2011 Erstes Gewaechs (Grand Cru) Wines of the Rheingau Released - Notes from the Pre-release Tasting in Wiesbaden, Germany

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller at the Rheingau Erstes Gewaechs Pre-release Tasting in Wiesbaden

The absolutely finest (dry) wines in the Bourgogne in France are called grand cru wines. Following the approach of Bourgogne, the VDP – the association of German elite winemakers – introduced a few years ago the concept of Grosses Gewaechs wines: Ultra - premium dry wines from the absolutely finest vineyards of the winemakers belonging to the VDP.

A couple of years before the introduction of the concept of Grosses Gewaechs wines, the German Land of Hessen, which includes the Rheingau, had introduced the same concept for all wines made within the boundaries of Hessen, i.e. by winemakers from the Rheingau. It had named these grand cru wines Erstes Gewaechs wines.

Thus, although this will change in the future, the ultra-premium dry wines from any winemaker in the Rheingau are the Erstes Gewaechs wines and the ultra-premium dry wines from any VDP producer are the Grosses Gewaechs wines.

The Erstes Gewaechs and Grosses Gewaechs wines, as far as white wines are concerned, are released to the public on September 1 in the year following the harvest (the red wines are released a year later). The pre-release tasting of the VDP producers in Wiesbaden a few days before September 1 is a major event for those interested in German wine. This year, I was invited to the pre-release tasting and I have already reported about the VDP event here.

In parallel to the Grosses Gewaechs pre-release tasting in the Kurhaus, the winemaker association of the Rheingau presented its Erstes Gewaechs wines in the Hotel Nassauer Hof, just across the street of the VDP event. This posting reports about the Rheingau Erstes Gewaechs event.

Rheingau

It is remarkable: For its entire length of nearly 560 miles, the Rhine flows north with one exception – a 28-mile stretch where the river changes its course. Here, it flows to the west, thereby enabling both the river and the vineyards facing it to bask in the warmth of the sun all day long. This is the Rheingau, one of the medium-size German wine regions. It is a quietly beautiful region, rich in tradition. Queen Victoria's enthusiasm for Hochheim's wines contributed to their popularity in England, where they, and ultimately, Rhine wines in general, were referred to as Hock.

Pictures: The Rheingau

The third President of the USA - and notable bon viveur - Thomas Jefferson visited the Rheingau in 1788 and wrote that the wine of the "Abbaye of Johnsberg is the best made on the Rhine without comparison … That of the year 1775 is the best." He also referred to the Rheingau’s Riesling as the "small and delicate Rhysslin which grows only from Hochheim to Rudesheim". Impressed by the quality of the Rheingau Riesling wines, he bought 100 grapevines to take back to his estate in Virginia.

Although the Rheingau is one of Germany’s smaller wine-growing regions, its 3,100 ha (7,660 acres) of vineyards are vastly diverse in their geological makeup. The soil varies from stony slate at the western part near the villages of Assmannshausen and Rudesheim to loess, sand and marl in the lower central villages of Geisenheim, Johannisberg, Winkel, Oestrich and Hattenheim. Soil reverts to stony phyllite in the higher central and eastern villages of Hallgarten, Kiedrich and Hochheim. Generally, wines from the lower slopes where the soil is heavier—sandy loam and loess—produce fuller wines, while at the higher slopes where it is more stony and slatey, the wines reflect more minerality, elegance and concentration.

The Rheingau enjoys a distinctly continental climate with cold winters and warm, but not hot, summers. The Rheingau is dominated by Riesling, accounting for 4/5 of the vineyard area. Pinot Noir accounts for 1/10 and is concentrated around Assmannshausen.

Erstes Gewaechs Wines

The Erstes Gewaechs concept is the same as the Grosses Gewaechs concept, with two major differences. First, any winemaker in the Rheingau – not only VDP Estates – can produce an Erstes Gewaechs wine, provided it is from a Erste Lage vineyard, fulfills all the technical criteria, and passes a final tasting test. Thus in the Rheingau, there are Grand Cru wines from other than VDP Estates, wheras in the other wine areas only VDP Estates have the possibililty to label their wines as a Grand Cru wine.

Pictures: Erstes Gewaechs Wines from Hochheim

Second, the dryness limits for Erstes Gewaechs are slightly higher than those of Grosses Gewaechs.

In the Bourgogne, the terms Grand Cru and Premier Cru are used and they imply a ranking. Grand Cru wines are better than Premier Cru wines. In Germany, Erstes and Grosses Gewaechs wines are exactly at the same level in terms of quality. But this will change.

Rheingau Erstes Gewaechs will become Rheingau Grosses Gewaechs

Earlier this year, the VDP refined its classification system and introduced a second quality layer, starting with the vintage 2012. Like in the Bourgogne, effective with the 1012 vintage, there will be VDP Grosses Gewaechs (Grand Cru) and VDP Erstes Gewaechs (Premier Cru).

Against this background, the Rheingau winemakers have decided to change the name of their absolutely finest dry wines from Erstes Gewaechs to Grosses Gewaechs. Thus, all the wines that I tasted will next year be a Grosses Gewaechs wine.

Tasting Notes

Riesling

76 wines were presented. Notable absentees were Weingut Leitz, Weingut Breuer  and Weingut Peter Jakob Kuehn (Peter Jakob feels that late August is still too early to present his Erstes Gewaechs wines).

