See also:
Wine Tasting and Cellar Tour at Weingut Dönnhoff with Christina Dönnhoff – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Tasting with Sylvain Taurisson Diel at Schlossgut Diel, Nahe – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
The Weinbörse, the annual spring trade fair of the VDP, the association of about 200 elite wine producers in Germany, took place on Sunday and Monday, 23 and 24 April 2017, in the Rheingoldhalle of Mainz. Worldwide, the Weinbörse is the only trade fair that focuses exclusively on fine German wines.
44. Weinbörse
At this year’s fair, the first comprehensive debut of the 2016 vintage, 182 VDP producers presented 1,521 wines from all German wine-growing regions. Compared with large, international trade fairs the Weinbörse is “klein aber fein,” i.e. “good things come in small packages.”
The 2,000-square-meter exhibition area in the Rheingoldhalle is all on one floor and provides ample space for the tasting stands as well as the areas reserved for individual discussions. Exhibiting estates are organized according to region and alphabetically within their respective region, as is the catalogue listing the wines available.
1521 wines were poured, including 775 Riesling, 207 Spätburgunder, 123 Weißburgunder, 63 Grauburgunder, 94 Silvaner, and 42 Lemberger wines.
The VDP
The VDP is the world’s oldest and only national association of top-quality wine estates. From the vineyard to the cellar, VDP members voluntarily adhere to stringent, in-house quality standards.
The four-tier VDP classification pyramid adopted in 2012 – VDP.GUTSWEIN, VDP.ORTSWEIN, VDP.ERSTE LAGE, and VDP.GROSSE LAGE – underscores the significance of origin as the basis of wine quality. The “VDP eagle,” a stylized eagle bearing a cluster of grapes, is mandatory on capsules and stands for terroir-driven viticulture and handcrafted winemaking.
See also:
The New Germany: Red, Sparkling and Dry - Tasting at the American Wine Society 2016 National Conference in Los Angeles, USA, led by Annette Schiller
The New Classification of German Wines: The VDP Classification - Annette Schiller Conducting a Seminar at the 2016 National Convention of the American Wine Society in Los Angeles, USA
The new (VDP) Wine Classification in Germany: Tasting Weingut Robert Weil Wines from Gutswein to Grosse Lage Wine
“Wine markets are highly competitive, both nationally and internationally. Working with the clear positioning of our premium wines and the strict, origin-based quality classification hierarchy, our members have increasingly succeeded in establishing demand in all classification levels. Naturally the big volume sales come in the base segment involving VDP.GUTSWEIN. But we also see enormous growth potential in the range of the VDP.ORTSWEIN and VDP.ERSTE LAGE®. Customers, including those in export markets, are looking for regional wines with character, and understand that origin is the decisive quality characteristic,” says VDP President Steffen Christmann.
Average sales and average prices in 2016:
Domestic 77% (2015: 82%)
Export 23% (2015: 18 %)
VDP.GUTSWEIN 9.70 €
VDP.ORTSWEIN 12.70 €
VDP.ERSTE LAGE® 17.00 €
VDP.GROSSE LAGE® 32.00 €
2017 VDP Trade Fair Weinbörse through Schiller's Camera Lens
Vintage 2016
The wines of the 2016 vintage were at the center of the 2016 Weinbörse. Despite Extreme Weather. The year 2016 with its capricious weather conditions was a challenge for the wine makers. But it was worth the work. The new vintage is already much talked about. Here is a collection of assessments:
VDP President Steffen Christmann: Wines from the 2016 vintage are beautifully balanced and harmonious. They are characterized by fine acidity and charming, elegant fruit. Although the wet spring weather posed challenges for many winegrowers, harvest volumes ultimately proved satisfactory in many regions.
Mosel Fine Wines: The 2016 wines are characterized by nice and ripe aromatics, moderate richness (thanks to moderate sugar levels at picking) and ripe to juicy acidities. The wines show remarkably well at this early stage, adding to the overall charm of the vintage. The vintage seems quite an all-rounder, delivering well in all stylistic directions (dry, off-dry, fruity and sweet).
