Germany

Scharzhofberger Riesling Late Harvest – Vereinigte Hospitien

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Viticulture on the Saar © Heinz Teuber  Pixabay

The Vereinigte Hospitien, founded in 1804 by Napoleon Bonaparte as a social foundation, still perform this task today by looking after and caring for old, sick or disabled people in different institutions. From the beginning, a winery was also part of it, which provably has cultivated the first Riesling in the Mosel valley in 1464. The figure of St. James on the bottle label reminds at the St. Jacobs Hospital, the owner at that time.

The United Hospitals are also known for their spectacular wine cellar, the oldest wine cellar in Germany, which impresses not only with ancient Roman masonry from around 330 AD, but above all by its size and the possibility to enjoy wine tasting there.

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Sweetness from Franconia – Silvaner Auslese

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In the autumn, there are many wine events – selection is necesssary. Sweet wines are rarely to be found on tasting lists – if there is one -, mostly the winemakers have only dry wines with them. I wanted to taste dry Silvaner at the presentation of wine from Franconia, which was announced with the brand Silvaner Heimat seit 1659 (Home of Silvaner since 1659) created this year.


Home of the Silvaner is not so wrong, because about 1,500 … Read more ...

Chardonnay for lovers of Auslese

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Chardonnay is a very versatile variety, which is reflected in dry wines in a variety of wine styles. Usually dry wines are produced with this variety, but there are also sweet and noble sweet Chardonnay variants, especially in Germany and Austria. Two characteristics make Chardonnay a very well suited grape variety for sweet wines. On the one hand, the variety definitely has enough acidity to balance residual sugar, on the other hand, the berries’ shells are thin enough to facilitate … Read more ...

Feinherb showpiece – Molitor’s Zeltinger Himmelreich 2016

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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!

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 ...

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