Chinese Food and German Wine at the Hot Spot in Berlin: 5 VDP Winemakers Pour their Wines

Pictures: Chinese Restaurant Hot Spot in Berlin

The Hot Spot is a Chinese Restaurant in Berlin Charlottenburg, Eisenzahnstrasse 66, just next to the famous Kurfuerstendam, well known for 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 of the 100th Anniversary of the VDP took place at his restaurant. It was a buffet-style dinner with 5 VDP winemakers pouring their wines.

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 a number of events with the official ceremony in the Berlin Cathedral at the center.

I have given a run-down of the whole series of events here and have reported in more detail on the event: 70 Galleries - 200 Winemakers - 1000 Wines here, on the official ceremony in the Berlin Cathedral here, on Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson, who participated in the events, here. and on the Hausbesetzung in the Rutz Wein Bar here.

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).

Chinese Restaurant Hot Spot in Berlin

At first sight, Hot Spot appears to be a regular Chinese restaurant. But once you have eaten there, you know that its Szechuan- and Shanghai-inspired menu really stands out. And once you have seen the wine list, you can understand why Hot Spot has become something of a sensation in Berlin: Hot Spot offers an extensive list of fine German wine. Hot Spot has become the place to go if you want to fine German wine with fine Chinese food.

Hot Spot is owned and run by Mr. Wu, 50, who came to Germany in 1984 from Zhejiang. He earned a degree here in engineering but left school and opened a Chinese restaurant. In 1995, he became interested in wine and started to serve French wine at his place. In 2007, Mr. Wu opened Hot Spot with an extensive list of German wine.

The 5 VDP Winemakers

Jan Eymael (Weingut Pfeffingen)

Jan Eymael from Weingut Pfeffingen in the Pflalz (13 hectares) poured a selection of 3 Scheurebe wines.



Peter Jakob Kuehn

Peter Jakob Kuehn from the Rheingau (16 Hectares) poured only Rieslings, including his amazing Riesling Amphore trocken , which sells for Euro 43. All Kuehn wines are biodynamically grown in the vineyard and naturally fermented in the cellar.



Martin Messmer

Martin Messmer from Weingut Messmer in Burrweiler in the Pfalz (25 hectares) poured a selection of red and white wines, including an interesting Sankt Laurent “Selektion”.



Theo Minges

Theo Minges from Flemlingen in the Pfalz (24 hectares) poured a selection of red and white wines including a phantastic Muskateller Sekt brut for Euro 13.



Sven Leiner

The young Sven Leiner from the Pfalz surprised with out of the box grapes, including a Chardonnay trocken for Euro 16 and a Tempranillo for Euro 26.



Friedrich Wilhelm Becker (Weingut Friedrich Becker)

Friedrich Wilhelm Becker, the son of Friedrich Becker from Weingut Friedrich Becker (17 hectares) from the Pfalz poured white and red Pinots, including a complex 2007 Spaetburgunder Kalkgestein for Euro 30.

VINICULTURE

The event was organized by VINICULTURE, one of the best winestores in Berlin.

info@viniculture.de
www.viniculture.de



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The Jay Somers Wines of Bill Holloran, Oregon

Picture: Bill Holloran and Christian G.E.Schiller

The Jay Somers Wines of Bill Holloran

I was excited to meet Bill Holloran of Holloran Vineyard Wines at Cecile’s in McLean, Virginia, a few weeks ago. Bill Holloran produces with his winemaker Jay Somers small quantities of hand crafted wine from premium vineyard sites in Oregon's Willamette Valley. I know Jay Somers from his collaboration with Germany’s Ernst Loosen.

Oregon

Holloran Vineyard Wines is in the Willamette Valley, were about two-thirds of Oregon’s wineries and vineyards are. Buffered from Pacific storms on the west by the Coast Range, the valley follows the Willamette River north to south for more than a hundred miles from the Columbia River near Portland to just south of Eugene. But Oregon is not only about Willamette Valley. Oregon’s vineyards span the whole State, rising up and falling over the rolling hills and gentle valleys of more than 12,000 acres (4,858 hectares) of wine grapes. Oregon’s major wine regions are the Willamette Valley, Rogue Valley, Umpqua Valley, and the Columbia Gorge. Some regions straddle the border between Oregon and the States of Washington and Idaho.

