Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Germany's Best Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020 Awards

Pictures: Tasting at Weingut Knewitz in Appenheim, Rheinhessen - Germany-South and Alsace 2018 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: Baden, Alsace, Pfalz and Rheinhessen

The Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020 was released on Thursday, October 31, 2019. The Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020 reviews on about 1000 pages more than 11.000 wines of 1000 wineries. Its rating symbol is a star and Germany’s best winemakers are awarded one to five stars. The wines are rated on the 1 to 100 scale.

Picture: WeinGuides Deutschland 2020 (Photo: Weingut Corvers-Kauter - Facebook)

12 winemakers received the top rating of 5/ 5 stars in the Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020.

See:
Germany's 12 Top Winemakers (With 5/5 Stars) - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020

The Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020 honored the following three outstanding personalities of the German wine world with Winemaker of the Year, Rising Star of the Year and Discovery of the Year awards:

Winemaker of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Matthias and Hansjörg Aldinger, Weingut Aldinger (Württemberg)

Rising Star of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Carl Ehrhard, Weingut Ehrhard (Rheingau)

Discovery of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Carsten Saalwächter, Weingut Saalwächter (Rheinhessen)

Postings/ Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020

I am releasing 4 postings with regard to the Vinum WeingGuide Deutschland 2019:

Germany's Best Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020 Awards
Germany's Best Wines: 12 Categories - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020
Germany's 12 Top Winemakers (With 5/5 Stars) - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020
Winemaker of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Matthias and Hansjörg Aldinger, Weingut Aldinger (Württemberg), Germany

Winemaker of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Matthias and Hansjörg Aldinger, Weingut Aldinger (Württemberg)

Vinum: Württemberg's best Riesling? Best Lemberger? Top Sekt? World-class Sauvignon Blanc? All this is available at the Aldingers. Even with many wine icons - 13 wines from the current collection exceeded the 90-point mark! - one should by no means overlook a wine such as the Götzberg Riesling Kabinett, which, with a structure reminiscent of a Saar wine, redefines the previous understanding of this predicate level in Württemberg in an almost impudent manner. Out of this world are the red Grosse Gewächse (GGs). The Marienglas Pinot Noir is reminiscent of a Nuits-Saint-Georges of the fine kind; great complexity and delicate balance excite in the Lämmler.

See also:
Winemaker of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Matthias and Hansjörg Aldinger, Weingut Aldinger (Württemberg), Germany

Visit: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Aldinger with Matthias Aldinger

We visited Weingut Aldinger as part of the Germany-East Tour 2018.

See: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Aldinger in Fellbach (Stuttgart), with Matthias Aldinger - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken

Weingut Aldinger is right in the middle of Fellbach, a wine village near Stuttgart in Württemberg. The family's long winegrowing tradition can be traced back to the year 1492, when "Bentz the Aldinger" cultivated vines here. Today the winery is owned by Gert Aldinger in the 15th generation and managed by his sons Hansjörg Aldinger and Matthias Aldinger in the 16th generation.

The vineyard area totals 30 hectares, including the following single vineyards: Berg (Hanweil), Goldberg and Lämmler (Fellbach), Schlossberg (Rotenberg), Mönchberg and Pulvermächer (Stetten), Götzenberg (Uhlbach), and in monopoly ownership Gips (Untertürkheim).

33% Riesling, 15% Lemberger, 15% Spätburgunder, 10% Sauvignon blanc, 8% Trollinger, 6% Merlot, 5% Weissburgunder, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Chardonnay.

The white wines are slowly fermented at between 12 and 14 ° C to preserve the primary grape flavors before being stored in steel tanks. The red wines ferment for up to 20 days on the mash before they undergo malolactic fermentation and age depending on the quality or desired type of wine in steel tanks, large oak barrels or barrique.

