Wine of the Day - Heppenheimer Steinkopf

The Steinkopf Riesling Spaetlese is the wine we had during the first half of our Christmas lunch starters, cream of carrot soup with ginger, Lachsterrine (salmon terrine). (With the venison main course we drank a Heppenheimer Fruehburgunder.)

(Photo: DWI/Dieth)

The name Steinkopf was first mentioned in 1517, literally it means Stone Head. It means stony bank or elevated place. It also refers to the particularly stony ground where it grows. This is the southern slopes of the narrow Hambach valley which is considered to be the warmest and steepest Bergstrasse vineyard. The small, steep area reaches along the ridge of the hill towards the West as far as the extension of the 'Erbelsschlucht' vineyard.  The Staatsweingut administers 3.5 Hectares (8.6 acres) of grapes on the original slopes of this steep area. At the top, the ground is coloured sandstone - weathered, crumbling ground on top of hard rock. Lower down, the ground is red sandstone where strong wine thrives with a fine, fresh, hearty acidity. It is very full-bodied and keeps well.  The steep, hanging slopes are criss-crossed with supporting walls and is dominated by an especially favourable mini-climate. The combination of optimal sun shine and high water retention of the ground makes the Terroir particularly special. 

Alongside the rich Spaetburgunder grows an interesting, full-bodied Chardonnay on 2.8 Hectares which is a fine, nutty Riesling with hints of minerals. 

Opa's Treasure Chest

It's Christmas and my mother-in-law and I cleared out some rarities in my late father-in-law's wine cellar. Here we found a bottle of a 1971 (fantastic wine year by the way) Gewürtztraminer Beerenauslese, Osthofener Liebenberg from Weingut Rudolf Strauch & Sohn. This wine won a gold prize and the Grosser Preis Bundesweinprämierung 1974.

Beerenauslese is type of dessert wine meaning "selected berries". The grapes have been individually picked, and mostly are affected with noble rot. It also means that the wine had at least a specified minimum must weight at harvest, 110-128 ºÖchsle in Germany, depending on the wine-growing region and grape variety. Typically very sweet and rich it ages very well. The finest specimens are made from the riesling grape, as this retains significant acidity even with the extreme ripeness. Other grapes are used but can often have much lower acidity levels, resulting in a less well balanced wine that simply tastes very sweet.These wines are produced in very small quantities when the weather is suitable for the noble rot to form and only in vineyards with appropriate conditions, so they are very expensive. An exception to this is beerenauslesen produced from grapes such as Ortega, Huxelrebe which have extremely high sugar content, but less of the extract and noble rot characters.

I will let you know how it tasted after Christmas.

Nothing new in the European Wine market

This week, after much hard bargaining, the EU agricultural ministers left much as it was, blocking reforms proposed by the EU Commission. German, and other northern country’s, vintners may continue to add sugar during the fermentation process, which is a centuries old practice. Southern countries may continue to add, subsidised, grape-must. The EU Commission wanted to forbid these practices. In relatively cool Germany the addition of sugar helps to increase the alcohol content of much wine. There is nothing particularly wrong about ‘fortifying’ wine during the fermentation except that the EU sees the sugar (cheap) versus grape-must (three times more expensive) issue as one of competitive (dis)advantage. Logically, the addition of grape-must (origin unknown) should be forbidden and the use of sugar left to the vintners. When clearly marked on the label, the consumer could then decide whether to buy sugared wine or ‘pure’ wine.

In order to keep their sugar, however, the Germans accepted the continuation of 500 to 800 million Euro spent annually on the destruction (converting into industrial alcohol) of the EU wine-lake filled by southern countries. (The EU proposal was to pay for the destruction of vines.) Also, the southern countries will keep the grape-must subsidies. Furthermore, the German agricultural minister blocked the proposal to at least have it mentioned on the label when sugar is added.

And, Apfelwein, subject for a later posting. Some months ago there was a fight, led by Hessen, with the EU when the Commission wanted to ban the use of the term ‘Apfelwein’ (Apple wine is very dry cider that for centuries has been an immensely popular drink in Frankfurt and the Odenwald.) The Commission lost.

Empty Wine Cellar Shock!

