TOP OF - Wines of Germany

The judges (left to right)
TO P O F
the class
Now in its third outing, this year’s Wines of Germany
Top 50 tasting wowed the expert judges with the most
diverse and high-quality selection of wines yet
A REPUTABLE group of wine tasters
including two Masters of Wine met on
Friday 4 March at The Sampler in South
Kensington to judge this year’s Wines of
Germany Top 50 selection. The A-list
judging panel was made up of Xenia Irwin
MW, Alex Hunt MW, Christine Parkinson,
Roger Jones, James Comyn and Matt
Walls, who tasted and rated all of the
wines blind.
The initiative aims to place the best wines
of Germany in front of UK consumers and
members of the trade in order to inspire
the nation to discover the breadth and
diversity of German wine in the market
today. The competition is open to wineries
from all over Germany, including those
seeking UK representation.
“The Top 50 Wines of Germany is now in
its third year and this year’s competition
has produced the most interesting
selection of wines yet,” said Nicky Forest,
managing director of Wines of Germany.
“The tasting demonstrated just how much
diversity there is in Germany today. Our
aim is to raise awareness of all styles of
German wines and help producers seeking
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importers to find a way into the market.”
Wine writer Matt Walls got most excited
about the Rieslings, though was happy to
see wines made with lesser-known
German varieties making it into the Top
50. “Germany is more diverse than most
people give it credit for. The quality of
German Pinot Noir in particular just gets
higher and higher,” he said.
For Roger Jones, chef and owner of The
Harrow at Little Bedwyn, diversification
was the key. “It was refreshing to see an
array of styles and grape varieties,
including Pinot Gris with attitude, some
excellent Pinot Noirs at moderate price
points, and a great sparkling wine,” he
said. “The Wines of Germany Top 50 offers
a great understanding of how well
Germany is doing in the UK. We’re all
aware of the quality available in Germany,
but we need to get more of these into the
UK market and help spread the word.”
Christine Parkinson, head of wine at the
Hakkasan Group, was struck by “the sheer
variety of wines on offer” at the tasting,
where she encountered “charming wines”
at every price point.
Matt Walls, wine writer, consultant
and author
James Comyn, trade director at
Howard Ripley
Christine Parkinson, head of wine at
the Hakkasan Group
Alex Hunt MW, purchasing director of
Berkmann Wine Cellars
Xenia Irwin MW, wine buyer for
Waitrose Cellar
Roger Jones, chef and owner of The
Harrow at Little Bedwyn
Hitting the high notes
If you’re keen to try some of the most
exciting wines being made in
Germany today then head to the
G Sharp tasting on 27 April at The
Hospital Club in Covent Garden. The
tasting runs from 11am until 5pm,
with wines from 25 of Germany’s
top producers on pour. To register for
the event, please email
[email protected]
“It was great to taste a full range of
Riesling styles, from bone dry to sweet and
fruity to mineral, all of them convincingly
expressive,” she added.
“I was also delighted to come across
Pinot Gris in a refreshing style that would
tear most Pinot Grigio lovers away from
Italy at first sip. I was particularly
impressed with the quality of Sekt on offer,
where I found sparkling wines with
elegance and real personality.”
