Friday, February 10, 2012

The Films ... and the Wines ... of the Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival) 2012, Germany

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller with Johannes and Christoph Thoerle, Weingut Thoerle in Saulheim. The 2010 Saulheimer Silvaner trocken; Alte Reben; Winzerhof Thörle; Rheinhessen is one of the 18 German Wines Selected for the 2012 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin. For more on Winzerhof Thoerle see: Surprising the World with their Pinot Noir: Johannes and Christoph Thoerle, Winzerhof Thoerle, Rheinhessen, Germany

The 62th Berlin International Film Festival, also called the Berlinale, started on Thursday, February 9, 2012. It is one of the world's leading film festivals.

British film director Mike Leigh is the Jury President of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival. The other members of the International Jury are Anton Corbijn, Asghar Farhadi, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jake Gyllenhaal, François Ozon, Boualem Sansal and Barbara Sukowa. Mike Leigh has made a name for himself as one of the most outstanding filmmakers of auteur cinema and protagonists of New British Cinema. Leigh portrays British society in a bluntly realistic but humorous manner. His films have received countless international awards and Oscar nominations.

The Films

In total, 18 films will be vying for the Golden and Silver Bears in the Berlinale Palast. A total of 23 films will be showing in the Competition program. There will also be two special screenings in the Berlinale Palast.

The full list below:

A moi seule (Coming Home), directed by Frederic Videau (France)
Aujord'hui (Tey), directed by Alain Gomis (France, Senegal)
Bai iu yuan (White Deer Plain), directed by Wang Quan'an (China)
Barbara, directed by Christian Petzold (Germany)
Bel Ami, directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Oremerod (UK) - out of competition
Captive, directed by Brillante Mendoz (France, Philippines, Germany, UK)
Cesare deve morire (Caesar Must Die), directed by Paolo & Vittorio Taviani (Italy)
Csak a szei (Just The Wind), directed by Bence Fliegauf (Hungary, Germany, France)
Dictado (Childish Games), directed by Nikolaj Arcel (Denmark, Czech, Sweden, Germany)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, directed by Stephen Daldry (USA) - out of competition
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, directed by Tsui Hark (China, Hong Kong) - out of competition
Gnade (Mercy), directed by Matthias Glasner (Germany, Norway)
Haywire, directed by Steven Soderbergh (USA) - special screening
Jayne Mansfield's Car, directed by Billy Bob Thronton (USA)
Jin ling Shi San Chai (The Flowers of War), directed by Zhang Yimou (China) - out competition
Kebun binatang (Postcards From The Zoo), directed by Edwin (Indonesia, Germany, Hong Kong, China)
L'enfant d'en haut (Sister), directed by Ursala Meier (Switzerland, France)
Les adieux a la Reine (Farwell My Queen), directed by Benoit Jacquot (France)
Meteora, directed by Spiros Stathoulopoulos (Germany, Greece)
Rebelle (War Witch), directed by Kim Nguyen (Canada)
Shadow Dancer, directed by James Marsh (UK, Ireland) - out of competition
Tabu, directed by Miguel Gomes (Portugal, Germany, Brazil, France)
The Iron Lady, directed by Phyllida Lloyd (UK) - special screening
Was bleibt (Home For The Weekend), directed by Hans-Christian Schmid (Germany)

The Wines

In terms of wine,18 German white and red wine have been selected for the Berlinale 2012, to showcase German wine at the various events of the Berlinale. Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves and Meryl Streep, to name a few of the attending film stars, will have a choice of these wines. This is an initiative of the DWI (Deutsches Wein Institut).

The Berlinale selection does not include any noble-sweet wines, nor any sweet Spaetlese or Auslese wines. All wines are trocken - dry. Well, although German wine is often associated with some sweetness, Germany drinks dry. "We only produce sweet-style wines for the Export market" said Armin Diel of Weingut Diel in the Nahe region.

Many of the wines selected for the Berlinale 2012 are in the QbA category, which accounts for almost 50 percent of German wine. QbA wines can be chaptalised and are excellent party wines.

About half a dozen wines come from wine co-operatives, of which there are many in Germany and which are known in Germany to produce excellent table and also premium wines at reasonable prices, but which are completely unknown outside of the borders of Germany, because they do not export.

