German wine labels are getting more light-hearted. They used sport bucolic images of half-timber villages and spooky castles. Today's young winemakers are less likely to be descended from wine dynasties or attached to such... Read More
Known as Gutedel (goot-EH-del) in Germany, Fendant in Switzerland, and Chasselas in France, this grape is a specialty in the Baden region of southwest Germany, specifically Markgräflerland, bordering Alsace and Switzerland.... Read More
The handsome label doesn't tell you much. In fact, 1000L makes no sense to most people, so let's start there. It refers to the smallish 1000 liter (264 gallon) fass or fuder, a traditional barrel used in the Mosel, where... Read More
We don't see many wines from Germany's mid-region centered around Würzburg, near the Bavarian border. Franken is famous for its Silvaner and is one of two regions allowed to use the flat Bocksbeutel (goat scrotum)... Read More
Julian Ludes (lood-ess) refers to his steel-vinified Riesling from the flatlands of Thörnicher Schiesslay as a breakfast wine, likely due to its low ABV of 9%. In New York, we would pair it with a nice brunch closer to 10am... Read More
A bit more common in Germany than here, Blanc de Noir is a unique take on Pinot Noir. Hammelmannn makes his wine in a corner of Pfalz, where the distinct soil is suited for the region's most important crops, Grumbeer und Zwiebel... Read More
Müller-Ruprecht produces wine in the Pfälzer village of Kallstadt, approximately 20 km west of Heidelberg. This is where Philipp & Sabine Wöhrwag make some really cool chemical-free wines like a Dornfelder Pet-Nat,... Read More
We're big fans of Peter Lauer, from whom we feature a dry Riesling, off-dry Riesling, and now a dry Sekt (pronounced z-eh-kt). Although Germany is not well known for sparkling wine, it makes and consumes significant amounts.... Read More
Fass #8 is a luxurious Riesling from the village of Ayl (eye-l), about an hour's drive east of Luxembourg. Although the region is often lumped together as Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, we prefer using the individual river designation... Read More
Like many small villages in Germany, Rosswag has lost its young people to big cities like nearby Stuttgart. No matter the natural beauty and striking landscapes, even the best vineyards cannot survive untended and underappreciated.... Read More
Perhaps it is a surprise that Pinot Noir (aka Spätburgunder) is the most planted red grape in Germany and also accounts for some increasingly lovely pink wines. Florian Fauth is blessed with limestone-rich soils located south... Read More
This crossing of Traminer and Österreichisch-Weiß ('Austrian White') came to the Germanic empire from central Europe around the 1650s and is now grown primarily in Franconia and Alsace. Possibly named after... Read More
A steel-fermented rosé made from saignée Pinot Noir and about 20% Cabernet and Merlot is the last wine one would expect from the vertical slopes of the Mosel Valley, but Dr. Ulrich Stein skillfully incorporates Bordeaux... Read More