Picture: Oregon's wine regions

Wine was made in Oregon in the 19th century already, when Italian and Swiss immigrants planted wine grapes and started bottling wine. Oregon's wine industry was suppressed during Prohibition. It wasn’t until1961, when Richard Sommer set up shop in southern Oregon and planted Riesling, that the modern Oregon wine industry was borne. Other pioneers include David Adelsheim, Dick Ponzi and Bill Sokol-Blosser. Then the French also came with Domaine Drouhin bringing European sophistication to Oregon. In the past 40 years, Oregon has become one of the country’s top three wine States, with 350 wineries producing an average of 5,000 cases each a year. Most of it is Pinot Noir, but there’s also Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and modest amounts of Riesling and Merlot.

Oregon produces wine on a much smaller scale than its southern neighbor California. Oregon's biggest producer ships only 125,000 cases per year and most produce under 35,000 cases. The State features many small wineries which produce less than 5,000 cases per year. In contrast, E & J Gallo Winery, the US’ largest winery, produces about 70 million cases annually. The majority of wineries in Oregon operate their own vineyards, although some purchase grapes on the market.

Like New Zealand, Oregon rode the Sideways Pinot Noir boom for several years, expanding vineyard plantings repeatedly. Now the financial crisis has hit the wine industry. Malbec from Argentina and Camenere from Chile are hot and prices are tumbling. As if weak demand and strong competitors weren't enough, the 2009 crop was a big one -- up 23% from 2008. Combined with the unsold inventory from 2008, the State faces its first significant surplus of wine in many years.

Bill Holloran

Bill Holloran's story is: technology executive moves to Oregon to raise his family, starts to dabble in wine, hires one of the best young winemakers in Oregon (Jay Somers), buys a famous vineyard (Le Pavillon), and starts turning out classic Willamette Valley wines at high quality. The fruit is sourced from vineyards that are farmed organically or biodynamically.

The Vineyards

The Le Pavillon vineyard is located in the Dundee Hills AVA and is over 35 years old. The soil type is Jory, an ancient volcanic soil. The producing blocks are Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay. Farmed organically since 1999, Biodynamically since 2005.

The La Chenaie vineyard is located in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Chardonnay and Riesling are planted on south, east, and southwest-facing slopes. This site also has volcanic soils, including Jory, Gelderman, and Ritner, and the mature producing blocks are farmed organically.

The estate Vineyard Meute de Chiens has 6 different clones of Pinot Noir. Farmed organically.

The Labels

The top cuvees are offered under the Holloran label, and provide flavors and aromas that are representative of their source vineyard or AVA. The Stafford Hill line is the “second label” providing good value for handcrafted, small production wines.

Jay Somers

Bill Holloran's winemaker is Jay Somers, better known for his culty J Christopher label and also for his cooperation with German star winemaker Ernst Loosen.

Jay Somers first worked making wine with John Paul, winemaker and owner of tiny cult winery Cameron. In 1999, after three vintages at Cameron, he partnered with Bill Holloran and they built a small winery on Holloran's farm. In return for making Holloran's Holloran Winery and Stafford Hill label wines, Jay uses the facility to make his own J Christopher label, which he launched in 1996. J. Christopher Wines specializes in Pinot Noir made in the traditional Bourgogne style.

Ernst Loosen is the owner of the Weingut Dr. Loosen in the Mosel wine region in Germany. At the same time, he makes wine in the US. First, he makes the Eroica Riesling, in collaboration with Chateau Ste. Michelle, the huge Washington State winemaker. Second, he makes Two Worlds with Jay Somers. This is an inter-continental blend. It is composed of 90 percent of German Spätburgunder from the Pfalz, where Dr. Loosen owns the J.L. Wolf winery and 10 percent Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. In addition, the 2 wine makers have started to produce a boutique bottling of Oregon Pinot Noir called Appassionata.

Picture: Ernst Loosen and Jay Somers

What we drank

Here is what Bill poured, with Cecile’s notes.

Stafford Hill Chardonay CMV 2008

Here's your new favorite unwooded Chardonnay - crisp, fresh, and perfect for sipping and Holiday entertaining! Bill Holloran developed the Stafford Hill label to feature pure, ready-to-drink, wines sourced from terrific vineyards up and down Oregon's Willamette Valley. Bill grew the fruit for his 2008 Stafford Hill Chardonnay in the Eola Hills, Willamette's southern region just north of Salem, Oregon. Perfectly ripe Chardonnay fruit receives a cool fermentation in stainless steel and then rests briefly on the lees before going directly into bottle - no wood barrels involved! The result is a bright, zippy,wine loaded with green apple, fresh pineapple, and tart mango fruit laced with fine minerality and a touch of citrus. A great taste of Oregon's fantastic 2008 vintage at a stunning price. US$ 18.99

