Sunday, March 31, 2019

Tasting at Maison Clusel-Roche in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie, Northern Rhône - Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

Pitures: Tasting at Maison Clusel-Roche in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie, Northern Rhône - Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

Maison Clusel-Roche is a very small, family-owned, highly regarded estate with 20 acres of vineyards of which 12 acres are in the Côte Rôtie, 2,5 in Condrieu and 5,5 in the Coteaux du Lyonnais (a not well-known appellation between Lyon and Côte Rôtie where plantings are Gamay and the wine is similar to a Beaujolais). Currently, the fourth generation, Guillaume Clusel, is managing the estate together with his parents Gilbert Clusel and Brigitte Roch.

Since 2014 Guillaume also purchases some grapes from certified organic growers he has faith in to broaden his portfolio and to make up for some small vintages, thus converting the “Domaine” to a “Maison”.

Guillaime Clusel: „For as long as we can remember, farming has always been a part of our family history; in the past we specialized in vegetable growing and presently we are winegrowers. Today, we are both enthusiastic farmers and devoted winemakers. Our passion for the soil, the vines, good wine and good food, gives us the strength to keep our terroir alive and develop our family heritage. It leads us to grow and make wine in the most natural way possible, whether on the vertiginous slopes of the Côte Rôtie or on the gentle hillsides of the Coteaux du Lyonnais.”

Pitures: Maison Clusel-Roche in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie

Clusel-Roche
(http://www.charlesnealselections.com)

Domaine Clusel-Roch started as Domaine Clusel, founded by the René Clusel, who began bottling his wine in 1969. At the time, René Clusel had but 1 hectare of vineyard along with many hectares of apricot trees.

One of his holdings was a tiny parcel on Les Grandes Places, a lieux-dits in the center of the slope above the hamlet of Verenay in northern Ampuis. The vines had been planted by his father Baptiste Clusel before World War II. During the seventies, the wines of Côte Rôtie did not have the reputation that they have now, but René's wines were always appreciated by connoisseurs.

René's son Gilbert decided to continue in his father's winemaking footsteps and completed his enological studies in 1977. The domaine, however, was too small to provide income for two families. Gilbert consequently chose to rent some vineyards and begin producing his own wine, while at the same time helping his father both in the vineyards and in the chai.

Still the vineyard surface was miniscule. At only about .25 hectares, the first vintage in 1980 produced only 1,000 bottles! Little by little, Gilbert rented more land and began to give value to the fifty-year-old vines that had been abandoned while at the same time planting new vines. Finally, in 1986, his holdings reached 2 1/2 hectares, although not all of those vines were yet in production.

The Marriage of Clusel & Roch

When René Clusel retired in 1987, his vines were taken over by Gilbert. For the first time, the parcel in Les Grandes Places was bottled separately. Two years later Domaine Clusel became Domaine Clusel-Roch, incorporating the name of both partners, Gilbert Clusel and his wife Brigitte Roch. This also gave the domaine an identity of its own.

Today the property remains tiny: Just 3.5 hectares in Côte Rôtie and 1/2 hectare in Condrieu. The chai, built in 1992 in Verenay, is attached to their house and just next to the house of René Clusel. Being on the side of the sloped hill of Côte Rôtie allows Gilbert and Brigitte to take advantage of gravity and naturally treat their fruit gently by avoiding the usage of pumps at vinification time.

Going Organic

After ten years of experimenting with their various parcels, the domaine officially converted to organic farming in 2002. The vines themselves are planted on terrasses along Côte Rôtie. Two pieces of wood are tied above the vine helping them to resist the often violent winds.

The vines are cultivated while respecting the land. The work is for the most part manual — no chemical fertilizers are used. Instead the soil is tilled by hand with picks, hoes and hand-plows. Medicinal herbs are used to prevent maladies.

