Growing wine in Germany is an uphill struggle, literally and metaphorically. The vineyards are located so far north that the grapes struggle every year to get ripe before the chill of autumn sets in. Oh, and many vineyards are planted on impossibly steep hillsides that end in a river. Some of these vineyards are so steep that people tending to the grapes tether themselves to the top of the hill with big ropes in order to work on the vines. These riverside vineyards are difficult to work but make the best wines on account of the extra sun they get from the light reflecting off of the river and back onto the steep hillsides.

The vineyards of Germany are all clustered in the southwest corner of the country, near the border with France. The wine growing regions are centered around the Rhine River and its tributaries. In typically German fashion everything about the quality wine industry is organized, but not strictly regulated. The organization goes from very large to individual vineyard sites.

There are 13 large regions designated in German wine laws, they’re called Anbaugebiete. Within these large are districts called Bereiche, there are 39 of these. Then within the districts there are Grosslagen, which are even smaller districts, a collection of vineyards in a certain spot. Finally there are individual vineyards called Einzellagen, and they’ve counted them, there’s 2,658. Of the 13 regions there are three that are generally thought of as the best: Mosel, Rheingau and Rheinhessen.

Excellent wine comes from all the regions, but these three are home to the best quality German wines. The most celebrated grape in all of these regions is Riesling. Many other grapes are grown in Germany, but the undisputed king is Riesling. German Riesling can come in of the sweetness styles, but it’s always marked by powerful but graceful acidity and dramatic concentration of flavor and aromatics. Pinot Noir, called Spätburgunder here, is the most planted red grape. When it actually gets ripe it can be pretty good.

The Mosel is located in the north of the wine growing regions and includes tributary rivers of Saar and Ruwer. The region is noted for its extremely steep hillside vineyards and the slate in the soil. The slate is reckoned to give the wines their characteristic mineral flavors. The Riesling from the Mosel is light, crisp and bracing.

A bend in the Rhine gives the Rheingau region a broad, south-facing stretch of hillside on which to grow some of the best Riesling in the world. This is most likely where Riesling cultivation started and is still home to the best producers and vineyards in Germany. The style of Rheingau Riesling is a bit weightier than Mosel wines, with more defined aromatics and structure.

The Rheinhessen is the largest production area in Germany. It was once synonymous with cheap, bulk Liebfraumilch. While there is still a significant industry in that most basic of German wine, the producers in the area have begun producing very high quality wines. Many of the best houses are making powerful, dry Riesling.

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There’s nothing quite like an international scandal to help a country clean up it’s act. At least that was the case in the late 1980’s when the Austrian’s were found to be adding anti-freeze to their wines. Apparently the wines were so thin and bland, from overproduction and cheap wine making, that the only way to sell them was to add some diethylene glycol to their wine to boost the sugar and viscosity. (Glycol is the substance that gives Sauternes and other botrytised wines their thick mouth feel) The jig was up when one of the producers listed the anti-freeze on his tax form as a business expense. Woops.

This little snafu basically destroyed the export market for Austrian wine for quite a while. Today though, things are going well. The embarrassment of the scandal caused the government and the wine producers to change their focus from bulk wine to quality wine. A blessing in disguise. Austrian’s have a millennia of wine making experience under their belt, with Romans starting the vines and later the monks tending to the best vineyards in the north east of the country.

The large region is known as lower Austria, it surrounds the city of Vienna and is the site of much of Austria’s wine production. Historically, the best vineyards have been located in a little corner of the region of lower Austria called Wachau. The region lies on the Danube River, the vineyards cling to the banks of the river, often on steep hillsides. This situation leaves the vines to soak up sun all day and then get blanketed in cold air that moves in from nearby mountains. Large differences in day-to-night temperatures are great for grapes. The heat of the day builds sugars and the cool of the night retains acids. Wines from the Wachau can be very intense, with strong acids and sugar levels that allow the wines to reach 15% alcohol in some cases. This is extremely high for old world white wines.

The grapes of the Wachau are Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. The Wachau is home to the highest concentration of Riesling in Austria. The vines are planted on the steepest parts of the hillsides. While Riesling in Austria is rare, Grüner Veltliner is a common native grape. In the Wachau it is planted on the flatter, sandier soils where it thrives. Look for Grüner Veltliner—nicknamed GrüVe—to be a very food-friendly white wine with pure mineral characters, peach and citrus aromas and clean acidity.

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Germany does the wine thing a little differently than the rest of the world. For starters, the vineyards of Germany lie as far north as grapes can grow—in bad years they don’t even get ripe—which means the climate is very cold. German wines are not too concerned alcohol, the wines barely get to 12% and are often under 10%. This is in sharp contrast to most laws regarding wine production, which will give a certain minimum alcohol content before the producer can sell the wine; in France the minimum is usually 12%.

