Germany’s VDP Wine Estates Celebrate 100th Anniversary in Berlin - Overview

Pictures: Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and 100th Anniversary Glass of the VDP

Germany’s Prädikat Wine Estates – the members of the VDP (Verband Deutscher Praedikatsweingueter) - celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the VDP in 2010 in Germany’s Capital Berlin during September 4 to 6, 2010. I was happy and proud to participate.

There were basically 4 main blocks of events.(1) 70 Galleries, 200 Winemakers and 1000 Wines – the VDP winemakers teamed up with 70 contemporary art galleries in Berlin and poured their wines there; (2) the annual official presentation of the Grosses Gewaechs wines – vintage 2008 for the red wines and vintage 2009 for white wines; (3) the official ceremony in the Berlin Cathedral, followed by a birthday party in Berlin’s top restaurant Gendarmerie; (4) a series of side-events in restaurants, wine stores and other places.

We were honored by the presence of Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson, two giants in the wine industry.

Picture: Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson at the Grosses Gewaechs Presentation

This posting provides an overview of the events I attended. Future postings will deal in more detail with particular events or groups of events: (1) 70 Galleries, 200 Winemakers and 1000 Wines; (2) 2010 Presentation of Grosses Gewaechs Wines in Berlin; (3) Official Ceremony at the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the VDP in the Berlin Cathedral and Birthday Party at the Gendarmerie; (4) Wine Dinner at the Hot Spot Restaurant; (5) Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson at the VDP’s 100th Anniversary Events in Berlin; (6) Late Night Bottle Party at Rutz Weinbar; and (7) Celebrating Bio Wines at the Rebgarten Bio Store.

The VDP

The VDP is the world’s oldest association of wine estates in the world. In fact, as Jancis Robinson said in her speech in the Berlin Cathedral, it is the only one of its kind worldwide. No other country has a national organization of the top wine makers of the entire country.

In 1910, four regional wine-growers’ associations joined forces to form the Verband Deutscher Naturweinversteigerer (i.e. estates that sold their “natural” [unchaptalized] wines at auction). These organizations – from the Rheingau and Rheinhessen, founded in 1897 and 1900, respectively, and their counterparts in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer and Pfalz regions, both founded in 1908 – were the forerunners of today’s VDP. At this time, fine German wines enjoyed a heyday. They were among the most expensive wines, on the tables of imperial houses as well as leading hotels and restaurants.

Throughout the past century, the quality-driven goals and strict standards of the VDP have played no small part in shaping the viticultural and winemaking practices in Germany. With their stringent statutes and their establishment of a German vineyard classification, the 200 members of the VDP have served as role models and justifiably can be viewed as the vanguard of the nation’s producers of top-quality wines.

Germany’s prime white wine variety, Riesling, has long been the grape of choice for VDP members. Other, traditional varietals are also cultivated, e.g. the ancient white varietal Silvaner (particularly in Franken and Rheinhessen), and members of the Pinot family, including Germany’s all-important red wine grape, Spätburgunder , and the white wine grapes, Weiss- and Grauburgunder (Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, respectively).

Picture: VDP President Steffen Christmann with Hugh Johnson

70 Galleries, 200 Winemakers, 1000 Wines

The VDP winemakers presented their wines in 70 contemporary art galleries of Berlin in the afternoon of September 5. Wine and/or art connoisseurs were invited to stroll from gallery to gallery and view the art there while tasting the wines that the winemakers present there poured. Germany’s TV star Guenther Jauch, who bought VDP Weingut Von Othegraven earlier this year, poured his wines in the Gallery upstairs Berlin, along with Weingut Kuenstler and Weingut Rheingraf. 5000 connoisseurs took advantage of this unique opportunity. As part of the wine tastings in the art galleries, the VDP had arranged a Weinparcours – a highly interesting and fascinating educational self-guided tasting event.

Picture: Guenther Jauch Pouring Wine in the Gallery upstairs Berlin


Pictures: Winemaker Joachim Heger and Gallerist Caprice Horn

Grosses Gewaechs Presentation

This was the regular annual Grosses Gewaechs premiere, with the 2008 reds and 2009 whites. Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson were among the many wine journalists tasting the wines and taking notes. It took place at the State Office of Baden Wuerttemberg.

The Grosses Gewaechs wine concept is new; it was introduced by the VDP a few years ago. Grosses Gewaechs wines are always fully fermented, dry wines of exceptional quality . The Grosses Gewaechs lable is thought to resemble the Grand Cru designation in neighboring France. Here and there, these wines are dry. Grosses Gewaechs refers to a top dry wine from a top vineyard.


Pictures:Jancis Robinson, Georg Prinz zur Lippe and Christian G.E. Schiller

Official Ceremony in the Berlin Cathedral and Birthday Party at the Gendarmerie Restaurant

The Grand Ceremony honoring the VDP’s 100th birthday took place in the Berlin Cathedral on Monday, September 6 in the evening. The program in the Berlin Cathedral featured speeches by VDP President Christmann, Economic Minister Bruederle and Janics Robinson, and an avant-garde theater performance, marking the turning point of the VDP as it embarks on its next century, as well as various musical performances, culminating in Ludwig van Beethoven’s 4th movement of the 9th Symphony - Ode an die Freude. The day ended with a birthday party in the packed Restaurant Gendarmerie with plenty of outstanding wines from VDP winemakers.


