THURSTQUEEN WORLD TOUR: GERMANY

Welcome to Riesling territory…

Riesling lovers - where you at?

If we are going to talk about Germany - we have to discuss this noble grape. We just have to.

A whopping fifth of all German grapes are Riesling. That is a HUGE percentage of the grapes planted in Germany. And honestly? Can you blame them? Riesling is the Beyonce of Grapes. Riesling is so freaking popular it has its own BIRTHDAY, mmkay? March 13, 1435 if ya wanna get real specific.

German Rieslings are like nothing else on the planet, and the more Rieslings you try from different parts of Germany, the more you’ll realize they’re all incredibly different from one another. This beautiful, silvery ambrosia is just as captivating from the Mosel as it is from the Pfalz. They’re just leagues apart in terms of style.

After we chat about the history of German wine, we will take a deep dive into the wine regions of Germany and the distinctive types of Riesling they produce.

HISTORY OF GERMAN WINE

German winemaking goes back for 2,000 years. It was the Romans who initially brought winemaking to Germany, but the emperor Charlemagne is the man who really got things going for the wine region. Charlemagne was very involved in German wine production, and it is said that he founded the original wine bars that were called Strausswirtschaften.

Time flew by and German winemakers continued perfecting their craft and cultivating grapes like the beloved Riesling. The 19th Century was a golden age for German winemaking. At the time, German wine was considered even more prestigious than Bordeaux, and a lot of these German wines were enjoyed by royalty all over the world.

May have enjoyed Riesling

May have enjoyed Riesling prior to being beheaded

May have enjoyed Riesling after beheading his multiple wives.

Anyway, you get the picture.

Flash forward to nowadays and German wines are nothing short of spectacular. The quality here is rather high, as German wine legislation is very involved. It’s so involved, in fact, that I should probably do an entire blogpost on deciphering German wine labels - Qualitätswein mit Prädikat, anyone?

Yet I digress. The point is - your dollar is going to stretch fairly far when you purchase German wine. Which is why if you love Riesling at all, you need to buy German wines. If you don’t like Riesling - silently judging you - Germany is also well known for another varietal called Spätburgunder - or Pinot Noir. German wines aren’t going to be big, knock your socks off wines. Here, they are all about precision and transparency. If you like your wines intense but restrained - Germany should be your go-to.

There are a LOT of German wine regions, so for the sake of length, I could only touch on a few. I’m sure we will go back into greater depth to discuss this fabulous wine-producing country again soon. I’ll take any excuse to drink German wine I can get.

KEY GERMAN WINE REGIONS TO KNOW FOR RIESLING LOVERS

THE MOSEL RIVER VALLEY - DELICATE RIESLINGS

Mosel and Riesling go together like peanut butter and jelly. Rieslings that come out of this region are delicate, layered, and nuanced with a lot of mineral qualities.

The dramatic, steeply sloping hills frame the Mosel River and are some of the steepest vineyards in the world. These slate-covered vineyards get just the right amount of sun in this incredibly chilly place.

The slate is important here, as it reflects the sun’s light and absorbs whatever heat from the sun’s rays. (And trust me, there aint’ a lot of heat up here.) Each tiny pinprick of sunlight is really important to ripen the delicate Riesling grapes, which is why the reflective slate is hugely important. In addition to reflecting the sun’s light, the slate transmits it to the fragile Riesling vines that grow on the dramatic cliffside. Think about it working like those tanning reflectors.

The model’s face would be the Reisling grapes in this situation.

If you go to the Mosel and see the vineyard workers, you will find they are usually older women with baskets on their backs, making the death-defying trek up these steeply sloping vineyards. I remember during my Level One, one of the Masters was talking about how he went to the Mosel and saw these older women with baskets on their back, climbing up the hill to harvest vines. During rainy years, it can be really dangerous - which makes me appreciate each bottle of Mosel Riesling even more.

The Mosel grows mostly Riesling and another interesting and aromatic white grape - Müller-Thurgau. In addition to being delicate and having a slight kiss of sugary sweetness, Mosel Rieslings have a very strong, slate-driven, mineral backbone. These wines are crystalline and pure and go with just about anything.

