Thanks, Torsten, for this thoughtful piece (I like the photo too).
In my humble opinion, blends (or cuvées) like this one currently offer the best value for money in terms of German red wine at the moment. Of course, Spätburgunder can be world class, but prices are very rapidly starting to reflect this. (As you may have heard, Ziereisen, for example, recently raised the price of their top Pinot Noir from 35 to 70 euros.) And understandably, not everyone necessarily wants to wait five to ten years before their Pinots are ready for drinking either. Well-made blends costing, say, up to 12 or 13 euros, can often appeal to a wider spectrum of people, plus they normally don't need to laid down in the cellar for too long, if at all. I need to buy more of them, to be honest!
Of course, the Cuvée X's, XR's and Luitmars of this world are a different story altogether!
Blends are a good thing
Thanks, Torsten, for this thoughtful piece (I like the photo too).
In my humble opinion, blends (or cuvées) like this one currently offer the best value for money in terms of German red wine at the moment. Of course, Spätburgunder can be world class, but prices are very rapidly starting to reflect this. (As you may have heard, Ziereisen, for example, recently raised the price of their top Pinot Noir from 35 to 70 euros.) And understandably, not everyone necessarily wants to wait five to ten years before their Pinots are ready for drinking either. Well-made blends costing, say, up to 12 or 13 euros, can often appeal to a wider spectrum of people, plus they normally don't need to laid down in the cellar for too long, if at all. I need to buy more of them, to be honest!
Of course, the Cuvée X's, XR's and Luitmars of this world are a different story altogether!
Simon