Kuenstler presented wines from Ruedesheim – Berg Rottland – and Hochheim – Hoelle and Kirchenstueck, and all 3 of them were in the top league. Kuenstler makes elegant and complex wines with depth and a long finish in the mouth. I was in particular impressed by the Hoelle.

Picture: With Gunter Kuenstler, Weingut Franz Kuenstler

It is only recently that I am getting more familiar with the wines of Desiree Eser, Weingut August Eser, as the Eser wines have been practically absent from the export market so far. The Lenchen showed fruit and strength, with fine herbal notes.

Picture: With Desiree Eser, Weingut August Eser, and Christian Ress, Weingut Baltasar Ress

Another producer that sells predominatly on the domestic market is Weingut Jakob Jung. The Siegelsberg of Alexander Jung was steely, with a vibrant acidity.

The Graefenberg of world class producer Robert Weil was a work of art, with a lot of depth and a never ending finish. An Ambassador of Rheingau Riesling.

Picture: With Wilhelm Weil, Weingut Robert Weil

Schönhell of Barth - creamy, smooth, with a nice finish.

With Mark Barth, Weingut Norbert Barth

Königin Victoriaberg of Joachim Flick – vibrant acidity, light herbal notes, long finish.

With Reiner Flick, Weingut Joachim Flick

There was a lot of talk about the wines of Balthasar Ress, which have been made for the past two years by wine blogger and wine maker Dirk Wuertz. All agreed that Dirk Wuertz is leading Weingut Balthasar Ress to unconventional and new hights. The Berg Schlossberg has lots of potential and should be put aside for the next 10 years.

Spaetburgunder

3 wines were presented.

All 3 wines were not really convincing. I also noticed that there was no Pinot Noir Erstes Gewaechs from Assmannshausen.

Picture: The 3 Spaetburgunder Erstes Gewaechs Wines


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Germany’s Top Wines – The Berlin Riesling Cup 2011 Ranking

Pictures: Berlin Brandenburg Gate, Martin Zwick and Christian G.E. Schiller with Winner Philipp Wittmann

This is a very special ranking of German wines, at least for 2 reasons. First, it includes only dry ultra-premium Rieslings, mainly Grosses Gewaechs wines. So, (1) the whole segment of red wines (accounting for about 1/3 of German wine production) is excluded (2) as is the segment of fruity sweet and noble sweet Rieslings (which are so popular in the German export markets) and (3) as is the non-Riesling white wine segment, which is being pushed by many in the German wine industry. Second, and this makes this ranking so interesting, it is a very early ranking, basically the first one after the release of the wines in September.

Berlin Riesling Cup

The Berlin Riesling Cup is the baby of Martin Zwick. The first large tasting of the Grosses Gewaechs wines of a vintage takes place a bit less than a year after the harvest, in the city of Wiesbaden in early September, with a group of perhaps 100 national and international wine journalists, at the invitation of the VDP (GG-Vorpremiere). Martin Zwick is one of them. On the basis of his impressions and those of others, he then selects what he believes are the top wines from the Grosses Gewaechs wines presentation in Wiesbaden, adds a few other super-premium Rieslings from non-VDP producers or Grosses Gewaechs wines not presented at the VDP tasting in Wiesbaden and invites a few days later a group of journalists, sommeliers, wine-dealers and Riesling lovers to Berlin for a blind tasting of his selection.

This year, he selected 35 wines, up from 30 wines the years before. As in previous years, the list included well known names as well as a couple of newcomers. By definition, the 35 wines represent a subjective selection, but I think it probably includes all ultra-premium Rieslings who could be the grand cru top wines of the 2010 vintage. 2 bottles come on the table. It is a blind tasting. Martin always has a good attendance, because the Berlin Riesling Cup tasting coincides with the official VDP Grosses Gewaechs presentation in Berlin.

Martin Zwick alias BerlinKitchen

I know Martin through his blog 'BerlinKitchen' and various internet fora. On BerlinKitchen you will find tasting notes from wines around the world, wine-related articles and videos, podcasts with winemakers and recipes with step by step. Martin Zwick used to publish under the name Martin Barz, but he changed his name after he got married.

For those, who understand German, here is a quote from his web site: „Martin Zwick ist ein weltläufiger westberliner weinkenner, winewriter & weinliebhaber - wird von winzern [und foodbloggern] umgarnt - sein depot gehört zu den besten des landes - kein bedeutendes weinevent ohne seine nase / liebt aromen und clafoutis, gute gespräche und große gewächse / verhält sich stets blumig angenehm im abgang / freundliche begegnung bei der berlin-lesung von stevan pauls buch monsieur, der hummer und ich - in der kochbuchhandlung kochlust, in der alten schönhauser straße in mitte / ein sehr höflicher, von röstaromen und tanninen umgebener genießer“ Gerald Angerer

Berlin Riesling Cup 2011

Winner: 2010 Wittmann "Morstein" GG

Ranking:

