Rheingau

Peter Jakob Kühn, Pur Pur, 2005

torsten — Sun, 13 Apr 2014 21:02:25 +0000

Ever heard of Dunkelfelder? If not don't be alarmed - if I wasn't such a German wine nerd I probably had not heard of it either. It is a rare grape variety that doesn't have the best reputation, but it does have one of the coolest alternative names in wine classification: "Froelich V 4-4". Well, if you like to name your grapes after super weapons perhaps. Leaving unusual names aside, Dunkelfelder is one of the varieties that went into the 2005 vintage of "Pur Pur", and so eventually into my wine glass.

Is the Dunkelfelder wine a secret weapon or yet another of these German oddities we sometimes write about?

Two Princes - skin-contact Riesling from the Rheingau

torsten — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 18:52:44 +0000

Two Princes - skin-contact Riesling from the Rheingau

That Riesling is Royalty will be intuitively plausible to all lovers of this noble grape. In this sense the Wine Rambler is by now quite used to dine with royalty - after all Riesling is the most common guest at our dinner table. However, to be faced by two Riesling Princess is novelty even for this seasoned Riesling drinker. And yet here the are, quite comfortable on my shiny new table, awaiting their fate: two Rieslings from the noble estate of the Prince of Hesse - Prinz von Hessen. However, it was not because of their noble lineage that I requested samples of the "Dachsfilet" (badger (mountain) fillet), but because this is noble Riesling made like red wine - fermented on the skin.

torsten Saturday, 08/02/2014

Prinz von Hessen, Riesling Dachsfilet, 2011

torsten — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 18:52:22 +0000

This skin-contact Riesling is reviewed in more detail in our article Two Princes. The short summary, lacking horribly in context, is below.

Prinz von Hessen, Riesling Dachsfilet, 2010

torsten — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 18:52:15 +0000

This skin-contact Riesling is reviewed in more detail in our article Two Princes. The short summary, lacking horribly in context, is below.

Leitz, Rüdesheimer Riesling trocken, 2010

torsten — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 20:55:09 +0000

Leitz, Rüdesheimer Riesling trocken, 2010

When I woke up this morning to the news of Barack Obama being re-elected I immediately realised how I had to write tonight's Riesling review. It would have to be about expectation management. This is something the 44th President of the United States would have a lot to say about as the disappointment some Democrats seem to feel towards him originated from perhaps unrealistically high expectations in his first presidency. Expectation management goes beyond politics of course and I suspect all of us will have been disappointed in something or someone when actually their only "failure" was not to have fulfilled our expectations.

Film is an area where I suffer from this effect occasionally, despite struggling not to be infected by the most recent hype. It also happens with regards to wine, but to me as a Wine Rambler it poses a more serious issue. How can we ensure not to be negatively influenced by our expectations? And this is how the poor, innocent Rheingau Riesling gets dragged into this malarkey.

torsten Wednesday, 07/11/2012

Weingut Ankermühle, Riesling "Gabriel", 2010

torsten — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:38:09 +0000

Weingut Ankermühle, Riesling "Gabriel", 2010

As the wine review I posted on Good Friday revealed a lack of spiritual cohesiveness with regards to what an appropriate wine for Easter should feel like, I have decided to play it safe on Easter Monday. Rheingau winery Ankermühle have moved away from the usual German approach of confusing customers with long and unpronounceable vineyard names and instead use snappy ones like "Jungfer" (spinster), "Maria" and "Hölle" (hell) - or today's Gabriel.

Admittedly, Gabriel's feast day is 29 September and not today, but I figured that going with a archangel would somehow be keeping in line with the easterly spirit.

torsten Monday, 09/04/2012

Weingut Ankermühle, Riesling Classic, 2009

torsten — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:58:56 +0000

Weingut Ankermühle, Riesling Classic, 2009

The Germans and their compound words. Even people who haven't heard more than three words of German (presumably those will include "Achtung", "nein" and "Fuehrer", although amongst the more sophisticated "Kindergarten", "Zeitgeist" "Schadenfreude" und "Weltschmerz" are also candidates) know that the Germans like to build long words into even longer ones by attaching them to each other. Worry not though, I shall not be troubling you with yet another very complex word the length of the journey from Land's End to John O'Groats. Instead I will use a review of a Rheingau Riesling to introduce you to a short compound word every wine drinker should know.

The word is Zechwein.

torsten Sunday, 11/12/2011

Peter Jakob Kühn, Jakobus, Riesling trocken, eine Traube, 2010

torsten — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:47:15 +0000

Peter Jakob Kühn, Jakobus, Riesling trocken, eine Traube, 2010

Last weekend I organised a wine tasting of a different type for my colleagues. I had particularly high hopes that one of the wines would shine, a Riesling from Rheingau winemaking wizard Peter Jakob Kühn. In the past, I have had some truly stunning wines from Kühn, and I had heard good things about his work with the difficult 2010 vintage. At the tasting though the biodynamic Riesling was overshadowed - in being controversial by a Franconian Silvaner and in receiving general praise by an Austrian Grüner Veltliner.

Not that the Riesling was bad, mind you, but in its leanness it was a little more quiet than I had hoped for. When we divided up the spoils of the night, I grabbed a half full bottle and took it home with me to inquire further.

torsten Sunday, 09/10/2011

J. B. Becker, Eltviller Sonnenberg, Riesling Spätlese, 1988

Julian — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 21:22:50 +0000

J. B. Becker, Eltviller Sonnenberg, Riesling Spätlese, 1988

Contrary to the impression given by my recent confessional posting, I do not generally source my aged Rieslings by going through the neighbours' garbage. Here's one I bought absolutely regularly from a Munich wine shop. J. B. Becker is Rheingau winery known for the uncompromising traditionalism of its winemaking and the longevity of its Rieslings.

So while we are on the topic, I thought another little review may be in order:

Julian Saturday, 06/08/2011

Künstler, Hochheimer Hölle, Riesling Erstes Gewächs, 2007

torsten — Tue, 10 May 2011 05:59:14 +0000

Künstler, Hochheimer Hölle, Riesling Erstes Gewächs, 2007

Abroad Germany is mostly know for its delicious sweeter Riesling, but at home it is the top dry Rieslings that get most media attention. They are labelled as "Großes Gewächs" (great growth) or, in the Rheingau, as "Erstes Gewächs" (first growth), at least for the wineries that are members of the growers associations that created these classifications. Quality standards are relatively strict and include low yields, selective harvesting by hand and using only grapes from individual, certified top vineyards.

The price for these grand cru wines is constantly going up, so if you find one from a top producer such as Künstler for less than 20 Euro it is lucky times.

torsten Tuesday, 10/05/2011