Higher Predicates

K. Wechsler – Elegantly balanced sweet wines

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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 the calcareous, deep loam soils is always very sweat-producing.

The Riesling Benn Beerenauslese 2015 comes from a vineyard of the same name, a small monopol vineyard of 6.5 ha with … Read more ...

Melsheimer – Riesling from feinherb to fruity sweet

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steillagen-bei-traben-trarbach
Steep vineyard in Traben-Trarbach

Around half of the vineyards of the Melsheimer winery in Reil are extremly steep slopes, Mr. Melsheimer senior told us in mid-April this year when he showed us around the winery and brought us closer to history, vineyards and vinification of the Melsheimer winery. There are now many steep slopes on the Moselle, but only 5% of them are among the steepest – with a share of 50% probably a challenge in viticulture. Mr. Melsheimer senior renounced various plant protection products, which his son Thorsten consistently continued, first by converting to ecological, then biodynamic viticulture and then in 2013 finally with the Demeter certification.

Around 3/4 of the slightly more than 11 hectares of vineyards, which all are exclusively planted with Riesling, are in the vineyard Mullay-Hofberg, situated directly above the river Moselle. Their southeast orientation together with the barren slate soil ensure long-lasting, excellent ripening conditions.

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Matured sweet wines from Wachau and Kamptal

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Blick auf Spitz in der Wachau mit Tausendeimerberg
Spitz in the Wachau with view on the Tausendeimerberg

Hans had invited to taste Austrian sweet wines, this time already matured ones, mostly from Riesling. This grape variety does not play the main role in Austrian viticulture, as on the Rhine and its tributaries. However, it is the second most widely cultivated white grape variety in the vineyards located along the Danube, in the Wachau, in Kremstal and Kamptal – but by a long way behind the main vine Grüner Veltliner.

Warm Pannonian eastern air together with a moderate western Antlantic influence, as well as moist cool falling winds from the Waldviertel and Weinviertel

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Flétri from the Valais

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Weinlagen im Wallis
The Valais, with about 5,200 hectares of vineyards largest wine region in Switzerland, located mainly on the southern slopes of the upper Rhône Valley, offers spectacular, often terraced vineyards and a large variety of indigenous grape varieties. The vines thrive on different types of soil, which include granite, morainic gravel, slate and highly calcareous soils.

With its approximately 2,100 hours of sunshine per year, the low annual average rainfall of less than 600 mm and especially the autumnal warm winds, the Valais offers the best conditioPolymnie 2011ns for the harvest of healthy, ripe grapes. The almost always beautiful late autumn in Valais, with still very warm days and cool nights, … Read more ...

Red icewine from the Seewinkl

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Neusiedlersee nach OstenAustria has many sweet wines to offer, very well known are those which originate round the Lake Neusiedl. Worldwide recognised are especially the sweet wines of the Seewinkl, located on the southeastern lake side near Hungary. In the southernmost part of the Seewinkel, in Apetlon, the Winery Michael Opitz farms vineyards of seven hectares surrounded by salt lakes and meadows, with a sustainable approach . The microclimate is characterized by cold winters, a rainy spring, dry, hot summers and a mild autumn enabling a long ripening of the grapes. The Lake Neusiedl also has a regulating effect, it ensures high humidity and so also the fog in autumn, which is … Read more ...

Mineral Kabinett – Expressive Late Harvest

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Kabinett_Mueller_Spaetlese_Pruem

Besides excellent dry wines, Hans seems to store an incredible variety of sweet wines in his very well stocked wine cellar. In addition to Auslese, Beeren- and Trockenbeerenauslese, this also includes Late Harvest and Kabinett. At his last wine tasting, after a nice comparative tasting of the 2008 vintage of the Van Volxem estate wines, he presented us a range of cabinet and late harvest wines. These included the Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett 2005 from the Egon Müller winery and the Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese 2009 from the J.J.Prüm winery. (Tasted wines)
Both wineries are are exceptional and regularly achieve top prices with their wines at the annual predicate wine … Read more ...

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