s po n s o red repo rt
Wines of Germany Top 50
Producer
Wine name
Wines with UK representation
Riesling £5-£10
Devil’s Rock
Devil’s Rock Riesling
Reh Kendermann
Kendermanns Special Edition Riesling
Peter & Peter
Peter & Peter Riesling Trocken
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt
The Society’s Saar Riesling
Riesling £11-£20
Dr Loosen
Dr Loosen Riesling Sekt extra dry
Reichsrat von Buhl
Riesling Sekt Brut
Bamberger
Plaisir Riesling Feinherb
Leitz
Eins-Zwei-Dry Riesling
Mehrlein
Mittelheimer Edelmann Riseling
Max Ferdinand Richter
Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett
Richard Böcking
Devon Riesling
Gunderloch
A Piece of Me Riesling
Weegmüller
Der Elegante Riesling
Andreas Bender
Hofpäsch Riesling
Riesling £20+
Selbach-Oster
Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese Trocken
Lubentiushof
Gäns Riesling Trocken
Kruger-Rumpf
Riesling
Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Spätlese
Grans-Fassian
Flick
Nonnberg Riesling Spätlese
Dönnhoff
Oberhäuser Brücke Spätlese
White Pinot
Schloss Vaux
Cuvee Vaux Sekt Brut
Peter Mertes
‘Kleine Kapelle’ Pinot Grigio
Other white
Ruppertsberger
The Society’s Ruppertsberg Riesling
Hans Wirsching
Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg Silvaner Großes Gewächs
Pinot Noir
Johann Wolf
Johann Wolf Pinot Noir
Becker-Landgraf
Gau-Odernheimer Spätburgunder
Steitz
Pinot Noir
Jean Stodden
Recher Herenberg Pinot Noir
Source: Wines of Germany
Region
Grape variety
Vintage
RRP (£)
Pfalz
Pfalz
Mosel
Mosel
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
2015
2015
2015
2013
5.49
7.49
7.99
8.95
Mosel
Pfalz
Nahe
Rheingau
Rheingau
Mosel
Mosel
Rheinhessen
Pfalz
Mosel
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
NV
2014
2014
2015
2014
2015
2013
2014
2014
2014
16.99
19.99
11.95
11.99
12.00
14.00
15.95
16.99
17.99
19.70
Mosel
Mosel
Nahe
Mosel
Rheingau
Nahe
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
2012
2014
2014
2011
2015
2014
23.95
23.99
39.50
22.50
23.99
34.00
Rheingau
Rheinhessen
Pinot Blanc/Pinot Noir/Riesling 2013
Pinot Gris
2015
18.99
5.49
Pfalz
Franken
Silvaner/Riesling
Silvaner
2014
2014
12.00
30.35
Pfalz
Rheinhessen
Rheinhessen
Ahr
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
2014
2014
2012
2012
9.99
16.99
25.00
42.00
Nahe
Pfalz
Pfalz
Mosel
Mosel
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
Riesling
2015
2014
2014
1999
2014
Nahe
Rheinhessen
Baden
Pfalz
Pfalz
Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris
Pinot Blanc
2014
2015
2013
2014
2015
Rheinhessen
Franken
Rheinhessen
Franken
Rheinhessen
Sachsen
Silvaner
Silvaner
Silvaner
Silvaner
Sauvignon Blanc
Scheurebe
2014
2014
2014
2014
2015
2014
Nahe
Rheinhessen
Pfalz
Pfalz
Baden
Scheurebe
Huxelrebe
Rieslaner
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
2014
2015
2015
2013
2013
Württemberg
Lemberger/Pinot Noir
2013
Wines seeking UK representation
Riesling seeking an importer
Korrell Johanneshof
Slice of Paradise Riesling
Pfeffingen
Pfeffingen Dry Riesling
Müller-Catoir
Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese
Nikolaus Köwerich
Riesling
Bastgen
Riesling
White Pinot seeking an importer
Albert Gälweiler
Grauer Burgunder ‘S’ Trocken
Becker
Pinot Gris
Philipp Lang
Grauburgunder Barrique
Philip Bassler
Grauer Burgunder Spätlese Trocken
Thorsten Krieger
Weissburgunder Trocken
Other whites seeking an importer
Lisa Bunn
Silvaner Reserve
Weingand
Der Wilde Silvaner
Werther Windisch
Harxheimer Lieth Silvaner Trocken
Wein Von 3
Silvaner
Weingut Julius
Sauvignon Blanc
Schloss Wackerbarth
Scheurebe
Pinot Noir seeking an importer
SJ Montigny
Kreuznacher Scheurebe feinherb
Dr Hinkel
Huxelrebe
am Kaiserbaum
Lerchenspiel Rieslaner Auslese
Hanewald-Schwerdt
Kalkriff Spätburgunder
Martin Waßmer
Pinot Noir ‘GC’ Castellberg
Other reds seeking an importer
GA Heinrich
Fass No IV Lemberger
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