1 Morstein Wittmann 94,55
2 Schönleber Halenberg 94,00
3 Schaefer-Froehlich Halenberg 93,86
4 Morstein Keller 93,73
5 Hubacker Keller 93,68
6 Pechstein Bürklin Wolf 93,23
7 Heerkretz Wagner Stempel 93,23
8 Wittmann Brunnenhäuschen 93,18
9 Jesuitengarten Bassermann-Jordan 93,18
10 Pettenthal Kühling-Gillot 93,05
11 IDIG Christmann 92,91
12 Battenfeld-Spanier Am schwarzen Herrgott 92,82
13 Kirchenstück Bürklin Wolf 92,77
14 Pechstein von Winning 92,68
15 Dellchen Dönnhoff 92,00
16 Felseneck Schaefer-Froehlich 91,90
17 Keller Abtserde 91,73
18 Dönnhoff Hermannshöhle 91,68
19 Fritz Haag Juffer Sonnenuhr 91,41
20 Emrich-Schönleber Frühlingsplätzchen 91,27
21 Rothenberg Kühling-Gillot 91,20
22 Jesuitengarten von Winning 91,14
23 Keller G-Max 90,64
24 Loosen Würzgarten AR 90,40
25 Rebholz Ganzhorn 90,36
26 Breuer Schlossberg 90,32
27 Eckhard Huff Rabenturm 90,09
28 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch 89,50
29 Mosbacher Ungeheuer 89,50
30 Domberg K-H. Schneider 89,44
31 Morstein Alte Reben Seehof 88,95
32 Leitz Schlossberg 88,95
33 Battenfeld-Spanier Frauenberg 88,82
34 Horst Sauer Eschdorfer Lump 88,64
35 Künstler Hochheimer Hölle EG 88,55

Grosses Gewaechs Wines

The term Grosses Gewaechs was introduce a few years back by the VDP for use by its members only.

Grosses Gewaechs wines are always fully fermented, dry wines from Erste Lage vineyards. The Grosses Gewaechs label is thought to resemble the Grand Cru designation in neighboring France. Here and there, these wines refer to a top dry wine from a top vineyard. About 150 sites have been officially deemed Erste Lage, capable of making a great growth, or Grosses Gewächs.

As a rule, Grosses Gewaechs wines are always sold as QbA wines – Qualitaetswein besonderer Anbaugebiete, although as a condition they must be at least at Spaetlese level in terms of sugar content at harvest. QbA wines, under German law, are allowed to be chaptalised, with the purpose of increasing the alcohol content of the wine.

In addition to Grosses Gewaechs wines, there is also the concept of Erstes Gewaechs wines. Erstes Gewaechs and Grosses Gewaechs basically mean the same thing, but for some reasons the latter is used in the Rheingau and the former in all other wine regions. Importantly, in Hessen, Erstes Gewaechs is not a term reserved only for VDP winemakers, but all winemakers can produce an Erstes Gewaechs wine, if the wine meets the quality requirements.

Some Comments

Remarkably, the 4 top wines all come from either Morstein (Rheinhessen) or Halenberg (Nahe). Remember, this was a blind tasting. More generally, the Nahe and the Rheinhessen regions performed very strongly. By contrast, the performance of the Rheingau disappointed. My Rheingau favorite Weingut Kuenstler from Hochheim is # 35 of 35.


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Germany's Grosses Gewaechs Wines - Premiere 2010 in Berlin

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Georg Prinz zur Lippe, Weingut Schloss Proschwitz, Prinz zur Lippe, in Sachsen, Germany

Germany’s Prädikat Wine Estates – the members of the VDP (Verband Deutscher Praedikatsweingueter) - celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the VDP in 2010 in Germany’s Capital Berlin during September 4 to 6, 2010. I was happy and proud to participate. Among the side-events, the presentation of the new Grosses Gewaechs wines was one of the highlights.

I have given a run-down of the whole series of events here and have reported in more detail on the event: 70 Galleries - 200 Winemakers - 1000 Wines here, on the official ceremony in the Berlin Cathedral here, on Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson, who participated in the events, here and on the bottle party at Wein Bar Rutz here.

Grosses Gewaechs Wines

The term Grosses Gewaechs was introduce a few years back by the VDP for use by its members only.

Grosses Gewaechs wines are always fully fermented, dry wines from Erste Lage vineyards of exceptional quality . The Grosses Gewaechs label is thought to resemble the Grand Cru designation in neighboring France. Here and there, these wines refer to a top dry wine from a top vineyard. About 150 sites have been officially deemed ‘premiers crus’ or Erste Lagen, capable of making a great growth, or Grosses Gewächs.

Picture: Stefan Maria Friedrich from Nomacorc, the Initiator of Relaunch F, a Project to support the Faberrebe in Rheinhessen.

As a rule Grosses Gewaechs wines are always sold as QbA wines – Qualitaetswein besonderer Anbaugebiete, although as a condition they must be at least at Spaetlese level in terms of sugar content at harvest. QbA wines, under German law, are allowed to be chaptalised, with the purpose of increasing the alcohol content of the wine. More generally, under the new classification system of the VDP, all dry wines are systematically labeled as QbA wines.

In addition to Grosses Gewaechs wines, there is also the concept of Erstes Gewaechs wines. These terms basically mean the same thing, but for some reasons the latter is used in the Rheingau and the former in all other wine regions. Importantly, in Hessen, Erstes Gewaechs is not a term reserved only for VDP winemakers, but all winemakers can produce an Erstes Gewaechs wine, if the wine meets the quality requirements.

The Presentation in Berlin

White Grosses Gewaechs wines are not allowed to be released before September 1 of the following year. Red Grosses Gewaechs wines are supposed to age at least another year and thus are released in the following year.

What you found on the tabels were thus 2009 white and 2008 red Grosses Gewaechs and Erstes Gewaechs wines.

