Germany
The 102,000 hectares of German vineyards produce the world’s greatest Rieslings, the grape’s touch of sweetness underpinned by a racy acidity and a fresh purity from the fruit. Germany is the tenth largest wine producer in the world. Its vineyards are close to the major rivers and their tributaries, and the continental climate is perfect for late-harvest wines. White grapes make up 64 percent of plantings, with reds on the rise.
The 102,000 hectares of German vineyards produce some of the world’s greatest white wines from the Riesling grape. With a run of excellent vintages, top estate wines are at long last fashionable, with Riesling finally getting the acknowledgment it deserves. Its touch of sweetness is underpinned by a racy acidity and a fresh purity from the fruit.
Germany is the tenth largest wine-producer in the world. Its vineyards are centred around the major rivers – ie the Rhine and the Mosel – as well as their tributaries. The continental climate with its hot summers, cold winters and long, warm autumns is perfect for late-harvest wines. The finest examples are produced on steep, often terraced, south-facing vineyards close to the rivers. The maintenance and the harvesting of the vines are often done by hand.
White grapes make up 64 percent of plantings, with the proportion of red grapes increasing. Riesling has a knack of maintaining its varietal character while reflecting the terroir of its site, so while all German Rieslings have that balance of nerve-tingling pure fruit and refreshing acidity, there are definite regional differences.
The steep, slaty slopes of the Mosel Valley produce the lightest, most mineral Rieslings, with firm, steely examples coming from its tributaries, the Saar and Ruwer. The south-facing slopes of the Rheingau are drier and sunnier, so the wines there are fuller. The underrated Nahe lies in between the Mosel and Rheingau both stylistically and geographically, while the large Rheinhessen region can produce firm, full and racy Rieslings. The Pfalz further south is warmer, hence its wines are richer.
Traditional wines have a degree of sweetness but there has been a move towards dry and medium-dry styles (ie trocken and halbtrocken), which made up just over 65 percent of production in 2012.
In an effort to help consumers distinguish dry wines from sweet, the Association of German Prädikat Estates or Verband der Prädikatsweingüter (VDP in German), an organization of almost 200 wineries, decided to introduce a classification system. The objective was to restore the prestige of significant vineyards across Germany: Erste Lage (First Site) and Grosse Lage (Grand/Great Site) refer to the best of the best German wines, made with terroir, regionality and traditional taste criteria in mind. Wines at this level must adhere to a number of regulations, ensuring the quality of bottles bearing the name of an Erste or Grosse Lage.
If the Lage is made in a dry style, it will be classed as either Erstes Gewächs (Premier Growth) or Grosses Gewächs (Grand/Great Growth). Erstes and Grosses Gewächs are premium and super-premium dry wines produced according to strict high standards, handcrafted by Germany’s finest wine-growers. The term promises us fully-fermented, dry wines from the top vineyard sites across Germany. The wines of this exclusive category are from the finest parcels sites and are subject to even stricter production criteria. Grosses Gewächs are some of the greatest dry white wines in the world; powerful, concentrated and saturated with mineral complexity.
Prices:
Bottle
£10.25
Bottle 12 x 75cl384cs
This is classic, bone-dry Riesling, grown on slate-dominant soils. The wine is defined by its freshness and minerality, with notes reminiscent of lime blossom on the nose. The attack is lively, the acidity is vibrant and the fruit stony in character.
Bottle
£14.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl17cs
David Berry Green
Bottle
£17.95
Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate. 30th December 2016.
Bottle
£18.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl3cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Bottle
£18.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl3cs
Bottle
£21.95
This wine’s rich sweetness is balanced beautifully by a raciness and elegance. It has a citrus core, with notes of a richer side of apple skin, peach and apricot. The wine boasts tropical fruit notes that hang on throughout the lengthy finish. This is one to hold onto for the long run. Drink now to 2025+.
Bottle
£22.50
Bottle
£23.25
Bottle 12 x 75cl1cs
Anyway, it's a fabulously steep, sun-filled site above the village of Zeltingen, whose pale, super-fine flaky grey slate reflects the rays back into the canopy, to great effect. Harvested in early November; vinified using wild yeasts to bring out the full character of the terroir, there's a wonderfully broad complexity of flavours, of whole berry crunchiness that together convey a sense of minerally dryness (the 82 grams of residual sugar balanced by a thrilling 9 grams of natural acidity!) It certainly appears that this approach of harvesting just once brings out a more comprehensive vineyard character. Great.
David Berry Green
Bottle
£23.50
Bottle 6 x 75cl7cs
This has an ethereal character. There is beautiful balance between aromas of orange peel, quince and white flowers with mint and verbena. Vibrant acidity supports a concentrated and juicy core, while hints of botrytis contribute to the complexity of this wine.