Terry Theise: I have a bad habit of burying the lead. This time I won’t. Nearly every vintage, even good, excellent or great ones, has a shadow side that expresses as a common flaw. It completes the sentence, “When XXXX doesn’t work it is usually because of…” 2016 does not appear to have a dark side. At least where I tasted, it is almost never not delicious, almost never ungainly, unbalanced or unappealing. I can hardly remember a more adorable vintage.
I don’t know where I’d place it on some grid of profundity or Solemn Importance. Neither do I care. I was too blasted by repeated inputs of joy, sheer joy, grinning, giddy, animal joy. But, not merely animal. Because this vintage can address the most humane, civilized, decent and grateful parts of us. It never clamors or fusses for our attention. It never preens or puts on some gaudy show. It doesn’t get its freak on because it doesn’t seem to have a freak at all. It is, instead, calmly and serenely delicious. Actually, fucking delicious.
It is a medium-weight vintage and its weight is elegantly and gracefully dispersed.
It is graceful overall, and also lithe, limber and lissome. It is strong when it needs to be, but it measures its strength judiciously and with restraint.
It shows every aspect of superb German Riesling, but doesn’t emphasize any at the expense of the others. It is neither a fruit driven nor floral driven nor mineral driven nor acid driven vintage – it is all of these. Whatever you like about these wines, you’ll find it in plenitude. Except, perhaps, for brash acidity. If you really are someone who craves a yelping brusque acid profile, you might find 2016 too demure.
But I don’t. I find it nearly perfect, with gazelle grace but with the gazelle’s sinewy energy when it wishes to leap and run.
If there is a “flaw” (which there isn’t) it is one of homogeneity, in which everyone’s wines are good in the same way. The same fine way, mind you, but if you like quirks and angles and clunky elements you might find 2016 too “correct.”
But I don’t. I find it wonderful. Ordinary growers made nice wine, good growers made excellent wine, outstanding growers made wonderful wine, and great growers made stellar wine, and none of them sacrificed anything that made their wines unique. The wines are beautiful in their own various ways, but they are almost always beautiful.
Ombiasy WineTours
90% of the VDP members were present in Mainz. Prominent producers not present included Weingut Egon Müller and Weingut JJ Prüm from the Mosel, but also Weingut Pawis and Weingut Lützkendorf from the Saale Unstrut region and Weingut Zimmerling from Saxony.
Annette and I talked to and tasted the wines of about 1/3 of them during the 2 days. Our selection was very much driven by Annette's Germany tours by ombiasy WineTours: Germany-North, Germany-South and Germany-East.
See also:
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)
Ahr
Deutzerhof - Cossmann-Hehle, J. J. Adeneuer, Kreuzberg, Jean Stodden, Meyer-Näkel, Nelles
Baden
Andreas Laible, Bercher, Bernhard Huber, Blankenhorn, Burg Ravensburg, Dr. Heger, Franz Keller, Freiherr von und zu Franckenstein, H. Schlumberger, Heitlinger, Konrad Schlör, Lämmlin-Schindler, Markgraf von Baden, Salwey, Schloss Neuweier, Seeger, Staatsweingut Freiburg, Stigler, Wöhrle
Franken