Pictures: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Aldinger in Fellbach (Stuttgart), with Matthias Aldinger - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken

Winemaker of the Year: Runners-up

Weingut A. Christmann, Steffen Christmann, Pfalz

Vinum: The winery of the VDP president Steffen Christmann has always scored with their Rieslings. But never before have the reds been as good as they are now!

Even the simple Riesling Gutswein has a clear, juicy statement - with the ease of 11.5% alcohol. turns. After that, there is only one direction - upwards - although Christmann's wines have always been on the light side. The Ortswein Königsbach is taut, the Ersten Lagen form the Kapellenberg and Ölberg offer a quiet way, the Ölberg particularly fine and delicate. With the Rieslings from the Grossen Lagen Great Lakes there is no limit. In addition, four Pinot Noirs were introduced to us - they were the best Pinot Noirs ever produced by Christmann.

See also:
Winery Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut A. Christmann, with Steffen Christmann – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)

Pictures: At Weigut A. Christmann - Harvest Time. See: Winery Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut A. Christmann, with Steffen Christmann – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)

Weingut Jean Stodden, Alexander Stodden, Ahr

Vinum: Also from the year 2017, exceptional winemaker Alexander Stodden's Pinot Noir collection is the best in the Ahr Valley. Alexander Stodden's wines are always elegant and the Grosse Lage vineyards vineyards clearly differentiable in terms of taste. His Frühburgunder is also the best in the region and in a particularly difficult vintage for the grape variety. At the heart of the collection are the wines from the Recher Herrenberg, the family's home mountain. Here, Alexander Stoddens owns large plots and he can pick out the best plots and barrels for the different wines. So the Ortswein is already in a class of its own, not to mention of course the Grossen Gewächse.

See also:
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Jean Stodden, Ahr, with Alexander Stodden - Germany-North Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours

Pictures: Tasting with Alexander Stodden, Weingut Jean Stodden, Ahr. See: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Jean Stodden, Ahr, with Alexander Stodden - Germany-North Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours

Rising Star of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Weingut Carl Ehrhard, Rüdesheim am Rhein, Rheingau

Vinum : What was created here with the vintage 2018 grapes is more than astonishing: a multitude of fruity sweet and noble sweet top wines that that are reminiscent of the best days in the Rheingau.

In his wine cellar, Carl Ehrhard mainly relies on casks that have been purchased in considerable numbers in recent years. One of his concerns is to keept the the old plot and single vineyard names alive that disappeared with the 1971 Wine Law. Therefore the animated, classy Drachenstein Alte Reben carries the suffix Urstück Engergraben. Ehrhard is also particularly fond of the Auslese predicate. That is why he took advantage of the special conditions of 2018 and harvested a wonderful range of Auslese wines from October onwards.

Rising Star of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Runners-up

Weingut Knewitz, Tobias and Björn Knewitz, Rheinhessen

Vinum: Riesling is the great passion of the Knewitz brothers, but they have also developed real expertise for Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay.

The peculiarities of the 2018 vintage did not lead to problems in this estate, but to new heights. The single vineyard Rieslings are all at the highest level and demonstrate the great potential that lies in the former coral reef of the Mainz Basin, which appears on the surface in Appenheim and the surrounding area. Tobias and Björn Knewitz also have a knack for sweet wines. The grapes don't even have to come from Rheinhessen. In the Nahe is the Norheimer Kirschheck, from there comes a great Riesling Auslese.

See also:
Tasting at Weingut Knewitz in Appenheim, Rheinhessen - Germany-South and Alsace 2018 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: Baden, Alsace, Pfalz and Rheinhessen

Pictures: Tasting at Weingut Knewitz in Appenheim, Rheinhessen - Germany-South and Alsace 2018 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: Baden, Alsace, Pfalz and Rheinhessen

Weingut A. J. Adam, Mosel

Vinum: There have always been great fruity sweet and noble sweet wines in this 5!/2 hectare estate. Now, dry Rieslings are also shining.

