The 11 Top German Dry Rieslings – Feinschmecker German Riesling Cup 2010 (Vintage 2009)

Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with Riesling Cup Winner Helmut Doennhoff

The German Food and Wine Magazine Feinschmecker presented the winners of the Deutscher Riesling Cup 2010 – Germany’s best dry Rieslings - when I was in Germany. The wines were from the 2009 vintage.

Here is the link to the Feinschmecker article in the February 2011 issue. For last year's Riesling Cup – the 2008 vintage wines - see here.

Riesling

Worldwide, there are about 34.000 hectares planted with Riesling. Germany – with 22.400 hectares – accounts for 2/3 of the total. The second largest Riesling producer is Australia, with 4500 hectares. But this is only about 1/10 of the total. Nevertheless, Australia was a bit underrepresented at the 1st International Riesling Symposium. Alsace follows with 3500 hectares. Austria, the US with Washington State and New York State as well as New Zealand make up the remainder. But overall Riesling is really a niche wine, accounting for only less than 1 percent of total wine production in the world - but a very special niche wine.

The Winner: 2009 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle, Riesling, QbA trocken, Großes Gewächs,Weingut Hermann Doennhoff, Nahe

Again, a winemaker from the Nahe region, a smaller wine region, got the gold medal: Weingut Hermann Dönnhoff, Oberhausen for its 2009 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling QbA trocken Großes Gewächs.

Already in the two previous years, Weingut Schäfer-Fröhlich from the Nahe had topped the list last year and Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, also from the Nahe, in the year before (followed by this year’s winner Weingut Hermann Dönnhoff).


Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with Tim Froehlich (above) and Georg Rumpf (below).

The Nahe region is named after the river that traverses the valleys of the forested Hunsrück Hills as it flows toward Bingen on the Rhine . The vines grow along the Nahe River and its tributaries Glan and Alsenz. Although the Nahe is one of the smaller German wine regions, its extraordinary range of soil types is second to none. It has about 4400 hectares under vine. Almost 2000 years ago the Romans brought wine-growing to the Nahe. White wine grapes dominate with 3/4 of the total; Riesling is the most common variety with roughly 1/3 of the total.

The Top 11 Wines

Here are the top 11 wines. The tasting took place in November 2010 and 355 wines had been submitted.

01. Platz: 2009 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling QbA trocken
„Großes Gewächs“, Weingut Hermann Dönnhoff, Oberhausen/Weinbaugebiet Nahe

02. Platz: 2009 Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling QbA trocken Erstes Gewächs,
Weingut Freiherr Langwerth von Simmern, Eltville/ Weinbaugebiet Rheingau

03. Platz: 2009 Binger Scharlachberg Riesling Spätlese trocken,
Weingut Frank Hemmes, Bingen am Rhein/Weinbaugebiet Rheinhessen

04. Platz: 2009 Gau-Bischofsheimer Kellerberg Riesling Spätlese trocken,
Weingut Posthof Doll & Göth, Stadecken-Elsheim/Weinbaugebiet Rheinhessen

05. Platz: 2009 Forster Musenhang Riesling Kabinett trocken,
Weingut Heinrich Spindler, Forst an der Weinstraße/Weinbaugebiet Pfalz

06. Platz: 2009 Edenkobener Mühlberg Riesling Kabinett trocken,
Weingut Nicole Graeber, Edenkoben/Weinbaugebiet Pfalz

07. Platz: 2009 Trierer Deutschherrenberg Riesling QbA trocken,
Weingut Deutschherrenhof, Trier/Weinbaugebiet Mosel

08. Platz: 2009 Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling QbA „Erste Lage“,
Weingüter Wegeler, Bernkastel-Kues/Weinbaugebiet Mosel

09. Platz: 2009 „Alisencia“ Riesling Spätlese trocken,
Weingut Hahnmühle, Mannweiler-Cölln/Weinbaugebiet Nahe

10. Platz: 2009 Hattenheimer Hassel Riesling QbA trocken Erstes Gewächs,
Weingut Barth, Eltville am Rhein/Weinbaugebiet Rheingau

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Norbert Barth

11. Platz: 2009 Rüdesheimer Berg Schloßberg Riesling QbA trocken Erstes Gewächs, Weingut August Kesseler, Rüdesheim-Assmannshausen/ Weinbaugebiet Rheingau

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with August Kesseler

schiller-wine - Related Postings

Visiting Agnes and Fritz Hasselbach at their Weingut Gunderloch in Nackenheim, Rheinhessen, Germany

Visiting Weingut Josef Leitz in Ruedesheim – Johannes Leitz is Germany’s Winemaker of the Year, Gault Millau WeinGuide 2011

1.International Riesling Symposium

Impressions from the Riesling & Co World Tour 2010 in New York

When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose

Terry Theise's Top German Wines of the 2009 Vintage

Germany's Top 16 Winemakers - Feinschmecker WeinGuide 2011

Aging Potential of Riesling – A Wine Tasting at the 1st International Riesling Symposium in Germany Led by Jancis Robinson

Visiting Jean Trimbach at Maison Trimbach in Ribeauville in Alsace

The Wines of the Roter Hang (Red Slope) in Nierstein, Rheinhessen, Germany