Holloran Riesling 2008 Le Pavillon Vyd Willamette

The more we taste wines from Oregon's 2008 vintage, the more impressed we get! Holloran has long been recongized as one of Oregon's best Riesling producers, and the 2008 single vineyard Le Pavillon Riesling will only grow that reputation more. This is a big, ripe, wine that's loaded with apricot, ripe peach, and lime zest fruit. Made in the style of Alsace leader Zind-Humbrecht, it's rich and very deeply flavored with a long, rich, finish that just won't quit. A great wine for seafood or scallops accented with fruit salsa or anything Asian. US$ 26.99

Holloran Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2006

Bill Holloran's winemaker is Jay Somers, better known for his culty J Christopher label. Bill and Jay told us back when the 2006 Pinot was released that it was clearly their best vintage ever for this wine. A few months aging have made it even better! The warm 2006 vintage clearly shows in aromas of ripe strawberry and cherry and earth that lead to deep red fruit and exotic spices on the palate. The tannins are light and the finish long, lingering, and full of fruit and spice. This will drink really well right now but has the depth of fruit and balance to develop for another 3-6 years. A fine value! US$ 29.99

Holloran Pinot Noir Le Pavillon Willamette 2007

Bill Holloran's Le Pavillon Pinot Noir is always a Dundee Hills classic – spicy and redolent of strawberry and raspberry fruit. As usual, the 2007 model is built to improve with cellar time – a 1999 Le Pavillon Pinot Bill poured for me last summer was still fresh and delightful! – but is more than accessible enough to enjoy now with a little air. There’s plenty of concentration and depth this year, but also a silky texture and sense of transparency that I prize in great Oregon Pinot Noir. Tasted blind, you’d swear this would sell for $50 or more. Fantastic value. US$ 39.99

Holloran Vineyard Wines
Oregon
www.holloranvineyardwines.com

Cecile's Wine Cellar
McLean, Virginia
www.cecileswine.com


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In the Steinberg, Eberbach Abbey, Rheingau, Germany

Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller in the Steinberg and a 1979 Steinberger Kabinett

Steinberg

The Steinberg is a 32.4 hectares (80 acres) wall-enclosed vineyard in walking distance of the Eberbach Abbey in the Rheingau. It is one of the most famous German vineyards.

Picture: The Steinberg

The favorite site of the monks, they built a 4 meter (13ft) wall around the vineyard to keep out thieves. This and its Cistercian heritage give Steinberg a distinct similarity to the famed Clos De Vougeot in Bourgogne in neigbouring France. The name Steinberg is German for "stony hill" after Stein = stone and Berg = mountain or hill.

The Steinberg is one of handful single vineyard sites in Germany which for reasons of historical significance have dispensation from having to include a village name together with the vineyard's name, so the wines from the Steinberg are simply labelled Steinberger. Steinberg is classified as an Erste Lage and thus can produce Erstes Gewächs wines.

Eberbach Abbey

The Eberbach Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery. Its Romanesque and Gothic buildings are impressive. It was founded in 1136 by Bernard of Clairvaux as the first Cistercian monastery on the east bank of the Rhine. The vineyards of Eberbach Abbey were, at 300 hectares, the largest in medieval Europe.

Picture: Eberbach Abbey


Hessische Staatsweingueter

The Steinberg is owned by the State of Hessen today. The State of Hessen owns a large number of vineyards, which all come under the umbrella of the Hessische Staatsweingueter Kloster Eberbach. It is Germany’s largest Wine Estate.

Most of the vineyard holdings of the Hessische Staatsweingueter date back to the 12th centuries, when Cistercian monks founded the famous Kloster Eberbach abbey here. The Abbey, including its vineyards, was secularised under Napoleon in 1803. The new owner was the Duke of Nassau, then the Prussian Kingdom from 1866, and finally the Federal State of Hessen since 1945.

The Hessische Staatsweingueter is made up of seven Estates, including three wine producing facilities and cellars.

The Bensheim Estate is the only one located in the Hessische Bergstraße wine-growing region. Grand Duke of Hessen-Darmstadt founded this Estate in 1904, the vineyard holdings total 38 hectares. The main grape variety planted is Riesling (25 ha), as well as Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris.

The red wine Estate Assmannshausen at the western edge of the Rheingau has a vineyard area of 27 hectares in the Höllenberg site, of which 25 hectares are planted with Pinot Noir.

These two Estates do their own bottling, and market the wines under their own names.

The five remaining Estates are

- Hattenheim (50 ha vineyard area in the Engelmannsberg, Siegelsberg and Marcobrunn sites),
- Hochheim (Domdechaney site),
- Rauenthal (48 ha in the Baiken and Wülfen sites),
- Rüdesheim (23 ha in the Berg Roseneck, Berg Rottland and Berg Schlossberg sites) and
- Steinberg (32 ha, a monopole holding).

