Phil Bernstein, German Wine Buyer, MacArthur Beverages, Washington DC: Hello fellow German wine lovers. This is the 7th year I've done this tasting for the German Wine Society and it's always a fun evening. Hope you can join me for a night of great Riesling and lots of fun. If you're new to the world of German Wine this is a great opportunity to taste the whole spectrum and learn quite a bit!
The annual “New German Vintage” tasting of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) around February/March/April, led by Phil Bernstein, is always a highlight for the German wine aficionados in the Washington DC area. Phil Bernstein is very entertaining and knowledgeable about German wine. He knows more about German wine than many of my wine friends in Germany. He is in charge of German wines at MacArthur Beverages, one of the best German wine retailers in the country.
For previous years, see:
The Annual “New German Vintage” Tasting of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) led by Phil Bernstein - 2012 Vintage, Germany/USA
German Wine: Tasting with Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages the 2011 Vintage in Washington DC, USA
The 2010 Vintage Tasting of the German Wine Society (Aaron Nix-Gomez)
Phil Bernstein’s Third Annual German Riesling Tasting with the German Wine Society, Washington DC Chapter - Rieslings With a Touch of Sweetness
The 2013 Vintage in Germany
A rather cold spring and a mild summer were followed by wet weather in September and October. Producers were struggling to bring grapes to full ripeness while avoiding rot. Grapes often were harvested although they would have benefitted from more ripening. Overall, this resulted in low yields and fair quality.
Presentations of the 2013 Vintage in Germany and in the US
My first major exposure to the 2013 vintage was about a year after the harvest (in late August 2014) in Wiesbaden, Germany, when I attend with about 130 other wine journalists, bloggers, sommeliers and trade people the pre-release presentation (official release date of the GGs is September 1) of the 2013 Grosses Gewächs GG (Grand Cru) wines, the new category of ultra-premium dry German wines of the VDP, the association of about 200 German elite winemakers. See: Germany’s Grosses Gewaechs – Grand Cru - Vintage 2013 White Wines and Vintage 2012 Red Wines Released. Notes from the Pre-release Tasting in August 2014 in Wiesbaden, Germany
6 months later, I spent two days tasting the 2013 vintage in Mainz at the Weinbörse, the annual presentation of the VDP. See: 2014 Weinboerse in Mainz – The VDP Producers of the 2014 ombiasy Germany North Tour
At the Weinbörse in Mainz, the about 200 German elite producers presented their 2013 portfolio, both red (including earlier vintages) and white wines, covering all quality levels, from the Gutswein to the Ortswein and to the Erste and the Grosse Lage levels. (Note that Germany, under the leadership of the VDP, is moving to a new classification system, modelled after the classification system in Bourgogne, see: The new (VDP) Wine Classification in Germany: Tasting Weingut Robert Weil Wines from Gutswein to Grosse Lage Wine)
Now, almost a year later: the presentation of the 2013 vintage by Phil Bernstein, arguably one of the most knowledgeable and influential German wine experts in the USA.
What Phil Bernstein presented differed radically from the wines presented at the Weinbörse in Germany a year ago. And rightly so, many of his clients and German wine experts in the USA would say.
First, Phil Bernstein did not present any red wines. Yet, about 1/3 of the wines presented at the Weinbörse in Germany were red wines. Germany has become one of the leading Pinot Noir producers in the world. But the US market is very slow in discovering what Germany now has to offer in terms of premium and ultra-premium red wines. See: The Tim Atkin Pinot Noir Taste-Off of October 2011: Germany Versus the Rest of the World - German Red Wines Show Strong Performance
Second, Phil Bernstein showed only Rieslings. Yet, Riesling accounts for only 1/3 of the German white wine production. 2/3 is accounted for by other grape varieties. Among the non-Riesling grape varieties, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Chardonnay are increasingly being planted. Why bother with these other grape varieties, many German wine lovers in the US say.