The event was not comprehensive presentation of the new Grosses Gewaechs and Erstes Gewaechs wines, since those Erstes Gewaechs producers that are not members of the VDP were not present at the VDP presentation.

Not all wines presented were dry and carried the label Grosses Gewaechs. In particular in the Mosel area, winemakers like to leave their wines with a level of residual sugar that exceeds the norm of the Grosses Gewaechs wines. Accordingly, some of the wines I tasted were Erste Lage wines; however due to their level of remaining sugar they were not labeled as Grosses Gewaechs wine, but still presented with the other dry wines.

2009 White Grosses Gewaechs Wines

Rheingau

Lets us start with the Rheingau, home to some of the most famous, most well-heeled, classic estates, a region of which I am big fan of although the Rheingau winemakers are often being criticized of not being innovative enough.

My favorite village is Hochheim, just 30 minutes away from Frankfurt am Main by S-Bahn. Hochheim has 2 VDP members - Weingut Kuenstler and Weingut Domdechant Werner – and both presented a collection of Grosses Gewaechs wines that exceeded my expectations.

The number 1 winemaker of the Rheingau is Wilhelm Weil and the wines of Weingut Wilhelm Weil were again very convincing. This year, I spent a lot of time with my facebook friend Christian Ress from Weingut Balthasar Ress in Hattenheim, a renowned winery that produces consistently good Grosses Gewaechs wines and exports a lot of them to the US.

I was also intrigued by the wines of Weingut Allendorf; I had lost touch with Weingut Allendorf over the years, but I rediscovered it at the tasting in Berlin. Interestingly, Ulrich Allendorf has created a "Color Room" at his winery, where you can taste wines in different lighting - red, blue, green, etc - and appreciate how color impacts on how you perceive a wine.

Fred Prinz from Weingut Prinz in Hallgarten, winner of this year's Sauvignon Blanc Trophy Germany, present a strong selection of Erstes Gewaechs Riesling wines.

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Christian Ress, Weingut Balthasar Ress in Hattenheim

Picture: Gunter Kuenstler from Weingut Kuenstler and Catharina Mauritz from Weingut Domdechant Werner in Hochheim

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Ulrich Allendorf from Weingut Allendorf in Oestrich-Winkel

Christian G.E. Schiller with Fred Prinz from Weingut Prinz in Hallgarten

Rheinhessen

Another wine region that is close to my heart is Rheinhessen. Kirchspiel and Morstein, until a few years ago were hardly known outside their own area, have been put definitively on the international map by the twin talents of Philipp Wittmann and Klaus-Peter Keller.

But I also found this year’s Grosses Gewaechs wines of Weingut Battenfeld Spanier, Weingut Grobe and Weingut Gebrueder Dr. Becker very promising.

Picture: H.O.Spanier from Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier with Hugh Johnson

Picture: Fritz groebe from Weingut K.F. Groebe and Lotte Pfeffer-Mueller from Weingut Brueder Dr. Becker

Sachsen

Sachsen, a small wine region in the former East Germany, does not yet play in the first league, but it is catching up. I am very pleased about this development as I was born in the capital of the State of Sachsen, Dresden. Dr. Georg Prince zur Lippe, who repurchased Weingut Schloss Proschwitz after reunification, continues to produce increasingly fascinating wines, including a Grosses Gewaechs wine.

Nahe

As has been evident now for many years, the Nahe is home to a reassuringly competitive winemaking ethos. Accordingly, Weingut Schaefer-Froehlich, Weingut Doenhoff and Weingut Emmerich-Schoenleber presented again a strong collection.

I also paid attention to Armin Diel from Schlossgut Diehl who also produces the Riesling Poet’s Leap in a joint venture with Long Shadows Vineyards in Washington State in the US. I liked Armin Diel’s range of Grosses Gewaechs wines very much.

Picture: Armin Diel from Schlossgut Diel with Hugh Johnson

Pfalz

In the Pfalz, VDP President Steffen Christmann shined with the Mandelgarten and the Idig. These were for me perhaps the best wines of the presentation. But I was also intrigued by the Grosses Gewaechs wines of Weingut Georg Mosbacher in Forst, in particular by the Freundstück.

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Juergen Dueringer and Sabine Mosbacher-Dueringer from Weingut Georg Mosbacher

Picture: Stuart Pigott and Jancis Robinson with Steffen Christmann of Weingut Christmann

Mosel

Traditionally the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany’s northernmost wine region, has been associated much more readily with delicate, low alcohol wines with some residual sweet fruitiness rather than with the more austere, dry style demanded by the letter of the Grosses Gewächs law. Thus, generally, the Mosel winemakers are a bit at the edge when it comes to the Grosses Gewaechs wines concept. In fact, many of the wines presented were Erste Lage wines but not Erstes Gewaechs wines, because they did not meet the Erstes Gewaechs requirements in terms of remaining sugar.

I was in particular impressed by the wines of Roman Niewodniczanski (Weingut Van Volxem in Wiltingen in the Saar valley) and Reinhard Loewenstein (Weingut Heymann-Loewenstein in Winningen in the Mosel valley). I liked the former’s Volz and the latter’s Laubach.

Picture: Roman Niewodniczanski (Weingut Van Volxem in Wiltingen)

Picture: Reinhard Loewenstein (Weingut Heymann-Loewenstein in Winningen) with Dagmar Ehrlich, Journalist.

