The Different Sides of German Wine

A brief trip to Germany in April took me to the 50th VDP Weinbörse—a wine fair organised by the VDP, an autonomous organisation of 199, and many of Germany’s best, producers. I went braced for enamel-scraping levels of Riesling acidity, but I didn’t actually sample that much. Instead, the event turned out to be the ideal opportunity to explore lesser-known aspects of German wine: regions, varieties, and styles that aren’t found outside of Germany that much but should be.

place

Although over 100 years old, the VDP has more recently been important since the 1990s in redefining how German wine presents and promotes itself. Rather than generic, multi-regional blends that dominated in the 1970s and 80s and mimic historic styles of German wine, there is a much greater focus on exactly where the wine comes from. The VDP’s independent classification system takes a Burgundian approach: Gutswein (regional), Ortswein (village), Erstes Gewächs (Premier Cru), and Grosses Gewächs (Grand Cru). This allows producers to retail a series of wines within an identifiable portfolio, ranging from fun, entry-level wines to serious, ageworthy wines. I had associated the single-vineyard sites with Riesling—maybe because I’ve been trained to—but there’s plenty from varieties such as Silvaner, Weißburgunder, Spätburgunder, Lemberger, and Chardonnay. Connecting variety and site is now a significant part of German wine culture.

lesser-known regions

Focusing on place allows the famous regions to express their diversity; it also puts lesser-known regions on the map. It was with some excitement that I tried wines from five producers from Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen, two small regions far to the north which used to be part of East Germany. Since re-unification, they have very, very slowly begun to re-emerge but they’re rarely found outside Germany—this was the first time I had tried any.

Their cool climates meant an unsurprisingly high, bracing acidity, but the wines also had a depth and richness to them which was more unexpected. And it wasn’t just Riesling: in Saale-Unstrut, where limestone soils are common, Hey, Böhme-Tochter, and Pawis make single-vineyard Weißburgunder from the Erstes Gewächs of Zscheiplitzer Himmelreich and the Grosses Gewächs of Edelacker. The village wines are fresh and lively; the single-vineyard wines have depth and richness while maintaining their vibrancy. They demonstrated, perhaps even more than Riesling, why certain vineyards are awarded these distinguished classifications.

Sachsen is a little different, as there are granitic soils, unusual but well-suited for Riesling. More typically for Germany, the vineyards are on steep, south-facing slopes to aid ripening. Martin Schwarz have two Grosses Gewächs Riesling which expressed their site in different ways: Friedstein, with granite soils, is open and generous; Kapitelberg is more classic and tense. Schwarz also make killer Chardonnay, perhaps the best wine I tasted over the course of the two days…

not riesling

It’s sacrilegious to overlook Riesling, especially as that’s what the Germans did for fifty years after the Second World War. But this isn’t a post about Riesling, but the other 78% of varieties planted in Germany. And I’m going to be even more sacrilegious and start with Chardonnay.

Because there is some sensational Chardonnay being made in Germany. I know, do we need more Chardonnay and shouldn’t we be spending all our energy promoting world-class, authentic, ageworthy Riesling? Yes, of course we should, but…

As mentioned, the Martin Schwarz Chardonnay was almost too good to be true, like a cross between Pouilly-Fuissé and Sta. Rita Hills with racy acidity. The other region which is turning towards Chardonnay is Württemberg, an area which German wine lovers know about but few others do. There is a new, growing trend for Chardonnay, with good reason. I tasted three from Dautel: an Ortswein (“Bönningheim”) and two Erstes Gewächs (“Sonnenberg” and “Niedernberg”) which had the same voluptuous backbone with a vibrant lift. Likewise, the scarily named Fürst Hohenlohe Oehringen “H.A.D.E.S.”

There’s also a little amount of Cabernet Franc and Merlot planted in Württemberg, but it’s Lemberger (aka Blaufränkisch) which produces the most exciting and versatile red wine. The wines are not dissimilar to their Austrian equivalents, though with an even livelier acidity, but they demonstrate the importance of site in German regions. The entry level wines are fun and fruity, but the single-vineyard wines have a meaty, juicy, tannic depth that makes them the best of cooler-climate Syrah and Pinot Noir. For instance, the range of Lemberger from Karl Haidle shows the different styles of levels of intensity the wines are capable of.

Another historic but overlooked region is Franken, where Silvaner is the speciality. The wines are often sold in Bocksbeutel, which are oval-shaped and a nightmare to display in a wine shop. Silvaner gets overlooked in comparison to Riesling as it lacks the racy acidity and doesn’t develop as much complexity with age; over in Alsace, it’s not considered one of the noble varieties. But there are some very interesting wines made, which can be a bit more approachable than youthful, taut Riesling. Bickel-Stumpf make a range of Silvaner from different soil types, which demonstrate the diversity of styles which the variety is capable of. Red sandstone soils produce creamier, high acid wines (such as their “Buntsandstein”) while wines from limestone soils are earthier and rounder (e.g. “Muschelkalk”). The producer experiments with barrel fermentation and native yeast in the “Kappellenberg” Silvaner, which gives the wine weight to balance the floral, expressive, vegetal character. There are also a couple of Grosses Gewächs made (“Rothlaut” and “Mönchshof”), where the smoky, earthy character becomes more Riesling like. Along with a couple of other producers I tried (Horst-Sauer and Schwab), there is clear evidence that there is high-quality Silvaner being made in Germany which is well-worth seeking out.

pinot noir/spätburgunder

Germany has slowly been carving a reputation for quality Pinot Noir (aka Spätburgunder) over the last twenty years, although it has been planted for centuries. Despite the cool climate, the wines have a fruity voluptuousness balanced by high acid and firm but gentle tannins. The best-known region for Pinot is Ahr, a northerly region whose dark slate soils aid ripening. Historically sweet to balance the high acid, quality now is consistently high. As with other German regions, there is a focus on vineyard-specific wines, but also multi-vineyard blends for consistency of style and quality. There’s also a small trend for “Blanc de Noir” for still white wine made from Pinot Noir, made by a number of producers such as Kreuzberg, Meyer-Näkel, and Nelles (which was more like a pale rosé). These wines are very fresh and fun, though the Pinot aspect gets a bit lost. Kreuzberg also make a Frühburgunder (aka Pinot Précose) which is an early-ripening version of Pinot, very useful in cool climates such as England and Germany. In general, these wines are fruity and immediate, designed to be drunk now with a little chill: perfect for summer.

And Pinot Noir is also used for Sekt, as are many of the varieties listed above. I got to taste more Sekt than I ever had before, detailed in the next post!