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German| Date: 2005-04-01 21:41:16 |
| From: boscastle@t-online.de |
Subject: Hi, Fellow wine lovers. I've a... |
Well Raymond, you seem to have lots of opinions to consider! For what it's worth I agree the lieblich style will never disappear Perhaps you should remember one or two basic facts about the Riesling grape which others haven't touched on yet. First of all you have to remember that this is probably the most difficult country as far as latitude and weather is concerned to produce wine. (Hence although 10% of wine production is red (and most of it here in Baden and Württemberg) little of it is very good which is why there is hardly any exported). The Riesling is a hardy vine well suited to this climate - in fact when grown elsewhere it is either another grape (like the Californian so-called Riesling or Italian Riesling which is Wechselriesling) or it doesn't produce wines with the delicacy and subtleness of taste like a good German Riesling. Riesling can be crisp and dry and if you know what you're looking for - and often is. Some labels have the word Trocken (Dry). My advice is look for a 'Kabinett' wine which is strictly speaking a non-recognized older description used before the 1964 wine law but it's traditional and everyone knows what it means. Remember too there is a difference between a QbA wine and a QmP; the latter being from a more specific area or vineyard - (not that it always means much since half a dozen growers can work in one vineyard. Some of the Piesporter vineyards are good examples; so to is Wehler Sonnenuhr). Qualitätswein mit Prädikat can have 5 additional grades of which the most common is Spätlese (late harvest). We are typical here in Baden-Württemberg in that the harvest usually begins aroound early/mid-October. Most of the QbA and QmP wines will be pressed from this main gathering. Grapes still left on the vine - (given enough sunshine) - begin to age and gradually shrivel in size which means the sugar content gets more concentrated - hence the increasing sweetness of Spätlese and Auslese. If he is lucky the vintner will be able to make Beerenauslese (grapes still on the vine which are beginning to rot) or Trockenbeerenaulese when the remaining grapes are smaller still and resemble sultanas. If any are selected and picked with frost still on them you have Eiswein. These later gradings produce true dessert wines. So the Riesling can and does product a variety of wines and a good one has that lovely delicate balance between fruitiness and crispness. It's a balance between acidity and sweetness. Unfortunately most wine in the UK is sold in supermarkets and although it is possible to find reasonable and good value wines don't forget the supermarkets have helped to ruin the availability of good wines. Supermarkets need (1) huge quantities of wine (2) at a minimum price for maximum profit and (3) it must be consistent in taste ie. one batch must taste much like another. Result is blending and since adding sugar is illegal producers use grape juice or Sussreserve. As this alters the flavour markedly (and does not have to even come from the same vineyard or village) it is possible to achieve the same kind of bland uniform taste. It's not helped by the supermarket and high street drinks shops using generic names like Mosel Blümchen, Niersteiner Gutes Domtal, Black Label and, of course, Liebfraumilch (which by the way means nothing to a German. There is a Liebfraumilch vineyard (in Worms) but it is illegal to use the name in the way that British and Americans do. Last thought - because Riesling grapes have a relatively small yield various let us remember hybrids have been produced using the Riesling as a starting point. So we have Müller-Thurgau (cross between Riesling and Silvaner) which ripens earlier and has a greater yield. Can be quite pleasant but my tip for a different German experience is try Kerner. We've drunk many a bottle of it and it tends to have a fairly consistent dry taste. One final tip - don't make the mistake most British and Americans make of thinking you MUST always have wine with food. German people often drink wine by itself - (we usually do and I'm English!) What better than a little cheese and a good QmP Riesling on a warm summer evening together with friends? David Williams. This message was created using the Web-based forum : www.wein-plus.com/forum/ |
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