Indeed, because the grape is often overshadowed by Riesling, people don’t realize that Germany is the third largest producer of Pinot Noir in the world, only trailing behind France and the U.S. Cultivation within Germany purportedly goes back about 1,100 years. Today, plantings account for about 11% of Germany’s total vineyard area, or about 12,000 hectares (almost 30,000 acres)—making it the most widely planted red grape in the country.

The German word for Pinot Noir is Spätburgunder, translating to “late” (spät), referring to the grape’s later ripening when compared to other Pinot clones, and Burgundy (Burgunder), the antiquated term for Pinot Noir. There are, in fact, many Pinot Noir clones grown within the country, with German clones developed at Geisenheim and Freiburg research institutes taking center stage in the country’s wine grape growing regions. The general consensus is German clones display more fruit and acidity and fewer tannins—but in my experience, this is highly dependent on the grower.

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There are also Burgundian clones, and some producers adamantly only use them for new plantings. “In an ideal world, I would use whole clusters for all my wines, but we have a problem with the [German] clones because the ratio of stems is larger than grapes,” says Alex Götze, co-owner of Wasenhaus winery in Baden. “This is why everything we plant new is sélection massale from France.”

All 13 German winemaking regions grow Spätburgunder, with each expressing unique characteristics. Important to note is that in Ahr there are many local varieties, as well as a unique mutation of the grape called Frühburgunder (early ripening Pinot Noir). Within this northerly region, a slate valley influenced by the warmth of its namesake river, brings a lot of warmth, creating a lusher, firmer structured style. The clonal selection also draws out a leathery quality to the wines. Keep an eye on producers like Meyer-Näkel, Jean Stodden and Deutzerhof for prime examples.

Nahe boasts similar characteristics but is very diverse geologically speaking, with pockets of slate, sand, gravel and the valley rich in loam and clay. Although Spätburgunder lies in the shadow of Riesling here, Piri Naturel, run by the charismatic Christine Pieroth, is one producer whose Pinot Noir you shouldn’t sleep on. She makes an example from grapes grown on blueschist, which theoretically should have a similar effect on the wine as the soils of Ahr. But her Spätburgunder has a graceful structure. “Every year, I do more carbonic [maceration] because I like the results,” she explains. This process softens the tannins and gives more of a fruit appeal to the wine.

For those looking for more of that silkier mouthfeel with a fruit-focused profile, exam- ples from limestone, particularly wines from parts of Baden, are always a good option. Bernhard Huber is a classic example and a Spätburgunder pioneer whose Wildenstein GG boasts red shell-limestone soils.

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On the other hand, the aforementioned Wasenhaus wines also produce great examples from limestone, and so does new-to-the-area winery Makalié, which practices low-intervention winemaking. Both wineries also have vineyards in the volcanic soils of the Kaiserstuhl, which results in wines with a rustic edge but become more finessed after a few years of aging. This locale is also home to Salwey and Franz Keller wineries, whose Spätburgunders have drastically improved in quality over the last decade.

Putting the region of Württemberg on the map is Rainer Schnaitmann, whose Spätburgunder Fellbacher Lämmler GG comes from 50-year-old vines grown in gypsum soils near the city of Stuttgart.

Finally, the sandstone and gypsum soils of Franken give more savory and herbal notes respectively. The best representa- tive here is winery Rudolf Fürst, where third-generation vintner Sebastian Fürst brings his experience of Pinot Noir wine- making in Burgundy, training at renowned wineries Simon Bize & Fils and Domaine de l’Arlot.

Different vintages, too, provide diversity of style. Hitting the market currently are examples from the 2021 vintage, which reflect cooler growing condi- tions with a thread of vibrant acidity. “This is my favorite Pinot Noir vintage,” Pieroth says.

The 2020 vintage, hotter and drier, offers fruitier Pinots with more alcohol, while the 2019 vintage offers the best of both worlds. Hence, the individuality of Spätburgunder is unprecedented. And, when compared to the prices in Burgundy, it is fair to say that they offer a substantial bargain in terms of price- to-quality.

German Spätburgunder to Try

Franz Keller 2019 Eichberg Oberrotweil Pinot Noir

A classic expression of Pinot Noir, with the juicy cherry flavor that is beautifully expressed against velvety texture, vibrant structure and dense harmony of tannins. Mineral and spice accents add depth and charm, before the acidity comes in a second wave and leaves a mouthwatering impression on the finish. Drink now through 2035. 95 Points—Aleks Zecevic

$76 Mr. D

Friedrich Becker 2017 Heydenreich Pinot Noir (Pfalz)

This combines elegance and muscle, showing density and vibrancy. Pure cherry, raspberry and earthy minerality form an intense mix on the palate. Its tannins and acidity form a firm, well-integrated structure that will give this a long lifespan. The long finish is marked by spice and herb, inviting you to explore more. 94 Points—A.Z.

$315 Thatcher’s Wine

Piri Naturel 2021 Pinot Noir (Nahe)

Stunning showing of Pinot Noir, this is vivacious, yet deep and complex. Velvety in texture, with ripe tannins and bright acidity creating a vivid structure, to support vibrant fruit flavors. It feels incredibly open and free, yet with enough muscle to hold this momentum for years to come. Drink now through 2032. 94 Points—A.Z.

$ Varies Wine-Searcher

Huber 2018 Pinot Noir Alte Reben

This is medium-bodied, displaying great harmony and depth. It is silky and vibrant, brimming with cassis and black cherry that are in perfect harmony with bright acidity and palate-coating tannins. Refined on the finish, with stylish spice notes. Best after 2025. 94 Points—A.Z.

$ Varies Wine-Searcher

Meyer-näkel 2021 Blue Slate Pinot Noir (Ahr)

A bright, succulent style, this Pinot is filled with black cherry, black currant, pepper and loam aromas and flavors. It has vibrant acidity that cuts through the medium body, bringing elegance and vibrance. The tannins are beautifully integrated and emerge only on the finish, but with time, they will melt into the wine. Best after 2025.94 Points—A.Z.

$100 Wine.com

This article originally appeared in the April 2024 of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!

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The post Get to Know Spätburgunder, a.k.a. German Pinot Noir appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

In 2023, 599 GGs in total were produced from various vineyard sites and producers. Some of these wines are super rare, with less than 1,000 bottles produced, while others enjoy greater quantities. On average, GG wines this year were produced in batches of 3,000 bottles.

Given that GGs cannot be released before September one year after harvest, the event gave attendees an exclusive opportunity to experience the latest vintage before it hits the market. Here are my reflections.

Rising Above the Effects of Extreme Weather

Naturally, the spotlight was on Riesling, Germany’s signature variety. However, out of the more than 450 wines presented, a third featured other varieties, displaying the growing diversity of German wines.

Most white wines came from the 2022 vintage, which witnessed one of the driest summers on record. Yet, with clever and meticulous farming, the year produced some solid wines, especially at the highest level. However, it would be unfair not to mention that some showed unfavorable characteristics of the growing season.

A mild winter and bountiful rainfalls marked the start of 2022, impacting production. “At that point, we were little aware of how crucial those early rains would prove in securing the later survival of several of our vineyards,” says Nicolas Langer, export manager at Robert Weil, the renowned VDP member estate from Rheingau.

Higher-than-average temperatures and abundant sunshine in the spring spurred rapid growth in the vineyards and many vintners decided to reduce their yields in order to reach maximum quality for their GGs. But then Mother Nature pulled the handbrake, as the rain clouds kept taking detours and the long summer drought settled in. The lack of water stressed the vines and de-accelerated the ripening process.

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“Thanks to intensive work in the vineyards and the strength of the old vines, the dryness of the summer months was fortunately hardly a problem for our vineyards,” says Philipp Luckert of Zehnthof Luckert from Franken. Indeed, the soil work in the vineyard proved to be a decisive factor for preserving the winter water reserves.

Making the vintage even more challenging, rainfalls during the harvest kept German vintners on their tiptoes until the finish.

“Due to our early yield reductions and the careful and elaborate selection during the hand picking, we were able to meet our very high-quality standards for all grape varieties,” says Hans Rebholz of Ökonomeriat Rebholz, one of the leading VDP estates from Pfalz. “During the harvest, it was very important not to use any grapes from vines stressed by the drought, as this would lead to bitter tones and early aging of the wines,” he says.

Still, the yields were higher than in the previous three vintages, with 62 hectoliters per hectare. Of course, the harvest for GGs is limited to a maximum yield of 50 hectoliters per hectare.