Third, most importantly, Phil Bernstein showed (except for one wine from Weingut Klaus Peter Keller) only sweetish Rieslings, including many Kabinetts. At the Weinbörse in Germany, just a small fraction of the Rieslings presented were sweet. Dry Riesling clearly dominated the tasting. If you wanted to taste a Kabinett, you really had to search for it. Outside of the Mosel, Rheingau and Nahe regions, there was almost no chance to find any Kabinett wine.
The German Wine Culture: Dry or Sweet or Both?
Terry Theise, in his most recent catalogue (Vintage 2014), addresses the issue of the German wine culture: Is it a dry wine culture or a sweet wine culture or both. Let me quote Terry Theise.
Terry Theise: … What I myself see, from the growers I visit and the restaurants I go to, and the stories I am told, Germany is not only a dry-wine culture, it is militantly and obsessively so. How many letters have I gotten from travelers to Germany who were promptly dismayed to find the utter hegemony of the Trocken style? I did not set these people up. They saw what I see. And what we see gives cause for grave concerns. The wines we love are threatened. … If you were dropped from the sky and landed in Germany you would conclude it is a dry wine culture.
Outside of Germany it is a not-dry wine culture, because we in other countries can perhaps see with greater perspective that the not-dry German Rieslings are a singular and precious gift to the world and to the cause of beauty.
… So the answer to the question, in truth is: It is both a sweet and a dry wine culture, but not if the Germans themselves have anything to say about it. Other than a few token dessert-wines they would just as soon see the sweet wines go extinct.
In an earlier article “Can American Fans Save German Riesling” (Slate, October 19, 2011), Mike Steinberger argued similarly: … But in the 1970s and ’80s, German drinkers soured on sweetish Rieslings. It was during this period that Germany saw a proliferation of French-influenced restaurants, and consumers demanded dry wines. … Meanwhile, domestic demand for fruity Rieslings has effectively collapsed; German palates have been completely reoriented, and Rieslings with pronounced residual sugar are now outcasts in their own neighborhood. … The fruity style now is being kept alive, barely, by foreign consumers, and Americans in particular, which is another ironic twist to this story. … Theise told me that the only reason most of his producers continue to make sweetish Rieslings is because he keeps buying them—if he were to stop tomorrow, they would very likely cease production of these wines and turn out nothing but trocken bottlings.
And the Future in the USA?
Against this background, the selection of Phil Bernstein could not have been better: The whole range of sweet-style Rieslings with a strong focus on Kabinetts. This is what the American consumer wants.
But: Will this dichotomy between German and American wine consumption of German wine (sweetish here and dry there) continue?
We will have to wait and see. Interestingly, Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, who only used to produce sweet wines from his grand cru vineyards, has started to also produce ultra-premium dry GG (Grosses Gewächs) wines from his top vineyards (at the expense of the ultra-premium sweet-style wine). He is currently on a tour through the USA to introduce his new GG wines to the American market. I just saw 4 of them on the shelves of a small wines store (The Vineyard) in the McLean neighborhood, for around US$ 45. More on the new project of Ernst Loosen here: A New Dr. Loosen Project Setting the Standard for Dry German Rieslings
Also, and I think this may potentially have a large impact, Robert Parker replaced David Schildknecht, who lives in America and is deeply rooted in the American market of German wines, with Stephan Reinhardt, who lives in Germany and grew up with dry German wine, in his Wine Advocate team. One of Germany's most distinguished experts of German dry wines is now Robert Paker's man for German wine. See: Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – David Schildknecht Leaves and Stephan Reinhardt Joins the Team
For now, Phil Bernstein – and he has an intimate knowledge of the German wine market in the USA - stayed away from any red, non-Riesling and dry Riesling wines and showed us an impressive range of sweetish Rieslings, mostly from the Mosel area.
Tasting
Phil presented wines from “big guns” of German Riesling, like Egon Müller, Dönnhoff, Zilliken and Klaus Peter Keller, but also wines from upcoming talents like Adam and Vollenweider as well as aw eine from the Merkelbach brothers, known for reasonably priced premium wines.