Bottle
£23.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl4cs
Bottle
£26.50
Bottle 6 x 75cl8cs
Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate. 29th May 2015.
Bottle
£28.25
Bottle 6 x 75cl8cs
Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate. 29th May 2015.
Bottle
£29.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl8cs
Katherine Dart MW - Buyer
Bottle
£29.75
Bottle 12 x 75cl1cs
The nose of this standout, 'star' Auslese has an almost salty peach character about; it's beautifully textured, svelte, with such fluidity, immaculate balance, no sense of the 115 grams of residual sugar, refreshed by the 10 grams of acidity! The botrytis evidently 'made' this extraordinary vintage, naturally concentrating all the elements, including the sugars, giving the wine a sublime texture and heavenly finish. Exotic yes, but a racehorse at the same time! Finishes more off-dry than medium!
David Berry Green
Bottle
£30.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl13cs
This small, four-hectare Mosel wine estate commands a well-deserved reputation for producing consistently excellent, fine wines. The philosophy of Willi Schaefer and his son, Christoph, is simple – they aim to make their wines as gently as possible, treating the fruit, must and resultant wines with respect. As such, all their wines are treated in exactly the same way in the vineyard and the winery.
Willi Schaefer’s Graacher Domprobst, Riesling Auslese #14 is medium-dry with emphatic minerality and salty, smoky overtones. Deriving from three parcels, located low on the slope, hence affected by more botrytis, the resulting wine has immense complexity. It needs time. Drink 2018 to 2028.
H/Bottle
£31.95
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl4cs
H/Bottle
£32.95
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl4cs
This single-vineyard Spätlese is medium-dry with 72g/l residual sugar. From Dönnhoff’s monopole vineyard Brücke, there's great, deep-seated power, wrapping a sleek, sublime, taut, pure grapefruit profile. It is so slender, it seems virtually off-dry. Drink 2016-2026.
Bottle
£33.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl2cs
Bottle
£35.00
Bottle
£36.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Laura Godwin - Private Account Manager
Bottle
£36.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl25cs
David Berry Green
Bottle
£37.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl22cs
Bottle
£42.00
Lying across the Nahe river from Oberhausen at 130 to 175 metres above sea-level, south-facing, this is without one of the great vineyards in Germany, if not the world. Marked by dark grey slate, porphry and limestone elements, it produces a spherical wine, so complete. It seems open even now but deep down it has the spine to last for years.
Bottle
£45.25
Bottle 6 x 75cl7cs
Dönnhoff’s Hermannshöhle Riesling is decisively dry with intense lime notes. It’s also supremely noble, with discreet elegance in a Wehlener Sonnenuhr smoky way. The palate is filled with pure lime flavours, Mosel-style, with both immense fruit but also a sublime slate texture. Drinking well for 20 years and beyond, but will be at its best from 2018.
Bottle
£50.00
Bottle
£60.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Case price (H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl)
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl1cs
Gary Owen, Private Account Manager
H/Bottle
£152.00
H/Bottle
£169.50
H/Bottle 6 x 37.5cl1cs
H/Bottle
£179.95
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl1cs
The wine's prickly pungency is further reflected on the palate, yet along side is a suggestion of creaminess as well as salted caramel and honey from the subtle botrytis concentration that was present before these grapes froze. More viscous and superficially sweet than the A.P. #35, this simultaneously projects intense acidity, even if - as Donnhoff suggests - some acid fell out after the first day's freeze.
Perhaps that effect - or the wine's embryonic state - accounts for the absence of the vibratory intensity that rivets attention on A.P. #35. We have here the same 7.5% alcohol though from more than 20 additional degrees Oechsle because, explains Donnhoff, the yeasts simply couldn't manage any further conversion. For unifying botrytis with frost concentration, and for sheer palate persistence, the elixir in question here is nothing short of phenomenal. "In 20 years," contends Donnhoff with a wry smile and a nod toward this Eiswein, "Cornelius may be able to beat me."
96/100 points, Wine Advocate, Feb 2011
H/Bottle
£195.00
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl7cs
This classically proportioned, off-dry Riesling Kabinett comes from the heart of the Middle Mosel, where this grape finds one of its most famous expressions on the vertiginous, grey-slate soil slopes that border the river Mosel. It is made for us by the Selbachs, who have been cultivating Riesling vines in the Mosel since 1661. Today Johannes Selbach and his wife Barbara run the estate, which is now one of the leading producers in the Mittel Mosel. The grapes are handpicked and then fermented in traditional, large oak barrels. The emphasis here is on finesse and purity of fruit.
This is a bright, light and fresh Riesling with delicate citrus aromas. The palate is crisp and vibrant, its ripe fruit layered with a core of fine minerality which typifies the quality of the sensational 2015 vintage.