Then there’s the sugar thing. A large proportion of the wine that comes out of Germany is off-dry to sweet, compared to almost every other country where production is geared to dry table wines. Their sweet wines aren’t even really supposed to go with food, they’re designed to be enjoyed on their own. Finally, the huge difference in the wine laws of Germany versus the rest of the world is the way they categorize their wine: by sugar content. Remember, the rest of the world classifies wine by location, i.e., appellations, vineyards, regions. Which isn’t to say that Germany doesn’t have designated regions. It does, and they’re very confusing, but the primary classification tool is sugar content.

The whole idea of the classifying by sugar content is that sugar content is an indication of ripeness—and since ripeness is such an issue in Germany, the whole system was designed to ensure consumers that they were getting good wine. The sugar content is based on the “must weight,” basically the weight of the grapes at harvest, in proportion to their volume. Sugar content is measured by a scale called Oechsle, the units are also called Oechsle and are measured in degrees. The first level of quality is called Qualitatswein mit Pradikat (QmP), basically this just ensures that the grapes that made the wine were actually ripe. All good German wine is QmP, if that’s all that’s on a wine label, it will be a very simple wine. After the QmP level is met, the grapes can move up the sugar scale to the following classifications:

- Kabinett: light, refreshing wines, least sugar

- Spatlese: “late harvest”, riper than Kabinett, wines vary from dry and full to sweet and light

- Auslese: made from even riper grapes, sometimes botrytized, usually some RS, needs aging

- Beerenauslese (BA): rare, sweet wines made form botrytized grapes

- Eiswien: wines made from grapes high in sugar and acidity frozen on the vine

- Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA): very rare, very sweet, very expensive, made from hand picked grapes totally dried on the vine by botrytis

The classifications listed above will be the wording found on wine labels. There’s actually a huge amount of information on German wine labels. So much so that it can be confusing and intimidating. Just look for the names above to find what you are looking for.

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The region and the wines of Alsace are just a little different from the rest of France. The wine must be bottled in the signature flûtes, which are tall and thin. The wines are made from grapes foreign to the rest of France—Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Also, they put the name of the grape on the wine bottle. That may not sound like a monumental practice, but for French wine, it is.

Tall bottles, Riesling, name on the label…hmm, those all sound like German wine ideas… Well, they are. That shouldn’t be too surprising given that Alsace has been governed by intermittently by Germany and France in recent history. These days, the population speaks French, but more than a third still speak Alsatian, a German-based tongue.

The region lies in the northeast of France, right on the border with Germany. The wine producing are in the region lies on a narrow strip that runs north and south between the Vosges mountains to the West and the Rhine river to the east. The long strip of grape growers lies in the rain shadow of those Vosges Mountains, this gives the region a rather dry and sunny climate. If you can ever make it this neck of the woods, the Wine Route of Alsace is a 100 miles of wineries in beautiful country that will surely make a few happy days.

Alsace produces several styles of wines from a mixture of grapes. The dominant grape is Riesling, followed by Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. A few kinds of Muscat are also planted, but not in a great amount. The wines of Alsace have a range of sugar levels. Fully dry wines are common, especially Rieslings, but it’s up to the individual producer to determine how much residual sugar to leave in. This practice can be a little confusing for the wine drinker because the bottles aren’t labeled as to whether they are dry or off dry. Read reviews online or ask the restaurant staff if you’re ordering out and you should be able to get what you want.

And if the sweet stuff is what you’re after, Alsace has you covered. Semi-sweet Alsatian wines are labeled as Vendage Tardive, or VT for short, which means late harvest. These wines can be made from any of the grapes and the label will say Vendage Tardive. They’re similar to a German Auslese in sugar level. Finally there is the Selecion de Grains Nobles. This is wine made for grapes affected with noble rot (botrytis). This wine is very sweet and is comparable to a Sauternes or a Beerenauslese. These wines can again be made from any grape and will be labeled as Selecion de Grains Nobles.

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WIne Club Insider back on this foggy Thursday in the Northwest.

I’m currently training for Adventure Racing and a marathon or two, and got out for an hour’s mountain bike ride and an 18 mile run yesterday, catching a nice break between snowfalls… I’m thinking of adding the Napa Valley marathon back into my schedule this year, as it’s the only real marathon I know where you can do the run and try a bunch of excellent wines along the way! What more can you ask for? Imagine reaching mile 16 or so, and then popping oer to the side of the road for a taste of a crisp Viognier or Riesling to help you through that last few miles… ah… now that’s a marathon!

The date for this year is March 1st , and you can find more info at www.napavalleymarathon.org

Speaking of Rieslings… even though it’s the heart of winter here, my thoughts occasionally drift to summer, and today is one of those days. One of my best friends is currently living in Australia, and just got engaged to a beautiful Australian girl. He asked me to be his Best Man next November in the middle of Australian summer. Ah, the things you do for your friends… terrible job, really. What has this got to do with Rieslings, you ask? Well, he is a big, tough, guy (actually a former Navy SEAL) but was a wimp when it came to wine or indulging of any sort… when we met, he thought an Amaretto Sour was high octane. Being a good friend, I was forced to broaden his horizons, especially when it came to wine, and while he developed a much broader palate, his favorites were still the light and crisp whites, especially Riesling, so, here we are.

