Tesch Riesling Unplugged 2010 and Duo Favo FAVOriten

Picture: Tesch Riesling Unplugged 2010 and Duo Favo FAVOriten

Unplugged in Music and Wine

Unplugged stands in the pop and rock scene for performances with small audiences without reinforcement and other technical manipulations of the music; what you get is a maximum of authenticity and individuality. Unplugged stands in the German wine scene for a Riesling made by Dr. Martin Tesch according to the same principles; again, what you get is a maximum of authenticity and individuality.

Unplugged by Eric Clapton has always been one of my favorite albums. Clapton recorded the album for the MTV unplugged series. This was a series of CDs recorded live with as much authenticity as possible. This time, when the “Man in Black” Dr. Martin Tesch sent me a sample of the 2010 Riesling unplugged, I sat down, opened the bottle, put on the music of Falk Breitkreuz and Volker Schlott and listened to their CD and enjoyed the dry wine of Martin Tesch. And memories came back.

Picture: Tesch Riesling Unplugged 2010 and Duo Favo FAVOriten

Falk Breitkreuz and Volker Schlott (Duo Favo)

I had met Falk and Volker last year in Antananarivo in Madagascar where they had performed in front of a young, small crowd at the Centre Germano Malagasy (CGM), which has been ably managed for many years now by the good old Eckehart Olszowski. Eckehart and I were born on the same day and celebrated our 40th birthday together, when I was Resident Representative of the International Monetary Fund in Madagascar.

Picture: Christian Schiller, Volker Schlott and Falk Breitkreuz (Duo Favo), and Eckehart Olszowski in Antananarivo in 2010

Falk Breitkreuz plays Clarinet and Volker Schlott Saxophone. In Antananarivo, the Duo Favo had first played their own music and then teamed up with a group of Malagasy musicians. They played together for the first time. What an event! The CD brought back the memories of this event and the Tesch Riesling Unplugged 2010 was a perfect match.


Pictures: Duo Favo with Malagasy Musicians at the CGM

Weingut Tesch

Dr. Martin Tesch owns and runs Weingut Tesch in the Nahe valley. The Weingut has been family-owned and run since 1723 and is a member of the prestigious VDP, the century-old association of Germany’s top winemakers.

In his mid-thirties, Martin Tesch is a Ph.D. microbiologist by training. He took over Weingut Tesch in 1996 and has presided over fundamental changes both in the vineyard and the wine cellar as well as in the marketing of the Tesch wines. Martin stopped producing sweet-style wines; all Tesch wines are now dry, except, it seems, for the occasional Eiswein when conditions allow. Further, he has moved to natural and non-interventionist winemaking and strict yield control of between 20-30 hl/ha. The harvest is manual and he picks the grapes at full ripeness, but avoids botrytis. Also, he changed and simplified the label design. There are no long words anymore on the label. Finally, Martin Tesch now generally uses the Stelvin glass closure. It is a ultra-modern and expensive technical fitting.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Martin Tesch in New York

Obviously, Martin Tesch is very much into Rock and Roll. He has documented his passion for wine and Rock and Roll in a book entitled Riesling People, Vol 1, which was released last year. This is an unusual book. It explains in a straightforward way, without words, what makes Martin Tesch tick and the wines he produces so special. As a picture-book and travelogue, Riesling People Vol. 1 differs dramatically from the usual wine books. Almost without words, the book tells the story of Martin Tesch and his love for Riesling and Rock and Roll music. It is narrated by black and white photography, printed on glossy paper, and showcases the ecclectic mix of wine and music in Martin's world. The central theme of the book is the Rolling Riesling Show, which was jointly organized by Martin Tesch and the guitar manufacturer Gibson. Martin Tesch took an audience that was not necessary knowledgeable about wine through six different dry Rieslings and their soil-specific differences. See more about it here.

Finally, Martin Tesch made a wine with Die Toten Hosen (The Dead Pants, but more elliptically: Nothing Going On), Germany’s leading punk rock group. Both teamed up to produce Weisses Rauschen (White Noise), a superb bone-dry Riesling Qualitaetswein. See more about it here.

Schiller Wine - Related Postings

In the Glass: Unplugged - Eric Clapton and Martin Tesch

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

When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose

In the Glass: 2007 Rheinhessen with Oysters at the Ten Bells in the Lower East Side in Manhattan

In the Glass: 2009 Weisses Rauschen – A Joint Venture of Winemaker Martin Tesch and Punk-Rock Band Die Toten Hosen

The Avantgarde Wine World of Dr. Martin Tesch

Wining and Dining in Antananarivo, the Capital of Madagascar – Christian G.E. Schiller’s Private List of Restaurants in Antananarivo

The Wines of Madagascar - Good and Interesting Table Wines

Christian G.E.Schiller’s Private List of Restaurants in Antananarivo That Serve Malagasy Wine