Pictures: The Official Ceremony at the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the VDP in the Berlin Cathedral and the Birthday Party at the Gendarmerie

Side-events

In addition, there were a large number of side-events. I participated in the following.

Jazz Brunch at the Landesvertretung Rheinland Pfalz

The State Office of Rheinland Pfalz, the by far largest wine producer in the Federal Republic of Germany had invited to a Jazz Brunch on Saturday, September 4, featuring wines from Rheinland Pfalz, i.e. from the Mosel, Ahr, Nahe, Rheinhessen regions. Interestingly, there are about 10.000 winemakers in Rheinland Pfalz growing grapes on an area of 63.000 hectares, more than half of Germany’s total area.

Picture: Brunch at the Landesvertretung Rheinland Pfalz

Rutz Bottle Party

Rutz Weinbar is not only a top wine bar—it is also a top restaurant and a top wine store. Rutz Weinbar has an extensive wine list, about 1000 or so wines, largely from Germany and other European countries. The nice thing is that you can consume all wines for the wine-store-price plus a corkage fee of Euro 18.

Billy Wagner, its sommellier, who is not only a gifted wine expert, but also a very entertaining comedian, had invited for the 10th bottle party at 23:30 on Saturday, September 4. The entrance fee was either a bottle of Grosses/Erstes Gewaechs or Euro 19. I went there and had a great time. The place was packed, and the wines were excellent.

Picture: Rutz Weinbar Sommellier Billy Wagner

100 & 25 Years at the Rebgarten

The Rebgarten is a store which specializes on bio-products including wine. This year, the Rebgarten celebrated its 25 anniversary and they did this during the VDP centennial weekend.

We went there and were delighted to meet some old friends: Lotte Pfeffer-Mueller from the Weingut Brueder Dr. Becker in Rheinhessen; I visited Weingut Brueder Dr. Becker recently and have reported about my visit here. Also there was Paulin Koepfer from Weingut Zaehringer, whome my wife met earlier this year at the Millesime Bio 2010 in Montepellier; see here.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller, Annette Schiller and Paulin Koepfer

Hot Spot Dinner with Winemakers

The Hot Spot is a Chinese Restaurant in Berlin Charlottenburg, just next to the famous Kurfuerstendamm, well known for its outstanding Chinese dishes and its amazing list of German wines. Mr. Wu, the owner, loves wine and in particular German wine. No wonder that one of the side-events took place at his restaurant. The event was organized by VINICULTURE, one of Berlin’s leading wine stores.

It was a buffet-style dinner with 5 winemakers pouring their wines: Jan Eymael from Weingut Pfeffingen in the Pflalz; Peter Jakob Kuehn from the Rheingau ; Martin Messmer from Weingut Messmer in the Pfalz; Theo Minges from the Pfalz; the young Sven Leiner from the Pfalz and Friedrich Wilhelm Becker from Weingut Friedrich Becker from the Pfalz.

Picture: Annette Schiller and Jakob Peter Kuehn

Schiller Wine - Related Postings

German Wine Society Tastes Outstanding German Wines at the National Press Club in Washington DC

Exclusive, Limited Edition: 100 Cases for 100 Years - Germany's VDP Auctioning off 100 Cases of Grosses Gewaechs and Erstes Gewaechs Wines

A Wine Feast in the Rheingau, Germany: The 2010 Grand Wine Convention

A Combination of Extraordinary Wine and Art: Peter Winter's Georg Mueller Stiftung in the Rheingau

The Avantgarde Wine World of Dr. Martin Tesch

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

Best of German Dry White Wines and Winemakers - The Falstaff 2010 Ranking

When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose

German Wine Basics: Erstes Gewaechs, Grosses Gewaechs, Erste Lage

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

German Wine Basics: Sugar in the Grape - Alcohol and Sweetness in the Wine

An Unfortunate, uninformed Article in the Decanter about Dry German Riesling

Tasting Notes: German Wines imported into the US by Valckenberg

Wine Caravan from Germany Visiting the East Coast, US: Dr. Fischer, Fitz Ritter, Bolling-Lehnert, Schneider, Dr. Thanisch

New Wine (Federweisser) in the Wein-Laedchen in Frankfurt, Germany

Picture: Jennifer Schwarz and Frank Knischewski

The wine harvest begun in Germany on August 18. The first grapes picked in Germany were the Solaris grapes, at 72 Grad Oechsle. Ever heard of Solaris? These early-ripening grapes will be used for the New Wine (Federweißer). Federweisser is a very particular form of wine, available only for a limited timer after the harvest has started.

This year, I had my first glass of Federweisser at the Wein Laedchen in Frankfurt am Main Schwanheim, which was relaunched earlier this year by the young owner and manager couple Jennifer Schwarz and Frank Knischivski.

New Wine (Federweisser)

Federweisser is grape must, which is in the process of fermenting. The term in principle includes all stages of fermentation from fresh must to finished wine.