Big Takeaways

At the GG level, wines from the 2022 vintage show an uncharacteristic approachability, although quality proved inconsistent. Overall, they show their pedigree and require less patience than their counterparts from classic vintages. This makes them perfect to enjoy while waiting, for example, for the 2021 vintage to unravel.

The bitter notes did appear in some of the wines, and some showed the effects of sunburn. It was felt especially in Mosel Riesling, although wines made along the Saar (Mosel’s tributary river) by Weingut Peter Lauer were some of the most impressive of the tasting. The outfit’s Riesling Feils GG 2022 is at the very top of the vintage for me, combining power and elegance with sleek texture. The collection of Heymann-Löwenstein winery, located in Terrassen Mosel, was another highlight of the Mosel offering.

My favorite Rieslings came from Pfalz. They showed friendly fruity and floral aromas, with ideal acidity and expressive aromas. The usual suspects—Ökonomierat Rebholz Riesling Kastanienbusch GG and Riesling Pechstein GG from Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan—justified their reputation, as well as the wines from A. Christmann. Pleasant surprises came from Theo Minges Riesling Schäwer GG, which provided a barrel sample, and Georg Mosbacher Kieselberg GG.

Nahe and Rheinhessen delivered, with Schlossgut Diel and Schäfer-Fröhlich, Wittmann and Wagner-Stempel starring in their respective regions. Wagner-Stempel’s Riesling Scharlachberg GG was particularly impressive, underlined by a crystalline acidity that kept it fresh and served as a strong backbone for aging.

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Besides Riesling, Spätburgunder (the German name for Pinot Noir) was the second-most represented variety. Spätburgunders from Rudolf Fürst from Franken and Bernhard Huber from Baden inviolably lead the group. Other highlights for Spätburgunder included wines from Franz Keller, Salwey, and Rainer Schnaitmann.

These wines show that the 2021 vintage produced incredibly fine Pinot Noirs, somewhat similar to 2017. This is a result of an unusually late harvest, bettered by the warm and dry September, which helped ripening without stress from rain. This encouraged development of complex aromas and flavors in the grapes, while the acidity remained firm, lending the wines vivacity and great aging potential.

When it comes to Silvaner, once Germany’s most-planted white variety, the 2022 vintage was not the kindest. However, Zehnthof Theo Luckert Silavner Maustal GG 2022 showed that hard work in the vineyards paid off, as it kept focused acidity and delivered complexity. Hans Wirsching Silvaner Julius-Echter-Berg GG, which hailed from the more classic 2021 vintage, was also superb, with polished texture and length.

Lemberger, also known as Blaufränkisch, especially when it hails from the Württemberg region, is a grape to watch in Germany. Here, Rainer Schnaitmann shined again with his Lemberger Lämmler GG 2021, which was medium bodied with plush tannins and vibrant acidity. Beurer Lemberger Mönchberg Schalksberg GG 2020 was a floral version of superb quality, as well.

The year 2022 will be remembered as a challenging vintage, with some impressive wines and a variety of consumer-friendly examples that will shine after only short-term cellaring. Long story short? These wines, in combination with more classic bottlings from 2021 that will need several more years in the cellar, prove that Germany continues to produce diverse offerings.

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The post The ‘Sneak Preview’ for Germany’s Newest Grosses Gewächs Reveals the Highs and Lows of 2022 appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

The credit for this goes primarily to the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP), an association of over 200 growers from all over Germany. Through collaborative work, the organization encouraged the production of dry wines and developed a classification system for recognizing the country’s best vineyards, similar to Burgundy’s quality pyramid. As a result, dry wines evocative of these top vineyards’ terroir have proved ascendant.

The best of the bunch, in my opinion, is the Grosses Gewächs, or GGs. These are dry wines produced from grosse lage or grand cru vineyards. GGs must be made from grapes with a must weight (the amount of sugar in the grapes at harvest) that’s at least as high as that required for spätlese bottlings, which are semi-sweet to sweet wines made with grapes harvested later in the season. Essentially, this means that GGs are made with perfectly ripe grapes from arguably the best vineyard sites in the country.

Simultaneously, the recent shift toward natural wine has also vastly contributed to dry wine production. Since leaving residual sugar in wines that are bottled unfiltered and without the addition of sulfites makes for a risky endeavor, all vintners who work in this style ferment their wines until there’s very little sugar left. For what it’s worth, a few of these producers are also VDP members, such as Schätzel and Odinstal. But for the most part, these makers work independently, outside of any grower association.

These days, Germany’s dry-style natural wines and GGs are, I believe, the country’s most exciting bottlings. Although Riesling remains the king, reflected in both planting percentages and reputation, many other grapes are popping up, too.

Eager to try some yourself? The following dry German wines are worth exploring.

The Best New Dry German Wines

Schnaitmann 2019 Lämmler GG Dry Riesling (Württemberg)

The light-golden color of this Riesling hints at some development, and that is exactly what sets this GG apart from its peers. The extra aging only benefits the terrific mix of intensely spiced and mineral-laced elements to come out as the acidity integrates and beams on the rich lemon meringue, white raspberry and baked apple. The succulent, yet fresh finish flows on the palate. Drink now through 2035. 97 Points — Aleks Zecevic

$70 Wine.com

Franz Keller 2019 Eichberg Oberrotwell Pinot Noir (Baden)

A classic expression of Pinot Noir, with the juicy cherry flavor that is beautifully expressed against velvety texture, vibrant structure and dense harmony of tannins. Mineral and spice accents add depth and charm, before the acidity comes in a second wave and leaves a mouthwatering impression on the finish. Drink now through 2035. 95 Points — A.Z.

$ Varies Wine-Searcher

Salwey 2018 Eichberg GG Pinot Gris (Baden)

This is a showstopper, especially for this variety that is often misinterpreted. It shows leesy reduction on the nose, which actually adds to the charm as it meets the complex palate filled with beautiful white raspberry, jasmine, flint and thyme notes. It is a mouthful, unraveling a layer after layer, while remaining graceful and silky. Lip-smacking finish will invite you for more. Drink now through 2030. Editor’s Choice. 95 Points — A.Z.

$ Varies Wine-Searcher

Hans Wirsching 2019 Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg GG Silvaner (Franken)

This is suave with terrific harmony between juiciness and its savory minerality, connected by vibrant acidity that brings out exotic notes of violet, persimmon and durian. Its charm goes further with the mix of savory mineral elements and baking spice notes that mark the finish. 94 Points — A.Z.

$80 Wine.com

Wagner-Stempel 2020 Heerkretz GG Dry Riesling (Rheinhessen)

Lovely aromas introduce this ripe, inviting version, offering orchard blossom, lilac, crisp apple and ginger flavors. This is very elegant with lots of verve and a glossy texture, yet it is expressive and long. It ends with hints of sage and vanilla spice that invite you to meditate and enjoy. Best after 2025. 94 Points — A.Z.

$ Varies Wine-Searcher

Huber 2018 Alte Reben Pinot Noir (Baden)

This is medium-bodied, displaying great harmony and depth. It is silky and vibrant, brimming with cassis and black cherry that are in perfect harmony with bright acidity and palate-coating tannins. Refined on the finish, with stylish spice notes. Best after 2025. 94 Points — A.Z.

$ Varies Wine-Searcher

Piri Naturel 2020 Pinot Noir (Germany)

Stunning showing of Pinot Noir, this is vivacious, yet deep and complex. Velvety in texture, with ripe tannins and bright acidity creating a vivid structure, to support vibrant fruit flavors. It feels incredibly open and free, yet with enough muscle to hold this momentum for years to come. Drink now through 2032. 94 Points — A.Z.

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Tesch 2021 Laubenheimer St. Remigiusberg Trocken Riesling (Nahe)

This is enticing, capturing your attention from the first sniff. It features an exotic, tropical, fruit cast to the apricot and passion fruit flavors, with laser-precise acidity. It is really its mineral backbone that plumbs the depth, supported by the supple texture. Best after 2025. 94 Points — A.Z.

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Pfeffingen 2021 Herrenberg Ungstein GG Trocken Riesling (Pfalz)

Intensely flavored version, with savory mineral undertones behind the ripe peach and nectarine, while white pepper and cardamom echo in the background. This combines power and finesse. It has great structure, lending verve and cut. The finish is long and infused with notes of sea salt. Best after 2025. 94 Points — A.Z.

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Kühling-Gillot 2021 Nierstein Trocken Riesling (Rheinhessen)

Harmonious and finely crafted, this delivers a vibrant minerally core to the crisp apple, dried sage, nectarine and quince flavors. The acidity seamlessly flows through, fueling the flavors. Flint and sea salt accents emerge on the long finish that keeps inviting you for more. It feels more approachable than most 2021s. Drink now through 2033. 93 Points — A.Z.

