See: Winemaker Dinner with Friedrich Jülg, Weingut Jülg, Pfalz, Germany, at Evo Bistro in McLean, Washington DC, USA
See: Grant Crandall 's "Wines from our Cellar" Group Meets at the Home of Jennifer Craft and Rex Bambling in Lovettsville/ Virginia (July 2026)
Dear wine friends,
You
know from my last Sunday greeting mail that I recently travelled
through several wine regions in Germany. I could watch how the grape
bunches got rounder, the berries got thicker, and everything looked
beautiful and very promising for the harvest 2026. However at the end of
June a persistent heat wave occurred with temperatures reaching
unprecedented heights, and records since weather data began being
recorded were broken. Temperatures soared above the 40° C (100° F)
benchmark and the lack of rain and possible sunburn of the grape skins
started to worry the vintners.
Finally
two week ago the long-awaited rain arrived. The German Weather Service
(DWD) had issued warnings for severe thunderstorms in the following
days. Thunderstorms after exceptionally hot and dry periods can become
dangerous. The combination of heated air and unstable weather conditions
favors the development of severe storms. The southern Palantine area at
the border with Alsace was hit the hardest when the storm came.
Here
we find wineries such as Weingut Jülg in Schweigen-Rechtenbach at the
very southern tip of the Palantine wine region right on the border with
Alsace. Schweigen-Rechtenbach was particularly affected by the storm. Hail - ice balls as big as a golf balls -, torrential rains, and hurricane-like gusts destroyed a large part of the expected harvest within a few minutes.
The
Jülg winery writes on Instagram that a supercell destroyed more than 80
percent of their vineyards on July 16 at around 6:30 PM. The top sites Kammerberg,
Kostert, and Wormberg were particularly hard hit. The vines were
damaged to such an extent that the vineyards resembled a "moon
landscape," according to Johannes Jülg.
The Jülg winery is very close to my heart: I discovered this winery at a store tasting in Frankfurt many years ago - long
before they were recognized by the wine journalists and wine media, and
well before they became member of the VDP (Association of Premium
German Wine Estates).
I
am a huge fan of sparkling wine made in the traditional method. For me
the criteria of the sparkler is the time spend on its lees before
disgorgement - the longer, the better, to create this tickling,
long-lasting effervescence in the glass and on your tongue. The Germans
generally love sparkling wines - Germany is the no 1 consumer world-wide
of sparkling wine - and they make fantastic sparkling wine (“Sekt" in
the German language) in the traditional (Champagne) method.
At
that Frankfurt tasting I came across a sparkling wine produced by the
then fairly unknown Jülg winery that blew me away. This was a sparkling
wine on a par with an excellent Champagne. Since then I always have a
stash of their premium Sekt (24, 30, 50 or even more months on the lees)
and their fabulous still wines - Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, Rieslings -
in my wine cellar.
Last
night we had a food and wine pairing event with wine friends and the
theme of that evening was: bring your special wine! In view of the
disaster the Jülg winery experienced just very recently, and my fondness
for the family and their wines a Jülg Chardonnay from my cellar was the
proper fit for that evening.
In
view of global warming I fear that those extreme weather patterns will
become regular events and people most affected by this are the farmers
and vintners. Of course we as lovers of fine wines are not spared
either.
I wish you a wonderful Sunday evening and a good start into the week with a glass of your favorite wine.
Annette
WINE EDUCATION /// WINE TOURS
Annette Schiller, Diplom-Volkswirt
Professional Member and Wine Educator
American Wine Society AWS
German Wine Society, DC, Board Member
ombiasy PR, LLC
Washington DC - Frankfurt am Main
T: +1 (703) 459.7513
T: + 49 177.337.0281
aschiller@ombiasypr.com
web: ombiasypr.com
blog: schiller-wine.blogspot.
Annette Schiller, Diplom-Volkswirt
Professional Member and Wine Educator
American Wine Society AWS
German Wine Society, DC, Board Member
ombiasy PR, LLC
Washington DC - Frankfurt am Main
T: +1 (703) 459.7513
T: + 49 177.337.0281
aschiller@ombiasypr.com
web: ombiasypr.com
blog: schiller-wine.blogspot.
See: Weingut Jülg (VDP): Lunch in the Wine Tavern with Karin and Werner Jülg and Tasting in the Vineyard with Johannes Jülg - Germany-South and
Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
See: Winemaker Dinner with Friedrich Jülg, Weingut Jülg, Pfalz, Germany, at Evo Bistro in McLean, Washington DC, USA
Previous Sunday Greetings from Annette
Sunday Greetings (July 12, 2026) from ombiasy WineTours/ Annette Schiller - Focus Today:
The Extremely Steep and Rocky Mittelrhein and Mosel Valley Vineyards and
Upcoming Wine Tour through Alto Adige, Trentino and a Day in the Veneto
Region to Taste Great Amarone Wines (September 06 - September 13)
Sunday Greetings (June 28, 2026) from ombiasy WineTours/ Annette Schiller
- Focus Today: Upcoming Wine Tour through Alto Adige, Trentino and a
Day in the Veneto Region to Taste Great Amarone Wines (September 06 -
September 13)
Sunday Greetings (May 25, 2026) from Annette Schiller, ombiasy Wine Education and Wine
Travel: Great Cool-climate wines from Trentino-Alto Adige (Italy)
Sunday Greetings (March 22, 2026) from ombiasy WineTours/ Annette Schiller - Focus Today: Bordeaux, Michel Rolland, Dany Rolland, Château Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol
Sunday Greetings (March 8, 2026) from ombiasy WineTours/ Annette Schiller - Focus Today: Greetings from Germany - Visit to Schloss Johannisberg, Rheingau
Sunday Greetings (March 1, 2026) from ombiasy WineTours/ Annette Schiller - Focus Today: Bordeaux Meets Riesling in Hattenheim, Rheingau, Germany
Sunday Greetings (Feb. 22, 2026) from ombiasy WineTours/ Annette Schiller - Focus Today: I am talking about Tuscany (June 8 -18, 2026)!
Sunday Greetings (Feb. 2, 2026) from ombiasy WineTours/ Annette Schiller - Focus Today: Germany Classic: 12 days, 11 nights - Sunday, June 28 - Thursday, July 09, 2026
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