Typically, when you buy Federweisser, it is at the early stage of fermentation. Ideally, it should have 4% of alcohol or a bit more. Due to the carbonic acid, Federweißer tastes quite refreshing, not very different from grape lemonade or a sweet sparkling wine. Over time, as it continues to ferment, the sweetness goes away. This process goes on until an alcohol content of about 13 percent has been reached. At this final stage, the Federweisser assumes a dry and often bitter taste; it has become badly made wine. The yeast particles contained in Federweißer are responsible for its name, which literally means “white as a feather”.

Picture: Federweisser

Federweisser is available in Germany from early September to late October, and is generally served together with hearty, savory food. The classic combination is Federweisser and Zwiebelkuchen (onion tart). Two final points: As the fermentation of the Federweisser continues in your stomach, it is advisable to limit consumption to a glass or two at the most. Federweisser has nothing to do with Beaujolais Nouveau, which is finished wine that however has not benefited from any or very little aging and is sold starting the third Thursday in November of each year

Wein-Laedchen in Frankfurt

The Wein-Laedchen in Frankfurt-Schwanheim, in walking distance from where I live when I am in Germany, is one of the place that serves Federweisser. This was a reason to go there, but there are many other reasons. Literally translated, Wein-Laedchen means “small wine store”.

Picture: The Wein Laedchen

The Place

The Wein-Laedchen is made up of 2 inviting rooms with about 12 tables for 30 people or so. It has no bar, only tables. The new owners of the Weinlaedchen have nicely decorated the two rooms with old mirrors and candles, creating a cozy ambiance.

It is open only from Tuesday to Friday, from the late afternoon until late evening. It is closed on weekends, where it can be booked for private events. Jennifer runs the service with a lot of charm and Frank is in charge of the kitchen.

Picture: Wein-Laedchen in Frankfurt

The Wein-Laedchen regularly organizes events. When I was there last time, a lady, who produces hand bags and sells them, was there for a bag presentation. I am looking forward to the upcoming champagne tasting in a couple of weeks. Parents with young kids might like the book reading sessions of Jennifer.

The Food

The kitchen is a one man show and the food is by necessity limited to what one person can do. But I found it amazing what Frank is able to produce. Most dishes is hearty tavern food from the region, like Spundekaes, Frankfurt Sausage, Fleischwurst, Handkaes and Green Sauce, but all of them served with a most innovative touch. Spundekaes, a speciality from the nearby Rheingau and Rheinhessen wine regions, comes with capers; it was delicious, I had never had it that way before. Handkaes, one of Frankfurt’s signature dishes, typically eaten with a glass of apple cider, comes cut in slices, with a tomato and radish dressing - amazing.

The current food favorite is undoubtedly Green Sauce. Green sauce was supposedly Goethe's favorite meal and is another one of Frankfurt’s signature dishes. It is made from sour cream, hard-boiled eggs, oil, vinegar, salt, and generous amount of seven fresh herbs, namely borage, sorrel, cress, chervil, chives, parsley, and salad burnet.


Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Frank Knischewski and Handkaes

You can find Green Sauce everywhere in Frankfurt, in restaurants, taverns and supermarkets. Often, it is industrially produced, particularly those you find in Supermarkets. But not in the Wein-Laedchen. Here, Green Sauce is always fresh, hand-made and of outstanding taste. No wonder that earlier this year, Wein-Laedchen landed a surprise third place, behind two famous Frankfurt cider taverns, in the annual Green Sauce contest. Green Sauce at the Wein-Laedchen is a must and indeed most of the people do eat Green Sauce, as I did.

The Wines

All wines are sold by the glass. For now, do not expect a long list of VDP or Gault Millau-rated winemakers, but you will find good, solid wines, with a focus on the Pfalz and Rheingau region. A hand full of foreign wines, from South Africa and Chile round out the excellent wine list. The wines start at Euro 2.90 for a Silvaner and Scheurebe from the Pfalz to a Merlot from Chile barrique for Euro 6.70. Most wines are in the Euro 3.70 to 4.90 range. For those who like sparklers, there are also half a dozen sparkling wines on the list.

On-line Wine Shop

Wein-Laedchen also runs a small on-line wine shop, where I was pleased to detect a wine made by Weingut Thoerle in Saulheim, Rheinhessen. Weingut Thoerle is an up and coming wine producer. I visited Weingut Thoerle recently and wrote about my visit here.

Jennifer Schwarz and Frank Knischewski

The Wein-Laedchen is run and owned by two newcomers to the gastro scene, Jennifer Schwarz and Frank Knischewski. Their professional background is media management and acting. But they like wine and good food and have already in the short span since they opened the Wein-Laedchen demonstrated that they can create an ambiance where you feel at ease and relaxed.

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller and Jennifer Schwarz

The Wein-Laedchen is a fun place, where you can have a couple of glasses of wine, a bite of some very well made local food, with an innovative touch, and catch up with your friends. For non-wine drinkers, there are also other options.