Am Stein, Ludwig Knoll, Bernhard Höfler, Bickel-Stumpf, Bürgerspital zum Hl. Geist, Egon Schäffer, Fürst Löwenstein, Fürstlich Castell'sches Domänenamt, Glaser-Himmelstoss, Gregor Schwab, Hans Wirsching, Horst Sauer, Johann Ruck, Juliusspital Würzburg, Michael Fröhlich, Rainer Sauer, Roth, Rudolf Fürst, Rudolf May, Schmitt's Kinder, Staatlicher Hofkeller Würzburg, Stadt Klingenberg - Benedikt Baltes, Störrlein Krenig, Weltner, Zehnthof Luckert, Zur Schwane
Mittelrhein
Bastian, Lanius-Knab, Matthias Müller, Ratzenberger, Toni Jost - Hahnenhof
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Clemens Busch, Dr. Fischer, Dr. Heinz Wagner, Dr. Loosen, Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken, Fritz Haag, Grans-Fassian, Heymann-Löwenstein, Karthäuserhof, Maximin Grünhaus, NIK WEIS St. Urbans-Hof, Peter Lauer, Piedmont, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, Reinhold Haart, S. A. Prüm, Schloss Lieser, Schloss Saarstein, Stiftungsweingut Vereinigte Hospitien, Van Volxem, Von Hövel, Von Othegraven, Willi Haag, Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch, Erben Thanisch
Nahe
Dr. Crusius, Emrich-Schönleber, Gut Hermannsberg, H. Dönnhoff, Joh. Bapt. Schäfer, Kruger-Rumpf, Prinz Salm, Schlossgut Diel, Schäfer-Fröhlich
Pfalz
A. Christmann, Acham-Magin, Bergdolt - Klostergut St. Lamprecht, Bernhart, Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, Dr. Wehrheim, Fitz-Ritter, Friedrich Becker, Geheimer Rat Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan, Georg Mosbacher, Georg Siben Erben, Herbert Meßmer, Karl Schaefer, Knipser, Kranz, Müller-Catoir, Münzberg - Lothar Kessler & Söhne, Pfeffingen - Fuhrmann-Eymael, Philipp Kuhn, Reichsrat von Buhl, Rings, Siegrist, Theo Minges, Von Winning - Dr. Deinhard, Ökonomierat Rebholz
Rheingau
August Eser, August Kesseler, Balthasar Ress, Baron Knyphausen, Diefenhardt, Domdechant Werner'sches Weingut, Domäne Schloss Johannisberg, Dr. Nägler, F. B. Schönleber Wein- und Sektgut, Freiherr Langwerth von Simmern, Freimuth, Fritz Allendorf, G.H. von Mumm, Geheimrat J. Wegeler - Gutshaus Rheingau, Georg Müller Stiftung, Graf von Kanitz, Hamm, Hans Lang – Urban Kaufmann, Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach, Jakob Jung, Joachim Flick, Johannishof, Josef Spreitzer, Künstler, Peter Jakob Kühn, Prinz, Prinz von Hessen, Robert König, Robert Weil, Schloss Vollrads, Wein- und Sektgut Barth, Weingut Leitz, Weingut der Hochschule Geisenheim, von Oetinger
Rheinhessen
Battenfeld Spanier, Brüder Dr. Becker, Gunderloch, Gutzler, J. Neus, K. F. Groebe, Kühling-Gillot, Rappenhof, Schloss Westerhaus, Schätzel, St. Antony, Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Oppenheim, Wagner-Stempel, Winter, Wittmann
Sachsen
Schloss Proschwitz - Prinz zur Lippe
Württemberg
Aldinger, Beurer, Dautel, Drautz-Able, Fürst Hohenlohe Oehringen, Graf Adelmann, Graf von Bentzel Sturmfeder, Hans-Peter Wöhrwag, Heid, Herzog von Württemberg, Jürgen Ellwanger, Karl Haidle, Kistenmacher-Hengerer, Rainer Schnaitmann, Schlossgut Hohenbeilstein, Staatsweingut Weinsberg, Wachtstetter, Weingut des Grafen Neipperg
Side Events
As every year, there were a number of side-events, including:
Wine Meets.Mainz - VDP.Ortswein Party (April 22)
Opening party at Laubenheimer Höhe on April 22 on the evening before the start of the Weinbörse.
VDP.Börsentreff at Frank Buchholz’ Bootshaus (April 23)
VDP.Rheinhessen Invites (April 23)
VDP.Rheinhessen Wine-pairing Dinner with Chef Philipp Stern (Favorite in Mainz, 1 star Michelin) at Laubenheimer Höhe on April 23. By invitation only.
