© 2000-2015 GermanWineEstates.com Inc.

All Rights Reserved


This website is devoted to a selection of fine wine estates from Germany, whose wines are available in the United States through wine importer and distributor, Slocum & Sons, located in North Haven, Connecticut. This portfolio has been created by Eric Litchfield, the company's Import Sales Director, who has spent considerable time selecting producers that define today's highest standards of wine making. Mr. Litchfield's philosophy is allowing the wine producer and nature to harmonize equally, utilizing sustainable agriculture, organic and biodynamic farming to reach the purest expression of grape varietal, microclimate and terroir, yielding wines of supreme balance and elegance.


It is the objective of this website to provide comprehensive data about these fine wine estates as well as other aspects of the German wine industry, including: current news, understanding German wine labels, wine region information and vintage reports. It is our goal to make GermanWineEstates, The Site for German Wine Lovers.











Selbach-Oster


About Signature Quality

Selbach-Oster Riesling vineyards lie on a 4-mile / 7 km stretch along the Mosel starting in Zeltingen, upstream to Wehlen, Graach and Bernkastel. Vines have been cultivated here since Roman times. Every single vineyard on that short stretch of river has its own special environment and microclimate—its terroir. Each single lot of wine in the cellar shows its own individual, complex "fingerprint". No single day is alike and each year, each vintage has its own unique character, its "signature". The grapes mature slowly in a very long, temperate growing season. All the above represent traditional "values" which we at Selbach-Oster cherish; we try to refine and preserve the liquid result in the bottle, the sleek, tall green Mosel-bottle. All this in order to present you with Riesling the way we like it: with elegance, complexity and depth of flavor. With the subtlety and fragrance of flowers and the intense mineral quality from our slate soils. With the taste of delicate fruit and a lingering, crisp finish. The way it has always been.


About Tradition

Our assets have much to do with our hands. Since several generations. Since 1660 in our family ownership, as a matter of fact. Our main treasure is simply what nature presents us with: excellent vineyard-sites in the heart of the Mosel region, old, ungrafted vines on steep, south-facing slopes planted on heat-retaining, mineral-rich, rocky slate soil. Granted, these "assets" bring various risks year-in - year-out... but also great opportunities. Most important, however, are the results.


About Nature and Handcrafting

Wine is Nature: a multifaceted, living creation. As wine producers, we have not forgotten that we are people who live from the land, who are dependent on nature. Wine is more to us than just business or a source of income. It happens to be our passion, too. A part of ourselves goes in every wine we produce. As you might expect when looking at our vineyards clinging to precipituous slopes, everything from pruning to harvesting is done by hand in an "old-fashioned", labour-intensive process. We can proudly present our customers with truly handcrafted wines. Our philosophy of winemaking is "hands-on" in the vineyards and "hands-off" in the cellar. When this motto is put to use it creates the best possible conditions for making truly fine wines while always leaving the "making" to the wine itself. This means we try to realize the full potential the individual soils, vineyards and vintages have to offer. It starts with labour-intensive work in the vineyards from pruning (low yields) through careful canopy-management to the culminating point - meticulous, rigorous selection at harvest. It ends with the gentle pressing of the fruit. A slow, cool fermentation with the grapes' own natural yeasts then "makes" the wines in our cellars. "Hands-on" is needed again for getting the wines ready for bottling. We believe that minimal handling (i.e. pumping and filtering) is rewarded by a maximum of flavor, freshness and delicacy. We strive uncompromisingly for top quality. And it is quality which speaks for itself. Most of our wines are still fermented and matured in the traditional oak "Fuder"-barrels supplemented by a small number of stainless-steel vats. We do not use new oak for Rieslings to preserve the delicate structure of subtle fruit and crisp acidity as purely as possible.


Our Philosophy

Our philosophy is to make elegant, crisp, low-alcohol but full-flavoured wines which the Mosel has become famous for. Our ideal is to make wines that reflect the “parents” of the wine, i.e. the mineral-rich slate soil and ripe, juicy Riesling fruit. In order to do that, it takes excellent vineyards, careful vineyard and yield management, very selective handpicking and, if necessary, making three passes through the same vineyard.