Wein-Laedchen
Frankfurt/Schwnaheim
www.wein-laedchen.de

Schiller Wine - Related Postings

Feinschmecker's - My Down the Road Wine Bistro in Frankfurt

Wine Bar: Paris Bar and Cafe in Frankfurt am Main

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

Wine bar: Paris --- Le Petit Monceau, Willi's wine bar and Lavinia

Wine Bars in London: Vats Wine Bar, the Cork and Bottle, the Providores and Tapa Room

A Cult Paris Wine Bar - Juveniles

Manhattan Wine Bars - Bar Boulud, Ten Bells, Terroir, Clo

German Wine Makers in the World: The Korbel Brothers from Bohemia Introduced "Champagne" to the US

Picture: Francis, Anton and Joseph Korbel, founders of the Korbel Champagne Cellars in California (Source: Korbel)

Korbel Champagne Cellars is one of the leading American producers of sparkling wines. It was founded in the late 1800 by 3 brothers from Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic.

The Korbel Brothers - Were they German Winemakers?

Bohemia is historically home to both Czechs and Germans. The first German University was founded in Bohemia. When the Korbel brothers were born, they were born in the Kingdom of Bohemia, which was, along with 39 other sovereign states, part of the German Confederation (Deutscher Bund).

The State known as Germany was unified as a modern nation-state in 1871 only, when the German Empire was forged, with the Kingdom of Prussia as its largest constituent. Before that, following the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Congress of Vienna convened in 1814 and founded the German Confederation, a loose league of 39 sovereign states. The Kingdom of Bohemia was one of the 39 sovereign states. The German Confederation lasted, with some changes in the member states, until 1866, under the presidency of the Austrian imperial House of Habsburg, which was represented by an Austrian presidential envoy to the Federal diet in Frankfurt am Main.

Korbel Champagne Cellars

Based in Sonoma County, California, F. Korbel & Bros. Inc. has been known for its sparkling wines since the 1880s, produced through subsidiary Korbel Champagne Cellars. Korbel is owned by the Heck family, which bought the business from the Korbels in the 1950s.

The Korbel Brothers from Bohemia

Sparkling wine production in California dates to the late 1800s, when two groups--Almaden Vineyards and the Korbel brothers--offered their first bottles of sparklers for for sale. The Korbel brothers--Francis, Anton, and Joseph--were born in Bohemia and immigrated to the US.

Bohemia

Bohemia is part of the Czech Republic today, which is a small landlocked country in Central Europe. The region is historically home to both Czechs and Germans, the latter being largely expelled to Germany and Austria after World War II.

Picture: Map of Czech Republic with Bohemia on the left side

Before World War I, for many centuries, the Czech Republic was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with Vienna its center, beginning in 1526, when Ferdinand of Habsburg was elected King of Bohemia.

The first German university is the Prague University, founded in 1348 by Charles IV from the House of Luxembourg, who became King of Bohemia in 1346. His reign brought Bohemia to its peak. both politically and in total area, resulting in his being the first King of Bohemia to also be elected as Holy Roman Emperor.

Picture: Charles IV, first King of Bohemia

After World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire were forced to merge together to form the new nation of Czechoslovakia. The country was annexed and occupied by Germany during World War II. After World War II, Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence until 1989. In 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic is now a member of NATO (since 1999) and EU (since 2004).

Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka, also from Bohemia, lived at about the same time as the Korbel brothers (1883 – 1924). He was one of the most influential novelists of the 20th century. The term "Kafkaesque" has entered the English language. Kafka was born to middle class German-speaking Jewish parents in Prague.

His body of work—the novels The Trial (1925), The Castle (1926) and Amerika (1927), short stories including The Metamorphosis (1915) and In the Penal Colony (1914)—is now considered among the most original in Western literature.

Kafka's first language was German, but he was also fluent in Czech. He studied law and worked as a lawyer. Kafka never married, but he had relationships with various women. In 1923, he moved to Berlin, where he lived with Dora Diamant, a 25-year-old kindergarten teacher from an orthodox Jewish family. She became his lover, and influenced Kafka's interest in the Talmud.

Picture: Prague Today

Kafka considered himself in the early part of his life as German-Jewish Bohemian and later as a German-Bohemian Jew. He was a citizen of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and had also a Czech Passport from 1919 on. He died at age 41 in Austria.

Francis, Anton and Joseph Korbel

Francis was the driving force behind the sparkling wine business that would emerge in the United States. He arrived in San Francisco in 1860, where he opened a cigar boxes repair shop. In order to manufacture his own cigar boxes, he asked his brothers back in Bohemia to join him in San Francisco.

In 1862, they formed a partnership, F. Korbel & Bros., and opened the first cigar box factory in San Francisco. It was not long before they owned their own schooner to import veneers from around the world. They became involved in the export of hardwood. They also bought timber for shipping and opened sawmills to produce lumber for use in San Francisco's booming building industry.

Picture: Bohemian Sparkling Wine, Drank at the Prague Opera House in 2010

It was the timber that first attracted the Korbel brothers to the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County in 1872. When the building boom subsided, however, they found themselves holding a lot of timber for which there was little demand. Forever resourceful, they researched what could be done with the cleared acreage and decided the land was ideal for any number of agricultural purposes. They began to grow alfalfa, beets, corn, prunes, and wheat, and also began to plant vineyards on their Russian River property. As the Korbels were supplying their grapes to California winemakers, other growers emerged, the market became too crowded, and the brothers shifted gears once again. They became winemakers themselves. The winemaking operation was so promising that over the next two years they devoted all their attention to it, converting their farmland to vineyards and shutting down the diary.