Here is what we tasted.
Below you will find for each wine the US$ price at MacArthur Beverages, the region the wine comes from, how the producer is rated in the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2015 (from 1 to 5 grapes), comments of wine experts provided during the tasting by Phil Bernstein and additional comments from me.
Hild Elbling Sekt Brut #52
Mosel, 1 grape GM
A refreshing Sekt made from an interesting grape variety: Elbling. Elbling is primarily grown in the upstream parts of the Mosel region in Germany and in Luxembourg. Elbling tends to give musts low in sugar, and wines high in acid, which makes it primarily used for sparkling wine.
Peter Lauer Fass 6 "Senior" VDP.Ortswein $27
Mosel, 3 grapes GM
JG: Pink grapefruit, tart orange, lemongrass, rosemary, lovely.
A VDP.Ortswein (new VDP classification), comparable to the village wine level in the Bourgogne.
Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Kabinett $32
Mosel, 3 grapes GM
SR: Stimulating top Kabinett: stony/herbal and very salty.
Winner of the Berlin Kabinett Cup 2013, see: Martin Zwick's BerlinKabinettCup 2014: Germany's Best 2013 Riesling Kabinett Wines
Interestingly, the prestigious Karthäuserhof Estate is currently owned by a New York City resident. For the past decades, it has been run and owned by Christoph Tyrell in the 6. Generation. Christoph lives at the estate. In 2012, Christoph Tyrell, who has no children and who is in his mid-60s, arranged the succession of the Karthäuserhof with his cousin Albert Behler. Albert Behler lives in New York City, where he is President and CEO of the Paramount Group, one of the largest privately-owned real estate companies in New York City. See: The Karthäuserhof in the Mosel Valley: An Eventful History – From Grenoble in France to New York City in the US
Klaus Peter Keller Von der Fels VDP.Ortswein $36
Rheinhessen, 5 grapes GM
JG: Salty stoniness, lemongrass, outstanding and a great bargain.
Another VDP.Ortswein from the cult producer Klaus Peter Keller, who makes the most expensive German ultra-premium dry wine: G-Max – US$ 300 to 600. Annette Schiller and I had the pleasure of tasting some G-Max wines with Klaus Peter and his wife Julia at the 2015 Rieslingfeier in New York, see: A German Riesling Feast in New York City: Rieslingfeier 2015, USA
Weiser-Künstler Mosel Feinherb $25
Mosel, 3 grapes GM
MFW: Starts off with peach and toffee, then intense and zesty.
Adam Hofberg Kabinett $33
Mosel, 3 grapes GM
TT: Completely delicious; mirabelle, quince and lemon pudding.
Dönnhoff Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl Kabinett $25
Nahe, 4 grapes GM
JG: Mint, iris; gorgeous; shows how strong 2013 is for Kabinett.
Weingut Dönnhoff is one of the best Riesling producers in the word. The 3 Dönnhoff wines were my favorites of the tasting.
Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett $27
Mosel, 4 grapes GM
JG: Very pretty with scents of peach, white currant, spring flowers.
Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Kabinett $28
Mosel, 4 grapes GM
MFW: Stylish wine, pear, apricot blossom, and slate-infused herbs.
Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Kabinett $28
Mosel, 4 grapes GM
JG: Stunning grip and length; reference point Kabinett.
Weingut Zilliken is one of the few German wine producers, who almost exclusively make sweet-style wines and who export about 90% of their wines. It will be interesting to see, if this approach continues with Dorothea Zilliken taking over from her father Hanno Zilliken, see: Dorothee Zilliken, Weingut Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken Presents her Noble Rieslings at Frankfurt/Wein in Frankfurt, Germany
Egon Müller Scharzhofberg Kabinett $85
Mosel, 5 grapes GM
JG: High class wine; smallest crop at this estate since 1945.
