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10 undiscovered wine gems from Germany

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on June 20 2008 at 07:21

“If you think you know German wine, drink again” ran the slogan of an advertising campaign in the UK a few years ago. Consumers, it seemed needed persuading but a succession of good vintages, the enthusiastic advocacy of wine writers such as Jancis Robinson and the appearance of a broader selection of German wines on the lists of an increasing number of London’s top restaurants seems to be finally stimulating an appetite for these most underrated of wines.

But the process is slow which is why I and an international group of food and wine journalists recently found ourselves on a trip to Germany’s southernmost wine regions to see some of the up and coming talent for ourselves.

The topography of southwestern Germany certainly differs from northern regions such as the Mosel, Mittelrhein and Ahr: the north has vines growing on steeper slopes along the river valleys, whereas the south has much more variable topographical conditions, from flat farmland to gentle rolling hills - and some impressively steep valleys too!

More crucially, the southwest is home to some of Germany’s most promising young winemakers. The up and coming “Generation Riesling” has experience of viticulture from both inside Germany and abroad.

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