THE RHEINGAU - FRUITY AND FUN RIESLINGS

The Rheingau is slightly warmer than the Mosel River, and the Riesling vines that grow here receive a lot more sun than their more Northern counterparts. If you visit the Rheingau, you’ll see a bunch of old castles and monasteries dotted throughout the vineyards.

The Rheingau is shaped by the Rheingau Mountains, that stop the Rhine River and cause it to flow in a different direction. The Rheingau produces a tremendous amount of Riesling. The Riesling here is fruitier and less delicate than the Mosel Riesling. These Rieslings are still considered elegant, but have a lot more body and a sort of smokey quality to them.

SPÄTBURGUNDER ALERT

For all you Pinot Lovers out there, the Rheingau grows Spätburgunder in its warm climate as well. German Pinot Noirs are a lot lighter and have plenty of acidity and precision as well.

THE PFALZ - POWERFUL AF RIESLINGS

For me personally, the best Rieslings come from the Pfalz. These wines are bold, steely, and will knock you on your ass. The Pfalz is much warmer than the Mosel, and though it is a part of the German Rhineland, the main geographical feature that influences the climate here is the Haardt Mountain Range. Do you remember when we talked about Alsace several months ago? The Hard Mountain Range is actually a part of the Vosges Mountain Range that border the Alsatian region in France.

If you think about it that way, it kind of makes sense the Riesling that comes from here is a lot bolder, more acidic and more in your face than some of the Riesling from the Mosel. I can tell you, the Riesling in Alsace is pretty darn bold! It is also a bit warmer here than the Mosel, and the Riesling is able to get nice and ripe before being harvested.

In the Pfalz, I get a lot of tropical fruit from my Rieslings. Picture pulsating aromas of lime, pineapple, and vibrant minerality. These wines are so clean and crisp, with an unmistakable energy to them.

In the Pfalz, you can find other white grapes like Silvaner, Müller Thurgau, Kerner, and Morio-muskat.

AND THE ONE GERMAN REGION THAT PRODUCES EXCLUSIVELY RED WINE:

AHR - FOR PINOT LOVERS

The Ahr is one of the few regions in Germany that produces exclusively red wines. It also happens to be one of the smallest wine regions in Germany. Like the Mosel, the Ahr River twists and turns through steeply sloping, forested rock. The Spätburgunder aka Pinot Noir coming out of Ahr just keeps getting better and better, and this is definitely one of the regions to keep on your radar if you’re looking for inexpensive, great value, lighter-bodied and mineral-driven reds.

Interestingly enough, the Ahr also grows another grape - Frühburgunder. Frühburgunder is a mutation of Pinot Noir, and is another red grape that ripens just a bit earlier than Pinot Noir. It is also even more finicky to grow, if you can imagine that.

Frühburgunder is supposed to be a bit subtler than Spätburgunder. The tannins aren’t as big, and instead of getting more red fruits, Frühburgunder has more black fruit qualities. Think blackberries, currants, and plums. I’ve never had Frühburgunder myself, but I’m intrigued. Let me know if you guys think I should try and get ahold of some.

PICK OF THE WEEK: Müller Catoir MC Scheuribe $28.00 @ Stanley’s Wet Goods

Müller-Catoir is one of my favorite German producers. This Pfalz-based winery makes some kick ass Rieslings, and if you’re willing to fork out a little extra dough I highly recommend checking them out. The MC line is priced more for the everyday wine drinker, and the wines definitely overdeliver in terms of quality.

Though this German powerhouse of a producer is more known for their Rieslings, Müller-Catoir also makes an incredible version of Scheurebe - an aromatic varietal that is also named Sämling 88. Scheurebe was discovered in 1916 and is a byproduct of Riesling crossed with an unknown white grape. Typically Scheurebe is like Riesling but more intense. There are a lot of sweet versions of this esoteric little varietal, but the MC Scheurebe is done in a drier style.

This wine is like lemon-infused rainwater. There’s a crystalline, steely core with aromas of fresh cut grass and grapefruit. Fans of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc will go nuts for this beautiful and clean wine. It is a bottled expression of minimalistic elegance and is proof that sometimes less is more. Try pairing a bottle of the MC Scheurebe with some Larb salad or even Pho. This clean, pretty wine will definitely complement those strong flavors beautifully.