The total vineyard area of the 7 Estates comes to more than 200 hectares, of which 85% are planted with Riesling, 10% with Pinot Noir and 5% with other varieties.

Steinbergkeller

A few years ago, the Hessische Staatsweingueter built a new winemaking facility and celler just outside the wall of Steinberg, the Steinbergkeller. The Steinbergkeller – a state of the art winery - was a very controversial project. It was constructed for several 100 million Euro.

Pictures: Steinbergkeller

In the Glass: 1979 Steinberger Kabinett halbtrocken

I had the 1979 Steinberger Kabinett halbtrocken in the glass, a few days ago in McLean, Virginia.

Picture: 1979 Steinberger Kabinett

Here are my tasting notes: dark golden in the glass, wave of honey, mellon and pineapple on the nose, good acidity and good structure, elegant, dazzling on the palate, lingering finish, an aged wine that displays a hell of an amount of youthfulness, not even a slight hint of sherry tone.




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The Evolving Structure of the Wine Industry in Germany – The Case of the Lake Constance Region

Picture: Lake Constance in the South of Germany, with Swiss Mountains

The Evolving Structure of the Wine Industry in Germany – The Case of the Lake Constance Region

I visited the Lake Constance region a few weeks ago – with the Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim – and had the opportunity to visit a number of rather diverse wine estates. All of the winemakers had interesting stories to tell about the history of their estate. If you put these stories together, a fascinating picture emerges of the structure of the wine industry in Germany and how it has evolved over the years.

The Church

For many centuries, there was only one dominant force in the wine industry at Lake Constance: The church.

To begin with, mighty Schloss Salem, with today 110 hectares of vineyards, was originally an abbey, founded by Cistercian monks in 1134 in the small village of Salmansweiler. The monks named the abbey Salem - the place of peace. Over the years, it became a gigantic monastery complex with large agricultural estates run by the monks. The Cistercian monks came from the Bourgogne and they brought the traditions of winemaking to Lake Constance.

Picture: Schloss Salem

The church lost the Salem Abbey in 1802, when under Napoleon’s secularization, Europe was reorganized. Abbey Salem passed into the hand of the ruler of Baden, the Margrave of Baden, and became Schloss Salem.

Similarly, the Staatsweingut Meersburg - today owned by the Government of Baden Wuerttemberg - was owned by the Prince-Bishop of Constance at that time. It also passed into the hands of the Margrave von Baden during Napoleon’s secularization in 1802.

Pictures: Schloss Meersburg and View of Lake Constance

A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office. Thus the principality ruled politically by a prince-bishop could be wholly or largely overlap with his diocesan jurisdiction, but not necessarily.

The beautiful wine cellar of the Staatsweingut Meersburg was built in 1720, when the Prince-Bishop of Stauffenberg (1658-1740) owned the castle.

The House of Baden

Before the secularization of 1802, the House of Baden was completely absent from the Lake Constance area, when it came to winemaking. That changed radically in 1802 through the secularization. The church was expropriated and the Margrave of Baden became the owner of both the Salem and the Meersburg abbeys, including the vineyards.

The original base of the House of Baden is Schloss Staufenberg in the Ortenau, with 25 hectares of vineyard land. These were the only vineyards of the von Baden family until they received the Lake Constance vineyards as part of Napoleon’s secularization. The von Baden family gave the Federal State of Baden and the wine growing area Baden their names. They were the rulers for about 1000 years.

The Wine Cooperatives

In the late 1800s, wine cooperatives entered the picture. The Hagnau wine cooperative was the first one, founded on October 20, 1881; it is the oldest wine cooperative in Baden.

This was a revolutionary development. The smallholders emancipated themselves, teamed up and started their own wine business. It should not come as a surprise that In Hagnau, it was a pastor, who was the driving force behind it.

Before secularization, for about 110 years the winemakers of Hagnau were under the rule of the Benedictine Abbey of Weingarten. The current wine cellars of the Hagnauer Winzerverein dates from these days. These were not bad days for the Hagnauer winemakers. Under the monastery’s rule, the winemakers received as a reward for their work half the wine yield and a field on which they could grow potatoes and vegetables for self-catering.

Picture: Dr. Heinrich Hansjakob, Founder of the Winzerverein Hagnau

This changed dramatically after the secularization. The winemakers lost the field on which to grow food and had to bear all costs of wine production themselves, but were paid for their output. As the smallerholders were in a weak position , there was a lot of pressure on prices and revenues kept on falling. In view of the difficult situation of the smallholders, the pastor and civil rights activist of Hagnau, Dr. Heinrich Hansjakob, encouraged them to form a wine cooperative and market their wine themselves. On October 20, 1881, the first wine cooperative of Baden was founded in Hagnau at Lake Constance.