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Wittmann 2021 Westhofen Kirchspiel Trocken GG Riesling (Rheinhessen)

This silky-textured Riesling is a delightful representation of the vintage, showing piercing acidity that is buffered by a lot of substance. It is aromatic, filled with chamomile and chrysanthemum on the nose, while the palate exhibits an impressive showing of guava, dragon fruit and lime. Hints of spice and savory elements lurk on the finish. Although it is quite inviting right now, if you’re patient, this will sweep you off your feet in seven to 10 years. Editor’s Choice. 95 Points — A.Z.

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Schlossgut Diel 2020 Goldloch Riesling GG Riesling (Nahe)

This brings an elevated experience, with great elegance, but also intense acidity which matches the expressive notes of apple, lemon oil and slivered almond. There is an edgy buttermilk note that emerges midpalate, adding character, but it is swiftly scooped by enticing spice and mineral features that mark the mouthwatering finish. Best after 2025. 93 Points — A.Z.

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Carl Loewen 2021 Maximin Herrenberg GG Riesling (Mosel)

This is compact and tightly knit, with a herbaceous frame of sage and spearmint framing the core of nectarine, succulent quince and wild orange oil. It is juicy and crunchy on the palate with powerful acidity flowing through connecting the elements, leading this to a mouthwatering finish. It shows potential, but needs a bit more time. Best after 2026. 93 Points — A.Z.

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The post There’s a Dry Wine Revolution Happening in Germany Right Now appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

Regardless, just because the dulcet sounds of the oompah bands have faded into memory and the dirndls and lederhosen are once again unfashionable, there’s no reason not to continue exploring the wonderful—and more diverse than you might think—world of German beer and brewing.

Although drinkers might typically associate German beer with pale lager, the broad history and tradition of German brewing has culminated in a fantastic breadth of styles and flavors. Lagers may well make up the majority of German brewing styles—from Kölsch and Kellerbier to Helles and Hellerbock—but the fun doesn’t stop there. German brewing also includes funky sour styles like Berliner Weisse and Gose, and the country is arguably the world’s best at brewing wheat beer.

Here are some of the best beers in the German brewing canon, according to beer pros.

Best German Pilsner: Rothaus Tannenzäpfle, Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus

Rothaus’ Tannenzäpfle might not be the most widely-available or even well-known pilsner, but if you know, you know.

“I love the beer itself, the gold foil on the bottles, the label artwork and it’s just fun to say,” says Michael Graham, co-founder of Austin Beerworks. “It’s at the perfect intersection of flavor and drinkability—enough character to deeply analyze and appreciate, and little enough to ignore if you just want to have a beer.”

$16 / 11oz 6-pack Total Wine & More

Best German Kölsch: Gaffel Kölsch, Privatbrauerei Gaffel Becker & Co

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$10 / 16.9oz 4-pack Total Wine & More

Best German Weissbier: Schneider Hopfenweisse Tap 5, Schneider & Sohn

Tap 5, a hopfenweisse brewed in collaboration with legendary brewmaster Garrett Oliver to showcase the differences between U.S. and German ingredients, is a standout example of the style.

“It’s always amazed me how this beer tastes like it’s been bombed with U.S. hops,” says Joe Dick, account manager at British importer James Clay and Sons. “But is actually an amazing portrayal of [the German hop] hallertauer. Plenty of bananas and cloves kicking about to balance the books, and scarily drinkable for 8.2%.”

$6 / 750ml Wine-Searcher

Best German Doppelbock: Korbinian, Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

“There’s no other beer that makes me want to tuck in for the colder months than Weihenstephaner Korbinian,” says Jenny Pfäfflin, brewer and marketing manager at Dovetail Brewery in Chicago.

“This richly-hued doppelbock dances with ruby highlights when held up to the light, like the flame in a fireplace. It feels luxurious, with its cappuccino-colored foam, and deep flavors of boozy raisin, toasted hazelnuts and Rolo candies—but in the deftness of masterful German brewing, it never feels like it’s trying too hard.”

$4 / 16.9oz Total Wine & More

Best German Helles: Augustiner Helles, Augustiner-Bräu

A common thread of debate amongst beer lovers is which is the better helles: Augustiner or Tegernseer. Both are excellent, but only one can come out on top.

“I find [Augustiner] the perfect combination of something you can think about and also switch off and not think about, because it’s just so well made,” says Jonny Hamilton, brewer at Newbarns Brewery in Edinburgh, Scotland. “Generally it’s one of the most consistent beers I can think of. It’s the perfection of helles for me, it’s what I aim to make.”

$14 / 12oz 6-pack Total Wine & More

Best German Rauchbier: Helles Schlenkerla Lagerbier, Schlenkerla

Though smoked beers exist outside of Germany and Poland, these two countries are leaders in the styles, in the forms of rauchbier and grodziskie, respectively. Although numerous different breweries in the town of Bamberg, Bavaria, produce rauchbier, perhaps the most famous is Schlenkerla. Its märzen is its flagship, but the helles is outstanding, too.

“It is a perfect introduction to the style without being too ‘ham-like,’ and a really great way to appreciate a smoked helles,” says beer writer Samer Kudairi. “A much lighter approach to what people associate with this style, and definitely crushable.”

$5 / 500ml Total Wine & More

FAQs

What Is Pilsner?

The workhorse style of pilsner is arguably the most well-known German style, and perhaps for good reason: it’s an easy-drinking, well-rounded pale lager that’s appropriate in almost any beer drinking situation.

What Is Kölsch?

Kölsch is the subject of much debate. Though some claim it’s a lager fermented with an ale yeast, or even an ale fermented with a lager yeast, it is in fact a lagered ale. Which is to say: A light, crisp pale ale (though not in any way similar to an American pale ale) that’s slowly fermented with an ale yeast at a cooler temperature. Soft yet snappy, and crisp but nuanced, kölsch is the fantastic cousin of a pilsner.

What Is Weissbier?

Weissbier is both divisive and, paradoxically, incredibly approachable. It can serve as an excellent gateway beer, too. The relatively broad and crisp-tasting family of German wheat beer offers a diverse range of flavors: banana, clove, pepper, citrus, bread, bubblegum and more.

What Is Doppelbock?

Doppelbock seems to stretch simpler perceptions of lager. If a pale, golden pilsner springs to mind when considering lager, the rich, malty and dark fruit character of a doppelbock might come as a surprise.

What Is Helles?

Light, delightfully crisp and refreshing, this style packs a gentle bready malt character and a moreish finish.

What Is Rauchbier?

This smoky beer is produced by drying malt over beechwood log fires.

The post The Best German Beers, According to Industry Pros appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

The best examples of German wine—particularly varieties like Riesling, Sylvaner and Pinot Noir, but also Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Scheurebe, too—tend to age better than most due to their low pH and high levels of acidity. A broad mix of flavor compounds and phenolics as well as fermentation and maturation in traditional oak casks all contribute to age-worthiness.

Opened young, German wines are often exuberantly perfumed and concentrated—a ­glorious explosion of fresh fruit and ­flowers. With age, these primary characteristics start to recede, often exposing a textural richness, smokiness or yeastiness attributed to fermentation or maturation in oak. With extended bottle aging, fresh fruit gives way to preserved, baked or dried fruit and hints of earth, minerality, leather or mushroom.

Riesling, whether sweet or dry, is singular in its ability to show well at each stage of its maturation. When young, it is thrilling and electric, a showstopping blast of peach, apple and grapefruit flavors bolstered by sprays of orange blossom and spine-tingling acidity. With age, its fruit profile seems to caramelize and honey, shifting its center of gravity from feather-light to something richer and unctuous. While acidity levels remain constant, the perception of it softens in time. For wines with residual sugar, the perception of sweetness also lessens as the sugar molecules polymerize.

Across the varietal spread, there’s magic to be found in mature, high-quality German wines.

Schloss Johannisberger 2018 Purpurlack Riesling Beerenauslese (Rheingau); $300/375 mL, 99 points. Seductive notes of rose petal, violet and saffron perfume this intoxicating, delicately spicy Riesling. Lusciously sweet and decadently concentrated, it’s packed with succulent flavors of pineapple, golden raisin and yellow peach. It’s remarkable how much power and penetration such a light-footed wine can have but this wine’s a stunner now and sure to improve for decades upon decades to come. Freixenet Mionetto USA. Cellar Selection. —A.I.