Côte Brun Soils

The Côte Rôtie vines are located in the northern part of the appellation facing southeast over the Rhône River. This area is known as the Côte Brun, as opposed to the south called the Côte Blonde. The soil includes decomposed schist, also known as l'Arzel, containing black and white mica. The black mica has faded to dark brown, which in turn has given it the Côte Brune name.

This schist descends about half a metre. The roots of the vines, however, actually descend several metres deeper. At this depth, the vines pick up certain nutrients that add to the Côte Rôtie taste.

Clusel-Roch Vines

About a third of the Clusel-Roch vineyards have vines more than thirty years old. The rest are of vines less than twenty years old.

To best express the qualities of the vineyard, the domaine only replants grapes from their own selection of Serines (the traditional Syrah plant of Ampuis). For the plantings after 1990, the grapes come from their own nursery on their property and are grafted from their vines in Les Grandes Places. According to Gilbert, these vines are less productive and give more complex aromas than the modern selections. Roughly 4% percent Viognier vines are interspersed among the Syrah.

Pictures: Tasting

Harvest & Production

During September, the maturity is analyzed both scientifically and by tasting the actual grapes. The harvest is manual, in small cases with a capacity of 25 kg. An initial selection is performed in the vineyard. When the grapes arrive in the chai, the leaves are removed and partially destemmed. The yield is relatively low — about 35 hl / ha or about half a bottle per vine.

The press is an old vertical press, which is very gentle and helps give the wine additional finesse. The vinification is classic, with punch downs, pump overs and temperature control. This fermentation normally lasts two to three weeks, depending upon the vintage.

The wine is then placed in barrels, with the press juice kept separate until the malolactic fermentation. The barrels have their origin in Burgundy, at Maison Sirugue in Nuit-St.George, with origins in Allier, Nièvre and Bourgogne. About 20% new oak is used each year, the rest in second-, third- and fourth-use oak. The barrels are lightly toasted after three years of air drying. The point is not for the oak to dominate the wine but to marry harmoniously with the final product.

Gilbert and Guilhaume Clusel

Two thirds of the Condrieu is fermented in barrel, while the rest is raised in stainless steel. Like with the Côte Rôtie, no yeasts are added to the must. Instead, only indigenous yeasts are used which further allow the vineyard to express itself.

The élevage lasts two years for the Côte Rôtie, and one year for the Condrieu. The Côte Rôtie is racked four or five times during this time. These racking help to clarify the wine so that it can be bottled without fining or filtration.

Annual production at Domaine Clusel-Roch is about 15,000 bottles a year.

Tasting

We tasted 5 wines.


2017 Clusel-Roch Coteau du Lyonnais Traboules

Vineyard: 3.8 ha in the south of the appellation, near the communes of Millery and Orliénas. The soils are glacial moraines and some granitic areas.

Blend: 100% Gamay, the average age of vines is 30 years old.

Viticulture & Vinifcation: Certified organic. Harvest and sorting is done by hand. The grapes are partially de-stemmed and put into tanks with about one third whole-cluster. Fermentation is carried out by indigenous yeasts. The extraction is very gentle. The wine is aged for 6 months in stainless steel tanks.


2017 Clusel-Roch Coteaux du Lyonnais Galet

Vineyard: 1 ha in La Petite Gallée and Rochipel. The soils are glacial moraines and some granitic areas.

Blend: 100% Gamay, the average age of vines is 40 years old.

Viticulture & Vinifcation: Certified organic. Harvest and sorting is done by hand. The grapes are partially de-stemmed and crushed before being put into tanks. Fermentation is carried out by indigenous yeasts. The extraction is very gentle.The wine is aged for 12 months in 2-3 year old barrels.


2017 Clusel-Roch Rouge Serine Vin de France

Terroir : Les vignes sont situées sur la commune de Chavanay et Millery. les sols sont granitiques . L’exposition est Sud-est. Ces vignes sont relati-vement plates.

