That is actually quite interesting. "Graf von Kageneck" (mostly known here for their ubiquitous sparklings, but they also produce still wines) is _not_ an old noble estate of long standing, with a tall castle hovering over 500-years old caves, as one would be very much inclined to think. It is a brand name and product line of the Badischer Winzerkeller in Breisach, one of two largest cooperatives in Germany. They bought to right to use the name for some wines from an (aristocratic) name owner who is not a vintner.
Big however can be beautiful at times, contrary to comnon wine writer and wine snob prejudice and both the Badischer Winzerkeller and the Württembergische Weingärtner-Zentralgenossenschaft make excellent, technical perfect and above all, even very individual and differentiated (!!) wines.
The reason for this my assessment, which may be unexpected by some foreign observers, is their very high standard of training and winemaking technique, the perfect timelines (both coops operate through a full 24 hours at day and night at the grape acceptance and pressing stations, during harvest times), and the plethora of small and smallest tanks, vats - including barriques - and many glass vessels, which both possess. I have repeatedly found that these mega-coops are able (and willing) to get the utmost out of the respective terroir heritage (ahh, the dreaded buzzword), wherever the vintners in the vineyards had done their part before. Absolutely no "generic" taste thus in that category.
Of course, it is entirely different for branded "grape wines" or "trademark wines" in the lower segments, which these mega-coops strive to produce faithfually and reliably every year, with taste and characteristics as closely matched as possible. They do an equally good and credible job on this mass market side, a feat for which they also deserve to be commended I feel.
In reply to Happy New Year to all of you, by torsten
That is actually quite
That is actually quite interesting. "Graf von Kageneck" (mostly known here for their ubiquitous sparklings, but they also produce still wines) is _not_ an old noble estate of long standing, with a tall castle hovering over 500-years old caves, as one would be very much inclined to think. It is a brand name and product line of the Badischer Winzerkeller in Breisach, one of two largest cooperatives in Germany. They bought to right to use the name for some wines from an (aristocratic) name owner who is not a vintner.
Big however can be beautiful at times, contrary to comnon wine writer and wine snob prejudice and both the Badischer Winzerkeller and the Württembergische Weingärtner-Zentralgenossenschaft make excellent, technical perfect and above all, even very individual and differentiated (!!) wines.
The reason for this my assessment, which may be unexpected by some foreign observers, is their very high standard of training and winemaking technique, the perfect timelines (both coops operate through a full 24 hours at day and night at the grape acceptance and pressing stations, during harvest times), and the plethora of small and smallest tanks, vats - including barriques - and many glass vessels, which both possess. I have repeatedly found that these mega-coops are able (and willing) to get the utmost out of the respective terroir heritage (ahh, the dreaded buzzword), wherever the vintners in the vineyards had done their part before. Absolutely no "generic" taste thus in that category.
Of course, it is entirely different for branded "grape wines" or "trademark wines" in the lower segments, which these mega-coops strive to produce faithfually and reliably every year, with taste and characteristics as closely matched as possible. They do an equally good and credible job on this mass market side, a feat for which they also deserve to be commended I feel.