Dr. Loosen 2018 Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (Mosel); $114/375 mL, 98 points. Luscious notes of apricot preserve, honey and marmalade combine in this powerfully concentrated auslese. Sourced from ed-slate soils of the Erdener Pralat vineyard, it’s intensely fruity and lusciously sweet but spicy and earthen too, accented by hints of ash, saffron and struck slate. Supple and dainty yet nervous with an electric tension, it’s a fantastic wine to enjoy young or to mature for decades to come. Loosen Bros. USA. Cellar Selection. —A.I.

Ökonomierat Rebholz 2019 Im Sonnenschein Weisser Burgunder GG (Pfalz); $119, 96 points. Powerfully concentrated yet svelte and steely, this full-bodied dry Weissburgunder, or Pinot Blanc, is an expression of Rebholtz’s flagship GG, or grand-cru Im Sonnenschein vineyard. It’s richly concentrated in pear and Meyer-lemon flavors but brilliantly stony on the palate. Creamy in texture yet vibrantly balanced in acidity, it’s a wine that’s just approaching peak but likely to improve through 2035 and hold further. Sourced from biodynamic grapes. The German Wine Collection. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt 2019 Graach Josephshöfer Riesling Trocken GG (Mosel); $55, 95 points. This is a powerfully ripe, spicy expression of Riesling from Devonian-slate soils in the producer’s monopole Josephshofer vineyard. It’s a dry, svelte wine richly concentrated in white pear, quince and grapefruit flavors. Deeply textural yet steely and scintillating, it’s an elegant reflection of the Mosel in a hot vintage. Approachable young but should improve through 2030 and hold further. American B.D. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.

Hans Wirsching 2018 Iphöfer Kalb Erste Lage Silvaner Trocken (Franken); $39, 94 points. Long, meandering veins of crushed chalk and smoke lend a cooling mineral tone to bright lime and grapefruit here. Tasted at the beginning of 2021, it’s gorgeously fruity still with a depth and weight that’s thrilling. Dry and briskly balanced, it’s a stately wine that should appeal widely and drink beautifully through 2035 at least. The German Wine Collection. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.

Franz Keller 2018 vom Löss Pinot Noir (Baden); $38, 93 points. Fresh fruited and slim in profile, this zesty Pinot Noir balances crisp black-cherry and dried strawberry flavors against a zippy spine of acidity. Edged with crushed stone and a lingering smoky undertone, it’s a juicy but complex and nuanced wine at peak now through 2030. Delicato Family Wines. —A.I.

Maximin Grünhäuser 2018 Pinot Noir (Mosel); $72, 93 points. Delicate aromas of violet and fresh black cherry are intoxicating on the nose of this intensely fruity Pinot Noir. It’s a profoundly ripe, robust expression of Mosel Pinot Noir studded with concentrated blackberry and plum flavors but it maintains a vitality throughout. While approachable now for its opulence and perfume it should drink well through 2030. Loosen Bros. USA. —A.I.

Weingut Karp-Schreiber 2018 Brauneberger Juffer- Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese (Mosel); $47/375 mL, 93 points. Delicate hints of tea leaf and saffron lend complexity to succulent, sweet flavors of preserved peach and apricot marmalade here. It’s a delicate, darting wine that packs a deeply concentrated punch of sweetness balanced by spine-tingling acidity and a subtly earthen, spicy undertone. At peak now–2035 but will hold much further. Winesellers, Ltd. —A.I.

Friedrich Becker 2019 Weisser Burgunder Trocken (Pfalz); $22, 92 points. A swathe of orange blossom perfume introduces this pert, juicy Pinot Blanc, known as Weissburgunder in Germany. It’s a succulent dry white packed with ripe, sun-kissed white peach and lemon flavors that seem to pool in swirls of silk on the palate. Crisp in acidity and chalky on the finish, it’s lovely young but likely to hold through 2025. The German Wine Collection. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.

SJ Montigny 2017 Kreuznacher St Martin Gewürztraminer Spätlese (Nahe); $20, 92 points. Rose petals, white peach and lychees extend from nose to finish in this exceptionally light-footed, perfumed Gewurztraminer. Medium-sweet in style, it’s exhilarating and fresh with a pert spine of lemon-lime acidity and a lingering veil of sweetness on the finish. Drinks gorgeously young but should maintain peak through 2026. Wein Bauer Inc. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.

Ulrich Langguth 2019 Riesling Kabinett Feinherb (Mosel); $20, 92 points. Gunflint and crushed slate introduce this spicy, smoky Feinherb Kabinett. Despite an intensely hot vintage, it balances ripe yellow-plum and gooseberry flavors with a zippy, spine-tingling frame of acidity and a delicacy of texture that’s refreshing. It’s just a hint off-dry but delightfully lip-smacking on the finish. Hard to resist drinking this one young but it will gain unique complexities through 2030 as well. Miller Squared Inc. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.

Willi Haag 2020 Juffer Brauneberg Riesling Kabinett Grosse Lage (Mosel); $22, 92 points. Swathes of orange blossom and gardenia notes perfume this exuberant, perfumed Kabinett. While off-dry in style, it’s a richly extracted, intensely ripe Riesling packed with honeyed white-peach and grapefruit flavors. Textural and mouth clinging but held upright by a steely mineral core and lip-smacking acidity, it’s a hedonistic wine that’s irresistible young but likely to improve through 2030 and hold further as well. Leonard Kreusch, Inc. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.

The post From Riesling to Pinot Noir, 12 Ageworthy German Wines to Try appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

Yet with a large proportion of winegrowing straddling the 50th parallel, much of Germany’s wine regions developed at the precipice of marginality for grape production. Historically, the pursuit of ripeness has been the central challenge of German winegrowers. So much that Germany developed a wine-quality-classification system, or prädikat, ranking wines by the degree of sugar development in grapes. The country has undergone a dramatic change in climate over the last 40-plus years, says Dr. Hans Reiner Schultz, president of Geisenheim University and a leading scientist studying the effects of climate change on winegrowing.

The last two decades in Germany, especially, have been marked by record-breaking summer temperatures and a steady increase in mean temperatures nationwide. The question lingers: When a region’s wine identity is so intrinsically tied to cool climate, what happens when it changes?

What Is Cool Climate?

The vast world of contemporary wine is often navigated by categories. Old World is distinguished from New World, cool climate from warm climate. While helpful in assigning common attributes to a region or describing how a wine might taste, fundamentally, these terms are relative and lack intrinsic definition.

Cool-climate wine regions are often characterized by geographical markers like latitude or elevation, or temperature-based metrics like degree days, mean temperatures or average growing-season temperatures. Growing conditions, the likelihood of winter freeze and the kind of grapes most likely to thrive and ripen are also factors in labeling a wine region cool.

According to Dr. Katharina Prüm, the fourth-generation owner of Joh. Jos. Prüm in the Mosel, part of the problem with the cool climate archetype is that “there’s not enough recognition of the diversity of Germany’s [individual] wine regions.” “The Mosel Saar-Ruwer region was and is definitely a cool-climate region,” she says, but “I would have never thought of [Baden as a] cool climate region, though of course, in comparison to…the south of France or Italy or Spain, it is still considerably cooler.”

For German winegrowers like Andrea Wirsching, however, Germany’s identity as a cool-climate region represents an integral part of the story of its wines. Wirsching is the 14th-generation winemaker at Weingut Hans Wirsching in Franken, east of Frankfurt along the Main River.

In Franken, cold winter seasons are punctuated by high levels of annual rainfall and early frosts. Where Riesling was historically unreliable as a crop, earlier ripening grapes like Silvaner became the region’s lifeblood. Smoky and earthen, these traditionally slim white wines are distinguished by piercing yellow-plum and white-grapefruit flavors that ripen slowly over a long vegetation period with warm days and cool autumn nights.

“There’s no alternative to the aromatic and the cool-climate character of these wines,” says Wirsching. In the Mosel, too, iconic  wines like the lacy, spine-tingling Riesling kabinett or crisp, red-berried Pinot Noir are difficult to dissociate from their northerly climate. According to Prüm, the cool climates, long vegetation period and slate soils contribute to wines with complexity, expressiveness, thrilling acidity and ethereal lightness found nowhere else.

“Mosel wines do not stand for power, but for elegance and finesse,” she says. Up until the 1980s, however, getting just four to five good vintages within a decade was a rarity in the Mosel, says Prüm. In Franken as well, “before global warming, we were a too cold-climate region,” echoes Wirsching.

Cool-climate regions are embraced for their distinctly elegant wines in good-to-great vintages, but not always ideal for viticulture. Cold growing seasons in marginal winegrowing regions can produce thinly concentrated wines with unripe flavors and bracingly high acidity levels.

