and Sales Director Desire Schröder of Weingut Dr. Loosen.
Martin Zwick and his Berlin Cups
Martin Zwick was initially known for organizing the BerlinRieslingCup. The BerlinRieslingCup is about Germany’s ultra-premium dry grand cru (Grosses Gewächs) Rieslings from Grosse Lage vineyards. It typically takes place in the second half of September, following the release of the Grosses Gewächs wines of the previous year.
In the following years, he added 3 other Berlin Cups: The BerlinGutsrieslingCup, which reviews and rates entry-level Rieslings. The BerlinKabinettCup: A ranking of off-dry, light Rieslings that carry the Kabinett predicate. Finally, the BerlinSpätburgunderCup, a ranking of German Pinot Noirs.
Thus, there are now 4 BerlinCups: BerlinRieslingCup, BerlinGutsRieslingCup, BerlinKabinettCup and BerlinSpätburgunderCup. See more below.
What is a Kabinett?
What is a Kabinett? That depends.
In the framework of the standard classification of German wine (the Law of 1971), a Kabinett is defined by the sugar content of the grapes at harvest. It is a wine made from grapes harvested with a sugar content of 67 to 87 degrees Öchsle that was not chaptalized. Such a wine can be fully fermented and become dry. These are the Kabinett Trocken wines.
Alternatively, the winemaker could stop the fermentation so that natural sugar remains in the finished wine (and perhaps add a bit of sterilized juice – Süssreserve) to produce a wine that is fruity-sweet.
Depending on the ripeness of the grapes (i.e. the sugar content at harvest) and the timing of the winemaker for stopping the fermentation (early or late during the fermentation process), fruity-sweet Kabinett wines can range from lightly-sweet (halbtrocken, feinherb) to fully-sweet. The law of 1971 does not define any limits for the sweetness of a Kabinett wine and thus you find a wide sweetness range in the market. What they all have in common is that they are rather light wines, with a low alcohol level, made with grapes that were picked early in the harvest.
The VDP producers have introduced a new classification, very much based on the Burgundian approach. In their new classification, Kabinett no longer stands for a certain ripeness of the grapes at harvest, but stands for a certain sweetness level of the wine in the bottle.
For the VDP producers, Kabinett is an indication of a certain sweetness profile. Only wines that have a certain sweetness in the finished wine can be sold as Kabinett. Kabinett Trocken does not exist for VDP producers (although some VDP members still produce Kabinett trocken during a transition period). With a few exceptions, all the wines sold as Kabinett are fruity-sweet and in in a certain sweetness range. Auslese is sweeter than Spätlese and Spätlese sweeter than Kabinett. The terms “Halbtrocken” and “Feinherb” have become redundant in the VDP classification system.
The wines in the BerlinKabinettCup 2016 were all wines where the fermentation was interrupted to generate a wine “that dances” as Stephen Rheinhardt put it in the Süddeutschen Zeitung: A low alcohol wine with some remaining sweetness, no Trocken Kabinetts.
Martin Zwick: I made this "BerlinKabinettCup" not because of another Cup, not because of ranking, not because of scores. The true star is the KABINETT. Here in Germany Kabinett was heavily overlooked in the last years, as most people drank trocken, trocken, trocken. My "BerlinKabinettCup" created awareness in Germany for Kabinett and now the people buy more Kabinett. That´s all about.
Ranking - BerlinKabinettCup 2017
1. 2016 von Othegraven „Kupp“
2. 2016 Emrich-Schönleber „Monzinger“
3. 2016 Hofgut Falkenstein „Euchariusberg“ #12
4. 2016 Schloss Lieser „Brauneberger Juffer“
5. 2016 Keller „Pettenthal“
6. 2016 Loersch „Hofberg“
7. 2016 Fritz Haag "Brauneberger"
8- 2016 von Othegraven „Altenberg“
9. 2016 Maximin Grünhaus „Herrenberg“
10. 2016 Wagner-Stempel "Siefersheimer"
Picture: With Owner Dr. Carl von Schubert at Weingut Maximin Grünhaus in Mertersdorf, Ruwer, Mosel. See: Germany-North Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential German Riesling and the Northernmost Pinot Noir
11. Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg
12. Franz Keller - Schwarzer Adler Oberbergener Bassgeige
13. Willi SchaeferGraacher Himmelreich
14. Weiser-Künstler Wolfer Sonnenlay
15. K. J. Thul Schieferklang
16. Schätzel Niersteiner Pettenthal
17. Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer
18. Daniel Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube
19. Schätzel KabiNett
20. Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen
21. Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg #8
22. Koenen Kabinett
23. Franzen „Calmont“
24. Dr. Hermann Ürziger Würzgarten
25. Clemens Busch Pündericher Marienburg
26. Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst
27. Gunderloch Nackenheimer Rothenberg.
28. Hofgut Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg
29. Kruger-Rumpf Im Pitterberg
30. Steinmetz & Hermann Wintricher Geierslay
31. Nico Espenschied La Roche
32. Max Ferd. Richter Elisenberger
33. Dr. Hermann Erdener Treppchen
34. Schloss Lieser Wehlener Sonnenuhr
35. Gunderloch Jean Baptiste
36. Thörle Saulheimer Hölle
37. Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr
38. Schmitges „vom roten Schiefer“
39. Carl Loewen Maximiner Herrenberg
40. Felix Waldkirch Rhodter Schlossberg
41. Steinmetz Mülheimer Sonnenlay
42. Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Scharzhofberger
43. Zilliken Saarburger Rausch
44. Strub „Herzstück“
45. Zilliken Ockfener Bockstein
46. Weegmüller Pamino
47. von Hövel Scharzhofberger Versteigerung
The Tasters
Desiree Schröder/Dr. Loosen
Dorit Schmitt/Chefredakteurin
Kai Schätzel/Winzer
Olivier Schnurr/Mosel-Freak
Ulrich Amling/Tagesspiegel
Marcel Saveedra/Sommelier
André WieWo/Weintauschbörse
Marcus Reinhardt/Sommelier
Shahzad Talukder/Sommelier
René Arnold/Sommelier + Weinhändler
Nikolai L./Auswerter+ Wein-Freak
schiller-wine: Related Postings (Berlin Cups)
Germany’s Best Ultra-premium Dry Riesling Wines - BerlinRieslingCup 2017, Germany
Germany’s Best Ultra-premium Dry Riesling Wines - BerlinRieslingCup 2015, Germany
Germany’s Best Ultra-premium Dry Riesling Wines - BerlinRieslingCup 2014, Germany
Germany’s Best Ultra-premium Dry Riesling Wines - BerlinRieslingCup 2013, Germany
Germany’s Ultra Premium Dry Riesling Wines – The Berlin Riesling Cup 2012
Germany’s Top Wines – The Berlin Riesling Cup 2011 Ranking
Martin Zwick’s BerlinGutsrieslingCup 2016 - Rating Dry Entry-level Rieslings from Germany's Best Producers
Martin Zwick’s BerlinGutsrieslingCup 2015 - Rating Dry Entry-level Rieslings from Germany's Best Producers
Martin Zwick’s BerlinGutsrieslingCup 2014 - Rating Entry-level Rieslings from Germany's Best Producers
BerlinGutsrieslingCup 2013– Rating Entry-level Rieslings from Germany
Berlin Gutsriesling Cup 2012, Germany
Martin Zwick's BerlinKabinettCup 2017: Germany's Best 2016 Riesling Kabinett Wines
Martin Zwick's BerlinKabinettCup 2016: Germany's Best 2015 Riesling Kabinett Wines
Martin Zwick's BerlinKabinettCup 2015: Germany's Best 2014 Riesling Kabinett Wines
Martin Zwick's BerlinKabinettCup 2014, Germany
BerlinKabinettCup 2013 - Kabinett 2012, Germany
Germany's Best Pinot Noir Wines - BerlinSpätburgunderCup 2013/2015
Germany's Best Pinot Noir Wines - BerlinSpätburgunderCup 2012/2014
BerlinSpaetburgunderCup 2011/2013, Germany
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Heads up for the 2017 Tours - to Germany and France - by ombiasy WineTours
Germany-North Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential German Riesling and the Northernmost Pinot Noir
The Annual "Slaughterhouse" Riesling Feast in New York: Rieslingfeier 2017, USA
A German Riesling Feast in New York City: Rieslingfeier 2015, USA
VDP.Rheinhessen Invited to a Gala Dinner: The World Class Wines of the VDP.Rheinhessen Winemakers and the World Class Food of Philipp Stein (1 Star Michelin, Favorite), with Klaus Peter Keller, Philipp Wittmann, H.O.Spanier, Caroline Gillot-Spanier and Other Rheinhessen Stars