Superficie : 0.8 ha

Cépage : Syrah majoritaire

Age des vignes : 30 ans en moyenne

Travail des vignes : Les vignes sont cultivées le plus naturellement possible. La densité est de plus de cinq mille ceps à l’hectare. En hiver, les sols restent naturellement enherbés. Les vignes sont palissées assez haut et taillé en cordons de Royat ou gobelet. Les sols sont travaillés au printemps et en été. Il n’y a pas d’engrais chimiques, mais des fumiers compostés, et les traitements sont très modérés, sans insecticides ni pro-duit chimique de synthèse.

Vinifications : Les vendanges se font à la main. Un tri soigné est effectué à la vigne par les vendangeurs. Arrivés au chai, les raisins sont encuvés par gravité; ils sont partiellement égrappés. Un tiers reste en grappe en-tière. La fermentation est faite avec les levures indigènes. Nous mainte-nons une température modérée pour une extraction tout en douceur. Nous décuvons après deux à trois semaines suivant dégustation.

Elevage : 1 an en fûts.

Production annuelle : environ 3000 bouteilles/an

Garde et apogée :Ils peuvent être bus dès la mise en bouteille, afin de pro-fiter pleinement de leurs arômes de jeunesse, mais peuvent aussi se gar-der quatre ou cinq ans.

Dégustation : Ce sont des vins friands, avec une certaine charpente, un beau nez de fruits noirs et d’épice. Accord mets et vins : un mâchon de charcuterie Lyonnaise, une belle viande grillée, un barbecue, un fromage de chèvre.


2017 Clusel-Roch Saint-Joseph

Terroir : Our Saint-Joseph comes from the northern part of the Saint-Joseph appellation. The slopes are south-east The soil are made of granite, which are very hot and filtering.

Surface area : 0.5 hectares.

Grape variety : 100 % Syrah

Age of vines : 30 years.

Work on the vines : We tend and cultivate our vines in the most natural way possible. The planting density is six thousand vine stocks per hectare. In the winter, the land is left untouched and grass grows naturally. The soils are farmed in the spring and the summer. Instead of using chemical fertilisers, it’s used composted manure. The vines are treated moderately.

Winemaking : The grape harvest is done manually using small containers. The grapes are carefully chosen and picked by the harvesters. When the crop arrives at the wine cellar the grapes are then vatted by gravity and are partially destemmed. The fermentation process takes place with natural yeasts. During the winemaking process a series of procedures take place: pigeages which is punching of the cap and remontages which is pumping over the fermenting wine from the bottom of the cask back to the top. A moderate temperature is maintained ensuring a gentle extraction of aromas and tannins. Depending on the wine tasting results, devatting takes place after 3 to 4 weeks.

Ageing : 1 year in oak barrels (volume of the barrel is 228 litres)

Annual production : approximately 2000 bottles a year.

Ageing potential : The wines can be drunk early on, during the year after bottling, to appreciate the fresh emerging aromas or can be kept a few years.

Wine tasting : Fine, elegant wines revealing quite a strong tannin structure. Flavours of red and black fruits, spices.

Food and wine pairing : charcuterie of the Pilat area, good quality grilled meat, a leg of lamb.


2016 Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie Les Schistes

Wine-searcher average price in US$: 51

Vineyard: 3.5 ha in the lieu-dits of “Viallière”, “Champon”, and “le Plomb.” The soils are ferrous mica schist.

Blend: Over 95% Syrah from selection massale and around 5% Viognier that is co-planted. The average vine age is 20 years old.

Viticulture & Vinification: Certified organic—harvest and sorting is done by hand. Grapes are put into tank by gravity, partially de-stemmed, and fermented with their indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged for 2 years in oak barrels (15% new) with no filtration before bottling.


Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France (Already Released and Forthcoming Postings)

Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

Rhône Valley Tour December 2017: From Lyon to Avignon - Wine, Food, Culture, History

Understanding the Wines of the Rhône Valley: The Classification - AOC/ Vin de Pay/ Vin de France

The Rhône Wine Region in Southern France and its Wines: History, Classification, Northern and Southern Rhône

Cellar Tasting, including from Barrel, at Domaine Éric Texier in Charney, with Laurence Texier - Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

Dinner at Le Bouchon des Filles in Lyon - Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

Dinner at a Bouchon - Chez Paul - in Lyon: Schiller’s Favorite Bouchons in Lyon, France

Cellar Tour, Tasting and Vineyard Drive at E. Guigal in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie, Northern Rhône - Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

Tasting at Maison Clusel-Roche in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie, Northern Rhône

Tasting at Domaine Georges Vernay in Condrieu, Northern Rhône, with Paul Ansellem-Vernay

Dinner with Matching Wines at Restaurant Beau Rivage in Condrieu, Northern Rhône

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Maison Delas-Frères in Saint Jean de Muzols – Saint Joseph, Northern Rhône, with Director Bruno Gonnet

Lunch at Restaurant La Grappe d’Or in Saint-Péray, Northern Rhône

Tasting at Domaine Jean Luc Colombo in Cornas, Northern Rhône

Vineyard Walk and Tasting at Paul Jaboulet Aîné in Tain-l’Hermitage, Hermitage, Northern Rhône

Cellar Tasting at Domaine Laurent Habrard in Gervans, Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhône, with Owner/ and Winemaker Laurent Habrad

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Combier in Pont de l’Isère, Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhône, with Owner/ Winemaker Laurent Combier

Lunch at La Grand Table de Michel Chabran, 1 Star Michelin, in Pont d l’Isère

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Les Bruyères in Beaumont-Monteux, Northern Rhône, with Owner/ Winemaker David  Reynaud

Winemaker Dinner with David Reynaud, Domaine les Bruyeres, Crozes-Hermitage in the Rhone Valley, at Chef Bart Vandaele's BToo in Washington DC, USA/ France

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine La Martinelle in Lafare, Ventoux, Southern Rhône, with Owner/ Winemaker Corinna Kruse Faravel

Lunch at Restaurant Le Mesclun in Séguret, Southern Rhône

Cellar Tour and Tasting, including from Barrel, at Domaine Marcel Richaud in Cairanne, Southern Rhône, with Owner/ Winemaker Claire Richaud

Tasting at Domaine de Cabasse, Séguret, Southern Rhône, with Owner/ Winemaker Benoit Baudry

Wine Dinner at Restaurant Hôtel Domaine de Cabasse, Séguret, Southern Rhône

Lunch at Restaurant Le Dolium in Beaumes-de Venise, Southern Rhône

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting of Wine and Olive Oil at Mas Saint Berthe, Les Baux de Provence, Southern Rhône, with Winemaker Christian Nief

Dinner at Restaurant Benvengudo, Les Baux de Provence, Southern Rhône

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine du Pegau in Châteauneuf du Pape, with Owner/ Winemaker Laurence Féraud and Cellar Master Andreas Lenzenwöger

At Pont du Gard: Lunch at Restaurant Les Terrasses

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine de la Mordorée, Tavel, Southern Rhône, with Owner Ambre Delorme

Cellar tour and tasting at Domaine La Bastide Saint Dominique in Courthézon, Châteauneuf du Pape, with Owner Véronique Bonnet and Owner/ Winemaker Eric Bonnet

Tasting at the Caveau of the Perrin Family in Châteauneuf du Pape

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Château la Nerthe, Châteauneuf du Pape

Wine-pairing dinner at Restaurant Château des Fines Roches, with Chef Hugo Loridan-Fombonnet

New Year’s Eve at Château des Fines Roches in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France




Saturday, March 30, 2019

Weingut Hey in Naumburg, Saale-Unstrut, Joins VDP, the Association of about 200 German Elite Winemakers, Germany

Pictures: Vineyard Walk with Matthias Hey. See: Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken

Weingut Hey, a German winery that is even in Germany relatively unknown, joined the VDP, the association of about 200 German elite winemakers earlier this year. It is relativey unknown in Germany for several reasons: because it is a young winery, it is a small producer and it is based in the Saale-Unstrut region in the Eastern part of Germany, the wines of which you rarely find in stores or restaurants outside of the Eastern part of Germany.