Laurenz Pop Up Bar on April 23
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)
The New Germany: Red, Sparkling and Dry - Tasting at the American Wine Society 2016 National Conference in Los Angeles, USA, led by Annette Schiller
The New Classification of German Wines: The VDP Classification - Annette Schiller Conducting a Seminar at the 2016 National Convention of the American Wine Society in Los Angeles, USA
The new (VDP) Wine Classification in Germany: Tasting Weingut Robert Weil Wines from Gutswein to Grosse Lage Wine
Emerging Wine Giant China: Top Wine China 2014, Beijing, China
The Annual "Slaughterhouse" Riesling Feast in New York: Rieslingfeier 2017, USA
BEST OF Deutscher Riesling Trocken 2015 (Markus Hofschuster, Wein-Plus)
Wine-pairing Dinner at Scharffs Schlossweinstube (1 Star Michelin) and Weingut Kassner-Simon, with Chef Martin Scharff and Owner/ Winemaker Willi Simon, Heidelberg, Germany
Tasting at Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg in Dernau, Ahr, with Ludwig Kreuzberg and Frank Josten – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016
Tasting at Weingut Bernhard Huber in Baden, with Yquem Viehauser and Julian Huber – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Franz Keller in Oberbergen, Baden – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Tour, Tasting (and Lunch) with Robert Schätzle, Owner and Winemaker, Weingut Schloss Neuweier in Baden – Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2015)
Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schmitt’s Kinder in Randersacker, Franken, with Martin Johann Schmitt – Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Wirsching in Iphofen in Franken with General Manager Uwe Matheus – Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
The 31-Days-of-German-Riesling Concert Cruise Around New York Harbor with the German Wine Queen Julia Bertram and the 3 Wine Amazones Tina Huff, Eva Vollmer and Mirjam Schneider from Mainz, Germany
Tasting at Weingut Matthias Müller in Spay, Mittelrhein, with Johannes and Matthias Müller - Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Weingut Maximin Grünhaus Joins VDP, the Association of Germany’s Elite Winemakers
Vineyard Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut Clemens Busch – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut Von Hövel in Konz, Saar Valley, Mosel, with Owner and Winemaker Max von Kunow - Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken with Hanno Zilliken - Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting with Sylvain Taurisson Diel at Schlossgut Diel, Nahe – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Wine Dinner with Tour at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf in Münster-Sarmsheim, Nahe, with Georg Rumpf – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany
Wine Tasting and Cellar Tour at Weingut Dönnhoff with Christina Dönnhoff – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Winemaker Dinner at Weingut Reichsrat von Buhl in Deidesheim, Pfalz, Germany
Tour and Tasting at Weingut A. Christmann in Gimmeldingen, Pfalz, with Steffen Christmann – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany
Tasting at Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz in Siebeldingen, Pfalz – Germany-South by ombiasy WineTours (2015).
German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner on US East Coast Tour, US/Germany
Tour and Tasting at Weingut von Oetinger, Rheingau, with Achim von Oetinger – Germany-North 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
A Painted Winetasting at Weingut Georg Mueller Stiftung in Hattenheim (Eltville), Rheingau, Germany
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Leitz in Rüdesheim, with Johannes Leitz – Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut August Kesseler in Assmanshausen, with Winemaker Simon Batarseh – Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Robert Weil Goes Burgundy - A New Line of Wines: Weinhaus Robert Weil Junior, Chardonnay and Pinot Unique
Lighting and the Flavor of Wine - With Winemaker Ulrich Allendorf in his Aroma Vineyard and Color Room at Weingut Allendorf in Oestrich Winkel, Rheingau, Germany
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Spreitzer in Oestrich, Rheingau, with Bernd Spreitzer – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
At Weingut Jakob Jung in Erbach, Rheingau, with Winemaker Alexander Johannes Jung, Germany
Family-style Wine-pairing Lunch at Weingut Hans Lang - Kaufmann, with Owners/ Winemakers Urban Kaufmann and Eva Raps - Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Wine Tasting at Weingut Gunderloch in Nackenheim, with Owners and Winemaker Fritz Hasselbach and Agnes Hasselbach-Usinger – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Philipp Wittmann and Eva Clüsserath-Wittmann at Weingut Wittmann in Westhofen – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Wine Tasting at Weingut Kühling-Gillot in Bodenheim: Kühling-Gillot and Battenfeld-Spanier Wines – Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Dining with Prinz zur Lippe, Owner of Weingut Schloss Proschwitz, at the Lippe’sches Gutshaus - Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour, Lunch and Tasting at Weingut Fürst Hohenlohe Oehringen in Oehringen–Verrenberg, Württemberg – Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour, Tasting and Dinner with Kilian Graf von Bentzel-Sturmfeder, Weingut Graf von Bentzel-Sturmfeder in Schozach, Württemberg - Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Best German Winemakers - Falstaff Deutschland Wine Trophies 2017
Cellar Tour, Tasting and Dinner at Wein- und Sektgut F.B. Schönleber in Östrich-Winkel, Rheingau, with Ralph and Bernd Schönleber - Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
