We may tentatively visit Ludi Neiss ... and I will have more to say if we do.

For now, the story is that Axel Neib is the fifth generation winemaker and the vineyards have been converted to mostly classic varieties. The picture above tells a million stories and I can't wait to see it in person (though I hope it is not as cold!)

... so on the trip, our group will also be stopping at the winery of Weingut Markus Schneider.

According to the web site (a rather creative and loose Google translation) Schneider likes to make fresh, concentrated wine with more mineral than fruit and works on the principle ("less is more.)

Red wine - which is the focus of this trip - is mascerated for long hours and aged with oak. The soil includes loamy earth, clay, crushed stone, gravel, sand, loess, sandstone, limestone, and rock and has deep, diverse geological formations. Weather consists of warm days and cool nights, which is great for ripeness and high acidity.

Very excited to meet him and taste through his wines!
 

Do you like Riesling wine? If so, the next question would be which type? As you are aware, Riesling can be bone dry or as sweet and thick as honey.

And an even sharper question may be how you prefer your Riesling to be packaged? The scary looking, but traditional, labels with gothic type and un-pronounceable German names like Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg, or something as fun, cool, and simple as “Undone?”

Recently, a representative from P. J. Valckenberg, an exporter, sent me a case of its new vintages, a mixed back in terms of modern and traditional German labels and wine styles. Many of both the modern and traditional labels had screwcap closures, suggesting a concern for freshness and a precaution against cork taint. The winesw ere uniformly quite good, dry in the new style meant to be paired with food. Valckenberg is the oldest family owned wine merchant in Germany, being run by Wilhelm Steifensand, a seventh generation descendant. Royal dynasties and many renowned personalities of the times are Valckenberg customers.

Weingut Bassermann-Jordan Pfalz

Wine: 2008 Bassermann Jordan Estate Riesling trocken

About the Producer: The Jordan Family started Wine Growing in the 18th century Friedrich von Bassermann-Jordan was the author of the seminal work on The History of Wine growing. Very special is the estate’s museum of old wines, starting with an 1706 Forster Ungeheuer. Their winemaker Ullrich Mell is one of the most
respected in Germany

Region /Vineyards:The vines for the Bassermann-Jordan Riesling are planted on the slopes of the “Haardt” mountains, the so-called hills of the western brim of the Rhine valley. The slopes are south-east facing and contain a lot of sandstone in the soil. The vines are in the average 15 years old.

Vintage: Warm weather in spring fostered an early flowering. Summer was typical with no extremes of temperature or storm, but with more rain than in 2007, but equal to the 10-year average. Periodic rainfall delayed picking, but there were enough dry periods to harvest healthy grapes and it paid to wait for ideal ripeness. The wines of vintage 2008 are promising: rich in nuances and substance, complex, very aromatic.

Tasting Notes: Lemon in color, nose of minerals, honey soaked apricots, on the palate dry, medium acidity, with notes of ripe apricots and peaches. Pair this with seafood.

Observations: The label is somewhat classic in style with a modern twist. An illustrated woman is nude beneath a transparent dress. A very versatile wine that will please people who like their Riesling dry as well as a touch sweet.
 

“Nature or nurture,” you might ask, wondering about the temperament of a child or the elements that go into a particularly delicious, well balanced wine. Today’s wine world is often a hotbed of deception. For example, if you find yourself admiring the buttery, oak-y aroma and palate of an affordable Chardonnay, watch out! You very well might be sampling a “Frankenwine” in which oak chips had been placed into a steel vat of Chardonnay to replicate real wood aging.

Traditional German Riesling relies a great deal on the soil to give the wine its character, aroma, palate, and structure. Towards that end, one of the objectives of producers who specialize in dry Riesling is to have the wine express the minerality and nature of the vineyard. The more minerals and volcanic soil in the vineyard, the better the wine. Combine this with other factors, such as a steep slope, southern-facing exposure, and proximity to the Rhine to moderate the climate and reflect the sun, and you have the makings of a top vineyard.

