The Best German Red Wines - Deutscher Rotweinpreis 2016 (German Red Wine Awards 2016)

Picture: Tasting at Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg in Dernau, Ahr, with Owners/ Winemakers Ludwig Kreuzberg and Frank Josten

The annual German Red Wine Competition (Deutscher Rotweinpreis), organized by the international wine magazine Vinum, exists since 1987. At that time, German red wine accounted for only about 15 percent of German wine production. Today, we are well over 35 percent. And not only the vineyard area planted with red grapes has expanded dramatically, but also the quality has improved considerably. Today, German red wine can compete with any red wine in the world, I believe. As a result, German red wines are increasingly appearing in the international wine market. Of course, given its location, they tend to be not like the fruity red wines we know from warmer countries, but lean and more elegant, with a lot of finesse.

This year, over 1300 wines were submitted for the competition. The wines were grouped into 8 categories.

26 German red wine producers were asked to enter the stage at the award ceremony of the 30th German Red Wine Award, which took place in the Fellbach “Alte Kelter” a few weeks ago. With 9 producers, the Pfalz was the most successful region, followed by Württemberg with 7 producers, Baden with 4 producers, Rheinhessen and the Ahr region with 3 producers each.

Picture: At the Ceremony in the Fellbach "Alte Keller" (Photo: Facebook)

PINOT NOIR

Two Winners

2013 Pinot Noir Réserve Pfalz – Weingut Bernhard Koch, Hainfeld
2014 Meersburg Mocken „3 Lilien“ Baden – Weingut Aufricht, Meersburg-Stetten




Pictures: Tasting Room, Christian G.E.Schiller with Manfred Aufricht and View of the Aufricht Estate and Vineyard with Lake Constance. See: The Lake Wines of the Aufricht Brothers, from Lake Constance in Germany

3. Place

2012 Oppenheimer Herrenberg Réserve Rheinhessen – Weingut Manz, Weinolsheim
2013 Laumersheimer Kirschgarten Pfalz – Weingut Zelt, Laumersheim
2013 Burggarten „R“ Ahr – Weingut Burggarten, Heppingen

CUVÈES

Winner

2011 AnnA Baden – Weingut Seeger, Leimen

2. Place

2014 „Chapelle“ Baden – Weingut Martin Wassmer, Bad Krozingen-Schlatt

3. Place

2009 „Zeitreise“ Pfalz – Weingut Darting, Bad Dürkheim

INTERNATIONAL CLASSIC​S

Winner

2014 Syrah Heiligenberg Pfalz – Weingut Stachel, Maikammer

2. Place

2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Kalkgestein Pfalz – Weingut Siegrist, Leinsweiler

3. Place

2011 Merlot Réserve Rheinhessen – Weingut Braunewell, Essenheim

LEMBERGER

Winner

2013 ***Württemberg – Weinmanufaktur Untertürkheim

2. Place

2011 „X“ Württemberg – Weingut G.A. Heinrich, Heilbronn

3.Place

2012 Fellbacher Lämmler „P“ Großes Gewächs Württemberg – Fellbacher Weingärtner

GERMAN CLASSIC​S

Winner

2012 Frühburgunder Marienthaler Rosenberg Ahr – Weingut Peter Kriechel, Ahrweiler

2. Place

2013 St. Laurent Réserve Pfalz – Weingut Philipp Kuhn, Laumersheim

3. Place

2014 Frühburgunder Hardtberg Großes Gewächs Ahr – Weingut Kreuzberg, Dernau

Pictures: We visited Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg during the Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016. See: Tasting at Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg in Dernau, Ahr, with Ludwig Kreuzberg and Frank Josten – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016

UNDERSTATED VARIETIES
​
Two Winners

2012 Portugieser Rheinhessen – Weingut Mett & Weidenbach, Ingelheim
2014 Pinot Meunier Pfalz – Weingut Metzger, Grünstadt-Asselheim

3. Place

2011 Wildmuskat Auslese Württemberg – Weingut Amalienhof, Heilbronn

NOBLE SWEET

Winner

2015 St. Laurent/Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir Beerenauslese Pfalz – Weingut Frey, Essingen

2. Place

2015 Pinot Noir Blanc de Noir Beerenauslese Britzinger Sonnenhole Baden – Winzergenossenschaft Britzingen

3. Platz

2015 Wein aus getrockneten Trauben (Lemberger) Württemberg – Weingärtner Cleebronn-Güglingen

NEW VARIETIES

Winner

2012 Zweigelt „Passion“ Württemberg – Weingut Karl Haidle, Kernen-Stetten

2. Place

2013 Dornfelder Divinus Württemberg – Weinkonvent Dürrenzimmern

3. Place

1991 Dornfelder „Philipp Bassler“ Pfalz – Winzergenossenschaft Weinbiet, Neustadt-Mussbach

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)

Tasting at Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg in Dernau, Ahr, with Ludwig Kreuzberg and Frank Josten – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016

The Lake Wines of the Aufricht Brothers, from Lake Constance in Germany