The Federal State of Baden

In the 1900, the Government of Baden entered the picture. In 1919, the constitution of the Weimar Republic, so named because its constitution was drafted in the small city where the poets Goethe and Schiller had lived, established a federal republic consisting of 19 states. Baden was one of the federal states, the successor of the Grand Duchy of Baden (Großherzogtum Baden).

Baden came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden. In 1803, Baden was raised to Electoral dignity within the Holy Roman Empire. Baden became the much-enlarged Grand Duchy of Baden through the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. The Grand Duchy of Baden remained a sovereign country until it joined the German Empire in 1871. After the revolution of 1918, Baden became part of the Weimar Republic as the Republic of Baden.

The Government of Baden, as the successor of the Grand Duchy of Baden, took over the Staatsweingut Meersburg in 1918. But it did not take over Schloss Salem, which became the private property of the Margrave of Baden.

The Federal State of Baden Wuerttemberg

In the 2000, the Government of Baden and Wuerttemberg entered the picture. In the Federal Republic of Germany of today, the states of Baden and Wuettemberg have been merged to form the State of Baden Wuerttemberg. In the early 2000, the Margrave of Baden sold Schloss Salem to the State of Baden Wuerttemberg. But he retained all vineyards. The cellars and other parts of the Schloss Salem he uses, are long-term leased from the State of Baden Wuerttemberg.

Private Sector Winemakers

Finally, the private sector. In Baden 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. But there are exceptions. One of these exceptions is the Aufricht Estate. They started out as a member of a wine cooperative and became independent about 20 years ago, after the brothers Robert and Manfred Aufricht had taken over from their parents. We visited the Aufricht Estate and reported about it here.

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Manfred Aufricht

Another one is Weingut Krause in Meersburg, with 4 hectares of vineyard area. He founded his Weingut in 1994. Most of the wines are sold on the premise, in particular at the Tavern of Krauses which was established in 1840.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Peter Krause

The Situation Today

So, now the picture is as follows.

The Church is out of the picture; it has lost everything, at least in the Lake Constance region.

1. The Hagnauer Wine Cooperative

The Hagnauer Wine Cooperative and other wine cooperatives have become strong players in the market.

The Hagnau Wine Cooperative currently has over hundred members. The vineyard area is 140 hectares. The grape distribution is as follows: 40 % Müller-Thurgau, 40 % Spätburgunder, 8 % Ruländer/Grauburgunder, 3 % Weißburgunder, 2 % Bacchus, 2 % Kerner, 5 % other, including Regent. On average, the yield is 9000 liter per hectar. On 10% of the vineyard area, the yield limitation is much stricter, 4500 liter per hectar, for the production of premium wines.

The Hagnauer Winzerverein wine portfolio is broad, focusing on good quality day-to-day wines. The entry wine in the 0.75 liter bottle costs Euro 4.50. This is a tick higher than what you pay in the Pfalz or in Rheinhessen for comparable quality. However, most wines do not exceed Euro 10. One of those beyond Euro 10 is the 2007 Hagnauer Burgstall Spaetburgunder Rotwein Barrique trocken for Euro 14.90, the Haganuer Winzerverein’s best red wine.

Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller in the Wine Cellar of the Hagnauer Winzerverein and Hagnauer Winzerverein Truck

2. The Markgraf von Baden

The Markgraf von Baden is still in the picture, but as a private person; in fact, Schloss Salem Estate is one of the largest private wine estates in Germany. He lost the Meersburg Estate 100 years ago and gave up Schloss Salem, but he retained the vineyards of Schloss Salem and is long-term leasing the facilities.

The vineyard area of Schloss Salem totals 110 hectares, in Bermatingen, Birnau and Schloss Kirchberg.Varieties planted here are mainly Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Noir (for Weißherbst/blanc de Noir). The wines are produced at Schloss Salem. Also, bottle-fermented sparkling wines, perlé wines and spirits are also produced. In addition, there are about 10 hectares of vineyard area along the Rhein river, close to the Swiss border.

3. The Government of Baden Wuerttemberg

The Government of the Federal State of Baden Wuerttemberg makes wine at Schloss Meersburg. The Staatsweingut is located just above the port of Meersburg on Lake Constance. The vineyard area totals 62 hectares with holdings in the following sites: Bengel, Chorherrnhalde, Lerchenberg, Jungfernstieg and Rieschen (Meersburg – monopole holding), Olgaberg – highest vineyard in Germany at 520 metres above sea level (Hohentwiel), as well as Ritterhalde (Gailingen). The area is planted with Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Traminer and Regent.

