German Wines

Here's a surprising fact - nearly one third of Germany's vineyards are planted in red grapes ? but until quite recently most of these wines were made specifically with the country's own tastes in mind.

Now there is a generation of winemakers producing riper, fuller bodied Pinot Noirs made in a modern style - and one which takes both Burgundy and New Zealand Pinot Noir styles into account. Winemaker Gerd Stepp is at the forefront of this cultural change and this fabulous Pinot Noir illustrates this in this savoury, smooth and finely tuned Pinot Noir, which tastes like the ultimate match with roast duck or aubergine and then again, is equally beautiful on its own. 

This is a thought provoking Pinot Noir which offers exceptional value for money.

Dry, bright and fruity Riesling from arguably the finest Riesling growing region in the world - the Mosel.

This smooth textured, silky Pinot Noir comes from Germany's largest wine region where Pinot Noir makes up 5% of the total vineyard area and goes into wines with great weight, intense fruit and a lively balance of acidity.

Weingut Wittman produces certified biodynamic wines in the Rheinhessen ? Germany?s largest wine region, which is surrounded by hills with the Nahe River on the west and the Rhine on the north and east. The moderating effects of the river and the protective benefit of the hills creates a relatively mild climate so red grape varieties are significant in this region where Riesling dominates with 18% of the total vineyard area (which is 71% white grapes and 28% red) but Pinot Noir accounts for only 5.5% of the total vineyard at this stage.

This 500ml bottle of honeyed sweet Riesling deliciousness captures the beauty of sweet Riesling at its best. Flavours run from concentrated lemon curd to honeyed lime juice with sweet peach aromas and all supported by the beautiful balance of high acidity, which gives Riesling its trademark freshness. 

Serve lightly chilled. This wine begs for a lemon tart.

It is a stunningly concentrated, complex sweet wine for drinking now and can age for the long haul too. This wine is a keeper.

This outstanding dry Riesling captures the intense lemon-lime and hint of honey that make great Riesling so, well, great. The ageing potential of this wine is also exceptional but it drinks so beautifully now that it will require significant willpower to keep it. 

The village of Trittenheim is home to the great Apotheke Vineyard, one of the best sites on the Mosel; which is the world's greatest Riesling region.  

The name Apothem literally means pharmacy, the vineyard?s name comes from the Abtsberg Abbey in the nearby city of Trier. 

Stein means stone and this dry Riesling is made from a south west facing vineyard site planted on slate slopes with each vine single staked and with average vine age of 60 to 80 years of age. The grapes yield wines with great aging potential and complex minerality. All  grapes are hand picked, gently pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts in German fuder barrels where the wine is left to receive the smooth, complex flavour benefits of extended lees ageing.

If you like Riesling, you will love this exceptional high quality and super concentrated, rich, dry example from one of the Mosel River's most important and dramatic steep vineyards, Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr. This luscious wine is balanced by the freshness of Riesling's naturally high acidity which adds complexity and backbone to every sip of this flavoursome, citrusy and full bodied Riesling. 

Fritz Haag is one of the great producers in the Mosel region and this shale vineyard is one of the great sites, named after the famous sundial which is situated in the heart of the vineyard; hence the name sonnenuhr - German for sundial. 

The Haag family has making wine since 1605 and been instrumental in the development of Brauneberger, a place recognised as one of the Mosel?s best wine areas since the sixth century. The winery is headed today by Oliver Haag, whose father Wilhelm (son of Fritz) became recognised as a Riesling world leader, awarded the deceptively simple title of Winegrower of the Year in 1994.

Excellent medium dry Riesling from one of the Mosel River's best producers, Weingut Fritz Haag. Refreshing, crisp and lively with concentrated lime zest and juicy flavoursome style followed by a long finish. 

The Haag family has making wine since 1605 and been instrumental in the development of Brauneberger, a place recognised as one of the Mosel’s best wine areas since the sixth century. The winery is headed today by Oliver Haag, whose father Wilhelm (son of Fritz) became recognised as a Riesling world leader, awarded the deceptively simple title of Winegrower of the Year in 1994.

High quality, elegant wine from one of the best Riesling producers in Germany. The term 'Spatlese' refers to the late harvested grapes. This is not, however, a dessert wine. Complex mineral and pear aromas, and balanced minerality and acidity on the palate. The finish is long and elegant.