Rising Climes and Blockbuster Vintages

Thus far, global warming has made it easier for German winegrowers to produce high-quality wines. The three hottest summers in Germany’s recorded history, 2003, 2018 and 2019, have all been blockbuster vintages. Warmer temperatures facilitate higher sugar accumulation in grapes, allowing for the fermentation of fully dry, quality wines with balanced acidity levels.

The proliferation and popularity of dry white wines in modern-day Germany—fuller bodied, bone-dry styles of Riesling and Silvaner, as well as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc—are direct consequences of global warming. The production of red wines like Pinot Noir, Lemberger and Trollinger has also increased nationwide.

“Mosel wines do not stand for power, but for elegance and finesse.”— Dr. Katharina Prüm, Joh. Jos. Prüm

With climate change, “we don’t have to fight anymore to bring fruit into proper ripeness,” says Philipp Wittmann of Weingut Wittmann in Rheinhessen, west of the Rhine River Valley.

Warmer climates are also opening doors to new wine regions in Germany. An experimental vineyard planted on the island of Sylt in Germany’s North Sea in 2009 is an extreme example of this. At a latitude of 55˚ north and straddling Germany’s northern border with Denmark, the region is a literal representation of Germany’s last winegrowing frontier.

Germany’s Changing Styles

Traditionally, Germany has been singular in its ability to produce Riesling, its star grape, at the fullest spectrum of expression, from bone dry to lusciously sweet, and from feather light to muscular. As temperatures have warmed, this spectrum of wine styles is narrowing. Those dependent on long, cool growing seasons (like an off-dry Kabinett or feinherb) or winter freeze (like eiswein) are increasingly difficult to produce.

The number of winegrowers able to produce eiswein in Germany has dwindled in recent years, according to the German Wine Institute. In 2020, only one winemaker in all of Germany was reported to have harvested eiswein.

At Joh. Jos. Prüm, there’s been no eiswein harvest since 2012, says Prüm, but “I would not say that the weather has completely changed the style of our wines.”

“Riesling is famous for being a fresh wine with good acidity and moderate alcohol. We still prefer this style in general.”— Catharina Mauritz, Domdechant Werner

Compared to the 1980s and before, warmer temperatures have allowed grapes to be “picked at higher ripeness levels and therefore Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese are generally more concentrated and complex than in earlier days,” she says. In general, however, German wines are amassing higher alcohol and lower acidity levels than in the past, a new challenge for many winegrowers. Catharina Mauritz is the eighth-generation manager of her family winery, Domdechant Werner, in the Rheingau region.

“Riesling is famous for being a fresh wine with good acidity and moderate alcohol,” she says. “We still prefer this style in general.”

In 2015, however, many of Domdechant Werner’s dry Rieslings finished at levels above 15% alcohol by volume (abv), an anomaly in a region where anything above 13% abv was once noteworthy. While unanticipated, says Mauritz, the ripe, almost tropical wines maintained balance despite their voluptuousness and high alcohol.

“2015 is still one of my favorite vintages,” she says. “To have a vintage like 2015 once in a decade,” isn’t such a bad thing, but she hopes it won’t be standard in coming years. “Since then, our focus is very much on the control of the alcohol rate of our wines,” she says.

Preserving Traditional Styles

In contrast to the days when achieving ripeness was paramount, today German winegrowers are focused on slowing the development of sugar in grapes to produce wines with balanced alcohol and acidity.

To adapt to changing climates, “we have to manage our vineyards better,” says Wirsching. “In former times, we simply let [grapes] grow, waited and then harvested.”

Today, winegrowers expend substantial efforts reducing leaf canopies, managing sun exposure and executing precise harvest times to ensure that grapes are picked at the perfect maturity.

“The power of nature is enormous, the challenges are getting more diverse, and it’s more difficult to come through without any damage.”— Philipp Wittmann, Weingut Wittmann

“There are so many small screws that need to be adjusted” in the vineyard, says Mauritz, because adjustments to reduce alcohol in the vinification process are not utilized.

Thus far, many of their efforts have been successful. In Franken, says Wirsching, vintages in the early 2000s produced a succession of ripe, opulent wines with alcohol levels between 14–15% abv. But with changes in vineyard management, alcohol levels have largely stabilized, she says.

“In 2018, we cut 25% of all leaves [from the vines] and despite the record-breaking heat, we had 13.5% abv and a crisp, elegant style,” says Wirsching.

Germany’s Still Cool—for Now

Changes in climate are alarming, but many winegrowers insist that Germany is still plenty cool. Despite rising temperatures, the winegrowing season in Rheinhessen “hasn’t been pushed too far into an early development,” says Wittmann. “Budburst still starts in late April or early May, flowering takes place in mid-June and harvest starts by the middle or end of September.”

In the Mosel, explains Prüm, “we [still] get very different vintages—cooler ones and very warm ones.” Years like 2004, 2008 and 2013 were all relatively cool, she says, and thus far, 2021 is too.

While global warming may have benefitted German winegrowers in the short run, increasingly extreme, catastrophic weather events like flooding, drought, hail and spring frost have had substantial impact on Germany, and there is greater concern for the future.

“The power of nature is enormous,” says Wittmann. “The challenges are getting more diverse, and it’s more difficult to come through without any damage.” Eventually, German winemakers are likely to pursue more dramatic shifts in vineyard management. Indeed, many producers have already begun replacing traditional grapes with varieties better suited to new climates, or planting vineyards at higher altitudes, higher latitudes or in areas with less direct sun exposure. But it’s a slippery slope.

“If we start to produce something entirely different, like Rhône wines, it’s simply a copy of something else,” says Wirsching. “It’s the identity of someone else. It makes no sense to invent a new identity or to copy another area.”

“Here in Rheinhessen,” says Wittmann, “we could climb upwards on the hillsides to grow wine, or go on the north-facing slopes instead of the south slopes. But I hope we don’t need to change all these things in a way that would change the culture of our wine.”

For now, Wittmann remains focused on traditional grapes like Riesling and the Pinot varieties, as well as efforts in biodynamic farming to bring better balance and health to his vines.

The post As the Climate Heats Up, Can Germany Keep Its Cool? appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

These German Rieslings are always vinified completely dry with acidity that is often described as searing. The exceptional quality also means these wines are built to age.

Here are eight GG Rieslings to enjoy now or cellar away.

Maximin Grünhäuser 2019 Abtsberg GG Riesling (Mosel); $70, 97 points. Struck flint and river rocks introduce this brilliantly steely dry Riesling. Compared to the youthful, almost tropical, charm of the producer’s 2019 Herrenberg GG, lime and grapefruit flavors in the Abtsberg are bracing and linear in youth but suggest a depth and elegance that should reward cellaring. Best to hold till 2024 at least. It should evolve wonderfully through 2035 and hold longer still. Loosen Bros. USA. Cellar Selection. —Anna Lee C. Iijima

Schäfer-Fröhlich 2018 Bockenauer Stromberg GG Dry Gold Cap Riesling (Nahe); $125, 97 points. Sourced from volcanic soils, this is a smoldering, intensely mineral wine highlighted by streaks of lime and lemon. It’s piercing and concentrated in pure, pristine citrus flavors but powerful and sinewy on the finish. This bold dry Riesling that should reach peak from 2023 and improve well through 2040. The German Wine Collection. Cellar Selection. —A.I.

Ökonomierat Rebholz 2018 Kastanienbusch GG Riesling (Pfalz); $125, 96 points. A rare expression of red-slate soils from the Pfalz, this dry, richly textured Riesling balances piercing gooseberry and grapefruit flavors against a rambling backdrop of scorched earth and spice. Zesty and penetrating, it’s a stately wine that deserves a few more years of cellaring to show its full color. At peak from 2023–2040 but likely to hold longer as well. The German Wine Collection. Cellar Selection. —A.I.

Zilliken 2019 Rausch GG Riesling (Mosel); $80, 96 points. This dry bottling from its famed Saarburger Rausch vineyard, this is a sleek, hauntingly concentrated wine. While light in body, it’s a ripe, almost cream-textured Riesling layered with luscious white peach, grapefruit and gooseberry flavors. Reflective of the vintage, it’s a distinctly richer, more extracted expression of the Saar, yet maintains a steely, earthen edge. Approachable now but should improve through 2035 and hold longer still. Loosen Bros. USA. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.