Again they turned to their native land for help, bringing in a Prague winemaker named Frank Hasek in 1884. Hasek used the methode champenoise approach to making sparkling wine. By 1894, the Korbel brothers began to sell their sparklers and by the end of the 1800s, Korbel was an award-winning, internationally recognized label.

Picture: Frank Hasek with his Cellar Crew (Source: Korbel)

The Korbel brothers' winery business was interrupted by the advent of Prohibition in 1919, forcing them to turn to other business interests. None of them would be alive to see the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 and the resumption of sparkling wine making at the family estate. Ownership of the winery passed to a second generation, seven cousins in all, who continued the family tradition.

In the early 1950s, the cousins decided among themselves that the time had come to sell the business. They were careful about making sure the winery passed into the hands of someone who respected its family tradition. The Korbels found their man in
Adolf L. Heck.

Korbel and the Heck Family

Heck was a third generation winemaker whose family had roots in the Alsace Loraine straddling France and Germany. In 1956 he reintroduced Korbel Brut, making it much lighter and drier than other American sparklers. He developed his own yeasts and introduced Korbel Natural, Korbel Blanc de Blancs, and Korbel Blanc de Noirs. Adolph Heck ran Korbel until his death in 1984. His son, Gary, took over as chairman of the board and Robert Stashak became Korbel's sparkling wine master. Gary’s son Aaron is being groomed to one day become the third-generation of the Heck family to lead what the Korbel brothers had begun in the 1800s.

http://www.korbel.com

1862: F. Korbel & Brothers is founded to make cigar boxes.
1884: Frank Hasek is hired as a champagne master.
1954: The Korbel family sells the company to Adolph Heck and his brothers.
1984: Adolph Heck dies and is succeeded by Gary Heck.

This is part of the series German wine makers in the world:

Wolf Blass in Australia

Swiss-German Donald Hess, US, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Australia

Hermann J. Wiemer, Finger Lakes, US

Anton (Antoine) Mueller, 1800s,France,

Dr. Konstantin Frank, 1900s,USA

Christian Woelffer and Roman Roth, USA

Robert Anton Schlumberger, 1800s, Austria

Robert Stemmler, USA

Eduard Werle, 1800s, France

German Winemakers in the World: Johann Schiller in Canada

California Wine Pioneer Walter Schug: From Assmannshausen in the Rheingau to Carneros in California

German Wine Makers in the World: Karl Heinz Johner in New Zealand

Schiller-Wine: Other Related Postings

The Exciting Wines of the Czech Republic

Emerging Wine Country Serbia - Still in the early Stages after the Break-up of Yugoslavia

Champagne in Russia

Vinograf Winebar - Arguably the Best Place to Taste Czech Wines in Prague

Saint Valentine's Day: French Champagne, German Sekt or Virginia Sparkler!

In the Glass: Volker Raumland Sekt Estate - The Discovery of the Year, Eichelmann 2010

German Wine Basics: Sekt

German Wine Makers in the World: Eduard Werle - Owner of the Veuve Cliquot Champagne House

The Top Wine Makers of the Kraichgau - The Northern Part of the Baden Wine Region in Germany

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Bernd Hummel and Otto Baison (Weingut Baison, Hochheim)

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Werner Klumpp

I toured – with the Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim – the Kraichgau. The Kraichgau is one of the 9 wine districts of the Baden wine region. We visited 3 winemakers and saw a large part of the top echelon of winemakers of the Kraichgau.

The Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim was honored to have Otto Baison, the Senior of Weingut Baison in Hochheim, on the trip. Weingut Baison received international recognition earlier this year by winning a "best of Riesling 2010" award. See here.

Baden

Baden is Germany’s most southerly and - with 16,000 hectares (39,300 acres) under vine – third largest wine region. Despite its size and the quality of its wines, it is not well known outside of Germany, because it exports very little.

From north to south, Baden spans approximately 200 kilometers, and is primarily situated on the right bank of the Rhein river. On the left bank is Alsace in France. Lying primarily in the Rhine rift with the protection of Vosges Mountains to the west and the Black Forrest to the east, Baden’s climate is the warmest in Germany Baden is divided into nine districts.

Picture: Germany's Wine Regions

1. Tauberfranken, in the northeastern outskirts of the region and neighbouring Franconia. The wines are similar to the wines of Franconia, and are sold in the round Bocksbeutel bottle.

2. Badische Bergstrasse, the vineyards is a continuation of the small region Hessische Bergstrasse. This district is situated around the city of Heidelberg.

3. Kraichgau, just to the south of Badische Bergstrasse, and north-east of the city of Karlsruhe.

4. Ortenau, from Baden-Baden to just south of Offenburg is one of the more well-known districts.

5. Breisgau, from just south of Offenburg and to Freiburg. It has the highest average temperature and the number of sunshine hours of the region.

