German Wine Fair, Riesling & Co. World Tour 2013, Toronto, Ontario

It was with great anticipation I attended the trade portion of this show, in the afternoon of May 28, 2013 in Toronto, Ontario. Just to tell you how much I enjoy German Wines, I made a four hour trip to attend this event. In my 30 years of enjoying, tasting and purchasing wines, of them mostly German Riesling, I was definitely looking forward to taste other varieties like Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Sylvaner.






Red Wines;

Pinot Noir;

I tasted 8 Pinot Noir (PN) (local name is Spätburgunder) in total from the regions of Ahr and Baden. They were definitely more Burgundy in style than let’s say California’s, lighter bodied reds with sweet and sour fruit flavours, strong mineral notes and fine dusty tannins. I did enjoy both Pinot Noir from Salwey in Baden but definitely preferred their Grand Cru (Grosses Gewächs) 2010. A dry PN with a fuller bodied, more complexity with flavours of sweet and sour red fruit, floral and spicy notes and mild tannins. I also tasted all four PN from Meyer-Näkel in Baden and found them to be very interesting, but again preferred their Grand Cru 2010, with a strong earthy and mineral presence throughout.  


White Wines;

Pinot Gris;

I tasted 3 Pinot Gris (local name is Grauburgunder) in total, from the regions of Baden and Nahe. All were very enjoyable with the standout from Weingut IM Zwölberich Grauburgunder C 2011 in Nahe a medium weight Pinot Gris with alcohol coming in at 13.5%. With its beautiful creamy texture, bright acidity and citrusy flavours. Salwey Grauburgunder 2011 was also very nice.

Sylvaner;

I only tasted two of them, both from the same winery Graf von Schönborn. I have purchased these wines in the past and find them to be very versatile at the table with so many food pairing possibilities. I quite enjoyed Graf von Schönborn Silvaner Kabinett “Alte Reben” 2011, from old vines with a low alcohol at 12.5%, fresh acidity and fruity flavours.

Riesling;

Riesling is truly the Queen of German wine making, and for me, the Queen of white grapes, period. There is something so special about German Rieslings, their complex aromatics, great mouthfeel, with its fruity  flavours, but well balanced by its vibrant acidity. This makes them very flavourful and a great joy to drink. In all, I tasted 27 of them, in every sweetness level, from dry to Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese and one Beerenauslese.

• The standout by far was the lineup from Gunderloch located in Rheinhessen, all of their wines were perfectly balanced and so delicious. Gunderloch Beerenauslese 2008 was absolutely spectacular, my last wine tasted and a sweet ending to this fair.

• Of the 10 Riesling Kabinett tasted, the standout by far was Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Kaseler Nies’chen Riesling Kabinett 2006. A superb example of how complex these wines can be when given some time in bottle. In my descriptors I wrote “classic” and delicious beside these other two Kabinett; Schloss Schönborn Erbach Marcobrunn Riesling Kabinett 2011 and St. Urbans-Hof Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett 2011.

• Of the 9 Riesling Spätlese tasted, three of them stood out for me. Starting with Moselland Goldschild, Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese 2012 from Mosel, a classic Spätlese with low alcohol of 7.5%. Also from Mosel, Bollig-Lehnert Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Spätlese 2011 and finally Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothberg Riesling Spätlese 2011 from Rheinhessen.

• Of the 7 Riesling Auslese tasted, two of them really stood out for me. Weingut von Hövel Oberemmeler Hütte Riesling Auslese 2007 from Rheingau and Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothberg Riesling Auslese 2011 from Rheinhessen, both of them absolutely stunning.