Dr. Loosen 2018 Ürziger Würzgarten Alte Reben GG Dry Riesling (Mosel); $54, 95 points. Deep ripples of smoke and spice permeate through this smoldering dry Riesling. Packed with bristling lemon and grapefruit flavors, its palate is rich in texture yet steely and firm on the backbone. Tasted in early 2021, it’s nervous and demure in youth but should gain nuance and depth from 2023 and evolve beautifully through 2035 and beyond. Loosen Bros. USA. Cellar Selection. —A.I.

Fritz Haag 2019 Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Trocken GG Riesling (Mosel); $58, 95 points. Notes of nectarine and apricot are cutting and spry in this full-bodied but vital, rejuvenating dry Riesling. Tasted young, it’s gloriously fresh and fruity, etched by streaks of lime acidity and a dazzling mineral undertow. Through 2035 and likely longer, it’s a wine that should gain intensity, earthen complexity and texture. Loosen Bros. USA. —A.I.

Schloss Johannisberger 2018 Silberback Trocken GG Riesling (Rheingau); $90, 95 points. Wafting of spring blossoms, smoke and raspberry brambles, this is such a delicately perfumed Riesling. It’s slim in profile but beautifully defined, etched by layers of luminous white peach and grapefruit along with a bold, intensely slaty core. It’s quiet in youth but should gain depth well through 2030 and hold further still. Freixenet Mionetto USA. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.

Prinz von Hessen 2016 Johannisberger Klaus Grosses Gewäches Riesling (Rheingau); $45, 93 points. Enticing whiffs of smoke, hazelnut and dried sage mingle into succulent lime and lemon here. It’s dry and lusciously full bodied but calibrated by spine-tingling streaks of acid and minerality. It should improve through 2030 and hold further. Folio Fine Wine Partners. —A.I.

The post Steely, Dry and Elegant: Eight German ‘Great Growth’ Rieslings appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

This interest, of course, extends to winemakers and producers as well.

But in cool-climate regions like Germany, with highly challenging weather and disease issues, making wines “au naturel” can be a risky proposition. And yet, many of the country’s winemakers are increasingly turning to such vine growing and wine production techniques.

For some, converting to organic or biodynamic winemaking is a must-do labor of love. It’s hard to ignore the passion expressed not only for their own sites and bottlings, but also for the wines of the country as a whole, for the authenticity that they can represent and respect for the land that yields them.

Contributing Editor Anna Lee Iijima speaks with two producers from the Pfalz wine region in western Germany who champion such change: Bettina Bürklin-von Gurazdi of Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, and Hans and Valentin Rebholz from the Rebholz Estate. They offer candid conversation and valuable insight as to why and how this natural change is happening, and why it is vital to the long-term success and sustainability of German wine.

To learn more about natural wine, and what exactly it even is, check out this beginner’s guide to natural wine. You can also learn more about Georgia’s claim to be the spiritual home of natural wine, or how a recent French certification that sought to begin to regulate the category. You can also check out these top natural wine retailers from our America’s 50 Best Wine Retailers list of 2020.

For more about German wines, don’t miss this article about the six regions bringing out the best in German wine, including the Pfalz, or this quick guide to German Riesling.

The post Wine Enthusiast Podcast: Germany’s Au Naturel Challenge appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

They represent standout dry expressions of exemplary single vineyards known as Grosse Lage, Germany’s version of the grand cru. These are recognized for historically producing wines of distinction.

GG wines are produced in each of Germany’s 13 wine regions. They must contain no more than nine grams per liter of residual sugar, adhere to strict quality and production guidelines and utilize only specific grape varieties classic to each region.

The modern-day GG classification was codified in 2002 by the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP), an exclusive organization of German winegrowers. The VDP system is distinct from the German prädikat that classifies wine into categories like kabinett, spätlese or auslese, based on the ripeness of grapes at harvest.

The VDP classification continues to evolve, and its trademarked VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS nomenclature extends only to members. However, winemakers in non-VDP estates throughout Germany are increasingly emulating classification systems for flagship dry wines based on vineyard designations, as well.

Read on to discover just six of Germany’s top regions for GG bottlings.

The Rheingau

The VDP’s GG framework was formed by a coalition of enterprising Rheingau winegrowers known as the Charta. In the 1980s, the Charta advocated a regionwide focus on high-quality, dry Riesling production and the resurrection of historic vineyard classifications that link wine quality with provenance, not sugar levels. At the top of this classification were the Erstes Gewächs, which are comparable to premier cru, or first-growth, vineyards.

Many Rheingau producers labeled dry Riesling from top vineyards as Erstes Gewächs, in keeping with the Charta, until 2012, when the classification was replaced with Grosses Gewächs.

Since 2018, non-VDP winegrowers have incorporated the Rheingau Grosses Gewächs (RGG) designation for flagship dry, single-vineyard wines. Both the RGG and VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS regulations permit Riesling and Spätburgunder GGs.

At Schloss Johannisberg, late-harvest dry Rieslings, or spätlese trocken, were produced long before GG existed, according to its estate manager, Stefan Doktor. Fermented dry to seven or eight grams per liter of residual sugar, they’re an evolutionary predecessor to the estate’s GG Silberlack, which debuted in 2005.

A svelte, crystalline expression of the estate’s monopol vineyard, the GG Silberlack has inched bone dry to less than three grams per liter of residual sugar in recent years.

Historically, Doktor says, when acidity levels were higher, the resulting wines were made sweeter in the Rheingau to maintain balance. Today, with increasingly warmer climates, “the acidity of grapes has changed,” he says. “You can produce wines that are drier and drier, but still balanced.”

Among the region’s iconic dry-style wines from non-VDP producers are Georg Breuer’s textured monopol Rieslings, Eva Fricke’s vibrant single-vineyard dry Riesling and J.B. Becker’s sinewy spätlese trocken Riesling and Spätburgunder.

Wines to Try

August Kesseler 2016 Höllenberg Pinot Noir GG Grosse Lage; $203, 96 points. Hints of violet, succulent black cherries and freshly dug beetroot perfume this complex, intensely concentrated Pinot Noir. It’s rich and voluptuously textured but balanced by crisp red-currant acidity and fine feathery tannins. Appealing now for its opulent fruit and heady spice, but time in the cellar should lend even more complexity and nuance. Vineyard Brands.

Domdechant Werner 2018 Kirchenstück Riesling GG Trocken; $55, 94 points. Wafting of yellow peaches, apricot and spice, this producer’s 2018 Kirchenstück is substantially more open and yielding than it’s  also-excellent 2017 bottling. Sleek and steely but luscious and peachy, too, it’s a racy dry Riesling that’s thrilling now but likely to be better from 2022. Concentrated and piercing, it should improve through 2035 and hold further still. Miller Squared Inc. Editors’ Choice.

Rheinhessen

In recent years, German wine lovers, particularly Millennials or members of Gen-Z, most likely associate Rheinhessen with its cult-status dry wines and rock-star winemakers like Klaus Peter Keller or Phillip Wittmann. Until the turn of the 21st century, however, Rheinhessen was best known as Germany’s heartland for inexpensive, sweet bulk wines.

According to Wittmann, there is a provenance of great vineyards as well as “a long history of making dry wines here well before Liebfraumilch.” His Grosse Lage vineyards, Morstein and Aulerde, have documented winemaking histories as far back as 1282 and 1380, respectively.

This drive to retell Rheinhessen’s story as one of quality and provenance has made it one of Germany’s most riveting wine regions. It’s a hot bed of highly sought-after GGs and similarly produced single-vineyard-designated dry wines.

Rheinhessen’s groundbreaking ’90s era association of young winemakers, Message in a Bottle, was started by Keller, Wittmann and other regional luminaries. It has grown up to become the Maxime Herkunft Rheinhessen, which translates to Maximum Origin Rheinhessen. Founded in 2017, this group set out to organize its members according to the VDP’s origin-based classification framework, even if they’re not members of the VDP.

GG expressions of Riesling from producers like Keller and Wittmann, as well as the dry, single-vineyard equivalents from non-VDP producers like Jochen Dreissigacker, are all majestic, exceptionally ageworthy wines. Frequently, they’re compared to the greatest white Burgundies in the world.

The VDP permits only the production of GG bottlings from Riesling and Spätburgunder.

Wines to Try

Gunderlock 2016 Pettenthal Riesling GG Trocken; $75, 95 points. Ripe yellow-apple and quince flavors fall in lavish, creamy waves on the palate of this full-bodied Riesling. Dry and luscious in style, it’s peppered by delicate hints of smoke and exotic spice and spine-tingling tangerine acidity. An elegant wine already but it should hit its stride by 2025 and hold further. David Bowler Wine. Cellar Selection.

