With his weekly column in the New York Times, Eric Asimov is one of the most influential wine crities in the USA. A few weeks ago, on May 3, 2018, he issued an article about dry German Rieslings. With the American consumer only slowly discovering the "New Germany", which is red, dry and sparkling (See: The New Germany – Red, Dry, Sparkling: German Wine Society Tasting, led by Annette Schiller, at Restaurant Old Europe in Washington D), this was a very welcome article. Unfortunately, Eric Asimov does not seem to be fully on top of what is going on in Germany in terms of wines.
Germany is moving to a terroir-based classification, similar to the one of Burgundy, away from the ripeness-of-the-grapes-at-harvest-based classification of the German Wine Law of 1971. This has nothing to do with simplifying the German system of wine labels. It is driven by climate change, which is transforming Germany - in terms of the ripeness of the grapes at harvest - from a marginal producer to a mainstream producer. Getting the grapes ripe in Germany's vineyards has moved from being the central to a side issue. As a result, the terroir has moved to the front and the sweetness of the grapes at harvest has moved to the back. The new terroir-based classification reflects these developments during the past few decades.
Leading the push towards a new classification is the VDP, the association of about 200 elite producers in Germany. The VDP has designed a Burgudny-style classification for its members, which, like in Burgundy, comprises 4 quality levels: Gutswein, Ortswein, Erste Lage, Grosse Lage - Bourgogne, Villlage, Premier Cru, Grand Cru. Within each category, you have different sweetness levels of the wine: Trocken, Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, etc, with Kabinett being sweeter than Trocken, Spätlese being sweeter than Kabinett, etc. The Grosses Gewächs (GG) is the Trocken wine from a Grosse Lage vineyard. In fact, the term is redundant - Grosse Lage Trocken should suffice - but has become very popular among German wine lovers.
This classification applies to both sweet-style and dry wines (and not only to dry wines as the Asimow article implies) as well as to white wines and to red wines. It is supposed to be a comprehensive classification.
The large majority of non-VDP producers, in particular the young producers, are following the lead of the VDP. Most commen is a 3-tier classification with Gutswein, Ortswein and Lagenwein - Estate Wine, Village Wine and Single Vineyard Wine.
I have written quite a bit about the new German classificatio system, which is evolving. It is work in progress. The next step is probably a reform of the German Wine Law of 1971, with a view of bringing it in line with what the VDP is doing.
Certainly, this is not an issue of simplifying the German labeling.
Here is Eric Asimov's article:
2016 Dry German Rieslings: Graceful, Resonant, Delicious
By ERIC ASIMOV MAY 3, 2018
People have complained forever about the complexity of German wine labels. Aside from the unfamiliarity of the language, the terminology is used almost nowhere else and does not always make intuitive sense.
Paradoxically, the traditional labels have a precision to them that, if you take the time to learn the lingo, communicates almost exactly what is in the bottle. But that did not prevent complaints.
So over the years, the German wine authorities and individual producers have tried to simplify things. Many producers now either use brand names for their moderately priced bottles, which cuts through the jargon, or at least have eliminated the gothic fonts that made labels hard to decipher even for those who were able to translate the meaning.
The rise of dry riesling in Germany over the last 20 years gave the authorities an additional incentive to make wine labels friendlier to the public. Rather than seize this chance, the Germans appear to have made their labeling rules even more confusing.
It used to be that those seeking dry German rieslings needed to keep an eye out for the word “trocken,” which means dry. But many producers, not without good reason, wanted to make distinctions between the quality of vineyard sites, so they created a Burgundy-inspired overlay that might at least suggest a geographical hierarchy for dry wines.
The problem is, the newer terminology is not consistent through all German regions. Many producers who belong to certain growers’ associations have adopted the term “grosses gewächs” to indicate dry wines from individual vineyards deemed exceptional. But that phrase is not employed in the Rheingau region, where the preferred term is “erstes gewächs.”
Meanwhile, erstes gewächs should not be confused with “erste lage,” which indicates wines from sites that aspire to grosses gewächs status but have yet to earn the designation. Nor should grosses gewächs be confused with “grosse lage,” indicating wines from top sites that are not dry. And definitely don’t confuse grosse lage with grosslage, an old term meaning that a wine comes from several vineyards in a particular town rather than one vineyard, or einzellage.
Not surprisingly, many producers choose to use the simpler trocken designation.
Perhaps it is unfair sport to remark on the confusing nature of German wine labels. But I mention it because the wine panel recently tasted 20 bottles of dry German riesling from the largely excellent 2016 vintage. The tasting was blind, which spared us from the daunting label verbiage. But anybody examining the list of our 10 favorites will require a decoding device.
For the tasting, Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Sabra Lewis, beverage director at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. We usually aim for two guests, but our second was a casualty of the New York region’s dysfunctional transit system, so we went ahead with just the three of us.
Although Germany’s sweet rieslings are singular and among the treasures of the wine world, its dry rieslings can be equally wonderful and are likewise unlike those from anywhere else.
Rieslings from Austria generally feel firmer, denser and more penetrating, while those from Alsace are altogether bigger and more voluminous.
If I can speak generally about dry German rieslings, which can vary considerably depending on which region they come from, they are often far more delicate in texture than the others, precise and jewel-like rather than rich.
By many accounts, difficult weather made the 2016 vintage tough to manage for many growers, but it produced wines of exceptional balance that amplify many of the best traits of dry German rieslings. The wines we liked best were deep and profoundly mineral, while also resonant and refreshing.