That Weingut Hey joined the VDP does not mean that Matthias Hey applied and was accepted. No, it is the other way around. The VDP looks around for potential candidates that might meet the high quality standards of the VDP and might fit into the association. There are many young and ambitious winemakers in Germany who hope to get a phone call from the President of the VDP inviting them to participate in the VDP selection process. And many indeed get such  a phone call. But very few also get a second call from the President telling them that they had been accepted by the VDP. Matthis Hey is one of those few. Congratulations.

Picture: Weingut Hey in Naumburg, Saale-Unstrut, Joins VDP, the Association of about 200 German Elite Winemakers

The VDP

The VDP is the world’s oldest association of wine estates in the world. In fact, 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.

Picture: The VDP Eagle which we will see on the bottles of Weingut Hey in due course

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.

For more on the new VDP Classification, see:

Steffen Christmann (Weingut A. Christmann) and Wilhelm Weil (Weingut Robert Weil) Presented the New Wine Classification of the VDP, Germany
Approaches to Classifying German Wine: The Standard Approach (the Law of 1971), the VDP Approach and the Zero Classification Approach
Stepping up: From 3 … to 4 Quality Levels - The New Classification of the VDP, Germany
German Wine Basics: Grosse Lage and Grosslage (and Grosses Gewaechs)
VDP.Grosses Gewaechs, Erstes Gewaechs, Spaetlese/Auslese Trocken, … Labeling Dry Ultra-Premium Wines in Germany
The VDP - the Powerful Group of German Elite Winemakers - Refines its Classification System, Germany

Weingut Hey

It all started in 2001, well after German reunification when Sigrun and Reinhard Hey bought a once exquisite vineyard in the steep slope site “Naumburger Steinmeister” including the farmhouse at the foot of the vineyard. With dedication the totally overgrown vineyard was reclaimed by removing blackberry bushes that had almost suffocated 80 year old vines, rebuilding the terraces, and planting new vines.

Today, Weingut Hey is at 5 hectares in the Naumburger Steinmeister and Naumburger Sonneck vineyards.

Son Matthias, who graduated from the enological university in Geisenheim in 2008, is now at the helm and puts the emphasis on top quality and the uniqueness of the region.

Weingut Hey is also member of the “Breitengrad 51”, an association of young winemakers of the Saale-Unstrut region. Their aim is to produce Saale-Unstrut Rieslings of world-class quality and to put the region on the map as top wine producing cultural heritage destination.

Grape varieties: Müller-Thurgau, Gutedel, Silvaner, Weißburgunder, Riesling, Blauer Zweigelt, Spätburgunder, Portugieser.

Annette Schiller and I have visited Matthias Hey twice on an ombiasy WineTours tour. These are tours that cover Germany's wine regionen in the former GDR, Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen, as well as Franken and Württemberg. The East Tours are the strongest of the 3 tours - North, South and East - when it comes to culture. The tour starts in Berlin and typically includes a visit of the Semper Opera in Dresden, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig and the Opera House in Stuttgart.

The second visit of Weingut Heil was last year. See: Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken

The first one was in 2016: See: Vineyard Visit and Wine Tasting Lunch at Weingut Hey in Naumburg, Saale-Unstrut, with Matthias Hey – Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours

Pictures: Visiting Weingut Hey- See: Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken

Weingut Hey Portfolio (As of March 2018)

Gutsweine

Unsere fruchtbetonten Basisweine versprechen frischen und unkomplizierten Trinkspaß. Mit moderaten Alkoholgehalt und animierenden Trinkfluss sind sie der ideale Einstieg in unsere Kollektion.

2018 ‹Allerhand›Cuvée der ‹Breitengrad 51›-Winzertrocken, 0,75l, €8,50
2018 Gutedel trocken, 0,75l, €8,90
2018 Müller-Thurgau feinherb, 0,75l, €8,90
2018 Rosé feinherb, 0,75l, €8,90
2018 Weißburgunder trocken, 0,75l, €8,90

Ortsweine

Würzig und mineralisch spiegeln unsere Terroirweine auf eindrucksvolle Weise die Aromenvielfalt der gebietstypischen Muschelkalk- und Buntsandsteinböden wider.