Here are my top 15 wines tasted at this Fair;

1- Bollig-Lehnert Droner Hofberger Riesling Auslese 2009 from Mosel

2- Bollig-Lehnert Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Spätlese 2011 from Mosel

3- Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothberg Riesling Spätlese 2011 from Rheinhessen

4- Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothberg Riesling Auslese 2011 from Rheinhessen

5- Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothberg Riesling Beerenauslese 2008 from Rheinhessen

6- Weingut von Hövel Oberemmeler Hütte Riesling Auslese 2007 from Rheingau

7- Moselland Goldschild, Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese 2012 from Mosel

8- Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese 2010 from Mosel

9- Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Kaseler Nies’chen Riesling Kabinett 2006 from Mosel

10- Salwey Spätburgunder “Grosses Gewächs” 2011 from Baden

11- Schloss Schönborn Erbach Marcobrunn Riesling Kabinett 2011 from Rheingau

12- Graf von Schönborn Silvaner Kabinett “Alte Reben” 2011 from Franken

13- St. Urbans-Hof Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett 2011 from Mosel

14- St. Urbans-Hof Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese 2011 from Mosel

15- Weingut IM Zwölberich Grauburgunder C 2011 from Nahe

                           

I would like to take this opportunity to comment on the Fair as a whole; a beautiful venue, music and food.  Music, with a DJ supplying nice background music, in sync with the tempo of the room. The superb food catered for this event paired quite well with the wine and made the whole afternoon a memorable one.

Prost
Paul YWG

Studert Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2008, Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany

 

This wine is 100% Riesling grapes, maturation partly in stainless steel and partly in oak barrels with a gentle filtration before bottling and alcohol coming in at 7.5%.

Bright straw yellow in color, this Riesling opened up with attractive aromas of pear, peach, pink grapefruit, honey, minerals and a hint of petrol. On the mouthfeel, light to medium bodied, off-dry, tasty sweetness on the palate and lively acidity. Good length on the finish with flavours of soft tropical fruit and honey and a great acidity, which made the ending clean and refreshing. Enjoyed by all five of us who had the opportunity to share this lovely Riesling, loved the low alcohol and at $16.95, it represents a terrific value. Score 89 points.

Purchased February 2, 2013 LCBO Vintages New Release (970129) at $16.95


Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett 2008, Mosel, Germany

I have long been purchasing wines from Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt for well over a decade. Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt is an old vineyard dating back to the mid 14^th century. This wine opens up with aromas of pears, ripe apple, citrus fruit, honey, minerals and kerosene notes. On the mouthfeel, light bodied (with alcohol coming in at 7.5%) off-dry, with luscious fruit flavours, lively stony minerality and crisp acidity. This Riesling has a clean, refreshing finish with excellent depth of flavours and a touch of honey covering the palate. This was a very aromatic, elegant and delicious Riesling, served as an aperitif on a hot summer day and enjoyed by all five of us who shared this wine. Terrific value at $16.95 and strongly recommended, score 90 points.

Purchased June 23, 2012 LCBO New Release (606202) at $16.95.

St. Urbans Hof Riesling Kabinett 2009, Qmp, Ockfener Bockstein, Mosel, Germany

From the very good 2009 Mosel vintage, this medium-dry Riesling Kabinett offers suttle aromas of peach, lime, green apple, wet stone and intense minerality. Slightly sweet and creamy on the mouthfeel but well balanced by racy acidity and low alcohol at 8%. Long creamy finish with interesting tension between tree fruit and minerals. Another elegant and very classy German Kabinett and definitely worthy of its place at number 57 on Wine Spectator top 100 Wines of 2010.

This wine was purchased September 3, 2011 LCBO New Release at $ 21.95.

Reichsgraf Von Kesselstatt Riesling Kabinett 2007, Mosel, Germany

I am well overdue to review a white wine and with hot and humid weather settling in, it is a perfect time to uncork a white wine, and not just any white, but my favourite grape, a Riesling. I have always been a fan of German Rieslings, and this one is an absolute beauty with aromas of pink grapefruit, pear, wet stone and petrol. The mouthfeel is oily, with delicate sweetness and lively acidity. The finish is long with sweet fruit and a touch of honey. With alcohol at only 8.5% this is a perfect wine to sip on the patio or with a slightly spicy dish. A Riesling of this quality, and fine vintage (2007) could age for many more years and is a great value at this price. (The level of sweetness of this Riesling is medium sweet)

This wine was purchased on January 8, 2011 LCBO New Release at $19.95.