Maybe I should congratulate you on being so restrained and not shouting at the panel, Andrew? At least for some part of the discussion I was running around taking photos, so I took the role of neutral observer on this. Even so the suggestion Germany should (only) do sweet Riesling amused me - amused and not annoyed, mind you, because it so clearly missed the point of what is happening in German wine. And I agree wholeheartedly with your comment that there is no reason why lovers of dry Riesling should not love dry German Riesling if you can only make them aware it exists and is good.
By the way, there are more really good dry Mosel Rieslings to try. Have a look at Clemens Busch, for instance, or this very exciting Riesling from Herrenberg that Julian discovered (although this is Saar territory already). You will also find that other "sweet" specialists apart from Urbans-Hof make great dry wines, for instance the Ohligsberg GG from Haart or a range of wines from Molitor.
I still think there may be a point in having fantasy names, hyper-modern labels and sweet wines made mass-compatible, but it is for brands like Black Tower and the like, who will do their own thing anyway. Having said that I don't mind serious producers being a bit more playful with their entry level wines for the export market, such as the Leitz Riesling called "Eins, zwei dry". Overall I want clear labelling that makes at least some sense to the consumer, but in a serious and German style. And we certainly will continue to showcase the diversity there is, and not give up on dry, because it is good.
In reply to It's hard sometimes to avoid by Andrew Connor
Maybe I should congratulate
Maybe I should congratulate you on being so restrained and not shouting at the panel, Andrew? At least for some part of the discussion I was running around taking photos, so I took the role of neutral observer on this. Even so the suggestion Germany should (only) do sweet Riesling amused me - amused and not annoyed, mind you, because it so clearly missed the point of what is happening in German wine. And I agree wholeheartedly with your comment that there is no reason why lovers of dry Riesling should not love dry German Riesling if you can only make them aware it exists and is good.
By the way, there are more really good dry Mosel Rieslings to try. Have a look at Clemens Busch, for instance, or this very exciting Riesling from Herrenberg that Julian discovered (although this is Saar territory already). You will also find that other "sweet" specialists apart from Urbans-Hof make great dry wines, for instance the Ohligsberg GG from Haart or a range of wines from Molitor.
I still think there may be a point in having fantasy names, hyper-modern labels and sweet wines made mass-compatible, but it is for brands like Black Tower and the like, who will do their own thing anyway. Having said that I don't mind serious producers being a bit more playful with their entry level wines for the export market, such as the Leitz Riesling called "Eins, zwei dry". Overall I want clear labelling that makes at least some sense to the consumer, but in a serious and German style. And we certainly will continue to showcase the diversity there is, and not give up on dry, because it is good.