Franken

In this region, way to the east of most German wine regions and distinguished by its squat green flagon-like wine bottles, Horst Sauer from Weingut Horst Sauer stood out, with really convincing racy, super-clean fruit, a nice lick of earthiness and great balance.

Picture: Horst Sauer from Weingut Horst Sauer

Red Grosses Gewaechs Wines

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. 30 years ago, in the international scene, people would not talk about German red wine. But this has changed. Germany now produces red wines that can compete with the best of the world. The share of red wines in terms of production has increased from 10 percent in the 1980s to about 35 percent now in Germany.

In Germany, the Pinot Noir is called Spätburgunder. It is to red wine what the Riesling is to white wine: the cream of the crop. In the US, Pinot Noir shows great promise in Oregon and California. The reputation that gets Pinot Noir so much attention, however, is owed to the wines of the Bourgogne in France, where it has probably been cultivated since at least the 4th century (first documented, however, in the 14th century).

Regardless of where it’s grown, Pinot Noir is not typically a value wine. That is so because Pinot Noir is such a delicate grape that it is difficult and expensive to grow and make into the spectacular wine it can be. It is sensitive to climate and soil, Pinot Noir needs warmth (but not intense heat) to thrive and does well in chalky soils. As the German name implies, it ripens late (spät).

I was very much convinced by the wines of Friedrich Becker from Weingut Becker in the Pfalz, Werner Naekel from Weingut Meyer-Naekel in the Ahr and Ludwig Kreuzberg from Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg in the Ahr. But there were other red wine producers eye to eye with my 3 favorites.

Picture: Friedrich Becker from Weingut Becker in the Pfalz, Werner Naekel from Weingut Meyer-Naekel in the Ahr and Ludwig Kreuzberg from Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg in the Ahr

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Barth Primus is Germany’s First Sekt Made with a Erstes Gewaechs Wine

The Wein und Sektgut Barth in Hattenheim, Rheingau, has released the first ever German sparkler made from a Erstes Gewaechs base wine. The novelty was named Barth Primus. I had a chance to taste the Barth Primus with Norbert Barth a few weeks ago in Germany at the Barth Estate.

Germany’s Sparklers

Germany is one of the largest sparkling wine markets in the world, which is not well know around the world. Germans drink lot of sparkling wines, although in general less quality-conscious than the French. One out of four bottles of sparkling wine is consumed in Germany, roughly 500 million bottles. Sekt is made in all German wine regions, both in the méthode traditionnelle and charmat method. There are three groups of Sekt makers: (i) large and (ii) smaller Sekt houses, who only make Sekt and (iii) winemakers, who make predominantly wine, but complement their wine selection by a few Sekts. The Sekts produced by large Sekt estates tend to be in the demy-sweet and sweet range, while the Sekts of smaller estates and the wine makers are mostly in the brut and extra brut range.

Picture: Barth Vineyard in Hattenheim

There is a dozen or so large Sekt houses. Most of these large Sekt houses were established in the 1800s. At that time, there was only one method known to produce Sekt, the méthode traditionnelle. But in contrast to the champagne houses, the large Sekt houses have all moved to the charmat method as main method of the second fermentation after World War II. Like the champagne houses, Sekt houses do not own vineyards, but purchase the base wine from winemakers.

The smaller Sekt houses, like the large Sekt houses, do not own vineyards, but also buy the base wine from winemakers. They also tend to have a long history and often links to the champagne region, beautiful facilities and old cellars for the second fermentation and storage. The big difference is that they typically have not gone the route of tank fermentation but continue to ferment in the méthode traditionnelle.

Increasingly, there is a number of top quality winemakers, who, in addition, to their still wines, have started to include Sekts in their portfolio. These Sekts are typically vintage Sekts, from a specified vineyard, made of specific grapes, often Riesling, in the méthode champenoise and with little or not dosage (brut or extra but). While the first fermentation typically takes place at the winery, the second fermentation is often not in the cellar of the winemaker but in the cellar of a Sekt house that bottle-ferments for other wineries.

Grosses/Erstes Gewaechs Wines

The Grosse Gewaechs and Erstes Gewaechs wine concepts were introduced a few years ago. These terms basically mean the same thing but for some reasons the latter is used in the Rheingau and the former in all other wine regions. We are talking about fully fermented, dry wines of exceptional quality, like the Grand Cru wines in neighboring France.

Picture: Norbert Barth, Tasting

It should be noted that as a rule Grosse Gewaechs and Erstes Gewaechs wines are always sold as QbA wines – Qualitaetswein besonderer Anbaugebiete, which often American consumers do not touch. QbA wines, under German law, are allowed to be chaptalised, with the purpose of increasing the alcohol content of the wine. More than half all German wines are QbA wines.

Hattenheim in the Rheingau

It is remarkable: For its entire length of nearly 560 miles, the Rhine flows north with one exception – a 28-mile stretch where the river changes its course. Here, it flows to the west, thereby enabling both the river and the vineyards facing it to bask in the warmth of the sun all day long. This is the Rheingau, one of the medium-size German wine regions. Hattenheim lies about in the middle of the Rheingau wine region, close to the famous Eberbach Abbey. Eberbach Abbey dates back to the 12th century, was erected by monks of the Zisterzienser order from Clairvaux in Burgundy and is known for its Steinberger Vineyard.

Wein und Sektgut Barth

The Barth Estate is one of the leading wine producers of Hattenheim. The Estate was founded in 1948 and Norbert Barth, the current owner and manager, took it over in 1987.