German Rhine Rieslings are often considered the most famous variety, but the varietal is making huge gains in Alsace, Austria, Canada and the US, and is a very good “cold weather” varietal.

Now, many folks think that, like other “light” whites, it should be consumed while young, but Riesling, due to the high sugar and acidity, ages marvelously, and there are several examples of Rieslings aged decades that drink marvelously, with no signs of fading! I personally have a few bottles of 1975 and 76 German Rieslings that are absolutely awesome – among my top twenty wines, I would say. They are honey golden, crisp and rich, and seem to be getting better.

Riesling is one of the best wines for showing of the “terroir” – the character of the vineyard/region/soil from which they originate, and due to their propensity for attracting “Noble Rot,” they also make some of the best sweet wines in the world, including the best trockenbeerenausleses and German Eisweins.

Riesling is now considered one of the top three white wines, in terms of importance, along with Sauv Blanc and Chard.

One of our favorites comes from – yes, I’m serious – Idaho! Yes, Idaho! Ste. Chapelle winery from the Snake River region makes outstanding wines, but maybe none better than their Riesling. Check them out at www.stechapelle.com, and check out Riesling with a new, fresh eye!

Cheers,

Wine Insider out!

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Wine Club Insider back yet again!

With the dinner party and hosting season just over, I finally had the entire day to work on putting Christmas away today… 10 hours later, we’re back to at least a semblance of normality!

I’m always a bit sad on “Put Away Day,” as the holidays are truly my favorite time of year… We have a 12 foot tree, big toy soldiers by the door, twinklie lights all over… plus, it means that friends, family and guests will be around, and we’ll get to experience some great wine together!

My wife and I have our little traditions; we watch “Love Actually” while setting up, and usually, “High Fidelity” on Put Away Day, but she was at our other business today, so instead I got a chance to listen to a bunch of new CDs I received: the new Willie Nelson-Wynton Marsalis “Two men with the Blues” is awesome!

I’m hoping to get to another of our wine club wineries this weekend: Caterina Cellars in Spokane – www.caterinawinery.com – is located just north of the river in the old Broadview Dairy building, and has been making wine since 1993. Monica Meglasson is the winemaker, and is doing a great job.

They make Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Viognier and Riesling, in a boutique style, and have a wide range of wines, from the very affordable “Artistic Affordable Blends,” all the way up to the (still affordable) single vineyard beauties from some of the Columbia Valley’s best vineyards, including DeBrul, Willard Family, and other Columbia AVAs.

One of their highlight vintages was 1999, where their Merlots and Cabs truly shone. I have had close to a case of each, and it just gets better with age! they are both amazing wines! Luckily, this weekend, they are having a Library tasting of the 1999s, complete with chocolate, cheese, music and a great sale.

One this we love is that they have tapas, food, panini and live music every weekend, and the winery is really quaint… one of our favorites. They have a nice wine club as well, with quarterly offerings of white, red or mixed, and we haven’t been disappointed yet.

Look them up on line, or, if you’re in the northwest, try to stop in this weekend… you won’t regret it!

Wine Club Insider out!

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WCI here, and I’d like to take a small diversion today and talk about some great wines I was able to try this weekend.

I was lucky enough to have some of my dearest friends come into town over the weekend, and so, if I was going to make dinner, I might as well fill the table, so I invited Don Townshend, winemaker, salesman and chief cook and bottle washer for the acclaimed Townshend Cellars in Spokane, Washington, and we had ourselves a party! www.townshendcellar.com is their website, and is worth checking out.

Don is one of the most talented winemakers I’ve met–almost the A.D.D of winemakers, as he makes almost 30 different wines. He’s one of the few winemakers I’ve done a dinner for where I can do an entire 8 – 10 course dinner using only their wines, as he makes everything from a sparkling Huckleberry Brut to several different ports and dessert wines, and everything in-between.

Don and his guest Cathy arrived right on time, and, as is his wont, Don brought a few bottles of some of his best wines to share with us, combined with a couple from my cellar, and let me tell you, folks, what an amazing evening of wines it was!

We started with one of our special champagne cocktails, accompanied by a plate of hummus, crackers and couple of great cheeses; in particular, a two year old, aged cheddar and a lovely smoked Gouda, and then, corkscrew in hand, Don started opening…

First up was his brand new release, entitled “DRG,” for Down River Grill, the restaurant Don crafted the wine for. They are actually having the release party this week, so we got a bit of an early taste. It was quite nice, with tons of fruit, and was a great way to start the evening.

Next up was a salad, with fresh Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, Craisins, fresh sliced pears and a raspberry vinaigrette. We diverged from the list to serve a crisp Riesling, but then, it was time for Big reds!

I’ll be back tomorrow with the tales of a great evening, and about their fun wine club, too!

Until then,

Cheers!

WCI

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