As mineral-rich soil is paramount to creating a quality wine, top German producers focus their efforts in the vineyard, preferring to tamper as little as possible with the vinification process. Patience is also a virtue, as the most respected and valuable grape variety, Riesling, ripens so late an October harvest is common. Keeping grapes healthy and flourishing during the long growing season from spring to near-fall is always a challenge.

One of the most famous names in the Riesling world, Weingut (winemaker) Helmut Dönnhoff operates from the Nahe region of Germany. From his many soil-specific vineyards, he offers a superb selection of dry and off-dry wines, universally prized for their balance, structure, and intense minerality. An attractive and elegant man with an air of calm confidence, Helmut Dönnhoff focuses on coaxing the best expression of the Riesling grape from vineyards famed for centuries for their volcanic soil and variety of minerals.

You do not need to be a Riesling scholar in order to immediately understand the power, beauty, and balance of Dönnhoff’s wine. Even if you are new to the Riesling grape varietal, you'll notice at first sip that these wines have a delicious and subtle balance between the fruit and acidity hard to find anywhere else. Dönnhoff and critics are quick to attribute this to the soil, especially of the Hermannshohle vineyard, as well as the well-positioned aspect of the vineyard which is on a steep slope which receives a great deal of sun.

As Dönnhoff explains his philosophy on winemaking, he reveals the winery does not have a web site. Why not, you wonder? Doesn’t he need to sell his wine? As it turns out, the wine is strictly allocated and he does not produce enough wine to meet the demand. Well, why not make more? After all, it’s the American way. Refreshingly, Dönnhoff takes a more European view. Life is to be enjoyed. All is well as is, so why change?

Weingut Dönnhoff
Bahnhofstrasse 11, 55585 Oberhausen a. d. Nahe
Phone: +49 (0)6755-263, Fax: +49 (0)6755-1067
weingut@doennhoff.com

In Germany, the word “schloss” means castle or “manor house.” These are historic structures, many first built during the Roman times near the very best vineyards in the land. The idea was to create a grand estate to showcase the quality of the vineyards and the wine.

With wineries in San Ynez, California considered old at twenty, a 650-year-old winery seems very ancient indeed. Yet this is the age of Schloss Schonborn in Germany’s Rheingau region, which goes back to 1349. Owned by Paul Graf von Schonborn-Wiesentheid, it is the largest family owned estate in the Rheingau comprising some 125 acres (50 hectares) of top vineyard sites. The winery has recently been modernized with stainless steel tanks. Many of the wines produced here make their way to Asia and North America so look for the brand on your wine store shelf.

What makes the Riesling of Schloss Schonborn special are the south facing vineyards which face the Rheingau river, reflecting the sun and warming the vines. The family had been active in the Catholic church for centuries, hence their ability to get the best vineyard sites.

Visit the ancient, dust- and spider web-covered cellars and you realize that some of the very old bottles inside have survived the Napoleonic wars, the Franco-Prussian War, WWI, and WWII. Many of the bottles date from 1735, and our host, Peter Barth, technical director, describes that they have held up well over the last three centuries.

Weingut Schloss Schönborn
Contact: Herr von den Benken
Hauptstr. 53, 65347 Hattenheim
Phone: +49 (0)6723-91810, Fax: +49 (0)6723-918191
schloss-schoenborn@schoenborn.de

Schloss Vollrads is another ancient castle, dating from the 14th century. Wine is produced and sold here, with the added benefit of the castle estate open to the public as a venue to eat in its stellar restaurant, hold a business conference, or stage a wedding.

The restaurant, I might add, is fabulous. You can find both German and continental cuisine, prepared with as much attention to detail as a five-star restaurant in Manhattan. Service is quite formal, with our servers seeming to pride themselves on getting everything just right. And, of course, the view is magical. A couple dining at another table, who looked to be first-time daters, seemed visibly carried away by the cuisine, view, and ambiance.

