Lunch last week in NY with Ernie Loosen at Atria was a most opportune occasion to lead into my trip with the German Wine Institute to the Rheingau and Rheinhessen and the Weinborse Fair in Mainz (4/26 & 4/27). The first course of bratwurst and weisswurst served with special handlmaier mustard prepared by chef Martin Brock and paired with Dr. Loosen “Erdener Treppchen” Kabinett 2006 was the perfect warm up to the boar sausage (prepared from a freshly hunted boar) and sauteed potatoes that I would have days later at the wine estate of Joachim Flick paired alongside Flick’s ‘Charta’ Estate Riesling 2007. My anticipation and excitement for this trip, organized and sponsored by the US office of Wines of Germany, had been mounting since I received my invitation on New Years Eve 2008. I had longed to visit with some of my favorite rockstars of Riesling on their turf, notably Robert Weil, Sofia Thanisch, Fritz Hasselbach, Johannes Leitz and Freidrich Becker and inhale the pure beauty of this grape in its homeland.
4.24.09 Friday evening we arrived to the hotel in Wiesbaden, a quaint town thirty minutes outside of Frankfurt, one of the oldest “spa towns” in Europe which once boasted 27 hot springs, and is known for its legendary Kurhaus casino. Dinner followed at Weingut Kunstler, a top family estate in the Rheingau, and was shared together by over eighty wine professionals who had joined for the weekend from as far as Tokyo and as near as Poland.
4.25.09 Today began with the April sun beaming through the windows and delicious, healthful dark German bread spread with whipped cheese and smoked salmon. After a champion’s breakfast, we headed to our first stop – the Geisenheim Institute, a renowned university specializing in higher education in winemaking and research. Steffen Schindler of the German Wine Institute led a colorful and informative lecture on the Germany wine industry then, now and in the future, which was an excellent way to provide a scope for the next days to come. As Riesling production remains stable, winemakers have been producing more and more red wine as well as increased plantings of Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) in the past six years. Certainly the attention to the health benefits of red wine has influenced the increased plantings of Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir), Schindler remarked, as has climate change, and more white grape varietals are flourishing alongside as the demand for drier styles of German white wine persists. Contrary to what many people think, Germans consume more dry white wine than they do sweet. There seemingly is a big push to communicate this to international consumer and market dry wines. Though the dry styles certainly have a place, Riesling, with that delicate balance of sugar and acid and underlying driven minerality is king, as Riesling devotees will attest. Don’t foresake that sugar!
Winemakers are acknowledging that consumers are increasingly looking for wines that are expressive of where they come from, yes – that word again is “terroir” – as opposed to the branded New World offerings, and are keeping true to tradition and making as many efforts as possible to upkeep a natural growing environment in the vineyards and limit the amount of human intervention. These points led into our next session with tutor, Georg Meissner, a bio-dynamic viticulturist, who led us through the philosophies of Rudolf Steiner and the relationship between the four kingdoms: mineral, plant, animal and human and how they interact with one another and define the relationship the plant has with the greater environment. Meissner is overseeing a research project in the vineyards: four rows each of conventional, organic and bio-dynamic vines have been planted next to each other and the health of the vines in their growth and their fruit production will be observed in an effort to estimate the qualities of bio-dynamic viticulture. A few visits and tastings in nearby vineyards followed the lectures, an optimal way to put the theoretical into the practical and to observe the varying soils.
Red clay soils
4.26.09 The annual VDP Weinborse Fair in Mainz commenced today. Nearly 200 producers, all members of the VDP (Vin de Pradikat), an association of the leading German wine estates, gathered to showcase their 2008 releases. The day began with a seminar and tasting of Silvaner – a grape varietal that is celebrating its 350th anniversary this year. This wasn’t one of the finest lectures nor were the wines displayed particularly thrilling, lacking charm and focus, but nevertheless an exercise and a primer for the palate to delve into an afternoon of more standout wines.
The marathon began by noon and the first fuel break was at 3pm. Highlights included J. Biffar’s 08 Wachenheimer Goldbachel Riesling Spatlese and the 07 Grainhubel Riesling Grosses Gewachs, characterized by lingering fennel aromas, bright acidity and peach and apricot flavors on the palate. Reigning from the loamy, sandy soils of the Pfalz the trend towards low-yielding, high quality grapes in this region is evident from this estate. Before delving into Friedrich Becker’s beautifully balanced Burgundian-esque red wines, a mystery Muskateller was pulled out of the fridge – an aromatic, fruity gem – which save from a handful of bottles Friedrich is keeping for his Spring barbeques, only makes its way to a few other tables in Europe due to its small production.
The wines of Kruger Rumpf from the Nahe were as sound as ever and the same held true for those of Dr. Crusius – debuting an 08 Traiser Weissburgunder-Auxerrois blend which exhibited hints of sweet spice and pear, and followed through with a lush mouthfeel. Having just been bottled, many of the 08 releases still had a blow-off of sulfur, but once beyond this, it became evident that this was a subsequent solid vintage, not as celebrated as the 07 due to 08’s higher acidity component and the lower ripeness levels of grapes, but certainly very pleasant.