A couple of days ago I went to my local wine-man in Zwingenberg to pick up another two crates of Herrenwingert Riesling (24 litre bottles, total price 144 Euro). That is my regular order which I collect every 3-4 weeks. I was told the Staatsweingut cellar was, for Herrenwingert, empty! 2006 had been such a low volume year that many wines have already been 'ausgetruncken' (drunk out). Luckily, my man has kept 4 crates hidden which should keep me going until the 2007 wine appears by February. I expressed surprise that this year's wine would be so early but was shown that already there is 2007 Heppenheimer Maiberg on sale. The opposite of 2006, 2007 had the mildest winter and earliest harvest with good quantity and quality.

MAIN TOWER Restaurant, Frankfurt

One evening last week my wife and I visited the MAIN TOWER restaurant and bar 200 metres above Frankfurt. The restaurant has been voted number 1 in the category ‘dinner for two’ and is repeatedly included in the top ten most exclusive Frankfurt restaurants. With 55 stories it is the fifth tallest building in Europe. At this time of year there is a great view down to the Frankfurt Christmas Market. We drank an excellent 2005 Weisser Burgunder Lorcher Krone, Trocken from Weingut Mohr Erben, Rheingau. This went very well with our fresh goose liver, roasted honey bread, williams pears and liquorice. The main course was dam of venison with ginger red cabbage and quince. I recommend the restaurant to anybody visiting Frankfurt.

Wine of the Day - Bensheimer Streichling

The Streichling of the Domain Bensheim grows on a broad southerly slope that stretches along the mouth of the Zeller valley in the direction of the Odenwald. The name 'Streichling' probably originates from the wind which strokes ('streicheln' in German) the hill tops. The locals call the upper part of this steep Riesling hill 'Hohberg' (High Hill). The Staatsweingut Bergstrasse has managed the grapes of Bensheimer Streichling for more than 90 years. The original vinyard was only on the summit of the hill at the entrance to the Zeller valley. Today the Staatsweigut manages the Bensheimer Streichling grape growing area of about 4 hectares (just under 10 acres). It is planted with 91% Riesling. Besides the Riesling , Dornfelder thrives on the Granite-weathered ground. Streichling wine matures relatively early, is fruity and develops  a fine tasting palette. It is a particularly elegant and delicate Riesling.

The oldest wine in the 'treasure chamber' of the Domain Bergstrasse is a 1948 Bensheimer Streichling Riesling.

Tasting at Domaine Bergstraße, Bensheim

On Saturday I visited the home of the Hessische Staatsweingüter (Kloster Eberbach) in Bensheim. I was surprised to find the tasting room full of French people from Beaune tasting the red wines. Beaune is Bensheim's sister town in France (where the Beaujolais comes from). They were particularly impressed by the 2005 Frühburgunder trocken and the 2005 Rudibus trocken which is a strong flavoured red matured in wooden barrels.

I joined in a few rounds but I was actually looking for some good white wines so I settled for 3 bottles of 2006 Heppenheimer Steinkopf Riesling trocken (elegant with a taste of minerals) and 3 bottles of Heppenheimer Centgericht Grauer Burgunder trocken which has a fine apricot aroma. I also took a couple of bottles of 2005 Rose Secco - Perlwein which is a light but lively Sekt with a fine fruit taste.

Zwingenberger Steingeröll Spätburgunder 2005

Yesterday I dropped in to the Buenter Loewe in Zwingenberg to select the menu for the firm's Christmas dinner next week. While I was there I tried a few of the reds and one white. The best red on the menu is a Zwingenberger Steingeroell Spaetburgunder 2005. This strong Pinot Noire reminded me of some of the wines from South Africa. It recently came second at the AWC International Wine Challenge in Vienna. The Granite Riesling I tried was also exceptional. I spoke to the owner - the vintner himself - and he tells me that 2007 will be a tremendous year for Bergstrasse riesling. The year started off quite wet which brought the shoots on the wines out very early. The Bergstrasse vineyards are on granite which often dries out quickly in all the sun but this year the moisture held and the early shoots developed into strong growth. Riesling needs a cool climate with cold winters, this autumn has seen some gentle mists in the vineyards that have given perfect flavour and acidity. Unfortunately, global warming, means that the cold conditions for good riesling are retreating higher and to the north at several kilometres a year. The good news is that it means better red wine.