Wittmann 2017 Morstein Riesling GG Grosse Lage; $92, 95 points. Brisk lemon and white grapefruit aromas are accented by smoke and crushed mineral in this stately dry Riesling. Grapefruit and apple flavors fill the palate in silky, supple waves, but piercing acidity and murmurs of astringency lend structure and vibrancy. It is a stunning wine now, but is likely to hold well through 2030. Loosen Bros. USA. Editors’ Choice.

Wagner-Stempel 2017 Heerkretz Riesling Trocken GG Gold Cap; $69, 94 points. Intense aromas of smoke and earth are gradually replaced by crisp pear and apple notes that intensify from nose to palate. It’s dry and full bodied, with concentrated orchard-fruit flavors moderated by dried herbs and sun-dried hay. It’s a complex wine that balances savory and fruity beautifully but needs some time to open. Hold till 2022; it should improve through 2030 and beyond. The German Wine Collective. Cellar Selection.

Pfalz

Blessed with ample sunshine and a warm, dry Mediterranean climate, the Pfalz is a focal point for Germany’s most powerful, sun-drenched GGs. While Riesling is the dominant variety here, the VDP also permits GG Spätburgunder and Weissburgunder.

The Pfalz has a long, noble history of exemplary dry winemaking. Its storied Kirchenstück vineyard is widely considered the region’s greatest. It consistently produces some of the world’s greatest dry white wines.

Like Rheinhessen, however, production in the Pfalz was dominated by high-volume, mass-market sweet wines in the decades after World War II. In recent decades, however, historic icons of the northern Pfalz, like the three “B’s” of Geheimer Rat Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan, Dr. Bürklin-Wolf and Reichsrat von Buhl, seem to have awoken from years of listlessness.

In 1991, upon taking the reins at her family estate, Bettina Bürklin-von Guradze, owner of Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, ignited a revolution when she shifted focus to dry wines and established meticulous quality guidelines.

As early as 1994, Bürklin-von Guradze began to designate dry wines from flagship single-vineyards as grand cru, or GC, in accordance to vineyard classifications established in 1828 by the Bavarian royal property assessment. The vineyard classifications and quality pyramid that she installed were forerunners to the Pfalz VDP’s own quality classification system.

Südpfalz, in the south, is where much of the region’s bulk-wine production was centralized. There, pioneering producers like Ökonomierat Rebholz and Friedrich Becker not only revolutionized the production of dry, terroir-driven, single-vineyard Riesling and Spätburgunder, but they elevated Weissburgunder (also known as Pinot Blanc) to heights unseen almost anywhere in the world.

Many non-VDP producers in the Pfalz, particularly Markus Schneider and Odinstal, also produce stunning examples of dry, single-vineyard wines.

Wines to Try

Ökonomierat Rebholz 2017 Im Sonnenschein Weisser Burgunder GG ; $103, 95 points. Pinot Blanc is typically a shy white grape, but this powerful, voluptuously textured wine offers intensely concentrated apricot and white peach flavors marked by whiffs of blossom and lime perfume. It’s decadent but balanced neatly with zesty acidity and a reverberating mineral tone. Delicious already but should improve through 2037. The German Wine Collective.

Pfeffingen 2017 Weilberg Riesling GG Trocken Gold Cap; $56, 94 points. The nose here is subdued suggesting barely a whiff of crushed stone, but there’s an abundance of zesty lemon, tangerine and grapefruit on the palate. Dry and full bodied, it’s a dense, richly textured wine with a firm, steely finish. Tasted at the end of 2019, it’s still quite closed. Hold till 2023, it should gain even more breadth through 2030. The German Wine Collective. Cellar Selection.

Von Buhl 2017 Forster Pechstein Riesling GG; $68, 93 points. Soft, luscious yellow peach and pear are balanced pertly by fresh grapefruit acidity and a dusty mineral edge here. While dry in style, it’s a plump, silken sip accented by hints of bramble and sweet spice that linger on the finish. Enjoy now through 2035. The German Wine Collective.

Baden

Baden, Germany’s sun-kissed southernmost wine region, boasts a remarkable diversity of GG grape varieties of Burgundian heritage. The region is most known for Spätburgunder, Weissburgunder and Grauburgunder, but it also produces GG Riesling, Chardonnay and Lemberger.

According to Fritz Keller, owner of Franz Keller, “Burgundy is the role model for our wines,” both for its emphasis on fully dry Pinot wines, but also site specificity. “I want to bring the character of each vineyard into the glass,” he says.

Spätburgunder is the most planted grape in Baden, and its flagship GG expressions range from muscular wines from the volcanic terraces of the Kaiserstuhl to transcendent, fruity wines from the cooler limestone slopes of the Breisgau. Oft-underrated varieties like Grauburgunder and Weissburgunder are grown with unusual reverence.

Keller’s GG Schlossberg Grauburgunder, sourced from 75-year-old vines, clocks in at a dainty 12.5% alcohol by volume (abv), but it offers a complexity and ageworthiness not often found in commercially ubiquitous Pinot Grigio.

“Pop music is nice,” says Keller. “It’s pleasant to listen to for about two minutes, but afterwards, can be forgettable. In terms of music, this is jazz.”

Fermented in oak barrels, “these are wines that age beautifully, gaining minerality with age and holding up well to richer cuisine,” he says.

Baden’s most ambitious GGs have been historically criticized for intense extraction and oak embellishments, but there’s a clear generational shift bringing youthful vitality. As sons and daughters of Baden’s old guard like Keller, Bernhard Huber and others return from studies in Burgundy and beyond, they’ve infused a thrilling transparency and purity into the region’s flagship dry wines.

Wines to Try

Franz Keller 2016 Enselberg Jechtingen Spätburgunder GG; $60, 95 points. Hints of toast and vanilla mingle into smoke and ash in this ripe and richly concentrated Pinot Noir sourced from volcanic soils. Blackberry and black cherry flavors are luscious but elegantly balanced with firm acidity and an elegant herbal edge. It’s welcoming now for its fresh fruit and fine-grained tannins but should improve further through 2030. Delicato Family Wines. Cellar Selection.

Salwey 2015 Oberrotweiler Eichberg Pinot Gris GG; $53, 94 points. Layers of smoke and spice accent vibrant lemon, pear and apple in this dry but lusciously textured Pinot Gris. Plumpness on the palate is balanced by firm hits of steel and mineral along with a savory touch of white mushroom. It’s an intense, structured wine that should improve well through 2030. The German Wine Collective.

Franken

It’s ironic that Franken, one of Germany’s most eminent producers of predominantly dry, terroir-transparent wines, is one of its least known. The region excels in svelte wines that are often powerfully mineral. Most loved is Franken’s soft-edged, luminous Silvaner, but Riesling, Spätburgunder and Weissburgunder round out the region’s four recognized GG varieties.

Great, dry wines have been a part of Franken’s history long before the rise of the GGs, says Andrea Wirsching, managing director of Hans Wirsching. While much of Germany embraced cheap, cheerful sweet wines, Franconians held to their Fränkische-trocken, or Franconian dry wines, an informal moniker for wines with a maximum residual sugar level of four grams per liter.

At Hans Wirsching, flagship single-vineyard dry wines labeled spätlese trocken were produced as early as the 1980s. They’ve evolved, Wirsching says, as a new generation of highly educated, well-traveled winemakers in the 1990s prompted a “renaissance of great, dry single-vineyard wines.”

As throughout Germany, the effects of climate change are prompting evolution in Franken.

“A good GG should have an alcohol level of between 12.5% and 13.5%,” says Wirsching. With current climates, however, “if we worked our vineyards as we did in the early 2000s, they would be 15–16% abv. We want our GGs to be concentrated and complex,” but above all else, elegant.

“With too much alcohol, we’re in danger of losing that elegance,” she says.

To preserve the freshness, minerality and perfume so classic to the region’s dry wines, many of Franken’s winegrowers are seeking out cooler sites and new vineyard management techniques to slow sugar accumulation in grapes.

Wines to Try

Rudolf Fürst 2016 Hundsrück Spätburgunder GG; $206, 96 points. This is a vibrant, concentrated Pinot Noir that reverberates with pristine black currant and graphite. Toasted wood and dried herb tones are a prominent companion to primary black fruit now but should meld over the next few years. The finish is long and lean, ending on fine firm tannins—a stunner that should improve for decades to come. Cellar Selection.

Schmitt’s Kinder 2017 Randersackerer Pfülben Riesling GG Grosse Lage Trocken; $67, 95 points. Delicate notes of yellow peach and jellied quince gain intensity from nose to palate here, edged by steel and a bracing acidic backbone. Full bodied and creamy on the midpalate, it’s a deeply satisfying, pristinely fruity wine that should gain mineral complexities with time. Lovely already but it should improve through 2030. Editors’ Choice.