6. Kaiserstuhl, a cluster of hills of volcanic origin northwest of Freiburg with characteristic terraced vineyards.

7. Tuniberg is situated on flatter land just south of Kaiserstuhl and west of Freiburg.

8. Markgräflerland stretches from Freiburg to the Swiss border at Basel, and is known for its easy-drinking Gutedel wines.

9. Bodensee is situated in the southeastern outskirts of the region, on the northwestern shores of Lake Constance.

Baden is known for its Pinot wines, both white and red,which account for more than half of Baden’s wine output. Riesling plays only a minor role. By far the most commonly cultivated single variety is Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) with nearly forty percent of the total vineyard area. Muller-Thurgau, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Chasselas are the main white varieties cultivated, but none more widely than Muller-Thurgau.

In Baden - like in Wuerttemberg - the wine industry is dominated by wine co-operatives; they account for 85% of the region's production. This explains the low export share. Private winemakers are the exception.

Kraichgau

Like a sea of gently undulating waves, the rolling hills of the Kraichgau rise and fall between the banks of the Rhein and the Neckar rivers, stretching from Karlsruhe in the south to Heidelberg in the north. Its climate and fertile soils make it a prime agricultural country. The vineyards and fruit orchards of its Neckar river region and the asparagus and cereal crops of its Rhein river region are among Germany’s most abundant. The region’s second-largest city, Bruchsal, with its 18th century Baroque palace is, in fact, Europe’s largest asparagus producer. Wine has been made in Kraichgau since Roman times. In the region’s historic town of Bretten one of Martin Luther’s closest confidants, Phillip Melanchthon, was born.

Wein- and Sektgut Bernd Hummel

We started out at the Wein- and Sektgut Bernd Hummel, which is located in Malsch, in the northern part of the Kraichgau. The vineyard area totals just 10 hectares, with holdings in the Ölbaum and Rotsteig sites. But Weingut Bernd Hummel also buys fruit, equivalent to 50.000 bottles.


Pictures: Bernd Hummel at the Wein- und Sektgut Hummel

Bernd Hummel led the cellar tour and the tasting. He is - like me - an economist by training, with a passion for wine. Maybe this is the reason, why I like this Wine Estate so much. Bernd got into winemaking through his wife, whose family was growing grapes -like so many in the Baden wine region – for the wine co-operative. He took over the vineyards of his father- in-law and a established a winery 30 years ago. He has been very successful and now ranks – with 2 Gault and Millau Grapes – among the top wineries in the Kraichgau.

His portfolio comprises red and white still wines, sparklers and brandies. Red wine accounts for a little less than half of his wines, with Pinot Noir in the lead. Bernd Hummel is open to new trends and was the first one to plant Cabernet Sauvignon in northern Baden 20 years ago; Merlot followed 10 years later.

The top red wines are matured exclusively in new barriques, all of French oak, and at varying toasting levels. Bernd Hummel uses in good years up to 300 barrels. Bottle-fermented sparkling wines as well as brandies are also produced.

In terms of prices, the wines start at Euro 6.90 for a Riesling and at 7.90 for a Dornfelder in the 0.75 liter bottle. They go up to Euro 54.00 for a 2005 Spaetburgunder Auslese trocken, barrique. All his wines are fully fermented and dry, or noble-sweet. He does not produce sweet wines by stopping the fermentation or adding sterilized juice. Currently, Bernd Hummel does not have any noble-sweet wines in his portfolio.

Bernd Hummel sells 85 % of his wines directly to the consumer. One of them, he told us, is Dietmar Hopp, the co-founder and former chairman of the software giant SAP, whose headquarter is in Walldorf, just a few miles away from Weingut Hummel. The remainder goes to a few restaurants and retailers. Nothing is exported.

We started the cellar tour with a 2007 Chardonnay Sekt brut, methode traditionelle, which impressed me very much and reminded me of a Champagne. Bernd Hummel produces his Sekts all by himself and lets them age for at least 30 months.

Picture: The Cellar for the Sparklers

Weingut Burg Ravensburg and Weingut Heitlinger

Next, we enjoyed a wine tasting right in the middle of a vineyard, at the foot of the Ravensburg castle. The tasting was led by Jan Dautert, the Marketing Chef of both Weingut Burg Ravensburg and Weingut Heitlinger, which are in the process of regrouping and are now managed by the same team.

Weingut Heitlinger, in Östringen-Tiefenbach, was founded by Albert Heitlinger in 1960, who developed viticulture as a side-line in addition to his Restaurant Ochsen. His son Erhard took over in 1972. In the 1980’s, Erhard Heitlinger was one of the first German wine makers to age both red and white wines in barriques, and to make cuvees. But Weingut Heitlingert run into financial difficulties and was recently taken over by an investor group.

The vineyard area totals 27 hectares. Varieties planted are Riesling (6,5 ha), Pinot Noir (6,4 ha), Pinot Gris (3,4 ha), Müller-Thurgau (2,3 ha), Lemberger (2,2 ha) and others.

The estate is a member of the Slow Food association.