Complex but light, layers of flavour but focussed and pure, this lovely German Riesling is a paradox, like many of the great wines of the world. Flavours of limes, lemons and liquid honey type flavours give this lively wine its complex flavours. It is medium dry in style which means has a hint of sweet aromatic intensity in the mid palate and finishes dry and crisp. 

Giesen Mosel Reiler Goldlay is the first German Riesling from the Giesen brothers, who bought a small block of vineyard land in the village of Reil on the banks of the famous Mosel River. They contracted their friend and fellow winemaker, Tobias Treis, to make this wine, which was then shipped to New Zealand.

9%Abv "The 2018 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Sp?tlese is coolish, precise and flinty on the elegant and complex yet always bright and seductive nose that offers lush and precise white stone fruit aromas. Intense and refined on the palate, this is a dense, highly elegant, tightly structured and sustainable Sp?tlese with a long and stimulatingly salty finish. A fabulous and serious WSU Sp?tlese. Tasted at the domain in September 2020." ? 95 Points, Stephan Reinhardt, RobertParker.com

"Ripe pear, mirabelle and lychee are garlanded with heliotrope and lily. The delicate but glossy palate introduces overripe Persian melon to accompany the already effusive fruit and decadent liquid perfume promised on the nose. Seed piquancy and a kiss of wet stone lend welcome counterpoint to the lusciously lingering finish." ? 94 Points, David Schildknecht, Vinous

"For a bottling that usually requires years to show its colors, this surprisingly open, lavishly perfumed Sp?tlese wafts of pristine white peach and blossom. It's delightfully honeyed yet invigorating, balancing layers of apricot and yellow cherry flavors against crushed slate and dazzling acidity. While tempting in youth, it should improve through 2035." ? 94 Points, Wine Enthusiast

"A deep and complex Sp?tlese with a ton of blossom aromas, but also great white fruit and a touch of yellow peach and fresh pineapple. Very long, bright and delicate on the medium-bodied palate. Drink or hold." ? 96 Points, James Suckling

Racy dry Riesling from the hand of Thomas Haag, brother of the infamous Fritz Haag. This is single vineyard (Wehlener Sonnenuhr) magic and has the Grosse Gewachs designation that states it is right at the top of the quality pile - from a Grosse Lage (similar to a first growth if you were to compare to France). 

From our friends at Wine Advocate...

The 2019 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling GG is intense yet fine on the nose, where ripe fruit aromas intertwine with very delicate and refreshing crunchy slate and herbal aromas. Full-bodied, intense and juicy on the palate, this is voluptuous yet finessed and mineral with a long, intense, quite powerful and structured finish that is still somewhat astringent, though, and needs 2-4 years to soften. Tasted at the domain in September 2020.

Thomas Haag has again produced the full range of eight Grosses Gewächs Rieslings in 2019, which I will taste later this year. For this report, I can only give my first impressions of five grand crus, although they were still cloudy and not yet ready in spring when I predominantly tasted the lower levels and the—gorgeous—sweet predicate wines. However, I will share my first findings here, just in case you want to subscribe to them before they will be sold out. About the season, Thomas Haag reports an early budding followed by optimal flowering, an exceptional summer with record temperatures and capricious weather in autumn. "All this has put us winegrowers under full strain. However, intensive manual work and precisely selective harvesting rewarded us with perfectly healthy grapes and exceptional qualities, albeit with lower yields. The cool nights in late summer helped the grapes to achieve an intense and concentrated aroma and perfect acidity levels, which promise excellent aging capacity." The wines I have tasted so far are rich yet precise and elegant, presenting high extracts and a complex expression of the particular terroirs, all balanced by remarkably fine and stimulating acidity. One of my childs of sorrow, the Niederberg Helden, is the origin of a terrific series of Rieslings that can, thus far, only be topped by the selections from the Wehlener Sonnenuhr.

Winemaker and owner Gerd Stepp makes this exceptional German Riesling from a single vineyard in the country's warm southern region of the Pfalz. 

The Kallstadter Saumage vineyard is all about loess and loam rich soils with a high limestone content, where the soils are full of tiny fossil shells, which provide high calcium content. 

Gerd is no fan of botrytis so this stunning dry Riesling is all about lemon essence on the palate with apple, honey and citrus notes driving its core flavours. This wine is very clean, light bodied is expresses the very essence of wine - grape purity and length. 

A beautiful wine now and with potential to be a great ager.