Hans Wirsching 2016 Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg Silvaner GG Trocken Gold Cap; $36, 94 points. While juicy and richly textured, there’s plenty of zip and vibe in this dry, deeply satisfying white. Crisp pear and green plum flavors are concentrated and fresh, finishing on zesty notes of lemon peel and crushed stone. Drinks beautifully now, but it’s concentrated enough to improve through 2040 and will likely hold much longer. The German Wine Collective.

The Mosel

The incomparable finesse and electric edge of the Mosel’s noble sweet Rieslings link them inextricably to the identity of the region—so much so that legendary winegrowers like J.J. Prüm and Egon Müller do not produce any dry wines whatsoever.

Yet, the Mosel produces Rieslings in an unparalleled stylistic range. In recent years, the region is increasingly lauded for dry, full-bodied and steely GG-style wines made exclusively from Riesling.

According to Ernst Loosen, owner of the Dr. Loosen estate, dry Mosel Riesling is nothing new.

“On my father’s side, wines were always produced in a dry style,” he says. In 2008, after tasting a 50-year-old Riesling produced by his great-grandfather, Loosen was gobsmacked.

“We all know that our wines with residual sugar have an enormous potential to age, but I was not aware that dry Rieslings from the Mosel could also age so beautifully for more than 50 years,” he says.

That year, Loosen introduced a series of GG Rieslings modeled after those of his ancestors. He sourced grapes from ungrafted, century-old vines in Grosse Lage vineyards and vinified them slowly with natural yeast in old, traditional barrels.

Raimund Prüm, owner of S.A. Prüm, suggests that dry Rieslings of exceptional provenance have a transparency of origin.

“You can really taste the vineyard in a GG,” he says. “You can easily detect the blue slate or the red slate in a way that you can’t with sweeter styles of Riesling.”

Many Mosel winegrowers like Markus Molitor, Immich-Batterieberg or Sybille Kuntz are not VDP members, but they also produce spectacular dry wines from historically recognized sites.

Wines to Try

Dr. Loosen 2017 Ürziger Würzgarten Dry Riesling GG Alte Reben; $54, 95 points. Hints of smoke, struck flint and spice accent this gorgeously honeyed, intensely concentrated dry Riesling. Tangerine, quince and lemon flavors are rich and reverberating, edged by thrilling lime acidity and long, earthen finish. Fantastic already but it should gain complexity through 2030 and likely longer.  Loosen Bros. USA. Editors’ Choice.

S.A. Prüm 217 Graacher Dompropst GG Dry Riesling; $72, 92 points. Pristine lemon, apple and quince are tart and vital in this filigreed dry Riesling. It’s restrained and lean in its youth and veiled by slate and smoke, but spine-tingling lime acidity and a deep core of citrus flavors suggest a long future ahead. Best enjoyed from 2022–2035. Taub Family Selections. Cellar Selection.

The post The Six Regions Bringing Out the Best In German Wine appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

Here’s a look into these three cross-bred grapes that have found both success and struggle for a better part of a century.

Kerner

In 1929, German grape breeder August Herold crossed Riesling with the red grape Trollinger (also called Schiava or Vernatsch) to create Kerner, a high- yielding, aromatic and frost-resistant grape. Kerner, whose name was inspired by the German physician and poet Justinus Kerner, languished in a Württemberg greenhouse at a breeding station for decades. It wasn’t released for widespread cultivation until 1969. But the grape finally reached its peak in 1990, when it made up 7.5% of Germany’s vineyard acreage.

“If you plant this grape in fertile, deep soil, you get a neutral, easy wine,” says Armin Gratl, managing director of Eisacktaler Kellerei–Cantina Valle Isarco in Alto Adige, Italy. “This was exactly what the founder wanted to create…Germany already had Riesling as a premium grape variety.” When Kerner arrived in Italy, this white grape truly thrived.

Located in the northeast portion of the country, Alto Adige’s cool climate makes it a hotbed of quality Kerner production. Vineyard sites in Val Venosta and Isarco Valley, the latter where Gratl’s winemaking cooperative operates, showcase Kerner’s potential.

Planted in stony soil up to 3,300 feet above sea level on mountainside slopes, Kerner vines yield less fruit and produce smaller berries, which concentrates its flavors.

“You get intense, clear aromatics,” says Gratl, like ripe peaches, dried apricots, orange peel and ginger just to name a few. “The wines are juicy and powerful, with soft fruit sweetness on the finish.”

But Italy isn’t the only place where Kerner found success. While it might sound like a stretch to mention Lodi, California, in the same breath as Alto Adige, Kerner has found a home in both destinations.

Sonoma-based winemaker David Ramey was introduced to the grape by Paul Grieco, who poured it for him at his then-New York City restaurant, Hearth. Ramey’s heart leapt.

“I loved it and had never heard of it,” says Ramey. “Kerner fills the gap in the middle, Riesling aromatics with some of Gewürztraminer’s body and midpalate.”

Ramey had made long-lived Syrah, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in California since 1996. He tracked down the only Kerner planting west of the Mississippi in Lodi for his first Kerner vintage in 2014. Now, he produces an unfiltered, bone-dry expression for his Sidebar line.

Markus Niggli of Markus Wine Co., a Swiss winemaker who lives in California, also uncovered some Lodi Kerner. His version is fresh and lively.

“Kerner is a fun wine,” he says. “Younger people want to try out new things. This wine is also used in white flights in wine bars. It is something different than the standard whites you find these days.”

Müller-Thurgau

Some wine drinkers groan at the notion of Müller-Thurgau. It has a reputation for being simple and modest, but this grape can make a big impression if handled with care.

A cross between Riesling and Madeleine Royale, Müller-Thurgau was created in Germany by Hermann Müller, a professor from Thurgau, Switzerland, in 1882.

When grown for high yields at low elevation, often seen at German wineries, the resulting Müller-Thurgau is as flat as its vineyards. Like Kerner, Müller-Thurgau develops character as it moves skyward.

In Alto Adige, Sabine & Christof Tiefenbrunner’s namesake winery is known for its Müller-Thurgau, which they plant as high as 3,300 feet above sea level. Anything below 2,000 feet, Müller-Thurgau becomes “bland and flat,” says Christof.

They like working with this cross-bred grape because it ripens in cold sites where other varieties can’t. They just make sure to regulate yields for good concentration.

The Tiefenbrunners coax zesty minerality from their Müller-Thurgau, which is accompanied by notes of apples, white flowers, peach and apricot. The Müller-Thurgau from their most elevated vineyard, Feldmarschall Von Fenner, can age 20 years.

Scheurebe

In 1916, Georg Scheu wanted to combine the best traits of Bukettrebe and Riesling to make a grape that smells, tastes, ripens and resists frost better. A Riesling 2.0. Initially, the grape only made up 4.4% of Germany’s vineyard acreage at its peak. Today, it makes up just 1.4% of the country’s vineyard acreage.

So, what happened?

Highly aromatic with bracing acidity, Scheurebe was employed in cheap, sweet wines that diminished its reputation. But as a younger generation of winemakers discovered it, Scheurebe’s fortunes changed. Capable of bold orchard fruit, herbal and black currant aromatics, Scheurebe can yield exciting wines comparable to Sauvignon Blanc.

Jan Eymael of Weingut Pfeffingen in Germany’s Pfalz calls Scheurebe his favorite grape.

“I love the variation you can get,” he says. Pfeffingen produces dry, off-dry and sweet styles of Scheurebe, but he believes drier wines show off the grape’s finesse.

“Scheurebe is sensitive,” says Eymael. “It needs a warm site with a good water supply to develop the ripeness and aroma you need for great Scheurebe.”

Though most Scheurebe remains in Germany, a few vines ended up in California when Joseph Phelps brought cuttings back from the Roter Hang in Rheinhessen. Brook Bannister, of Bannister Wines in Sonoma, found them a few years ago.

“There’s a lot of good Riesling made in California, so it seemed like Scheurebe, being a Riesling cross, had a good chance at working,” says Bannister.

With the vineyard, owned by grape grower and winemaker Justin Miller, down the road from his house in Alexander Valley, Bannister bought up the tiny quantities of fruit available. His 2019 is a juicy, floral and lightly phenolic white wine that’s delicious and rare.

“Making oddball varietals is exactly what we should be doing here because it’s anecdotal to our culture and the whole idea of California,” says Bannister. “I’m always ready for a project that will remain in obscurity and make very little money.”

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