4.27.09 We were given a warm and impressive welcoming from Fritz Hasselbach at Gunderloch Weingut on Monday afternoon.
The small estate, which produces only 10,000 cases a year, is the quintessential German winery, quaint and clean with a modest and tasteful entrance beholding classically styled wines where Riesling shines in its varying guises. We tasted through eight wines and listened mindfully as Fritz spoke about each one of them, the history of the fifth generation family business, the current (and ongoing!) discussion of the German Wine Classification laws which are still in negotiation, and his preference of botyritis-free wines in order to produce a clean and crisp style of sweet wine. My four favorites out of the Riesling all-star lineup, notably all which were from the 07 vintage with additional time in bottle and a masterful balance:
2007 Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Dry – A ‘Grand Cru’ wine with an extremely small production of 200 cases. Medium plus acid with apricot stone fruit and candied peach flavors.
2007 Gunderloch “Three Star” Auslese off Dry - Ripe, lush fruit, alluring smoky and rubber tube aromas leading to white pepper and nutmeg spices on the palate. All wild yeasts in the fermentation and a must weight similar to a BA level.
2007 Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel – Roasted pineapple and tropical fruit marmalade on toast, rich and unctuous with a silky mouthfeel.
2007 Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Beerenauslese - Fritz spoiled us with this rare treat (only 200 bottles produced), amber in color and singing with candied orange, creme brulee and caramel flavors, with a clean focused finish.
Giant stalks of juicy white asparagus,’ Spargel,’ fill street stands
Not green asparagus, but grafted Riesling rootstock at the Joachim Flick estate
4.28.09 We geared up for three vineyard visits in the Rheingau today: Joachim Flick, Robert Weil and Georg Breuer – markedly different from one another in their overall character which made for quite an interesting adventure. Forever one of my favorite Riesling producers, I was thrilled to visit Weil – a classic estate and leading German producer. We began in the modern tasting room with a tasting of the 06 Riesling Brut Sekt and Riesling Extra Brut Sekt – again delicious wines you will have to go to Germany to taste as they are not yet exported! The Brut, made in methode traditionelle, was the standout, deep yellow-gold in color with a nice toastiness on the palate and a persistent bead. We received the full tour of the underground labyrinth of a cellar, pristine but not sterile, before crawling up a hidden staircase to the dining room where we were presented with a tasting of nine wines from three different vineyards of differing soils, all rich in mineral components which makes for such healthy grapes: Klosterberg (limestone and colored slate), Turmberg (loess and gray slate), and Grafenberg (decomposing gray slate and stone). I can nearly still taste the 08 Kiedrich Turmberg Riesling Trocken with its pronounced mineral backbone, nose of dried rosemary and spicy notes of nutmeg and white pepper. The 08 Spatlese from the same vineyard produced a contrasting wild expression of baked pear and sweet peach, this one more oily and ideally needing ten more years to reach its maximal expression. The grand finale was a 06 Grafenberg Riesling Beerenauselse, still quite young but nonetheless offering butter-caramel aromas following through to the palate with a density that a wine with 200 g of residual sugar, 11% acidity and 8% alcohol can only bestow with such finesse.
Looking from the bank of the Rheingau at the beautiful vineyard site of Georg Breuer onto where the Nahe River meets the Rhine and divides the Rheinhessen region on the left from the Nahe Region on the right. An interesting perspective when thinking about the varying soils and wines coming from the different regions when the plots seem only a stone’s throw away.
Trekking through the Breuer vineyards and nearly as tall (but not as old!) as the medieval castle behind me.
The bounty of the day grew even more resplendent after a tasting of ten wines in the cellar of Georg Breuer and a dinner to follow at Zum Krug with winemakers Johannes Leitz and Andreas Spreitzer. According to the charismatic Leitz, Zum Krug is the greatest restaurant in the Rheingau and has a winning region specific wine list with some deep vintage Rieslings. His claim was supported by the cozy candle-lit room, town locals at every table (sans ours), and outstanding food which melded traditional German and modern preparation and no surprise paired delightfully with the wines. Upon walking in the door, I could sense that this would be one of those special places that would demand a visit if within a 50 km vicinity even if it meant veering off-course.
First course of poached egg, so farm-fresh it glowed mango orange, atop a bed of frisee and accompanied by delicately sliced and perfectly salty pancetta. The two wines paired alongside were the 08 Josef Spreitzer Trocken Riesling and the 08 Leitz Einszewin Riesling Trocken. The racy minerality, high acid, flinty Spreitzer worked best for me in this dish as it met the saltiness of the ham, whereas, lovely as it was, the Leitz was fuller with pronounced peach and candy apple flavors.
The main course was a stuffed sausage of rabbit in a sauce of chanterelle mushrooms, served alongside tempura style polenta stuffed squash blossoms and a thin slice of sauteed goose liver. A plate of many rich elements which joyfully paired with the 08 Sprietzer Doosberg Spatlese Trocken, a wine with focus, bright acidity and wild tropical flavors of coconut meat and mango mint smoothie, as well as the 08 Leitz Berg Rottland Rudesheimer ‘Alte Reben’ Riesling which had characteristic notes of botyritis and marked density from extended skin contact. They both were outstanding and it was great to sit and observe the contrasting styles of these two vibrant winemakers and the expression of Riesling from their individual terrior. The capper was a 1971 Berg Salisbury Rudesheimer Riesling, aged to a burnt copper hue which breathed in and out of lasting vibrancy and was an interesting example of an aged Riesling, whose fruit and sugar and acid balance had carried it in stride beyond thirty years, as the best German Rieslings easily can do!