The Heitlinger Wine Portfolio starts at Euro 6.80 for Heitlinger White, Rose and Red in the 0.75 bottles. On the other end, you also find two cuvees, called White Tie and Black Tie for Euro 30.00. The wine portfolio looks very hipp, both in terms of the names of wines and the design of the labels. The white quality wines, for instance, are named Shiny River, Smooth Leaf, Gentle Hills and Spicy Stone, names apparently designed for the international market. Indeed, one of the members of the investor group comes from North-America. Since its creation, Weingut Heitlinger had always had an international touch. The current regrouping appears to be aimed at reinforcing this orientation.

Weingut Burg Ravensburg is located in Sulzfeld. Ravensburg castle, from which it takes its name, is the erstwhile family seat of the Barons Göler von Ravensburg, and is one of the most important medieval castles still extant in the Kraichgau.

The Barons Göler von Ravensburg have owned the castle and the wine estate for many centuries, but have leased it recently to the same investor group that has taken over Weingut Heitlinger. Claus Burmeister, General Manager of Weingut Burg Ravenburg since 1995, has also become General Manger of Weingut Heitlinger. Weingut Burg Ravensburg has been a founding member of the VDP, but the membership has been cancelled due to the new management situation.

Picture: Jan Dautert in front of Burg Ravensburg

The vineyard area totals 33 hectares with holdings in the following vineyards: Burg Ravensburger Dicker Franz, Burg Ravensburger Husarenkappe and Burg Ravensburger Löchle,as well as additional vineyards in the communes of Sulzfeld and Kürnbach. The former three are exclusive monopole holdings.

The vineyards are planted with Lemberger (20%), Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Trollinger, as well as with Riesling (30%), Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris.

Burg Ravensburg sells its wines under 3 product lines: Freiherr von Goeler wines in the Euro 5.80 to 7.50 price range; Burg Ravensburg wines in the Euro 7.80 to 25.00 price range and its Erste Lage wines in the Euro 17.80 to 30.00 price range. However, Burg Ravensburg can no longer market wines from there Erste Lage vineyards as Erstes Gewaechs, since its VDP membership has been cancelled.

Weingut Klumpp

Weingut Klumpp, located in Bruchsal, was founded in 1983 by Ulrich and Marietta Klumpp, who previously had very different jobs - with the Government and with a bank. They are now supported by their sons Andreas and Markus , as the second generation, who both studied wine making at the Geisenheim wine college. Since 2004, Markus has been responsible for the vinification; Andreas graduated this year.

Picture: Marietta and Ulrich Klumpp

The vineyard area has grown to 25 hectares, with more than 50 individual parcels of land, planted with Pinot Noir, St. Laurent, Lemberger and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as with Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Auxerrois.

Since 1996, Weingut Klumpp is practicing organic principles in the vineyard, in accordance with the ECOVIN guidelines. Only organic fertilizers are used, consisting of compost, straw and ground stone. Other principles include intensive canopy management, significantly restricted yields, gentle handling in the cellar and long maturation periods.

Wines are produced in two quality ranges. The „Edition” range covers white wines aged in stainless steel tanks, and red wines that spend 6 to 12 months in barriques. The yield limit is 50/60 hectoliter per hectare. The „Premium” range is sourced from old vines and selected sites, with the white wines being aged for 6 to 12 months, and the red wines for 10 to 18 months. The yield limit is 30/45 hectoliter per hectare.

In terms of marketing, Ulrich Klumpp said that Weingut Klumpp focuses very much on high-end restaurants, where they are well represented and where most of their wines are sold to. With 3 Grapes Gault and Millau, Weingut Klumpp is the highest rated winery we visited in the Kraichgau.

Picture: The Klumpp Wine Glass

In addition to a very stimulating and entertaining wine tasting, the group enjoyed a wine maker dinner, prepared by Marietta Klumpp. The Klumpp couple used to also run a Wine Bistro on the premise, which has been closed some time ago. What a pity! The meal was outstanding.

Schiller Wine - Related Postings

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

A Wine Feast in the Rheingau, Germany: The 2010 Grand Wine Convention

A Combination of Extraordinary Wine and Art: Peter Winter's Georg Mueller Stiftung in the Rheingau

The Avantgarde Wine World of Dr. Martin Tesch

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

Best of German Dry White Wines and Winemakers - The Falstaff 2010 Ranking

When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose

German Wine Basics: Erstes Gewaechs, Grosses Gewaechs, Erste Lage

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

German Wine Basics: Sugar in the Grape - Alcohol and Sweetness in the Wine

One of the Fathers of the German Red Wine Revolution - Weingut Huber in Baden

Wining, Dining, Grooving at the Guntersblum Cellar Lane Festival

Picture: Guntersblum Cellar Lane Festival Wine Glass

The Guntersblum Cellar Lane

The Kellerweg – Cellar Lane - is a Guntersblum peculiarity. For a kilometer or so along the municipality’s raised western edge runs this street where the wine cellars and wine press houses have been set up, safe there from groundwater and flooding from the Rhein river. The oldest cellar bears the date 1600.

Cellar Lane Festival

Yearly since 1964, Guntersblum has been celebrating the Kellerweg Fest - Cellar Lane Festival - on the last two weekends in August. For these two weekends, the winemakers of Guntersblum rearrange their wine cellars and press houses in a way that people can sit down, drink wine, eat hearty food, listen to music or even dance to the music. Most of the wine cellars and wine press houses have a live band at the Kellerweg Fest. The music ranges from traditional wine songs to Rock-N-Roll and today’s techno music - something for every age and taste.


