The 2013 Vintage Presents Good Quality, While
Quantity Remains Below Average
Information supplied by Wines of Germany
-1 April 2014-
Despite this year's weather conditions, German wine growers are satisfied with the quality achieved for the 2013 vintage. However, harvest is nearing its end, and the total quantity of harvested grapes is expected to be slightly below expectations.
According to the latest estimates from the Deutsches Weininstitut (DWI), only 8.4 million hectolitres of wine must will presumably be harvested this year throughout Germany. Yields will thus be down seven percent compared to the prior year and nine percent compared to the ten-year average of 9.26 million hectolitres.
The harvest results differ significantly in the individual vineyard areas, depending on the grape variety and climatic conditions. For example, in the regions of Rheinhessen, Franken and Sachsen, average yields are expected to be equivalent to the previous year. Harvests in the Ahr and Saale-Unstrut regions increased by 30 and 48 percent, respectively, once again resulting in average yields after poor results in 2012. In the other regions, however, forecasts are significantly lower compared to 2012 results. The Mosel’s yields are 25 percent lower compared with the long-term average. Because of this, some wine-growing regions have already announced price adjustments.
DWI managing director Monika Reule explained that due to unfavorable weather conditions during the blossoming period in June, Pinot varietials have already not produced the desired quantity of fruit settings. In addition, quality-improving reduction measures conducted have led to lower yields.
"This year’s comparatively late period of harvest influenced aroma development quite positively. Even young wines already have a very pleasant fruity note, and their moderate alcoholic strength fits perfectly with the current market demands," says Reule.
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German Riesling
Eric Litchfield, owner, GermanWineEstates
-1 January 2014-
A Word about Riesling…
All grapes in the wine kingdom have their own unique personalities. Riesling’s is fruitiness, in the form of apples, lemons, limes, tangerines, pineapples and so on. Another personality trait is its brisk crunchy acidity. Fruitiness and acidity work in harmony with one another, allowing for Riesling’s mesmerizing personality. Riesling is indeed unique, with the most delicate and ethereally transparent personality in the wine world.
A Word about Dryness…
I don’t like Riesling, you say, it’s too sweet. As mentioned above, Riesling is about fruitiness, not necessarily sweetness. There is a difference and they should not be confused. Any wine can be dry or sweet, it all depends on the fermentation process. In winemaking, fermentation is the activity where yeast converts the grape’s natural sugar into alcohol. If a winemaker allows fermentation to continue until all the sugar in the grape is used up, the end result is a dry wine. If, however, he wishes to have a little sweetness in the wine, the winemaker will cut the fermentation process short where a hint of the natural sugar remains. When Riesling is fermented to a totally dry state, there’s still loads of fruit flavor because that’s the grape’s natural makeup. It may appear sweet, but it’s dry.
And finally, a Word about Sweetness
German wine is unique, just like Riesling. The whites are the lightest, most delicate wines on earth. They get their complexity, not by power, alcohol or richness, rather by their grace, elegance and transparent character due to a long growing season and the soils in which the grapes grow. Part of their beauty comes from the uncanny balance between the sweetness of the wine and its acid structure. It’s like yin and yang or sweet and sour; one opposite force balances the other. Sweetness and acidity work the same way. Without proper acidity, the sweetness in the wine would appear out of balance and tastes too much like fruit juice. Conversely, without enough sweetness in the wine, its acid structure would feel like layers of tissue are being ripped out of your mouth. Sounds attractive doesn’t it? Just think what this wine tastes like. So in the world of Riesling and Germany, sweetness is an all-important element in the balance and makeup of a great wine. Few, if any, wine regions in the world can captivate the palate as well those from Germany with their uniquely sleek, intense and utterly graceful charm.
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Riesling Vintage 2013
“Happy End” in Late October
Information supplied by Dr. Franz Werner Michel, owner,
Domdechant Werner’sches Weingut
-1 December 2013-
After a pretty difficult year with up and downs, finally I am delighted to report from Hochheim about the wonderful Riesling vintage 2013, matching perfectly the expectations from the global market: Good, very promising in quality, but small in quantity. Since my inventory from the last vintages had been melted down, now I will do my best to supply the growing demand for fine Riesling for the domestic market and for the global export.
In the year 2013 started the vegetation after a long cold period two weeks later than normal in April. But thanks to warm days in May, at Hochheim the vines blossomed in early June, just before the next cold period. In summer, we had some weeks of extremely hot temperatures, but later again whet and cool. The harvesting started one week later than usual in the middle of October and the last grapes were collected at the beginning of November.
Thanks to very careful cultivation of the vineyards, the grapes were in healthy conditions until the end of October, which allowed a patient, slow and selective picking. Our strategy to take the risk and to wait for higher maturation with increasing ripening aroma and decreasing, fruity acidity was successful. To achieve clean grape juices, we have pre-picked all vineyards by hand and selected all clusters, which had been infected by sunburn or sometimes by botrytis. The results were golden-green berries with a wonderful fruity aroma, typical for mature Riesling. The sugar degree of the majority reached around 85° and 95° Öchsle and surpassed the legal Spätlese level or reached even the official Auslese requirements. The acidity tastes ripe and round with brilliant fruitiness.
We focused specific care for the harvest of a small quantity of clean, aromatic and mineral Riesling “VDP – GROSSES GEWÄCHS” in dry style from the best classified “VDP Grosse Lagen” Hochheimer Kirchenstück and Domdechaney, which will be launched not before September 2014. As result of systematic reduction of the quantity by pruning short branches, cutting away the third grape, dividing the clusters and pre-picking all damaged grapes, I am expecting again a great Riesling GROSSES GEWÄCHS of intense concentration and minerality, the top of the quality pyramid on the dry side. The absolute high-light is a small cask of Hochheimer Domdechaney Beerenauslese at 145° Öchsle with overwhelming rich fruitiness and brilliant acidity.
Finally, my family and I, we are most grateful that nature donated such a balanced, brilliant vintage with the wonderful, delicate acidity, typically for noble Riesling and stimulating the enjoyment.
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GermanWineEstates Ranks # 1 on Bing
-18 September 2013-
I am proud to announce that GermanWineEstates is currently ranked #1 on the Bing website on the subject of German wine. This ranking indicates that GWE has more visibility than any other German wine-related website on the internet. This means that GermanWineEstates is truly “the site for German wine lovers”.
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New GermanWineEstates Website Design
-16 September 2013-
Just launched is the new website design for GermanWineEstates. It’s been a number of years, 4 to be precise, since GWE has had a face lift. The design is cleaner and more interactive thanks to modern technology. The website will continue to evolve with more news on each of the producers which GermanWineEstates represents as well as current information on the German wine industry as a whole.