Riesling and Spaetburgunder dominate the wine list, both well known in the world, but there are also othre grape varities, like Weisburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Silvaner. Germany has undergone a red wine revolution in recent years. See: The Tim Atkin Pinot Noir Taste-Off of October 2011: Germany Versus the Rest of the World - German Red Wines Show Strong Performance

In general, Germany's top wine producers are absent from this list, but there are thousands and thousands of winemakers in Germany, who produce excellent wines, just a bit below the top wine makers, but also at a very high level of quality.

The full list below:

BADEN WÜRTTEMBERG

2009 Sasbacher Rote Halde, Spätburgunder Rotwein Spätlese trocken, Winzergenossenschaft Sasbach, Baden
2008 Spätburgunder trocken, Reserve, Collegium Wirtemberg, Württemberg
2009 Spätburgunder Rotwein, Qualitätswein trocken, Weingut Villa Heynburg, Kappelrodeck, Baden
2009 Lemberger trocken, Signum II, Weingärtner Brackenheim, Württemberg
2010 Durbacher Plauelrain, Klingelberger (Riesling), Spätlese trocken, Durbacher Winzergenossenschaft,Baden
2009 Trollinger trocken ***, Weinmanufaktur Untertürkheim, Württemberg
2010 Edition "Peter Steger", Weißer Burgunder QbA trocken, Badischer Winzerkeller eG, Baden
2010 Justinus K. trocken, Collegium Wirtemberg, Württemberg
2009 Oberbergener Bassgeige, Spätburgunder Rotwein trocken Edition TT, Winzergenossenschaft Oberbergen, Baden
2010 Riesling trocken ***, Weinmanufaktur, Untertürkheim, Württemberg

MOSELPFALZ

2010 Bernkasteler Lay, Riesling Spätlese trocken,Weingut Stiftung St. Nikolaus-Hospital
2010 Weißburgunder trocken, Weingut Lucashof, Pfalz
2010 Lieserer Niederberg Helden, Riesling Kabinett trocken, "Goldschild",Moselland eG, Mosel
2009 "Z" Rotwein trocken, Oliver Zeter, Pfalz
2010 "1838" Rotwein-Cuvèe trocken Creation,Weingut Bergdolt-Reif & Nett, Pfalz

RHEINHESSEN

2008 Ludwigshöher Honigberg; Spätburgunder trocken; Weingut Lamberth; Rheinhessen
2010 Saulheimer Silvaner trocken; Alte Reben; Winzerhof Thörle; Rheinhessen
2010 Siefersheimer Heerkretz; Silvaner trocken  Selection Rheinhessen; Weingut Alte Schmiede; Rheinhessen

schiller-wine: Related Postings

A Pinot Noir Star: Visiting August Kesseler and his Weingut August Kesseler in Assmannshausen, Germany

Visiting Weingut Josef Leitz in Ruedesheim – Johannes Leitz is Germany’s Winemaker of the Year, Gault

Millau WeinGuide 2011 Impressions from the Riesling and Co World Tour 2010 in New York

When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose

Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany

The Tim Atkin Pinot Noir Taste-Off of October 2011: Germany Versus the Rest of the World - German Red Wines Show Strong Performance 

Surprising the World with their Pinot Noir: Johannes and Christoph Thoerle, Winzerhof Thoerle, Rheinhessen, Germany

2 comments:

  1. Dr. Schiller, I am really enjoying your blog. It's a wonderful resource for us, as my husband and I write a wine column for The Evansville Courier and Press. Do you know anything about gewurztraminer from Kloster? I wish I had more information, but I had a glass of this at an Indian restaurant and the menu listing was not more specific. I've been able to trace it to Eberbach Abbey and Hessische Staatsweinguter GmbH Kloster Eberbach, but much of the information is off-limits to me (unfortunately, I don't speak German.) Do you have any information that would be helpful to us? I'd appreciate any guidance as we'd like to make sure the column is correct. Thank you.

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  2. Hi Greg and Victoria - I do not think that the wine was from Kloster Eberbach in the Rheingau region because Kloster Eberbach does not produce Gewuerztraminer. Kloster is the German word for abbey and the wine must have been made by an abbey winery - like Kloster Eberbach - in a German speaking region. Could also have been Kloster Neustift in Brixen in the German speaking part of Italy. Or was it a German abbey? But Gewurztraminer is not that widespread in Germany. Please let me know if I can be of further help. Cheers. Christian

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