Feinherb showpiece – Molitor’s Zeltinger Himmelreich 2016

There are four different grades of sweetness according to German and EU wine law: dry, semi-dry, semisweet and sweet, in addition, one also finds the term feinherb. A term probably only used in Germany, which should convey to the consumer that the wine has a fine, slightly herb note, even though or just because it is not dry.

In various wine lexica it can be read that a feinherb wine, such as a semi-dry one, has … Read more ...

Sauvignon Blanc „Sweetheart“ – everybody’s darling!

Sauvignon blanc is not necessarily everyone’s favorite, at least for the dry wines. Some people because of its aromas can not drink enough of it , others refrain entirely from it because of the aromas. The flavors can vary greatly depending on the harvest time. With increasing maturity, the spectrum of aromas of grass, herbs, green fruits, boxwood, gooseberries, elderberries and yellow fruits often shifts, especially with ripened specimens supplemented with vegetables, asparagus and cabbage.

Among the best known dry … Read more ...

Top-Auslesen from the Mosel

After a walk in the warm spring sun and a subsequent coffee with cake, Hans not only served some dry, but also three sweet Riesling readings from the Mosel – all three from well-known, good producers.

Maximin Grünhaus Abtsberg 2010 Riesling Auslese No. 24
Expressive nose with herbaceous, delicately spicy and fruity aromas of citrus and peach. Harmonious on the palate, but thrilling, fine juicy fruit with pleasantly subtle sweetness and racy acidity, spicy herbs, beautiful mineral notes, long very … Read more ...

Exotic fruit salad from the Frühlingsplätzchen

On the western edge of the wine-growing area Nahe, in Monzingen there is the winery Emrich-Schönleber, existing since more than 250 years, since 1994 member of the VDP. On about 19 hectares of vineyards flourishes predominantly Riesling (85%). The Riesling wines of the winery are among the best of Germany – often they are very filigree and show a good minerality. In addition to the care of soil and vine, responsible for the classic, excellent wines, also a balanced … Read more ...

At its finest – fruit sweet Riesling from the Mosel

Vineyards around Uerzig © Pixabay

Riesling develops a great deal much flavor when maturing in the cool climate. It matures very well on heat-storing soils, in sun-oriented locations. This is true to a large extent for the steep slate slopes of the Mosel wine region. On slate Riesling often develops a racy acidity, which in fruit sweet Rieslings can play a brilliant game with fruit and sweetness . That’s why fruit sweet Rieslings are among my favorite sweet wines. In the offer of the usual wine trade are usually found only a few such fruit sweet Riesling. All the more reason why I was pleased to receive an e-mail telling me that “one month ago I started an online shop for Riesling Spaetlesen“. This appealed to me so much that I immediately responded positively to the request to taste some wines from its assortment and to blog about it.

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Matured sweet wines – fresh and youthful

Hans had already opened some excellent wines to the excellent French dinner, including, for example, a 2013 Chevalier Montrachet from Domaine Leflaive and a 2005 Le Pavillon from Chapoutier. For cheese and dessert he had selected matured sweet wines, from German predicates such as Spätlese on Vin Doux Naturel to Madeira – all excellent.

1994 Niederhäuser Herrmannshöhle Spätlese, Dönnhoff
Quince, pear and white peach on the nose, delicately smoky. Very fresh on the palate, prominent acidity, mild fruit, juicy, lean, … Read more ...

Rheingau Riesling – Auslese with fruity acidity

In the Rheingau, the Rhine flows mostly from east to west, so that most of the vines grow on south-facing slopes, in the only a few kilometers wide wine growing area north of the river. Protected by the Taunus from cold north winds, the grapes thrive in a climate with warm, low-precipitation summers and mild winters, as well as the temperature and moisture-regulating effects of the Rhine. With a share of 80% Riesling is the key grape veriety of … Read more ...

Auslese Gold Capsule by J.J. Pruem – High End Class

Gold capsule is the name given to the gold-colored bottle enclosure, which is used primarily in the wine regions Mosel and Rheingau to identify particularly high-quality sweet wines. A superlative of it is in addition the Lange Goldkapsel (long gold-coloured enclosure), sometimes abbreviated LGK. Usually there are only small amounts of these sweet qualities, which often are not traded, but only available at auctions.

Also the winery J.J. Pruem, one of the most renowned wineries in Germany, usually … Read more ...

Mosel Riesling 2016 – Fruity elegance

Bernkasteler vineyards (at the upper edge from the village from right to left: Doctor, Graben and Lay) © Pixabay

Maximilian Ferger‘s passion for wine becomes clear if listening to him, the enologist and manager of the renowned winery Wwe. H. Thanisch – Erben Mueller-Burggraef, when he is speaking about his work in the vineyards and in wine cellar.
Talking with him about Riesling and Pinot Noir on the phone, I had the impression that he speaks of the vines as his children. Just as you give children the best you can, in any case, he wants the best for his vines. In doing so, he pursues an ecologically oriented, sustainable path, which also includes the renunciation of herbicides and botryzides – a path that will soon be completed

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K. Wechsler – Elegantly balanced sweet wines


rieslingtrauben

Katharina Wechsler entered the family winery first 2009 and in a short time she became well-known with the wine lovers. She presented her very elegant, drinking-inspiring wines in the Munich wine shop Furore – including two sweet wines.

The winery Wechsler manages 17 hectares in Westhofen in the famous vine locations Steingrube, Kirchspiel and Morstein. The Riesling Schweisströpfchen 2015, which we have tasted, owes its name to a part of the Kirchspiel, in which the work on … Read more ...