4. Weingut Aufricht

And then, finally, we have the young entrepreneurial winemakers who have dared to be on their own. One of them is Weingut Aufricht. The vineyard area totals 24 hectares, with holdings in the Fohrenberg and Sängerhalde sites. The Aufricht brothers grow Pinot Noir, Lemberger, Pinot Madeleine and Regent, and Pinot Gris, Auxerrois,Pinot Blanc, Müller-Thurgau, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. The Aufricht brothers were the first to plant Sauvignon Blanc again in the Lake Constance region. The top red wines are matured in barriques for several years. Bottle-fermented sparkling wines are also produced.

The wine list contains about 30 wines. Half of them are white wines, starting from Euro 7.40 and going up to Euro 17.40. The red wines start at Euro 7.90; most red wines do not go beyond Euro 10. One of the two exceptions is a 2007 Pinot Noir for Euro 30.50, which is the most expensive wine in the portfolio. Lake Constance wines are, in general, no bargain wines – but still very good deals by American standards.

5. Weingut Krause

Another private winemaker, I visited is Weingut Krause in Meersburg, with 4 hectares of vineyard area. He founded his Weingut in 1994. Most of the wines are sold on the premise, in particular at the Tavern of Krauses which was established in 1840.



The total vineyard area of the Lake Constance area is around 550 hectares.

Schloss Salem
www.markgraf-von-baden.de

Staatsweingut Meersburg
www.staatsweingut-meersburg.de

Winzerverein Hagnau
www.wv-hagnau.de

Weingut Aufricht
www.aufricht.de

Weingut Krause
www.weingut-krause.com

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Pictures: St. Pancras Grand Champagne Bar and Big Ben in London

The Amazing Champagnes of the St. Pancras Grand Champagne Bar in London – But no English or Other Sparklers

The glamorous St. Pancras Grand Champagne Bar is arguably Europe’s longest Champagne Bar. It offers an amazing selection of Champagnes in the heart of London, but if you ask for England’s world class sparklers like Nyetimber or other sparklers, the answer is no.

The Place

St. Pancras Grand Champagne Bar is situated just next to the tracks were the Eurostar arrives, below the magnificent Barlow Shed, allowing a full appreciation of the amazing architecture of the historic Victorian St. Pancras Station.

The Eurostar provides a very comfortable way of traveling from Paris to London in a little bit more than 2 hours. You leave at the Gare du Nord in Paris and you arrive at St. Pancras, the new railway station close to King’s Cross, in London.

Pictures: St. Pancras Grand Champagne Bar in London

It is a truly unique and stunning venue. The set up is very nice and comfortable with a range o different seating options. It is a formidable place to celebrate the arrival in London or wait for the departure of the train for Paris or Brussels.

The Food

I did not eat anything. I just had a glass of Champagne. The all-day menu is elegant and light. Next to the Champagne Bar is an Oyster Bar. They had 6 different varieties, both native and rock oysters, on the menu, when I was there a few weeks ago. In addition, the Oyster Bar is part of a very nice restaurant, if you want a more complete meal.

An Amazing List of Champagnes

The St. Pancras Champagne Bar has an outstanding and very wide selection of NV Champagnes as well as older vintage Champagnes. The exchange rates are currently: BP 0.82 = Euro 1 = UD$ 1.28.

It offers 16 Champagnes by the glass, ranging from a NV Pommery Brut for BP 9.50 to a 2000 Dom Perignon for BP 26.50. Most of the glasses are in the BP 12 to 15 range.

If you want to go for a whole bottle, the St. Pancras Champagne Bar has a selection of about 100 0.75 liter bottles, most of them from well established producers.

Pictures: St. Pancras Grand Champagne Bar in London

If you are in a group, you can go for a larger size: The bar carries Magnums, Jeroboams, Methuselahs (= 8 bottles) and even super large sizes, for example:
NV Pol Roger Brut Reserve Salmanazar (= 12 bottles) for BP 950;
NV Laurent-Perrier Brut Balthazar (= 20 bottles) for BP 1000.

No English Sparklers

The English sparkler Nyetimber's Classic Cuvee 2003 was crowned champion of worldwide sparkling wines in the 2nd annual "Bollicine Del Mondo" competition in Verona, Italy, last year, impressing judges more than sparklers from French legends such as Bollinger, Pommery and Louis Roederer. But you won’t find it on the list of the St. Pancras Grand Champagne Bar. Only Champagnes are poured.

