Germany
What have the Romans ever done for us? Well, about 2,000 years ago they introduced vines for making wine to the Germanic territories, so that was something! About 1,400 years later we can see the first known reference to the grape variety Riesslingen (Riesling) – in the eyes of many the finest white grape variety on the planet, widely thought to have originated in the Rhine region, and certainly one of the UK wine trade’s darling grapes, even if we don’t sell all that much compared to so many others.
VORSPRUNG DURCH WEIN
What is a South America specialist doing importing wines from Germany? Having fun! We are not German wine specialists; we are wine lovers; and we will buy from anywhere we see exceptional quality and value from people we feel good about working with. When our MD was asked to begin working exclusively with Argentine wines in a former role in 2008, a genuine concern was the lack of good Riesling and Pinot Noir from South America. That is changing, especially with Pinot, but here we are coming full circle and working with a brilliant winemaker in Germany, importing fantastic Riesling and Pinot Noir. We can expect a lot from Argentina, but not everything!
Our German wines are from Pfalz, a relatively warm region in the West of the country between the river Rhine and the low-lying Haardt mountain range, a continuation of the famous Vosges mountains of Alsace just over the border in France. These mountains famously precipitate rainfall and the region enjoys warm summers and mild winters. Although still best-known for white wines and Riesling in particular, Pfalz is increasingly being recognised as a source of excellent Pinot Noir, so favourable is the climate for this most fickle and tricky varietal.
Why don’t we sell more German wine in the UK when almost every person in the trade loves it so much? Is it still the legacy of dull sweet wines that reigned supreme from the 1950s right into the 80s? Surely not. Is it still the challenge of navigating traditionally complicated wine labels and the language barrier? No, not anymore. It has long been said that the Germans keep their best wines for themselves, and why not? In any case, here we have cracking examples of delicious, modern, vibrant single-varietal wines from a shining light in Pfalz.
Our winery in
Germany
Gerd Stepp
WINERY AND VINEYARDS – BAD DÜRKHEIM, PFALZ, GERMANY