Pictures: Cellar No. 1

The festival starts in the late evening after sunset and runs well beyond midnight. You walk up and down the Kellerweg and sit down where you like the food, the music, the atmosphere and/or the wine. The abundant tables and benches allow for people to settle in for hours of wine enjoyment and catching up with friends. My wife Annette and I started out at cellar 1 (see above picture) and ended at cellar 110e, where we had a very impressive Cabernet Sauvignon and a nice chat with wine maker Ernst Wilhelm Schuppert (see below).

Rheinhessen

Guntersblum is in the Rheinhessen region, south of Nierstein, on the Rhein river. Rheinhessen is the largest viticultural region in Germany. Every fourth bottle of German wine comes from Rheinhessen. The high-yielder Mueller-Thurgau accounts for about 1/5 of the vineyards. Unlike in other German wine regions, where monoculture of the vine is the norm, here the many rolling hills are host to a wide variety of crops grown alongside the grape. Rheinhessen also has the rather dubious honor of being considered the birthplace of Liebfraumilch. At the same time, Rheinhessen is among Germany’s most interesting wine regions. A lot is happening there. This is not because of the terroir, but because of the people. There is an increasing group of mostly young and ambitious winemakers who want to produce and indeed do produce outstanding wine and not wines in large quantities. I met some of them at the Cellar Lane in Guntersblum.

Guntersblum Wines

The wines offered at the Guntersblum Wine Festival are very affordable. But you won’t find any of the 20 or so winemakers I counted along the Kellerweg among the wineries that appear in the Wine Spectator or other wine guides. But never mind and consider this: The German wine guides, like the Gault and Millau, list about 800 winemakers. The VDP, Germany's elite winemakers association, who account for basically all of the export of premium wines, has 200 members. By contrast, Germany counts about 30.000 winemakers.

Pictures: Music in a Cellar

There are 29000 plus winemakers in Germany that do not appear in any of the wine guides and do not export their wines, but who in their overwhelming majority produce good quality wines. All of the Guntersblum wine makers belong to this group. And, for this kind of social gatherings all you want is a good quality wine at a reasonable price. I saw plenty of those at the Guntersblum Cellar Lane Festival. Moreover, most winemakers in Guntersblum can look back to a long wine making tradition in the family. Here are my favorite winemakers.

Weingut Reineck Baltz

Weingut Reineck Baltz came into being when Christa Reineck married Reinhard Baltz and their parents’ wine estates were merged. The wine portfolio comprises about 20 wines, most of them dry. The prices start at about Euro 3 for the basic wine in the liter bottle and go up to Euro 20 for a 2003 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese in the 0.5 liter bottle. They even carry a 1992 Riesling/Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese on their wine list.

I was in particular intrigued by a 2008 Chardonnay Spaetlese trocken with 6.6 gram remaining sugar per liter and 13.2 percent alcohol for Euro 4.10 ex-winery.

I liked the Eric Clapton songs of the 2-men guitar group that played at Weingut Reineck Baltz.

Picture: The Rheineck Baltz Cellar

Weingut Schwanhof Schuppert

The Schuppert family has been making wine for 300 years. The estate used to include a wine tavern, where Martin Luther reportedly stopped in 1521 on his way to Worms. The wine portfolio comprises about 20 wines, most of them dry. Schwanhof Schuppert does not carry any Literwein. His entry level wines are a Dornfelder and Grauburgunder Kabinett, both for Euro 4 per 0.75 liter.

I tried a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Spaetlese trocken, barrique, for Euro 7.30 per 0.75 liter bottle ex-winery. It was ruby red in the glass, wave of cherries and blackberries, with some Madagascar vanilla, good structure, smooth and velvet on the palate, lingering finish, an amazing wine at this price point.

The music was Rock-N-Roll from the 60’s.

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Ernst Wilhelm Schuppert

Weingut Karlheinz Belzer

The vineyard area totals 17 hectares. The Belzers have been making wine for 175 years; this is now the 8th generation. The portfolio comprises about 20 wines, starting with a Sylvaner in the liter bottle for Euro 2.40.

I was impressed by a 2008 Guntersblumer Steinberg Chardonnay for Euro 4.40 ex-winery. This is a dry Spaetlese with 5.8 gram remaining sugar and 7.1% alcohol. A lovely Chardonnay at a very reasonable price.

The music was wine tavern songs.

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Karlheinz Belzer




Schiller Wine - Related Postings

A Wine Feast in the Rheingau, Germany: The 2010 Grand Wine Convention

A Combination of Extraordinary Wine and Art: Peter Winter's Georg Mueller Stiftung in the Rheingau

The Avantgarde Wine World of Dr. Martin Tesch

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

Best of German Dry White Wines and Winemakers - The Falstaff 2010 Ranking

When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose

German Wine Basics: Erstes Gewaechs, Grosses Gewaechs, Erste Lage

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

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

Wine Maker Eva Vollmer is Germany's Discovery of the Year

Excellency and Ecology: Weingut Gebrueder Dr. Becker, Rheinhessen