Very special: the dry Riesling from the Dhroner Häuschen, which develops playfully, even prancing and yet powerful in the nose. We also developped a special attachment to an exotic wine from theis estate during the tasting: the Pinot Noir Rosé with its wild sponti-nose - we named the wine “Riesling Rosé” because of its great drinking animation and crisp nature. The classics of the estate are of excellent quality in 2018, with Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese being the top wine of the collection.

Discovery of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2019): Weingut Paul Christian Saalwächter, Carsten Saalwächter

Vinum: Carsten Saalwächter is one of the young wilds who want to move away from conventional production to more natural wines.

The Ingelheim winemaker produces his wine without fining, filtration and sulfur additions, but he does not want to count himself part of the natural wine movement. Rather, it is about grand white and red Burgundy wines. As for Pinot Noir, his ideals can be found in Burgundy. There he has already looked over the shoulders of well-known producers, including at the Domaine des Lambrays. In Germany he studied the methods of Ziereisen in particular, but also Schnaitmann, Stodden and Fritz Becker on site, but he goes his own way.

Discovery of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2019): Runners-up

Weingut Ehrhart, Benjamin Erharrt, Pfalz

Vinum: Already since 2012 has this remarkable estate on the outskirts of Eschbach been certified according to the EU standard for organic viticulture.

Benjamin Ehrhart runs this winery together with the family and is constantly tweaking the quality screw. Drought stress in 2018 - not here. The vines get accompanying green early on after planting. Benjamin Ehrhart is convinced that this has a positive effect on root growth and water retention. The vines thank it and the wine quality obviously shows it too: the Rieslings are dense, tight with fresh acidity, the Chardonnay complex and incredibly dense, the red wines are complex and elegant.

Weingut Hermann Ludes, Julian and Hermann Ludes, Mosel

Vinum: Hermann Ludes makes uncompromising and strong character wines, without saturating fruit - great!

The ten hectare Weingut Hermann Ludes and the vineyards Thörnicher Ritsch and Klüsserather Bruderschaft: This combination results in wines that are rarely found on the Moselle today. But you shouldn't be afraid of acid! The wines are given time and they also need time. In the cellar everything is consistently dispensed with: no industrial yeast, no enzymes or powders. With his nephew Julian, 70-year-old Hermann Ludes now has found a successor that his colleagues can envy him for.

Earlier Years

Germany’s Best Winemakers – Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2019 Awards
Germany’s Best Winemakers and Wines – Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2018 Awards: The Award Ceremony in Mainz, Germany
Germany’s Best Winemakers and Wines – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2017 Awards
Germany’s Best Winemakers and Wines – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2016 Awards: The Awards Ceremony in Mainz, Germany
Germany’s Best Winemakers and Wines – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2015 Awards Ceremony in Mainz, Germany
Best German Wines and Winemakers: Gault Millau Awards – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2014
Best German Wines and Wine Makers – the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2013 Awards
2012: Best German Wines (Awards) – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2012
2011: Gault Millau WeinGuide Germany 2011 – Ratings
Gault Millau Wine Germany 2010

schiller-wine: Related Postings

UPCOMING Tours/ Wine Dinners/ Tastings - Annette and Christian Schiller/ ombiasyPR & WineTours/ schiller-wine, Germany, France, USA (Issued: November 1, 2019)

Announcement: Upcoming ombiasy Wine Tours 2020 - (1) Alsace and Germany South, (2) Rhône Valley, (3) Bordeaux

Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in Washington DC, USA (2019)

Winemaker of the Year (Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2020): Matthias and Hansjörg Aldinger, Weingut Aldinger (Württemberg), Germany

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Aldinger in Fellbach (Stuttgart), with Matthias Aldinger - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken

Winery Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut A. Christmann, with Steffen Christmann – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Jean Stodden, Ahr, with Alexander Stodden - Germany-North Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Knewitz in Appenheim, Rheinhessen - Germany-South and Alsace 2018 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: Baden, Alsace, Pfalz and Rheinhessen 

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