Today, the vineyard area totals 11 hectares, mostly planted with Riesling (70%), followed by Pinot Noir (20%).

The Barth Estate is a member of the VDP.

Barth Primus

Aside from growing vines in some of the Rheingau's famous vineyards, the Estate is particularly well known for its stellar Sekts, produced according to the traditional champagne method. After the first fermentation, the base wine undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle. It is then stored for 24 months and hand riddled, creating a Sekt of highest quality.

The 2007 Barth Riesling Erstes Gewaechs Hattenheimer Hassel served as base wine for the Barth Primus. "The project is exciting because it is not easy to own sparkling wine so voluminous - a first for us. We are proud to be the best thing that has to offer a Riesling turn, then, "said Norbert Barth.

Picture: Barth Primus Magnum

The Barth Primus will be presented to the general public and auctioned off on September 25 in the Eberbach Abbey, as part of the traditional VDP autumn auction.

Norbert Barth made a total of 470 Magnum bottles (1.5 liter), signed and numbered them.

Wein und Sektgut Barth, Hattenheim, Germany
www.weingut-barth.de

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Exclusive, Limited Edition: 100 Cases for 100 Years - Germany’s VDP Auctioning off 100 Cases of Grosses Gewaechs and Erstes Gewaechs Wines

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Helmut Doennhoff

Exclusive, Limited Edition: 100 Cases for 100 Years - Germany’s VDP Auctioning off 100 Cases of Grosses Gewaechs and Erstes Gewaechs Wines

On the occasion of its 100th Anniversary, the VDP has put together 100 cases with a selection of 12 outstanding wines from VDP members. It will auction these cases off. The wines are all Grosses/Erstes Gewaechs wines. Three of the wines are Pinot Noirs from 2007, the rest is Riesling from 2008.

Grosses/Erstes Gewaechs Wines

The Grosse Gewaechs and Erstes Gewaechs wine concepts were introduced a few years ago. These terms basically mean the same thing but for some reasons the latter is used in the Rheingau and the former in all other wine regions. Grosse/Erste Gewaechs wines are always fully fermented, dry wines of execeptional quality . The Grosse/Erste Gewaechs lable is thought to resemble the Grand/Premier Cru designation in neighboring France. Here and there, these wines are dry. Grosse/Erste Gewaechs refers to a top dry wine from a top vineyard.

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Tim Froehlich

It should be noted that as a rule Grosse Gewaechs and Erstes Gewaechs wines are always sold as QbA wines – Qualitaetswein besonderer Anbaugebiete. QbA wines, under German law, are allowed to be chaptalised, with the purpose of increasing the alcohol content of the wine. More generally, under the new classification system of the VDP, all dry wines are systematically labeled as QbA wines.

10 VDP Winemakers

The winemakers are among the the crème de la crème winemakers in Germany, the VDP.. The 200 members of VDP own 4,000 hectares of vines, representing 4% of the German vineyard area, but account for only 2% of total production. Typically, around 1.0m bottles of their production qualify as Grosses/Erstes Gewächs wines every year, representing about 3% of the output of the about ¾ of the members of the VDP producing Grosses Gewaechs and Erstes Gewaechs wines.

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Philipp Wittmann

Interestingly, among the 10 winemakers, there is not a single winemaker from the Mosel, as the Mosel is focusing more on producing world class noble sweet wines. The wines in the case are all Grosses Geweaechs and Erstes Gewaechs wines and are thus bone dry wines. Bidders should not expect sweet wines.

Bidding Process

The bidding is being done electronically and has started on May 1. 2010. The minimum starting bid is Euro 750. Those interested in placing a bid may do so by contacting the VDP headquarters in Gau-Algesheim. The offer is limited to one case per person. Successful bidders will be announced on 26 November, the founding date of the VDP, during the centennial finale.

Picture: Schloss Johannisberg

The proceeds will go to the Beckenbauer Foundation, a charity for the needy in Germany. Franz Beckenbauer, Germany’s soccer legend, received the first VDP cult case during of the VDP wine ball in Wiesbaden on April 24. Michael Prinz zu Salm-Salm, honorary president of the VDP, presented the exclusive edition to Beckenbauer, who promised to auction it to the highest bidder.

The Wines

2008 BRUNNENHÄUSCHEN Riesling Wittmann
2008 DELLCHEN Riesling H. Dönnhoff
2008 FELSENECK Riesling Schäfer-Fröhlich
2008 GRÄFENBERG Riesling Robert Weil
2008 KASTANIENBUSCH Riesling Ökonomierat Rebholz
2008 SCHLOSS JOHANNISBERGER Riesling Weinbaudomäne Schloss Johannisberg
2008 MARIENBURG "ROTHENPFAD" Riesling Clemens Busch
2008 IDIG Riesling A. Christmann
2008 KIRCHENSTÜCK Riesling Franz Künstler
2007 CENTGRAFENBERG Spätburgunder Rudolf Fürst
2007 SOMMERHALDE Spätburgunder Bernhard Huber
2007 PFARRWINGERT Spätburgunder Meyer-Näkel

Picture: Christian G.E. and Annette Schiller with Gunter Kuenstler

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Picture: A Vineyard in the Rheingau

Grosses Gewaechs Wines

The concept of Grosses Gewaechs was introduced a few years ago in Germany for outstanding dry wines. It tries to imitate the concept of Grand Cru wines in the Bourgogne, France. In Germany as well as in France, these are full-bodied, bone dry premium wines.