The Nyetimber upset was part of the changes that are going on in the global wine market. New wine countries are emerging. They are emerging for two reasons. Some of them are benefiting from climate change as the northern border for wine growing is pushing up. Others are emerging countries and with the general economic expansion, the demand for wine and the production of wine is also going up. England is a prime example of an emerging wine country because of climate change.

The UK now ranks a lowly 63rd on the list of the world’s wine-producing countries, but Nyetimber confirmed what many experts have been saying for some time: UK sparkling wines can compete internationally.

What is Nyetimber? For all the innate Englishness of the Nyetimber Manor Estate, Nyetimber as a commercial vineyard has always enjoyed international influence. A couple from Chicago, Stuart and Sandy Moss had the unusual ambition to find a location outside France where it would be possible to produce sparkling wine to rival champagne. They established Nyetimber Manor Estate in 1986 and - amid much industry skepticism - began the vineyard planting in 1988, using the three classic champagne varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. In 2001 the Mosses decided to retire back to the States and sold the Nyetimber Estate to the songwriter and record producer Andy Hill as a rural retreat. Nyetimber’s present owner, Eric Heerema, bought the Nyetimber Estate in March 2006. It is now the largest vineyard estate in the UK at 350 acres under vine.

Nyetimber brought English (sparkling) wine on to the world map. Will other countries follow? Russia used to produce famous sparklers, but the industry has suffered badly from many decades of communism.

What about German Sekts?

Gemany is one of the largest sparkling wine markets in the world. One out of four bottles of sparkling wine is consumed in Germany. Sparkling wine produced in Germany is called Sekt.

Sekt is made in all German wine regions, both in the méthode traditionnelle and charmat method. There are three groups of Sekt makers: (i) large and (ii) smaller Sekt houses, who only make Sekt and (iii) winemakers, who make predominantly wine, but complement their wine selection by a few Sekts.

There is a dozen or so large Sekt houses. They produce more than 2.000.000 bottles each annually. Most of these large Sekt houses were established in the 1800s. At that time, there was only one method known to produce Sekt, the méthode traditionnelle. But in contrast to the champagne houses, the large Sekt houses have all moved to the charmat method as main method of the second fermentation after World War II. Like the champagne houses, Sekt houses do not own vineyards, but purchase the base wine from winemakers. Overall, these Sekts are reasonably priced, are of good quality, but with the introduction of the charmat method are no longer in the same class as their counterparts in the champagne region.

The smaller Sekt houses, like the large Sekt houses, do not own vineyards, but also buy the base wine from winemakers. They also tend to have a long history and often links to the champagne region, beautiful facilities and old cellars for the second fermentation and storage. The big difference is that they typically have not gone the route of tank fermentation but continue to ferment in the méthode traditionnelle.

Geldermann in Breisach makes its Sekt exclusively from French wines imported from the Loire valley. The two Germans Deutz and Geldermann founded a Champagne House in 1838 in the Champagne, and the Breisach (Baden) outlet became their German branch in 1904 for tax reasons. Another one is Kessler, in Esslingen (Baden-Wuerttemberg), the first German Sekt house, founded in 1826 by Georg Kessler, who had worked for Veuve Clicqot.

Finally, increasingly, there is a number of top quality winemakers, who, in addition, to their still wines, have started to include Sekts in their portfolio. These Sekts are typically vintage Sekts, from a specified vineyard, made of specific grapes, often Riesling, in the méthode champenoise and with little or not dosage (brut or extra but). There is a large and growing number of winemakers who have started to produce world class Sekts. Unfortunately, their production is very limited and difficult to find in the US. The most recent premium Sekt is Primus, made by the Wein- und Sekthaus Barth in Hattenheim, the first German Sekt made from a Erste Lage Base Wine.


Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with Norbert Barth and his Primus

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A Great Selection of Czech Wines at the Villa Richter Outdoor Wine Bistro in Saint Wenceslas Vineyard in the Middle of Prague

Pictures: Saint Wenceslas Square and Vineyard in Prague and a Glass of Czech Wine

A Great Selection of Czech Wines at the Villa Richter Outdoor Wine Bistro in Saint Wenceslas Vineyard in the Middle of Prague

Saint Wenceslas Vineyard is a vineyard in the middle of Prague, right below the Prague Castle. Prague is one of the capitals in the world that can boast itself of having vineyards within its borders.

Saint Wenceslas Vineyard also houses Villa Richter, which is home to various restaurants and a lovely outdoor wine bar with a stunning view of the city of Prague.

Czech Wines

The Czech Republic is a very small wine producing country, with just about 19,000 hectares of vineyards. This is less than Germany’s larger wine regions such as Rheinhessen or the Pfalz.