At the heart of the palace complex is a majestic tower surrounded by a rectangular moat that is only accessible by bridge. The greater part of Schloss Vollrads as its stands today is the work of architect Johann Erwein, and the many armorial designs decorating the farm buildings, the cavalier’s house, and the gateway to the garden bear witness to his remarkable building activity. The most recent alterations to the palace were initiated in 1907-1908 by Countess Clara Matuschka-Greiffenclau, whose family tree can be traced back to 1097. Many of the Greiffenclau family were prominent personalities who served as patrons of the arts, as well as archbishops and electors of Mainz and Trier, and prince bishops of Würzburg. Today the estate is owned by the Nassauische Sparkasse (Nassau Savings Bank) dedicated to carrying on the estate’s great viticultural tradition.

Schloss Vollrads
Contact: Hans-Joachim Binz, Rowald Hepp
65375 Oestrich-Winkel
Phone: +49 (0)6723-660, Fax: +49 (0)6723-6666
info@schllossvollrads.com

“When your first name is Jakob, you have no choice but to go into the family business,” says Jakob Schneider Jr. with a charming smile, the youngest in a long line of Weingut Jakob Schneiders in the Nahe region of Germany.

In his mid-twenties, Jakob is an enthusiastic, engaging, strong-shouldered individual who comes across as an icon for the new winemaking generation of Germany, most of whom have been educated in enology and are bringing modern winemaking practices to their family wine estates. Of course, Jakob was lucky enough to have been born into a family that owns two prized hectares of Niederhauser Hermannshohle, one of the most legendary vineyards in the region. In Germany, soil is the key to quality wine, so if all goes according to plan, the family has essentially been given a license to print money.

Jakob, however, is not one to rest on his laurels. He works hard, during harvest almost twenty hours a day, and finds it difficult to find workers who share his dedication. When he tried to recruit some of his former classmates at the wine university Geisenheim, they found the work too taxing and the hours too intense. “A lot of my former classmates went on to cushy marketing jobs,” he tells me with a laugh.

The Schneider family has been making wine since 1575, an eternity by American standards. Curious to know if any family relics remain, Jakob is quick to jump up and show me an ancient family bible from a cabinet, its leather cover bent with age, its pages yellowed and weathered. Almost as old as the family bible is the cellar, the ancient, rounded, stone entrance of which looks like the Hollywood set of a horror film. Yet this juxtaposition of old (the bible, the cellar) and the new (stainless steel tanks, glass wine closures) is what makes Weingut Schneider so interesting and fun to watch.

As we sit in the living room tasting a variety of Riesling wines, both dry and off-dry, Jakob’s mother and grandmother generously serve a little snack of liverwurst. Despite the family’s fame and prosperity, winemaking here is very much a family affair, with Jakob’s mother the accountant and grandmother Liesel Schneider handling customer service.

If you are in the wine world, you might find it interesting to know that Weingut Jakob Schneider is a Thierry Thiese selection. Thiese, an importer specializing in Germany, is well known to be a keen judge of quality. In his catalogue, Thiese speaks of Weingut Schneider with enthusiasm, already praising young Jakob with his innovative ideas and predicting even greater triumphs for the winery down the line. Indeed, the wines I tasted were extremely good, and though dry wines are more my personal preference, I felt that the off-dry wines were a better expression of the vineyards.

The 2007 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Spatlese is particularly delicious and well balanced, with bright, racy acidity. On your next visit to Germany, be sure to make an appointment to meet the Schneiders and taste the wine. Or, if you can’t make it to Germany, just pick up a bottle at your favorite wine store and as you taste, consider its four centuries of winemaking history.

