On May 29 and 30, 2017, Riesling experts from around the world - top winemakers, representatives from the trade and restaurant sector, and journalists – gathered at Kloster Eberbach in the Rheingau to celebrate, discuss and taste the arguably most noble white grape in the world - Riesling.
The International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau is part of the so-called Riesling Coalition, encompassing 3 major Rieslings events in Germany (International Riesling Symposium), in the US (Riesling Rendezvous) and in Australia (Riesling Downunder). Following this year’s International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau, the Riesling Coalition caravan will travel to Australia next year for the 2018 Riesling Downunder, followed by the Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State, in 2019 and the next International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau in 2020.
4 very interesting lectures, 4 outstanding wine tastings - one in the morning and one in the afternoon of each day - a tour of the Eberbach Monestary, where the conference took place, plus the Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach and a walking wine dinner provided for two fascinating and highly entertaining days around Riesling. Additionally, participants had a chance to visit Weingut Robert Weil, Schloss Johannisberg and Schloss Vollrads on a pre-conference tour on Sunday, before the conference started.
The symposium was attended by about 250 people, including such luminaries as Stuart Pigott from Germany, Willi Bründlmayer from Austria, Helmut Dönnhoff from the Nahe, Ernst Loosen from the Mosel, Anne Trimbach from Domaine Trimbach in Alsace, Jeffrey Grosset of Grosset Wines in Australia and Andrew Hedley of Framingham Wines in New Zealand.. Top winemaker Wilhelm Weil and his Deputy Director Jochen Becker-Köhn orchestrated the two days event.
The conference was organized by the VDP Rheingau and Weingut Weil. The VDP is Germany’s elite winemakers association; it has about 200 members.
For the 2016 Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, see: 5. Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State: Overview
For the 2014 International Riesling Symposium in Germany, see: The 2nd International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau, Germany
For the 2013 Riesling Rendezvous, see: The World of Riesling in Seattle - Fourth Riesling Rendezvous in Washington State, USA
For the 2011 International Riesling Symposium in Germany, see: 1. International Riesling Symposium
Riesling in the World
There are about 47000 hectares planted with Riesling worldwide. Germany – with 22500 hectares – accounts for about half of the total. The second and third largest Riesling producer are the US (mainly Washington State and Finger Lakes Region) with 4800 hectares and Australia with 4100 hectares. But this is only about 1/10 of the total. Alsace follows with 3500 hectares. Alsace, Ukraine and Austria follow with 3500 hectares, 2700 hectares and 1900 hectares, respectively.
Overall, Riesling is really a niche wine, accounting for less than 1 percent of total wine production in the world - but a very special niche wine.
International Riesling Symposium: Monday May 29, 2017
9:30 a.m. Registration and Welcome to the IRS 2017
10:00 a.m. Opening Remarks
10:30 a.m. Lecture Library Hall - Prof. Dr. Andreas Kurth (Hochschule Geisenheim University): Current and future trends on the market for Riesling and the potential profitability of Riesling-specialized estates
11:30 a.m. Coffee Break
11:45 a.m. Wine Tasting Lay Brothers' Dormitory - Moderation: Stuart Pigott (Journalist, New York and Berlin): Preeminent Rieslings from the Old and New Worlds and their Paradigmatic Function in Global Riesling Cultivation
1:30 p.m. Lunch
2:00 p.m. Lecture Library Hall - Prof. Dr. Manfred Stoll Department of General and Organic Viticulture (Hochschule Geisenheim University) Influence of Grapevine Age on Physiological Parameters
3:00 p.m. Coffee Break
3:15 p.m. Wine Tasting Lay Brothers' Dormitory - Moderation: Dieter Greiner (CEO Weingut Kloster Eberbach) and Dr. Daniel Deckers (Editor FAZ, Frankfurt): Kloster Eberbach – Steinberg: A German Grand Cru. Tasting of dry Steinberg wines „from the Cabinet cellar“(1943, 1953, 1964, 2007, 2009, 2015) as well as the 1959 Steinberg vintage (Cabinet, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Edelbeerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese)
5:00 p.m.Tour of Kloster Eberbach, Weingut Hessische Statsweingüter Kloster Eberbach and the Steinberg Vineyard
8:00 p.m. Lay Brothers' Dormitory: Walking Wine Dinner with 5 Star Chefs
Tuesday, 30 May 2017
8:30 a.m. Coffee
