Germany: Better dead than red?
Ξ January 12th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ A Day at a Time, International Terroirs, Restaurant Reviews, Tasting Notes |
A short business trip over to Germany raised the possibility of trying out some of the less obvious local wines, and since German red wine not easily available in the UK, and has such a poor reputation, I decided to look a little closer at what was available in the country itself. I started in Giessen, a University town just north of Frankfurt which is closest to the Rheingau, Rheinhessen and Franken growing regions.
My colleague on this trip was Steffi, who favours dry and full bodied wines, so as we perused the wine list on the first night we were both concentrating on the reds. However the first to attract our attention was a white, the 2005 Silvaner Trocken from Weingut Hauck in Rheinhessen. Coming in at 12.5% abv this was rich and floral, a delicious wine to start the evening and only my second ever Silvaner (in Germany it is written with an ‘i’ unlike Alsace and Austria which use Sylvaner).
The hotel was the Altes Eishaus Weinstube, originally an ice-cream house but now a cosy lodging with a very quaint restaurant called the Pfannkuchenhaus (Pancake house) specialising, unsurprisingly, in savoury pancakes. For a main course I went for the Bauen Pfannkuchen with a smoked ham and onion filling. To accompany this we had the 2006 Portugieser Rotwein Trocken Qba by Weingut Volker Pfaffmann in Pfalz. Despite it’s name Blauer Portugieser is actually an Austrian variety used to make light red wines and this one was very light, but easy to drink with the mildly flavoured food.
In an attempt to add a bit more body to the evening’s drinking we finished with what promised to be a much richer red, a 2005 Spätburgunder, also from Weingut Hauck at 13% abv. Spätburgunder is a clone of Pinot Noir and is grown widely in Germany and Austria (where it is known as Blauburgunder) and is used to make medium bodies reds. Our one was a much deeper colour than the Portugieser and had a smoky nose that promised much, but unfortunately too much, as the flavour lacked depth, was bitter and it finished exceptionally fast. It seems that Herr Hauck is better at whites and at the end of the evening we both agreed that the Silvaner was the best of the selection.
I managed to pay a quick visit to a small convenience store before we had to leave Giessen, but unfortunately the selection was limited and mid-range at best.
A Dornfelder seemed the best option for a red, the Hemer 2005 Dornfelder Trocken from Rheinhessen. The label indicates Gutsabfullung meaning Estate Bottled and matured in Holzfass barrels. This came in at £5 ($10).
Hemer also produced one of the whites I selected, the Primus 06 Rivaner Trocken, also at £5. Rivaner is another name for Müller-Thurgau (a Riesling-Silvaner cross ) - although there are some claims that it is a distinct Riesling clone. In the 1970s more Müller-Thurgau was planted in Germany than anything else, but a bad winter in 1979 devastated crops and it has since suffered a popularity slump after being associated with the cheap and cheerful Liebfraumilch and Piesporter so prevalent in the 80s.
Finally I had to get a Riesling, but with the selection so limited I went for a historic and local reference instead, and chose the Justus von Liebig 2006 Rüdesheimer Riesling from the Rheingau. This is a commemorative bottle celebrating the 200th birthday of famous German chemist Justus von Liebig, after whom the University of Giessen is named and who also founded the company who created OXO! This set me back $11.
While none of these wines are for aging I’m hoping they will at least provide some pleasant drinking within the next year.
The next day saw a long drive up the autobahn to Bremen. Here we were staying in the very elegant Hotel Munte am Stadtwald next to the main city park and woods, close to the University. It was late when we arrived so we only had a light meal and a couple of glasses of wine to wash it down. I was determined to continue on the German red theme and ordered the Grossbottwarer Wunnenstein, 2005 Trollinger, 12% abv, from Bottwartal-Kellerei. I hadn’t even heard of Trollinger before, not having seen any on the shelves of the wine-stores back home, but it is also known as Schiava Grossa in Italy and is rumoured to be able to produce full bodied wines. Unfortunately this one failed miserably as any form of red, but I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway once I had mentally re-categorised it as a rosè, as which it was one of the best I’ve had! The deep ruby colour matched many a Spanish Rosado, it had a light berry nose and a Strawberry & Cream flavour to match.
If the manufacturer had marketed it as a dry rosè I’m sure it would win many fans, unfortunately this was the last nail in the proverbial coffin for my investigation into German reds, it had been 2 days and I needed something dry and full bodied. Before finishing that night I ordered a glass of South African Merlot, the Lourensford Five Heirs 2004 Merlot. W.O. Stellenbosch, 14.5%. Smooth and rich it just what was needed.
For the final night in Bremen we went to Del Bosco Trattorria, the Italian Restaurant in the Hotel. To my delight the menu contained one of my must have foods when I go to Germany, pan-fried calf-liver with onions (Kalbsleber mit zweibel), preceeded by a fantastic baked artichoke with prawns in a tomato sauce with grilled cheese topping.
We decided to stay Italian for the wine and went for the Masi Campofiorin 2004. IGT, Veneto. This is a Double fermeted Valpolicella Ripasso, made from Corvina & Molinara varieties, and is from a classic producer from the region - I’d had their Costasera Amarone Classico a few years ago which was an experience that has guaranteed a lifelong love-affair with Amarone. The ligher Campofiorin was a delicious and fruity accompaniment to the meal and the perfect red wine to finish a visit to Germany!
I have to say that, following this trip, my opinion of German red wines has not improved. Of the 4 main varieties used, Spätburgunder, Dornfelder, Portugieser and Trollinger, it is the first two that can (and I have to assume do) produce the more full bodied wines the British and American markets generally like, however locally the lighter reds seem to take preference and with these on offer I will stay with Riesling (or Silvaner if I can find it).
Greybeard, December 2007/ January 2008.
