Wine ratings: One German and no American wine on Jancis Robinson's list of red wines

In a series of articles in the FT, Jancis Robinson presents a selection of good buys for the entertaining season, deliberately concentrated on those wines that are drinking well now, as she writes. There are 4 articles, published in the FT as well as on Jancis Robinson’s web site.

White wine on November 29, 2009

Red wine on December 5, 2009

Sparkling wine on 12 Dec, 2009

Strong and sweet wines on 19 Dec, 2009

These 4 articles provide one with a financial sector and English perspective of what is hot in the market now --- financial sector perspective, because the article is written for the readers of the FT and English perspective, because Jancis Robinson is based in London, she provides prices in British Pounds and the names of English retailers where you can find the wine. The Exchange rate is roughly BP 1 = Euro 1.10 = US$ 1.60.

Red wines on December 5, 2009

Jancis Robinson’s list comprises 75 red wines. There is not a single wine from the US and only one red wine from Germany.

As far as the US is concerned, Jancis Robinson refers to the US$/BP exchange rate. But I do not believe that this is a key factor and doubt that even a substantial depreciation of the US$ would change the picture. American wines are just not popular in London.

As for the German reds, Jancis Robinson apparently does not yet fully believe in the German red wine revolution; she included only one red wine from Germany in her list.

Matthias Gaul, Palataia Pinot Noir 2008 Pfalz 16.5 Drink 2009-10
Very pure, flattering Pinot aromas from globally warmed Germany. Opulent fruit and some sweetness but it's not sickly. Much easier to drink than most Pinots at this price. Relatively delicate. Excellent value. 13.5%
£7.99 M&S 250 stores

German red wines are increasingly appearing in the international wine market. Of course, given its location, they tend to be not like the fruity red wines we know from warmer countries, but lean and more elegant, with a lot of finesse. 30 years ago, in the international scene, people would not talk about German red wine. But this has changed. Germany now produces red wines that can compete with the best of the world. The share of red wines in terms of production has increased from 10 percent in the 1980s to about 35 percent now in Germany.

Overall, an Old World wines biased selection, with a lot of focus on France.

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