There were 2 objectives behind the innovation: To restore the prestige of Germany’s significant vineyards and to help the consumer in terms of distinguishing dry from sweet wines.

In a first step, the concept of Erste Lage (First Site) was introduced: all vineyards were rated and the best parcels of them were identified as Erste Lage.

Second, the concept of Grosses Gewaechs was introduced. A Grosses Gewaechse wine is always fully fermented, dry and from a Erste Lage vineyard.

To qualify for the Grosses Gewaechs label, a number of criteria need to be respected. (i) The fruit has to come from a Erste Lage vineyard. In the Rheingau, for example, about 1/3 of the vineyards has been classified as Erste Lage. (ii) At harvest, the grapes need to be at least at Spaetlese level in terms of the sugar content. (iii) Only certain – typical - grape varieties are allowed, including Riesling and Spaetburgunder. Riesling is the only varietal allowed for Erste Lage wines in the Mosel, Nahe, and Mittelrhein, but grapes like Spaetburgunder (Pinot Noir), Lemberger, Fruehburgunder, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Gewuerztraminer, and Silvaner are included in other regions.(iv) Further restrictions apply: there are yield restrictions; only hand picking of grapes is permitted and harvest must be late in the autumn.

Picture: The 13 German Wine Regions



Third, although the Grosse Gewaechs wines are at least at Spaetlese level, they are not labeled as Spaetlese, but as Qualitaetswein besonderer Anbaugebiete (QbA). About half of the wine produced in Germany is sold at the QbA level and these wines of lower ripeness are allowed to be chaptalized. Thus, the declassification gives the winemaker the possibility to chaptalize their Spaetlese wines in order to increase the alcohol content in the wine, if desirable. This has nothing to do with augmenting the sweetness level in the finished wine, because Grosse Gewaechs wines are always fully fermented and dry.

Fourth, the must needs to be fermented to full dryness. Erste Lage wines made in a sweet style continue to carry the labels Spaetlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein.

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller in Mainz, Rheinhessen, in January 2010

Finally, the Grosses Gewaechs concept is a concept introduced by the VDP association, Germany’s elite winemakers. Only VDP winemakers can use this label, others not. The 200 members of VDP own 4,000 hectares of vines, representing 4% of the German vineyard area, but account for only 2% of total production.

Erstes Gewaechs Wines

The Land of Hessen introduced its own classification before the VdP winemakers introduced the Grosse Gewaechs concept. This applies basically to the Rheingau region.

The Erstes Gewaechs concept is the same as the Grosses Gewaechs concept, with one major difference. Any winemaker – not only VDP Estates – can produce an Erstes Gewaechs wine, provided it is from a Erste Lage vineyard, fulfills all the technical criteria, and passes a final tasting test.

Thus in the Rheingau, there are Grand Cru wines from other than VDP Estates, wheras in the other wine areas only VDP Estates have the possibililty to label their wines as a Grand Cru wine.

In the Bourgogne, the terms Grand Cru and Premier Cru are used and imply a ranking. Grand Cru wines are better than Premier Cru wines. In Germany, Erstes and Grosses Gewaechs wines are exactly at the same level in terms of quality.

The Grosse Gewaechs and Erstes Gewaechs Riesling Wines of 2008

In the year 2008 a total of 231 wines were granted the Grosses Gewaechs or Erstes Gewaechs label. Jens Priewe has tried 179 of them and evaluated them. His conclusion: Not all are great, but the best are world class. He has published his findings on his new web site www.weinkenner.de.

The price range is from Euro 15 to 70. The Points range is from 83 to 94.

Interestingly, the Mosel region accounts only for a small portion of the Grand Cru wines. This does not come as a surprise as many Mosel winemakers prefer sweeter style wines. Rheinhessen, Rheingau and the Nahe dominate the list. The southern regions are also represented, but Riesling does not play the same role in these areas as it does in the northern regions.

Picture: Erstes Gewaechs Producer Gunter Kuenstler, Hochheim, Rheingau, with Annette and Christian G.E.Schiller

Here is his list of the 179 wine which he evaluated, in German. Please drop me an email at cgeschiller@gmail.com if you have any questions on the list.

http://www.weinkenner.de/home/riesling-tabelle.html





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World Class Wine maker Guenter Kuenstler from Hochheim in Germany spoke with Hendrik Thoma on the new concept of German Grand Cru wines. See the video here.

This is part of Hendrik Thoma's new TVINO internet television project.

Over the past 4 decades the Kuenstler Estate has been one of the most successful wine producers in the Rheingau, if not in Germany. I have watched it rising from a small winery to one of the world leaders of German wine. See my posting on the recent Kuenstler autumn tasting here here.

I have posted quite a bit over the past few months about Hochheim and wine. Go here for the links.

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Hochheim's Erstes Gewaechs Wines of 2008

Picture: Producers of Erstes Gewaechs Wines in Hochheim from left to right: Josef Schaefer, Thorsten Dienst (Dorotheenhof), Pia Rosenkranz (Rebenhof), Verkaufsleiter Weingut Kuenstler, Emmerich Himmel, Franz Werner Michel (Domdechant Werner)--- Photo from Luettges.

In a Blog posting of September 27, 2009, I reviewed the new concepts of Erste Lage, Erstes Gewaechs and Grosses Gewaechs that wine lovers will find more and more on the labels of German wines.

