Owner and winemaker Christian L. Stahl, Winzerhof Stahl, was in the Washington DC area. Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, organized a winemaker dinner with him at Evo Bistro in McLean, Virginia. 50 people showed up for the dinner (US$110) and had a great time with the outstanding wines of Christian L. Stahl and outstanding food of Chef Driss.
Before the dinner, Annette and Christian Schiller, had invited to a reception with Christian L. Stahl had their private home. We had Rappahanock oysters from Virginia and Stahl wine. They paired very well.
Christian L. Stahl in the USA
With 3/5 grapes in the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2016, Christian L. Stahl, Winzerhof Stahl, belongs to the elite of winemakers in Germany. Winzerhof Stahl is in Franken. Like so many other colleagues from this region, Christian L. Stahl’s Franken wines are virtually unknown outside of Germany.
Within Germany, however, Christian has shown a very strong performance. When Christian Stahl took over the winery of his parents about 10 years ago, the vineyard area totaled 2 hectares. Within a decade, he has gone to 20 hectares. When Christian Stahl took over, the winery was not even mentioned in Germany’s wine guides, like the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland. Within a decade, he has gone from 0/5 to 3/5 grapes. Christian got the second grape in 2012 and the third grape in 2014.
See here:
New Generation – The 111 Best Young German Winemakers (A Listing by Stuart Pigott)
Best German Wines and Winemakers – Stuart Pigott’s Favorites (December 2014)
Best German Wines and Winemakers - Falstaff Deutschland Wine Trophies 2012
Christian decided to start exporting to the US last year. He focuses on the Washington DC, Chicago and New York markets. This was, I believe, his third visit to the area. See: Welcome to the USA: Christian L. Stahl from Winzerhof Stahl in Franken, Germany
When Christian came for the second time, he was the guest of honor at our annual Riesling Party: Annette and Christian Schiller’s Summer of Riesling 2016 in McLean, Virginia, with German Star Winemaker Christian L. Stahl, German Wine Journalist Joachim A.J. Kaiser and Virginia Star Winemaker Chris Pearmund
I had met Christian some time ago in Germany at the top Restaurant SchauMahl in Frankfurt/Germany, were he came for a winemaker dinner.
Dry, Fresh, Crisp White Wines
All of the wines of Winzerhof Stahl are bone-dry. He does not produce any sweet-style (fruity-sweet or noble-sweet) wines. Many wine drinkers, in particular outside of Europe, when they see a German wine in the shelves, have the association of a sweet-style wine. This is however misguided. German wines as a rule are dry wines.
Steffen Christmann, the President of the VDP, the German elite wine maker association, estimates that 95% of German wine beyond a price point of Euro 15 is dry. Christian Witte, Domain Administrator of Schloss Johannisberg, says that 85% of the wines he exports to the US are sweet-style. This was 95% 10 years ago. Thus, with his bone-dry wines, Christian L. Stahl is in a niche in the American market, but in a rapidly expanding niche as the world discovers German dry wine.
Wine Classification
Christian Stahl belongs to the group of German winemakers, who go their own way in terms of classifying and naming their wines. Also, he does not sell his wines in the traditional Bocksbeutel bottle, as most of his colleagues do in Franken, but in regular bottles, as in the rest of Germany. Right from the beginning when he took over, he has been using screw caps only.
With regard to classifying his wines, Christian disregards the German (standard) classification of 1971 and markets all his wines as Qualitätswein b.A. But he is not in the group of winemakers, who have instead adopted the VDP approach to classify their wines. He has developed his own, innovative classification system, playing with his name Stahl (= steel).
Christian Stahl groups his wines into 3 categories:
Top: Edel STAHL (= precious steel)
Middle: DAMASZENER STAHL
Entry: feder STAHL
Winzerhof Stahl
Winzerhof Stahl is located in Auernhofen in the Franken wine area. Winemaking is only a recent activity in the Stahl family. Until the mid-1980s, Winzerhof Stahl did not exist. The Stahl family was doing farming and did not make any wine. Christian’s father then decided to acquire vineyards and to shift to winemaking. Today, the vineyard area totals 20 hectares. Winzerhof Stahl also includes a wine restaurant with 200 seats; the food there is at the highest level, as are the Winzerhof Stahl wines.
Christian L. Stahl
Born in 1978, Christian has been in charge of Winzerhof Stahl since 2005. He started his education at Weingut Stein in Würzburg (apprenticeship) in 1999, then spent some time with the biodynamic winemaker Jakob-Peter Kühn in the Rheingau and finished his studies with a Diploma at the Geisenheim University.
Pre-dinner Reception
About half of the dinner guests were able to follow our invitation for an oyster tasting before the dinner at out home. I had ordered 100 oysters from Virginia and Christian brought 2 of his wines. Christian‘s fresh, crisp wines went very well with the oysters.
The Chesapeake Bay and Rappahannock River Oysters
The Chesapeake Bay – the largest estuary of the USA - used to be an area, where oysters would flourish. Virginia and Maryland combined to harvest 30 - in some years even 40 - million pounds oysters every year. But since the 1960s, oyster production in the Chesapeake Bay has collapsed to less than 1 percent of what it used to be. Efforts are underway to reverse this dire development.
Rappahannock River Oysters – run and owned by Travis Croxton, who I met recently at the Chesapeake Bay and cousin Ryon Croxton - is among those innovative growers, who use aquaculture to produce quality oysters. Currently, their output reaches 4 million oysters per year.
We tasted 3 kinds of oysters.
Rappahannock: Our Rappahannocks offer up a sweet, buttery, full-bodied taste with a refreshingly clean, crisp finish. It's the very same oyster we started growing in 1899.