The grapes are gently pressed at low pressure, the juice settles by gravity, not by centrifuge and is then fermented in a cool cellar at cool temperatures, mostly with it’s own, wild yeast. Only for wines which must ferment to total dryness we do add yeast.


We produce Riesling in all styles, from very dry to lusciously sweet, from elegant and light to complex and rich, depending what Nature allows.






Happy New Year!

Wine Estate of the Month






AustrianWineEstates is a website devoted to a selection of fine wine estates from Austria, whose wines are available in the United States through wine importer and distributor, Slocum & Sons, located in North Haven, Connecticut. This portfolio has been created by Eric Litchfield, the company's Import Sales Director, who has spent considerable time selecting producers that define today's highest standards of wine making. Mr. Litchfield's philosophy is to allow the wine producer and nature to harmonize equally, utilizing sustainable agriculture, organic and biodynamic farming to reach the purest expression of grape varietal, microclimate and terroir, yielding wines of supreme balance and elegance.




AustrianWineEstates

Tidbits of Information


Hochheimer Riesling Vintage 2014

The Earliest Vintage Harvest in my Memory

Information supplied by Dr. Franz Werner Michel, owner,

Domdechant Werner’sches Weingut

-1 November 2014-


After a hectic year with turbulent weather conditions, finally I am delighted to report from Hochheim again about a “happy end” of the 2014 Riesling vintage: good quality, but smaller quantity. But thanks to a reasonable filled stock from vintage 2013 and before, I will be able to meet the grow.ng demand from my customers around the globe.


Probably as result of global warming, the whole vegetation from the beginning in spring through blossoming and ripening until harvesting in October was two weeks earlier than normal. After extremely high temperature in May/June, we had in July/August endless rain showers until the beginning of October, when we finally enjoyed a short period of wonderful sunshine. During the heat wave in early summer, the grapes ripened very early, but during the rain period the berries blew up and the thin skins burst with the risks of infections by botrytis and insects. We had to start with picking already before the end of September, the earliest date in my memory as an active wine grower almost 70 years back! To avoid serious loss in quality and quantity, all vineyards have been pre-picked by hand to remove all damaged grapes and to harvest only healthy, fully ripe grapes. It was a real “turbo – harvest”.


The result is much better than expected: The fresh pressed juice from Riesling tasted and smelled clean with typical fruity aromas, the sugar degree reached over 80° up to 100° Öchsle, mostly suitable for Spätlese and even Auslese. The acidity appears crisp and round, well balanced against the typical Riesling fruits and minerals.


We are lucky to have harvested from our best certified vineyards Hochheimer KIRCHENSTÜCK and DOMDECHANEY also some “VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®”, the absolute top of the quality pyramid in the dry style. Because of the dramatic reduction of the quantity by rigid pruning, dividing clusters and pre-picking of all damaged grapes, we reach an outstanding intensity and depth of fruit aroma and minerals – real great Riesling in global scale.



Sprechen Sie Deutsch

Information supplied by Wines of Germany

-1 April 2014-


Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm.

- The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.


Many of Germany's current winemakers have taken over the winery from their parents. We're happy to see them staying in the family business!

    


Tidbits of Information




The 2013 Vintage Presents Good Quality, While

Quantity Remains Below Average

Information supplied by Wines of Germany

-1 April 2014-


German Riesling

Eric Litchfield, owner, GermanWineEstates

-1 January 2014-


 Riesling Vintage 2013

“Happy End” in Late October

Information supplied by Dr. Franz Werner Michel, owner,

Domdechant Werner’sches Weingut

-1 December 2013-


GermanWineEstates Ranks # 1 on Bing

-18 September 2013-


New GermanWineEstates Website Design

-16 September 2013-











More Tidbits of Information










Wine Enthusiast

Top 100 Cellar Selections 2014

December 2014 Issue

Information supplied by Wines of Germany

-1 December 2014-


In a list of the top 100 cellar sections for 2014, the 2012 J. J. Prüm Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, the 2012 Dr. H. Thanisch Müller-Burggraef Riesling Auslese, Bernkasteler Doctor and the 2012 Dr. Loosen Riesling Auslese, Erdener Treppchen, all from the Mosel, were included. Tasting notes for the Dr. Loosen Riesling mentioned the wine’s brisk lemon acidity and ageability.

Tidbits of Information