This photo was taken from where I was writing. Somehow, I found an impossibly quiet bench on the bank of the Mosel, opposite the impossibly steep hillside vineyards, bursting with Riesling grapes, ready to be picked in a couple of weeks. The beauty of both the surroundings and the kaleidoscopic wines of the Mosel have drawn me back a second year in a row to the Middle Mosel Wine Festival for a couple of days, and a couple of additional tasting days, which I’m looking forward to greatly. (This includes a re-visit to Weingut Willi Schaefer to taste this year’s releases. - more later)
My second extended stay in Germany gives me much the same feeling as last year; coming from Berlin and Munich, where no one seems to be drinking fine wine, this part of the German wine world is an oasis for wine lovers like me. To see more than a hundred-thousand wine lovers quaffing Riesling is an amazing thing to behold.
Saturday night is the big night here at the Festival, where people start drinking Riesling at mid-day and by the time fireworks get started at 9 p.m., people are in a pretty spirited mood! Thousands of festival goers come on to the bridge across the Mosel to watch the fireworks, then slowly crush back over the bridge, back to the area marked the Weinstrasse to drink more Riesling. While most festival goers are here with a group of friends or family, some camping on the banks of the Mosel, getting their Riesling on the thrifty way, by-the-bottle, (lots of great choices for less than 15 euros at the kiosks,) I’m the outcast seeking out the best quality wines and tasting by the glass. Glasses are poured at 100 ml or a bit more, and range from 1.2 euros to the extreme-outlier, 8 euros (for Beernauslese or Trokenbeernauslese). This year's parade was a lot more fun than last year as I knew to sit on the bridge at the end of the parade route --glass in hand waiting for the refills!
On my first two days/nights of tasting, the obvious pops out —any wine marked V.D.P. is going to blow everything else away most of the time. The strict rules of German quality labeling are there to serve the wine consumer, so if you’re puzzled about how to pick a great German bottle from the shelf or wine list, a wine from a member of the V.D.P will immediately reward you with more of everything —freshness, aroma, body, regional identity, and ultimately, drinking pleasure. Here at the festival, the V.D.P wines are usually about 3.5 euros by-the-glass, which is an incredible value. I had some stunning wines. In the Bernkastel region, there is another quality assurance body, the “Bernkasteler Ring” which uses some of the same terms as the V.D.P. (Gross Gewachs, Grosse Lage, Erste Lage) which are also the wines that separate themselves from the pack.
Here are a few to look out for, a couple of which, I don’t know their availability outside of Germany.
Franz-Friedrich Kern
2017 Riesling Sekt Wehlener Sonnenuhr
After trying a few sparklers (Sekt) this one popped out of the glass. Kern is a great new discovery for me. His booth is tucked away at the very end of the Weinstrasse at the festival, and ignored by too many. They make some serious wines. Sekt can be tooth-achingly acidic, and flat on the nose, but this one hits all the high notes. It smells like flowers and peaches, has great balance, nice mouth feel with a good mousse...and it tastes like Riesling.
Kerpen
Grosses Gewachs 2016 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling:
(Bernkasteler Ring) This is by far the best Troken I have had so far. None of the ripping acidity that a lot of Trokens out there and the GG designation means more aromatics and high quality. Great scents of dried apricots and peaches, perfectly balanced acidity, an amazing value at 16.5 euros. I hope I can find some in California.
S.A. Prüm
2017 Kabinett V.D.P. Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling:
Another 16.5 euro wonder. This is a really juicy Kabinett with typical dried stone fruit aromas. This is one to drink all night, just delicious, with an obvious hit of sweetness, but by no means too sweet for the dinner table. It would be a great foil to a roast pork, or certainly schnitzel (at home we make schnitzel from pounded chicken breasts or turkey breasts and serve with salad.)
Joh. Joh Prüm
2011 V.D.P. Auslese Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling:
Wow. This is a great vintage for long-lasting Riesling, and this is a stunning example. The sweetness level is dead-center of the Auslese range, and it has simply stunning aromas. First, a whiff of petrol hits, then comes the intense peachy/apricot scents that give way to hints of the tropics. Caramel, herbs, and cool wet slate at the finish. At 35 euros, it’s one of the more expensive choices at the festival, (6 euros for a very precisely measured pour) but a steal none the less.
Peter Loosen
2010 Urziger Wurzgarten Beerauslese
Only a distant ancient cousin of the other Loosen, I'm told. Mouth-coating and very sweet. Ultimately a pretty simple BA, but delicious none-the-less. Lots of dried apricot flavors and at an incredible price of 35 Euros per 375 ml.
Keep your eye on the Corkdork blog. I will be posting more notes soon and updated links.
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