What do I mean by resonant? These are wines that feel three-dimensional in the mouth. They have length — their flavors proceed in a linear fashion and last long after you swallow — and depth, which suggests the sort of complexity that makes you want to taste the wine again and again in an effort to unravel the flavors.
But these are also young wines, and the more ambitious among them will benefit from aging five to 10 years to allow these complexities to uncoil while mellowing the rippling acidity. Sabra wondered whether some of them would ever relax, and suggested that maybe 20 years would do it. I don’t think it will take that long, but the best of these wines are well worth giving some time.
Not all of the wines were exceptional, however. Balance was sometimes an issue. We rejected some wines that were overbearingly acidic — punishingly tart and lacking charm. That’s an old complaint about dry German rieslings, and one I was surprised to find might still have legitimacy.
The good far outweighed the bad, however. Sabra called it a transparent vintage, meaning that the wines were quite expressive of their terroirs. And we found some excellent values, wines that are delicious right now. Top among them was our best value, a trocken from Schloss Mühlenhof in Rheinhessen — juicy, zesty and, if not complex, immensely satisfying, and just $13 for a liter.
Right behind it was the Blauschiefer trocken from Stein in the Mosel, likewise lively, juicy and stony and just $19, albeit for a 750-milliliter bottle.
While lovely bottles, these two predictably lacked the depth and nuance of our top (and more expensive) wines. Our No. 1 bottle was the Forster Ungeheuer grosses gewächs from von Winning in the Pfalz. Earthy, lively and multidimensional, the wine is a pleasure to drink now, but will get even better with time.
If, by the way, you ever want to read some entertaining promotional wine writing, check out von Winning’s American importer, Terry Theise, who describes this wine in his 2017 catalog like this: “firm and caramelly, shiitakes, goose fat, but all in a heaving jiggling orgy of hedonism and licentiousness.” I’m afraid multidimensional is all you will get from me.
No. 2 was the Lorcher Krone from Eva Fricke in the Rheingau, tightly coiled yet graceful and full of energy. Our No. 3 bottle was the Dalsheim Hubacker grosses gewächs from Keller in Rheinhessen, rich and succulent, with apricot and mineral flavors.
Just behind these wines were the stony, tangy Haardter Herrenletten from Müller-Catoir in the Pfalz, the balanced energetic Maximin Klosterlay erste lage from Carl Loewen in the Mosel and the fresh, floral Dhroner Hofberg from A.J. Adam in the Mosel. Also well worth noting were the Marienburg Fahrlay grosses gewächs from Clemens Busch in the Mosel and the “Detonation” from Immich-Batterieberg, also in the Mosel.
It’s important to emphasize that this was a fragmentary tasting, simply a cross-section of the 2016 vintage. We did not have many bottles from the Nahe region, where the ’16s have been especially lauded; and in a land of many small producers, you can look well beyond our top 10 to find wonderful bottles.
Just know that they are well worth seeking out. And, if you are uncertain about which words indicate that a wine is dry beyond the all-purpose trocken, the alcohol level is often a dead giveaway. The sweet wines, in which all the sugar in the juice was not converted to alcohol in fermentation, are usually less than 10 percent alcohol. These dry bottles were 11.5 to 13 percent.
Tasting Dry German Rieslings
★★★½ Von Winning Pfalz Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2016 $56
Lively and multidimensional, with complex aromas and flavors of spices, citrus and earth. (Terry Theise Estate Selections/Skurnik Wines, New York)
★★★½ Eva Fricke Rheingau Lorcher Krone Riesling Trocken 2016 $60
Graceful, tightly coiled and energetic, with aromas and flavors of flowers, citrus and minerals. (Bonhomie Wine Imports, South Orange, N.J.)
★★★ Keller Rheinhessen Dalsheim Hubacker Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2016 $90
Rich, deep and succulent, with aromas and flavors of apricots and minerals. (Petit Pois/Sussex Wines, Moorestown, N.J.)
★★★ Müller-Catoir Pfalz Haardter Herrenletten Riesling Trocken 2016 $44
Stony, fresh and resonant, with tangy, earthy, herbal flavors. (Terry Theise Estate Selections/Skurnik Wines, New York)
★★★ Carl Loewen Mosel Maximin Klosterlay Riesling Trocken Erste Lage 2016 $28
Great balance and energy, with aromas and flavors of wet rocks, lime and apple. (Terry Theise Estate Selections/Skurnik Wines, New York)
★★★ A.J. Adam Mosel Dhroner Hofberg Trocken 2016 $67
Fresh and floral, with balanced flavors of peaches and minerals. (Terry Theise Estate Selections/Skurnik Wines, New York)
Best Value: ★★½ Schloss Mühlenhof Rheinhessen Riesling Trocken 2016 one liter, $13
Fresh, juicy and zesty, with spicy flavors of citrus and peach. (Savio Soares Selections, Brooklyn)
★★½ Stein Mosel Blauschiefer Riesling Trocken 2016 $19
Lively and juicy, with flavors of peach, orange and wet stones. (Vom Boden, Brooklyn)
★★½ Clemens Busch Mosel Marienburg Fahrlay Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2016 $71
Fresh and delineated, with aromas and flavors of minerals, flowers and citrus. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York)
★★½ Immich-Batterieberg Mosel Riesling Trocken “Detonation” 2016 $28
Zesty, with aromas and flavors of citrus, salt and flowers. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York)
schiller-wine: Related Postings
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Ombiasy Wine Tours 2018: 3 x France and 3 x Germany - Ombiasy Newsletter December 2017
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