Stingray: The quintessential Chesapeake Bay oyster: sweet and mildly briny with a clean, crisp finish. Named after the Bay oyster's chief predator, these Stingrays bite back!
Olde Salt: The truest taste of the ocean, our Olde Salt oyster brings together a bold sea-side brininess with a smooth, clean follow-through. Grown off the coast of Chincoteague (think Misty), our Olde Salt oyster is more than a classic, it’s a legend.
Dinner at Evo Bistro
EVO Bistro is both my down-the-road Wine Bar in McLean, Virginia, and my favorite Restaurant and Bistro in the Washington DC area. It combines an unpretentious French-Mediterranean atmosphere with top wines from around the world, both the old and the new world, and delicious French, Moroccan and Spanish tapas, prepared by Chef Driss Zahidi, who I know from the days of the tiny Corner Bistro on Old Dominion.
Picture: Chef Driss Zahidi and Christian Schiller at Evo Bistro. See: Dennis Cakebread and his Wines, Napa Valley, at EVO Bistro, Virginia
See also:
Riesling and Couscous at Chef Driss Zahidi’s Le Mediterranean Bistro in Fairfax, Virginia USA Dennis Cakebread and his Wines, Napa Valley, at EVO Bistro, Virginia A German Riesling Pairing Event at Evo Bistro in McLean, Virginia - A Royal Wine Visit from Princess Sabine Wagner, US Sophie Schÿler, Owner of Château Kirwan, 3ième Grand Cru Classé, Margaux, for a Wine Pairing Luncheon at Evo Bistro in McLean, with the Wines of RdV and Clemens Busch, USA/ France/ Germany
The Menu
Reception
Hors D'Oeuvres
Winzerhof Stahl feder Spark 2014
First Course
Smoked Salmon, Creme Fraiche Cheesecake and watercress
Winzerhof Stahl feder Drink Pink 2015 (Rose' Cuvee)
Second Course
Artichokes flan with crabmeat and peas coulis
Winzerhof Stahl DAMASZENER Silvaner 2015
Third Course
Moroccan spiced shrimp with confit leeks and cumin-beurre blanc
Winzerhof Stahl DAMASZENER Scheurebe 2015
Fourth Course
Loup de Mer served with risotto
Winzerhof Stahl DAMASZENER Hasennest Müller Thurgau 2015
Fifth Course
Baby calf veal chops, charred brussel sprouts - polenta, pepper sauce
Winzerhof Stahl Edel Best of Silvaner 2015
The Dinner Wines
Winzerhof Stahl feder Spark 2014
Not well known in the world, but Germany is the largest market for sparkling wine in the world. 1 out of 4 bottles of sparkling wine produced around the globe is consumed in Germany. The Germans love bubblies.
50% Scheurebe and 50% Riesling. Brut. A lightly sparkling wine, i.e. the carbon dioxide pressure is much less than in a regular sparkling wine. It is almost a still wine which is a bit fizzy. Delicious.
Winzerhof Stahl feder Drink Pink 2015
The 2015 'Drink Pink' is a lovely floral, bright, silky rose that is great for sipping! ..
Winzerhof Stahl DAMASZENER Silvaner 2015
Silvaner (primarily grown in Alsace and Germany) is the signature grape of Franken. In Alsace, it is one of the four grape varieties that can be used to produce Alsace Grand Cru wine, although only in one vineyard, Zotzenberg. Subtle in aroma and mild in acidity. Well done Christian.
Winzerhof Stahl DAMASZENER Scheurebe 2015
Scheurebe is an indigenous German grape variety, bred in 1916 by Professor Georg Scheu. Its intense bouquet is reminiscent of black currant, peach or ripe pear. Scheurebe wines go very well with aromatic, spicy foods from appetizer to dessert.
Soft, lovely fragrance, freshness, brightnes, great to sip, off-dry, nice.
Winzerhof Stahl DAMASZENER Hasennest Müller Thurgau 2015
Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety that was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882. It is a crossing of Riesling and Madeleine Royale. This Müller-Thurgau comes from the Hasennest (rabbit nest), one of Christian's best vineyards.
Winzerhof Stahl Edel Best of Silvaner 2015
Another Silvaner, but at higher qualitiy level (Edel). This is Christian's best Silvaner and he can be proud of it.
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Heads up for the 2017 Tours - to Germany and France - by ombiasy WineTours
Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture and History
Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential German Riesling and the Northernmost Pinot Noir
Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Riesling and Couscous at Chef Driss Zahidi’s Le Mediterranean Bistro in Fairfax, Virginia USA
Dennis Cakebread and his Wines, Napa Valley, at EVO Bistro, Virginia
A German Riesling Pairing Event at Evo Bistro in McLean, Virginia - A Royal Wine Visit from Princess Sabine Wagner, US
Sophie Schÿler, Owner of Château Kirwan, 3ième Grand Cru Classé, Margaux, for a Wine Pairing Luncheon at Evo Bistro in McLean, with the Wines of RdV and Clemens Busch, USA/ France/ Germany
New Generation – The 111 Best Young German Winemakers (A Listing by Stuart Pigott)
Best German Wines and Winemakers – Stuart Pigott’s Favorites (December 2014)
Best German Wines and Winemakers - Falstaff Deutschland Wine Trophies 2012
Welcome to the USA: Christian L. Stahl from Winzerhof Stahl in Franken, Germany
Annette and Christian Schiller’s Summer of Riesling 2016 in McLean, Virginia, with German Star Winemaker Christian L. Stahl, German Wine Journalist Joachim A.J. Kaiser and Virginia Star Winemaker Chris Pearmund
The Bistronomics Cuisine of Chef Christoph Kubenz and the Wines of Winemaker Christian Stahl at Restaurant schauMahl in Frankfurt, Germany
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