Egon Müller IV is the King of German sweet wines, rivaled perhaps only by Manfred Prüm of Weingut JJ Prüm. A high price for a Kabinett wine, but it is from the legendary Scharzhofberg vineyard and from a legendary wine producer. The Japanese - Japan is a very important market for Egon Müller - pay any price for his wines.
Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Spätlese $53
Nahe, 4 grapes GM
JG: Pure magic in the making.
Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Spätlese $60
Nahe, 4 grapes GM
JG: Note of lavender and spring flowers, brilliant.
Two VDP.GrosseLage wines in the Spätlese category (new VDP classification): Both outstanding – with structure, body and a good finish.
Weingut Dönnhoff is in a transition period with Cornelius Dönnhoff taking over from his father Helmut and this is creating a bit of a discussion in German wine circles. While the leading German wine guide, Gault Millau Deutschland WeinGuide, demoted Weingut Dönnhoff and took away its 5th grape, New York and Berlin based Riesling expert Stuart Pigott made Cornelius Dönnhoff his Winemaker of the Year, see: Cornelius Dönnhoff, Weingut Dönnhoff: Stuart Pigott’s Winemaker of the Year, Germany
Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Auslese $55
Mosel, 3 grapes GM
SR: Lime and flinty; for fans of subtle Ruwer Rieslings.
Max Ferdinand Richter Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Auslese $50
Mosel, 3 grapes GM
JG: Racy, salty and grippy; huge aging potential.
Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Urglück Auslese $27
Mosel, 2 grapes GM
TT: Naked slate; a masterpiece of primordial minerality.
The Merkelbach brothers, both in their late 70s and without children, who could take over, are very popular in the US market, because of their very attractive prices.
Abbreviations
TT= Terry Theise, JG= John Gilman, MFW= Mosel Fine Wines, SR=Stephan Reinhardt, GM = Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2015
schiller-wine: Related Postings
4 Wine Tours by ombiasy coming up in 2015: Germany-East, Germany-South. Germany-Nord and Bordeaux
Coming-up: Wine & Art Tour to Saale-Unstrut - Saxony - Franken - Württemberg: Germany-East Tour by ombiasy WineTours (June 11 - June 20, 2015)
The Annual “New German Vintage” Tasting of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) led by Phil Bernstein - 2012 Vintage, Germany/USA
German Wine: Tasting with Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages the 2011 Vintage in Washington DC, USA
The 2010 Vintage Tasting of the German Wine Society (Aaron Nix-Gomez)
Phil Bernstein’s Third Annual German Riesling Tasting with the German Wine Society, Washington DC Chapter - Rieslings With a Touch of Sweetness
Germany’s Grosses Gewaechs – Grand Cru - Vintage 2013 White Wines and Vintage 2012 Red Wines Released. Notes from the Pre-release Tasting in August 2014 in Wiesbaden, Germany
2014 Weinboerse in Mainz – The VDP Producers of the 2014 ombiasy Germany North Tour
The new (VDP) Wine Classification in Germany: Tasting Weingut Robert Weil Wines from Gutswein to Grosse Lage Wine
The Tim Atkin Pinot Noir Taste-Off of October 2011: Germany Versus the Rest of the World - German Red Wines Show Strong Performance
A New Dr. Loosen Project Setting the Standard for Dry German Rieslings
A German Riesling Feast in New York City: Rieslingfeier 2015, USA
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – David Schildknecht Leaves and Stephan Reinhardt Joins the Team
The Karthäuserhof in the Mosel Valley: An Eventful History – From Grenoble in France to New York City in the US
Dorothee Zilliken, Weingut Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken Presents her Noble Rieslings at Frankfurt/Wein in Frankfurt, Germany
Cornelius Dönnhoff, Weingut Dönnhoff: Stuart Pigott’s Winemaker of the Year, Germany
An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany
Winner of the Berlin Kabinett Cup 2013, see: Martin Zwick's BerlinKabinettCup 2014: Germany's Best 2013 Riesling Kabinett Wines
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