Weingut Jakob Schneider Contact: Herr Jakob Schneider jun. Winzerstr. 14 – 15, 55585 Niederhausen Phone: +49 (0)6758-93533 info@schneider-wein.com

When most wine aficionados visit Germany to meet their favorite producers, they often find themselves knocking at a rustic looking door, with the winemaker/owner or his wife jumping up from the lunch table to welcome the visitor inside.

Things are a bit different at Kendermann, which bills itself as the number one “new generation” wine brand, reaching annual sales of 250,000 cases. Instead of a quaint farmhouse, Kendermann is headquartered in a large, modern-looking building with busy-looking, sharply dressed executives rushing about and the fragrance of fresh brewed espresso in the air. You sense a vibrating energy in the air that is almost palpable – these executives are on a mission. And you can see evidence of it when you learn that in ten years, Kendermann has won more national and international awards than any other German wine brand and according to Nielson, a respected company that measures such things, is one of the fastest growing wine brands in the UK.

Successful wine sales takes more than good quality wine, or simply savvy marketing. Kendermann has both, and has found success by creating quality, branded products at a variety of price points, and tailoring that specific brand toward a specific consumer profile. Kendermann's Black Tower, Germany’s most widely exported brand, attracts a cult following among younger consumers. The wines sell for under $10, and according to Kendermann executives, the reason it sells so well include:

• Excellent wine quality
• Distinctive black bottle with a unique shape
• Innovative, integrated PR and marketing campaigns
• Extensive distribution network around the world

Tasting Black Tower side by side with the higher quality brands I noticed that the difference between them was indeed quite subtle. The Black Tower wines seemed younger, less nuanced, as well as bolder and more assertive than their more expensive siblings. According to winemaker Philipp Maurer, Kendermann strictly monitors their contract growers and visits often to ensure a quality harvest. Varietals include Rivaner (white), Riesling, Dornfelder (red), Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Rose, and Merlot. Of all the wines in the Black Tower family, I really enjoyed the Pinot Noir and Rose the most. The rose in particular was delicious, with a refreshing amount of tannin and rich, ripe fruit.

We tasted the premium quality brands as well, and here, it was very easy to taste the high mineral content of many of the soils used for production of premium wine, as well as the older age of the vines and care in viticulture and vinification. The Kendermann Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Beerenauslese 2005 was outstanding, and it was easy to see how it won the coveted Gold Medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition in 2007. As is most quality Beerenauslese, it was made from the ripest grapes from Reh Kendermann’s own vineyards in the Mosel. Aromas include exotic yellow fruit and intense, dried raisins – quite lively despite the high sugar content.

Between Black Tower and the “icon” single vineyard Beerenauslese and TrockenBeerenauslese (even richer, sweeter, and botrytized) is the aspirational lifestyle brand Bend in the River along with other brands (traditional, classic, organic, and my personal favorite, Kendermann Terroir, which is differentiated from the other brands by its very pronounced aroma and taste of the intense mineral soil in which it was grown. Finally, a key factor that makes Kendermann's a role model for other large wineries is its “green” factor.

• Low reliance on fossil and other fuels
• All raw materials used in the winery are recycled or environmental friendly
• Labels are made of cellulose paper from sustainable forestry
• Most cartons are made of 100% recycled paper

The corporate name of Kendermann is "Reh-Kendermann", reflecting the name of its owners, Carl and Andrea Reh. The Rehs were not there during my visit but I was completely charmed by winemaker Philipp Maurer (his colleague Christine Pröstler was elsewhere). Young, wildly enthusiastic, engaging, and quite fluent in English, Phillipp’s passion for wine really shows. Next time I open a bottle I will think of his enthusiasm for all the Kendermann's brands with every sip.

Reh-Kendermann Weinkellerei
Contact: Volkmar Stöckmann
Am Ockenheimer Graben 35, 55411 Bingen
Phone: +49 (0) 6721-9010, Fax: +49 (0) 6721-901240
info@reh-kendermann.de, volkmar.stoeckmann@reh-kendermann.de

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