Wine:German winemakers are keen to make their mark on the world stage
German wine still has an image problem or two, hangovers from the days of low quality sweet Liebfraumilch. The country's wine laws seem almost Byzantine to outsiders, a complexity that serves to bamboozle consumers struggling to make sense of bottle labels. Even more importantly, the German offering of low alcohol sweet or off-dry wines seems at odds with the general preference for dry white wines. But times have changed and there is a new breed of winemaker keen to make their mark on the world stage, not least with dry versions of their greatest grape, Riesling.
As evidence, the German embassy recently invited four producers to showcase their wines, first at a small tasting of 12 bottles and then at a four-course Riesling-only dinner in the residence's conservatory cooked by Sebastian Scheer of Peploe's restaurant in Dublin.
Of the four producers, three are represented in Ireland, all by the Wicklow Wine Company, which, along with ex-pat Joe Karwig's Karwig Wines in Carrigaline, Co Cork, have been foremost in espousing the German cause. Weingut Georg Breuer, Weingut Max Ferdinand Richter and Geheimer Rat Dr von Bassermann-Jordan are all serious producers whose wines are celebrated examples of their areas, respectively the Rheingau, the Mosel and the Pfalz. The fourth was Weinhaus Erbeldinger from the Rheinhessen and it provided what was arguably the food and wine match of the evening: this was the pairing of pan-fried fillet of turbot with tomatoes and basil and the lipsmacking fresh gooseberry and peach of Weingut Erbeldinger, Rheinhessen, 2006, Gundheimer Mandelbrunnen, Riesling Hochgewächs, feinherb. This translates roughly as the winery name, the region, the vintage, the name of the specific vineyard, the superior quality of the Riesling, and the fact that the style is off-dry. It's a mouthful but an informative one.
The highlight was a selected vertical tasting of Weingut Max Ferd Richter's awesome Riesling Auslese, the 2003, 1999 and 1994 vintages of Veldenz Elisenberg from the Mosel. This is a dessert wine to die for, but the beauty of this tasting was that it demonstrated how the wine develops with age, from the clean apple fruit of 2003 to the dry petrol intensity of the 1994 - from the orchard to the cellar, so to speak. Incidentally Auslese is a designation for top-end wines from particularly ripe grapes which can be developed into dry as well as dessert wines.
Another high point, and surprise, was the only red of the night, Weingut Georg Breuer's 2005 Spätburgunder, or Pinot Noir. This varietal now ranks third in the country's grape production. German red wine accounts for over one-third of all vineyard production and is growing.
Sourcing good German wine is not that easy. James Nicholson has the highly touted Dr Loosen range and other notables at www.jnwines.com, while Joe Karwig at www.karwigwines.ie and www.wicklowwineco.ie have a wide and impressive range. And M&S have the great value Mineralstein at €9.99.