Bubbly in Auerbach

Last Thursday evening my wife and went to our local wine pub hidden among the timber beamed houses in the backstreets of Auerbach. The family who run it had done a great job with the Christmas decorations. Both sides of the entrance are two 2.5 meter nut-cracker men (similar to what you can see at www.nussknackerstore.com ).  I will be coming back to this wine pub in later postings. I mention it here because our friend Kurt had just had his birthday and we celebrated with some bubbly. Not Champagne but Riesling Sekt from the Staatsweingut Eltville in the Rheingau. You have to be careful with German Sekt, there is a lot of cheap plonk but also some excellent quality varieties. Any wine that has the Eagle of the Staatsweingut on the label can be trusted to be of the best quality. Don't get confused between Staatsweingut (State or Government winery) and Stadtsweingut (Town winery). Most towns have their own co-operatives but, unless you know a particular vinyard, it is best to stick with the Staatsweingut when trying out a new region.

In my next post I will tell you about my weekend in Alsace and the Vosges.

Hessen's Bergstrasse

Let’s jump straight to Hessen’s Bergstrasse. The Romans introduced grapes here and called the region between the Rhein and Odenwald ‘Strata Montana’ – Mountain Route. Actually more hills than mountains the Bergstrasse runs North-South between Darmstadt and Heidelberg on the east side of the Rhine.

The Bergstrasse, is often referred to as the German Riviera and, along with the shores of Lake Constance (Bodensee), gets the most sunshine in Germany. The Bergstrasse is the smallest wine region in Germany and therefore comparatively unknown. But it produces excellent wines and, with the advance of Global Warming, now produces some splendid reds.

Riesling
My favourite is Riesling from Schönberger Herrenwingert. The winegrowing region of Mainz took over 2 hectares in 1923 from the counts of Erbach-Schönberg. Since 1953 the vineyard, now 11 hectares, has been solely owned by the Bensheim State Vineyard (Bensheimer Staatsweingut). It now grows 60% Riesling and the rest is Müller-Thurgau and Weißburgunder. (More about grape varieties in a later posting – and how to pronounce those umlauts!). The wine is fruity and racy (Rassig in German). It has a distinctive acidity which delivers a lusty, steely wine.

Recipe
Try this starter recipe with a young, chilled Herrenwingert.

Ingredients: Cream Goat’s Cheese, tin of apricots, salt, pepper, sprigs of rosemary, an untreated (bio) lemon, clove of garlic, fresh ginger, olive oil (2 tablespoons), sugar.

Warm the oil and the sugar together. Drain and dice the apricots and add them. Season with salt and pepper. Add the whole, pealed garlic and a similar sized cube of fresh ginger. Add the juice of half a lemon. Let the whole mixture caramelise. Remove the garlic and ginger. Add lemon peal zest.

Let it cool and fill into serving glasses. Mix the the cheese to a creamy consistancy and add a dollop on to each serving. Decorate with rosemary.

Guten Appetit.

German Speaking Wine Regions

The wine regions I want to help you discover are what I call, roughly, the German speaking areas – Alsace, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italian Tirol. Yes, you get further speaking the local German dialect in Alsace and Tirol than French or Italian.

The Secret
Why are their wines so little known? Because the wine is excellent, inexpensive and just enough is produced for the locals to drink it all themselves.

Wine is for Drinking
The Anglo-Saxon countries have the wrong approach to wine, they only sip it with meals – not entirely wrong but wine is for DRINKING! My local wine pub serves wine in standard 0.25 litre glasses, that’s over half a pint. (It has only recently, reluctantly, after 160 years, started serving bottled beer – please specify when ordering if you want one out of the fridge!). The wines I will feature are delicious, very drinkable, inexpensive (how about 8 Euro a litre for a superb Riesling) and I guarantee it does not leave a hangover nor give you indigestion.

Women and Wine
Wine is not only very healthy, but women prefer it to beer because it is lighter, tastier, has tremendous variety and the atmosphere in a cosy wine pub is so more 'gemuetlich' than a Bierhall.