9:00 a.m. Lecture Library Hall - Dr. Hermann Pilz, (Editor-in-chief at Weinwirtschaft, Meininger Verlag): Don Quijote the Nobleman, or: Why Oenology is Holding Back the Success of Riesling
10:00 a.m. Coffee Break
10:15 a.m. Wine Tasting Lay Brothers' Dormitory - Moderation: Dirk Würtz (Weingut Balthasar Ress Filling in for Stephan Reinhardt (Journalist, “Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate”)) Great Riesling and its Terroir – Contemplations on the Importance of Origin and the Winemaker’s Signature
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Lecture Library Hall - Dr. Daniel Deckers (Editor FAZ, Frankfurt): Luscious, Seductive, Innocent: The Perception of Hocks and Moselles the 19th Century
2:00 p.m. Coffee Break
2:15 p.m. Wine Tasting Lay Brothers' Dormitory - Moderation: Joel B. Payne, (Journalist, “Gault Millau Wein Guide,” Berlin) "The Aging Potential of Riesling”
4:00 p.m. Coffee Break
(4:15 p.m. Panel Discussions - Moderation: Sascha Speicher, (Editor-in-Chief, Sommelier Magazin, Meininger Verlag, Neustadt) “Riesling – where have we come from … where are we today … where do we want to go?”)
The panel discussion did not take place because of timing problems.
5:30 p.m. Parting Address
Pre-Conference Visits of Weingut Robert Weil, Schloss Johannisberg and Schloss Vollrads on Sunday, May 28, 2017
Many of us accepted Wilhelm Weil’s invitation and joined him on a pre-conference tour. We started out at Weingut Robert Weil with lunch, wine tasting and tour. At Schloss Johannisberg, we were received by the new Managing Director Stefan Doktor and his team. We and his team toured the historic cellar and the vineyards of Schloss Johannisberg with us. From Schloss Johannisberg, we walked about 30 minutes over to Schloss Vollrads. At Schloss Vollrads, we were received by Managing Director Roland Hepp and his Deputy Christine Müller. After touring the estate, the day ended with a wine pairing dinner in the courtyard of Schloss Vollrads.
Start: Weingut Robert Weil
Visit: Schloss Johannisberg
Visit: Schloss Vollrads
Dinner: Schloss Vollrads
Hotel Party
Those of us who stayed at the Kloster Eberbach Hotel got togather on Sunday evening after the retunr to the hotel from the pre-conference tour for an impromptu tasting at the Hotel Lobby, including Christian Schiller, Paula Bosch, Mathias Ganswohl, Christina Fischer, Anette Wabnitz, Paul Truszkowski, Nicole Retter, Sam Hofschuster, Stephanie Toole, Gerhard Wohlmuth and Jeffrey Grosset
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Heads up for the 2017 Tours - to Germany and France - by ombiasy WineTours
Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: From Lyon to Reims - Wine, Food, Culture and History
Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France
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)
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Spreitzer in Oestrich, Rheingau, with Bernd Spreitzer – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Vineyard Walk, Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut Künstler – Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Wine Dinner with Tour at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf in Münster-Sarmsheim, Nahe, with Georg Rumpf – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany
The Annual "Slaughterhouse" Riesling Feast in New York: Rieslingfeier 2017, USA
The 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle: Impressions from the Grand Tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, Washington State, USA
1.International Riesling Symposium: Aging Potential of Riesling – A Wine Tasting at the 1st International Riesling Symposium in Germany Led by Jancis Robinson
Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany
Stepping up: From 3 … to 4 Quality Levels - The New Classification of the VDP, Germany
When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose
German Wine Basics: Sugar in the Grape - Alcohol and Sweetness in the Wine
Approaches to Classifying German Wine: The Standard Approach (the Law of 1971), the VDP Approach and the Zero Classification Approach
Riesling, Pinot Noir and Indian Cuisine: A tête-à-tête Dinner with Winemaker Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at Rasika in Washington DC, USA
In the Steinberg, Eberbach Abbey, Rheingau, Germany
Top 10 Riesling Producers in the World – Snooth 2012
The German Winemakers at the 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, USA
Austria at the 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, USA
Steffen Christmann (Weingut A. Christmann) and Wilhelm Weil (Weingut Robert Weil) Presented the New Wine Classification of the VDP, Germany
No comments:
Post a Comment