More than 90 percent of the wine production is accounted for by the southern part of Moravia, particularly around the Danube tributaries Dyje, Svraka and Morava. The Moravian wine region is largely concentrated on the border with Austria. It is kind of a continuation of the Austrian “Weinviertel” region in the north-east of Austria. The Moravian Wine Region is divided into four sub-regions: Znojmo, Mikulov, Velké Pavlovice and Slovácko.

In Bohemia, north of Prague, vines are planted along the river Labe (Elbe) and its tributaries, totaling 400 hectares of vineyards only. It is a small wine region, although Bohemia acounts for more than half of the Czech Republic. It is one of the most northerly wine regions in Europe. Prague sits on the 50° north latitude, the same as Wiesbaden in the Rheingau. The original instigator of vine-planting in Bohemia was the Emperor Charles IV, who gave it impetus with his decrees issued in the year 1358. The wine region Bohemia is divided into two sub-regions: Mělník and Litoměřice. No wine is grown in Czech Silesia, the third of the three Czech regions, in the north-east.

Picture: Map of Czech Republic

About three quarters of Czech wine production consists of white varietals. The primary varieties are Muller-Thurgau, Pinot Blanc (Czech: Rulandské bílé), Gewürztraminer (Czech: Tramín červený) and Grüner Veltliner (Czech: Veltínské zelené). Typically, Czech white wines are dry, aromatic, and light wines.

There are also red varietals such as Frankovka (Blaufrankisch), Modrý Portugal (Blue Portugal, named after the grape, not the country), or Svatovavřinecké (Saint Lawrence).

Saint Wenceslas Vineyard

Saint Wenceslas Vineyard is one of the oldest vineyards in the country. The legend says that it was Saint Wenceslas himself, who took care of this vineyard. The vineyard is just below the Prague Castle. It was reconstructed and opened to the public only recently. The new vineyard has been planted mainly with Pinot Noir and Riesling, but you can also see all other grape varieties currently approved to be planted in the Czech Republic.



Pictures: Saint Wenceslas Vineyard and Villa Richter

The vineyard was first mentioned in a written document in 1375. In 1799, it was bought by a mailman of the supreme post office by the name Tomáš František Richter. In 1836, Karel Emanuel Richter built Villa Richter on the vineyard. In 1945, Villa Richter was confiscated because the Richter family was of German origin. It served as the Cuban embassy for many years. In 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Prague Castle Authority became the owner of Villa Richter and the Saint Wenceslas Vineyard; they were opened to the public in 2008.

Villa Richter now comprises three restaurants and an outdoor wine bar - in the midst of one of the oldest vineyard in the Czech Republic. The Wine Bar offers a unique view of Prague. We sat there in the afternoon, tasted wines from Bohemia and Moravia and enjoyed the view and the atmosphere. The wine list is very educational, with maps and lots of explanations.



Pictures: Outdoor Wine Bistro in Saint Wenceslas Vineyard in Prague

The Wine List

Here is the list of wines you can drink by the glass, with the prices in Krona for a glass and mug of 0.5 liter. At the time of the writing of this posting, 1 US$ equaled 19 Krona, and 1 Euro equaled 1.28 US$.

Mělnická podoblast
Mělničina bílá 2007, Vinařství Kraus 45 Kč, 150 Kč
Mělničina červená 2007, Vinařství Kraus 45 Kč 150 Kč

Litoměřická podoblast
Müller Thurgau, kabinet 2008, Žernosecké vinařství 45 Kč 150 Kč
Svatovařinecké 2007, Žernosecké vinařství 45 Kč 150 Kč

Znojemská podoblast
Ryzlink rýnský 2008, Znovín Znojmo 55 Kč 165 Kč
Cabernet sauvignon Rosé 2008, Znovín Znojmo 55 Kč 165 Kč
Zweigeltrebe 2007 , Znovín Znojmo 55 Kč 165 Kč

Mikulovská podoblast
Veltlínské zelené, pozdní sběr 2007, Sonberk 60 Kč 190 Kč
Rulandské Modré, kabinet2007, Latitude 49, Vinselekt Michlovský 60 Kč 190 Kč

Velkopavlovická podoblast
Ryzlink vlašský 2008, Patria Kobylí 45 Kč 150 Kč
Frankovka rosé 2008, Patria Kobylí 45 Kč 150 Kč
Frankovka kabinet 2007, Latitude 49, Vinselek Michlovský 55 Kč 165 Kč

Slovácká podoblast
Müller thurgau, kabinet 2007, Latitude 49, Vinselek Michlovský 55 Kč 165 Kč
Modrý portugal 2007, Harmony Vinselekt Michlovský 55 Kč 165 Kč

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