In another posting, I discussed the 2007 Grosses/Erstes Gewaechs Wines of the VDP wine estates that were presented to the General Public in Wiesbaden a couple of weekends ago.

But not only VDP wine estates can produce these top wines. All wine estates can do this as long as they own a vineyard that has been classified as Erste Lage. As far as the Rheingau is concerned, the Rheingau Winemaker Association presented their Erstes Gewaechs wines at the same time. Remember, Erstes Gewaechs wines are in terms of sugar level at harvest at least at the Spaetlese level, but always dry, and the grapes are grown on exceptional (Erste Lage) soil.

Six wine estates from Hochheim, of which two are VDP members, had Erstes Gewaechs wines to present. These comprised 2008 Riesling and 2007 Spaetburgunder wines. Here are these outstanding wines (in alphabetical order):

2008 Hochheimer Kirchenstück and Hochheimer Domdechaney (Domdechant Werner’sches Weingut)

2008 Hochheimer Hölle (Weingut Dorotheenhof)

2008 Hochheimer Kirchenstück (Weingut Himmel)

2008 Hochheimer Kirchenstück, 2008 Hochheimer Hölle, 2007 Hochheimer Reichestal Spätburgunder (Weingut Künstler)

2008 Hochheimer Hölle (Weingut Rebenhof)

2008 Hochheimer Hölle (Weingut W.J. Schäfer)

The prices for these wines range between 12,00 € and 36,50 € for Riesling wines ex winery and between 22,50 € und 42.20 € for the Spaetburgunder.

You find a nice write-up by the Secretary of the Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim, J. Luettges, about this event in the Hochheimer Zeitung, but they charge for it. You can also get a copy from Mr. Luettges through me, I guess.

German Wine Basics: Erstes Gewaechs, Grosses Gewaechs, Erste Lage

There are new terms appearing on German wine labels and wine lists: Erstes Gewaechs, Grosses Gewaechs, Erste Lage. This reflects efforts that are under way to supplement or even replace the current wine ranking system.

The main reference for wine making in Germany today is the wine law of 1971. At the center of the 1971 wine law is the content of sugar in the grapes at the point of harvest. Accordingly, wines are classified from Tafelwein to Trockenbeerenauslese depending on the sugar content of the grapes at harvest. This, however, does not say anything about how sweet a wine in the glass will be at consumption. Thus, a Spaetlese, for example, can be bone-dry or very sweet, although being made from exactly the same grapes with the same sugar content at harvest. See my blog posting of August 24, 2009 on that.

The 1971 wine law also has elements of a terroir concept. There are Grosslagen (collective vineyards) and Einzellagen (single vineyards). For the average consumer, Grosslage sites became virtually indistinguishable from Einzellage (single vineyard) sites. Furthermore, all the single vineyard sites were given equal status and only wine experts know which single vineyards are good and which not so good.

Driven by the objective to restore the prestige of Germany’s significant vineyards and to help the consumer in terms of distinguishing dry from sweet wines, the wineries that are members of the Verband der Praedikatsweingueter (VDP) introduced the concepts of Erste Lage, Erstes Gewaechs, Grosses Gewaechs.

In a first step, all vineyards were rated and the best parcels of them were identified as Erste Lage (First Site). This took several years. Historically relevant maps were used. After a lengthy process and lots of discussions, the Erste Lage concept was introduced in 2001. In my region, the Rheingau, about 1/3 of the wine growing area comes under the Erste Lage label.

Erste Lage vineyards are the top vineyards. Further restrictions apply: there are yield restrictions; only hand picking of grapes is permitted and harvest must be late in the autumn; the sugar content of the grape at harvest must be at least that of a Spaetlese; only certain grape varietals can be planted: Riesling is the only varietal allowed for Erste Lage wines in the Mosel, Nahe, and Mittelrhein, but grapes like Spaetburgunder (Pinot Noir), Lemberger, Fruehburgunder, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Gewuerztraminer, and Silvaner are included in other regions.

Second, the Grosse Gewaechs and Erste Gewaechs concepts were introduced. These terms basically mean the same thing but for some reasons the latter is used in the Rheingau and the former in all other wine regions. Grosse/Erste Gewaechse wines are always fully fermented and dry. The Grosse/Erste Gewaechs lable is thought to resemble the Grand/Premier Cru designation in neighboring France. Here and there, these wines are dry. Grosse/Erste Gewaechs refers to a top dry wine from a top vineyard.

Erste Lage wines that are made in a sweet style continue to carry the traditional Spaetlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein lebels.

A dry Auslese is thus a thing of the past, as far as the Erste Lage vineyards are concerned. If the wine has the Auslese level of sugar at harvest, is fully femented and made dry, it will be sold as Grosses/Erstes Gewaechs. If the same wine is made in a sweet style, it will continue to be marketed as Auslese.

In sum: The Erste Lage concept is singling out the top vineyards. If the wine is then a Erstes/Grosses Gewaechs, the consumer can expect a powerful top-quality dry wine than can compete in the international market with other great dry wines. By contrast, Erste Lage wines with the traditional Spaetlese, Auslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein labels will be noble-sweet wines, which are typical for Germany and difficult to find elsewhere.

Will this help? I doubt it. The new classification covers only 1/3 of wine produced in Germany. The large majority of wine will be produced outside the new rules. I think it has not simplified things, it has complicated it.