2018 Riesling Buntsandstein trocken, 0,75l,  €12,90
2018 Riesling Muschelkalk trocken, 0,75l,  €12,90
2018 Weißburgunder trocken, 0,75l,  €12,90
2017 ‹Weißer Hey›Silvaner, Riesling und Weißburgunder trocken, 12,5 % vol., 0,75l, €12,90
2018 ‹Weißer Hey›Silvaner und Riesling trocken, 12,5 % vol., 0,75l, €12,90
2015 Spätburgundertrocken, 13,5 % vol., 0,75l, Barrique €12,90

Lagenweine

Unsere Spitzenweine der Lage ‹Naumburger Steinmeister› sind elegante Charakterweine mit Tiefgang und kraftvoller Aromatik.

2016 Blauer Zweigelt trocken, 13,5 % vol., 0,75l, Barrique €18,00
2017 Grau- & Weißburgunder trocken, 13 % vol., 0,75l, Barrique €21,00
2017 Riesling Spätlese feinherb, 12,5 % vol., 0,75l, €16,00
2017 Riesling Auslese ‹104°› fruchtsüß, 9,5 % vol., 0,75l,  €24,00
2017 Riesling Auslese ‹114°› fruchtsüß, 8,5 % vol., 0,5l, €24,00
2017 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese fruchtsüß, 9,5 % vol., 0,5l, €62,00
2017 Weißburgunder trocken, 13,5 % vol., 0,75l, Barrique €21,00

Breitengrad 51

Nur ganz besondere Weine werden mit dem Prädikat ‹Breitengrad 51› ausgezeichnet. Mit ihrem kraftvoll-trockenen Charakter bilden sie die Spitze unserer Qualitätshierarchie.

2017 Riesling ‹Breitengrad 51› trocken, 13,5 % vol., 0,75l, Barrique €24,00

Pictures: Visiting Weingut Hey in 2016. See:Vineyard Visit and Wine Tasting Lunch at Weingut Hey in Naumburg, Saale-Unstrut, with Matthias Hey – Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours

In 2016, after the visit of Weingut Hey, I wrote on schiller-wine:

"The stars of the Saale-Unstrut Wine Region are Weingut Lützkendorf and Weingut Pawis, both members of the VDP, the association of about 200 elite winemakers. Closely behind them is a group of up-and-coming winemakers. One of them, perhaps the one which is most likely to be the next member of the VDP in the Saale-Unstrut Region, is Weingut Hey." Here we go.

schiller-wine: Related Postings

Announcement: ombiasy WineTours in 2019 - Germany-North and Bordeaux

Ombiasy Wine Tours 2018: 3 x France and 3 x Germany - Ombiasy Newsletter December 2017

UPCOMING Tours/ Wine Dinners/ Tastings - Annette and Christian Schiller/ ombiasyPR & WineTours/ schiller-wine, Germany, France, USA (Issued: March 1, 2019)

Steffen Christmann (Weingut A. Christmann) and Wilhelm Weil (Weingut Robert Weil) Presented the New Wine Classification of the VDP, Germany

Approaches to Classifying German Wine: The Standard Approach (the Law of 1971), the VDP Approach and the Zero Classification Approach

Stepping up: From 3 … to 4 Quality Levels - The New Classification of the VDP, Germany

German Wine Basics: Grosse Lage and Grosslage (and Grosses Gewaechs)

VDP.Grosses Gewaechs, Erstes Gewaechs, Spaetlese/Auslese Trocken, … Labeling Dry Ultra-Premium Wines in Germany

Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken

Vineyard Visit and Wine Tasting Lunch at Weingut Hey in Naumburg, Saale-Unstrut, with Matthias Hey – Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours