Germany's Best Red Wines: The 2009 VINUM Awards

There is a red wine boom in Germany. The share of red wines in terms of production has increased from 10 percent in the 1980s to about 35 percent now in Germany. Of course, given its location, the German red wines 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 red wine boom has not yet reached the US and it is very difficult to find these wines in the US.

Since 1987, the German wine magazine “VINUM” organizes the "German Red Wine Award". For the last contest, which took place at the end of 2009, 1270 wines were submitted.

The list of winners looks a bit unusual. The really big names of the German red wine boom are missing. Rather, one finds young, new winemakers, many from Baden and Württemberg; the winner in the Pinot Noir category is even a wine cooperative, along with a wine from Baron von Gleichenstein. I reviewed a von Gleichenstein Estate wine here.

Here are the winners

Spätburgunder - Pinot Noir

Two winners
2005 Oberrotweiler Eichberg RG Freiherr von Gleichenstein, Oberrotweil
2007 Sasbacher Rote Halde Auslese Winzergenossenschaft Sasbach

Third place
2007 Großes Gewächs Gundelsheimer Himmelreich Staatsweingut Weinsberg 2007 Simonroth Rainer Schnaitmann, Fellbach

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Katharina Schiller, Venus Restaurant, Berkeley, California, testing von Gleichenstein wines

Klassische deutsche Sorten - Traditional German Grape Varities

Two winners
2007 Samtrot *** Weingärtner Bad Cannstatt
2007 Frühburgunder Neuenahrer Sonnenberg Weingut Burggarten - Familie Schäfer, Heppingen

Lemberger

Winner
2003 R G. A. Heinrich, Heilbronn

2. Place
2007 Karl Haidle, Kernen-Stetten

Cuvées

Two winners
2006 Condistat Weingärtner Bad Cannstatt
2005 Das Kreuz Weingut Rings, Freinsheim

Third place
2007 Mönch Berthold Weinmanufaktur Untertürkheim

Neuzüchtungen - New Grape Varities

Winner
2007 Cabernet Dorio Weingut der Stadt Mainz - Familie Fleischer

Second Place
2007 Dornfelder Karl Haidle, Kernen-Stetten

Unterschätzte klassische Sorten - Underrated traditional grape varietes

Winner
2007 Trollinger Rainer Schnaitmann, Fellbach

Second place
2008 Portugieser Alte Reben WZG Möglingen

Internationale klassische Sorten - International grape varieties

Winner
2007 Syrah Fritz Wassmer, Bad Krozingen-Schlatt

Second place
2007 Syrah Weingut der Stadt Mainz - Familie Fleischer

Edelsüß - Noble Sweet

Winner
2008 Spätburgunder Blanc de noirs Eiswein Weinolsheimer Kehr Weingut Manz, Weinolsheim

Second Place
2008 Spätburgunder Trockenbeerenauslese Randersackerer Sonnenstuhl Störrlein & Krenig, Randersacker





Schiller Wine - Related Postings

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In the Glass: A 2007 Pinot Noir from the Gault Millau Shooting Star of the Year - Estate Baron Gleichenstein, Germany

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In the Glass: Pinot Noir from France, Germany and California