The Schäfer-Fröhlich winery is known for its philosophy focused on origin and terroir. Tim Fröhlich strives for wines that possess finesse, elegance, and a clear expression of their place of origin, and is convinced that Riesling is best able to reflect this.
The Riesling Kabinett Dorsheimer Pittermännchen 2021 from Schlossgut Diel, which we tasted three years ago, was excellent. This time, we tasted a Riesling Auslese 2023 from the winery’s Dorsheimer Goldloch vineyard. Although the two vineyards border each other, the grapes thrive on different soils. While slate is the dominant characteristic of the Pittermännchen vineyard, the spicy, often slightly smoky nose of the Goldloch vineyard is likely due to the bedrock beneath the heavily gravelly loam soils. With a slope of up to 55%, the vineyard demands a high level of work. On the other hand, this incline, combined with the south to southwest exposure of the vineyard, ensures excellent sun exposure, which promotes ripening.
With a slope of around 65 degrees, the Erdener Prälat is one of the steepest vineyards in Germany. The site also boasts an exceptionally high proportion of old, ungrafted Riesling vines. Thanks to its southern exposure in the Moselle loop and the heat-retaining rocks, the site enjoys a very warm microclimate, from which the vines benefit. The red slate soil also contributes to the complexity of these top-quality Rieslings. We tasted one of these examples, the 2022 Riesling Auslese Erdener Prälat Alte Reben from the Dr. Hermann winery.
Riesling plays a very important role in German sweet wine. For me, Riesling Auslese wines from the Mosel region are definitely among the best. This time, we tasted the Riesling Auslese Pündericher Marienburg Fahrlay 2017 from the Clemens Busch winery. The Busch winery in Pünderich on the Mosel, represented by Rita and Clemens Busch and their son Johannes, cultivates around 20 hectares of vineyards. Most of these belong to the Grand Cru Marienburg, with a smaller portion belonging to the neighbouring Premier Cru Nonnengarten. Riesling is the dominant variety, accounting for 99% of the vineyard.
The Schloss Lieser winery receives top marks from wine guides and wine critics. The wine guides Vinum, Eichelmann and Falstaff have given it 5 grapes and 5 stars respectively, making it one of the absolute top wine producers. The wines from the winery are also repeatedly awarded top marks – for example by Robert Parker, Jancis Robinson and ⁄.
Klaus and Mecki served a 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Beerenauslese (BA) from the Robert Goldenits winery in Burgenland with a lemon sorbet garnished with aged balsamic vinegar. The winery, which I previously knew more for its red wines, is located in the extreme southeast of the Neusiedlersee wine-growing region, in Tadten.
The terroir of the Graacher Himmelreich can be described as excellent. Weathered, mineral-rich Devonian slate characterizes the vine sites around Graach. The heat-storing properties of the slate and the south to south-west orientation of the steep slopes enable a good ripening in late summer and into October.
The Seewinkel, originally the area east of Lake Neusiedl in the area of the towns of Podersdorf, Apetlon and Illmitz, is known worldwide for its noble sweet wines. The indication of the narrower origin “Seewinkel” for noble sweet Neusiedlersee DAC Reserve is only permitted if the grapes come from the communities of Apetlon, Illmitz and/or Podersdorf.
Chardonnay, a popular, versatile and widely grown international white grape variety, is known for a wide range of dry wine styles. But there are also sweet Chardonnay wines: In Burgenland, the variety, due to the fact that Botrytis, is more common there, delivers interesting sweet wines.
The Weinlaubenhof Kracher, world-famous for its sweet wines, not only has excellent Trockenbeerenauslesen (TBA), such as the TBA N ° 4 Nouvelle Vague 2010 made from chardonnay, but also a TBA … Read more ...
The Syss 3.0 from the Kloster am Spitz winery is really a bit unconventional, as it combines Eiswein 1990 and TBA 1998 from Neuburger and Scheurebe from the Purbacher Riede Zelter with a fresh Rosenmuskateller 2022. It has been created by Thomas Schwarz, the winemaker of the Syss 3.0.