So it is asparagus time and nothing complements spargel like a nice bottle of dry riesling. I read the below article in the IHT and have started to sample German rieslings (many produced right here in my backyard). They are good, very good. Anyone enjoy a German riesling that stands out both in quality and value? Hope to hear from you!

International Herald Tribune: Just right for spring: Germany's dry rieslings.


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Leitz from Rüdesheim makes great Riesling Kabinett.
But if I'm honest, I tend to get my Riesling elsewhere...

Dr. Deinhard, Deidesheim an der Weinstrasse

Aldi´s sud has a bottle of Mosel´s Riesling on sale this week: 2007 Riesling Steillage QbA

Benzinger from the Pfalz is brilliant, a nice place to visit as well.
http://www.weingut-benzinger.de/

Trier Augenschein is just sweet enough without being too cloying

dr loosen is well known as probably one of the greatest riesling producers out there. highly recommended by just about any wine writer you can mention

Lorenz Lay is damn good, can get it at the Weinladen im Schwarzwalder close to Frauenkirche

A Riesling from the Julius Spital at Würzburg is considered in general to be the crown among Rieslings in Germany. Comes in the round "Bocksbeutel" bottle. You'll need to check with real good winetraders, though, to get one.

I personally like with my aspargus a "Grüner Veltliner" from Austria better, I think it is a slightly better combination.

Weingut Odinstal, Pfalz

http://www.odinstal.de/

very pretty destination to visit, very nice wines. The Pfälzer Weinstube in Munich used to have them.

A trip to North Bavaria is worth it in summer for a lazy few days tasting... There are so many small, picturesque, middle age wine towns around Wurzburg, and the atmosphere and attitude of the folk is so totally different from Munich it's like being in a different country - well worth it for a short break.

I bought some very nice Riesling (and Schwarzriesling) last year from Weingut Dohlmühle.

It's also worth making a trip to Alsace to check out the wineries in the small villages on the Route des Vins. They do some very nice Rieslings. I know Alsace isn't in Germany, but it used to be, so it almost counts.

Yup, agreed - i took a wine tasting course in college (harder than it sounds!) and Dr Loosen was one of the few non-local rieslings we tasted - with the professor's caveat that it was too good for students to drink.

Also, if i remeber correctly when reading a bottle Kabinett and Spatlese (either alone or designated trocken/dry) from around Mosel are the drier rieslings and auslese, beernaulese, and eiswein (not really a riesling but still german) are the sweeter rieslings/wines... fyi since they can get somewhat sickly-sweet.

FYI Riesling is a grape variety. A Riesling varietal, same as any non-Riesling varietal, can be any of the following, in ascending order of sugar content at the time of harvest: (no "Prädikat"), Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Eiswein.

Don't let an Alsatian here you say that . They'll have you burned as a heretic!

But they do make some excellent Rieslings there, and other whites too. Very different from the German offerings usually and although usually cheap they can be quite expensive (up to 30 euro a bottle, up to 4x this if you find Trimbach's Clos Ste. Hune), but solid and fruity and much more interesting than the over-treated crap you get from many other places. If you go to Alsace and you're serious about wines then check out Trimbach, Hugel, Marcel Diess, Weinbach, Zind Humbrecht, all around Bergheim/Ribeauville/Kaysersberg area. If you're just thirsty then walk in to the first place you see and get tasting...

personally I would only ever drink a kabinett at home (although I have a couple of bottles of 76 trockenbeerenauslese which I am saving for a really special day - i know they're going to be absolutely amazing!!!)

only normally go for the dry, petrolly rieslings, the sweet stuff is too sweet for me!!

Gut Nägelsforst Riesling (and Rose!) aus Baden-Baden is my favourite so far. I was introduced to it by a foodie/wine gentleman.

I hope you have them well stored. While these wines should be near enough bullet-proof, oxidised 76ers are not nearly as good as a decent sherry. Personally I prefer a 75 but there aren't many of them around now.


The "petrolly" nose is usually found in mature Mosel Rieslings and is linked more to the specific vintage than to the vinification. The 89s are a very clear example of this but even the sweeter ones are beginning to fade. The dries lost their appeal years ago.

I live in the Mosel Valley so I'm killed for choice. My tip for anybody wishing to gather a lot of good experience in a short while would be to visit the Vinothek in Bernkastel-Kues. They normally have about 60 wines open from some of the better known producers and you can rent a glass for about 10 Euros and get spitting. This is seriously good experience as you'd have to drive for a week to visit all of these guys and risk your license into the bargain - unless you can afford a chauffeur ! Other dates and venues:
03.06.08 The Bernkasteler Ring's Riesling presentation at Kloster Machern. Entry Euro 30,- About 200 wines from about 40 of the Ring's producers, presented personally. It's a great day, my maximum was 87 wines and still standing though I did swallow some of my favourites
Jan 2009 (exact date not yet set) Weinforum, Trier: about 100 Gold Medal winners reassessed to find the best of the best. Try them all, another great day.
Anybody wanting any info, just ask.

Personal recommendations:

Mosel
Weingut Michael Goerg, Neumagen-Dhron
Weingut Gerbrüder Merkelbach, Ürzig
Weingut Bastgen, Kesten
Weingut Alfred Kallfelz, Zell-Merl
Weingut Reinhold Franzen, Bremm

Saar:
Weingut Johann-Peter Reinert, Kanzem
Vereinigte Hospitizien, Trier

Ruwer:
Bischöfliches Weingut, Trier

Mittelrhein:
Weingut Peter Jost, Bacharach

Franken:
Weingut Schwab, Thungersheim

And finally, the little known fact, "Feel Good" wine - the DRK (German Red Cross) has it's own vineyards in Bernkastel-Kues, the DRK-Cusanus-Hofgut, which it operates through its Workshop for the Disabled. Please be assured, this is not the sympathy vote. I don't give that kind of recommendation ! These are first class wines, sold at moderate prices and the proceeds go to help fund the workshops.

OK 'nuff said.

it was quite funny, we cleared out this old guys cellar to sell for him , he had loads and loads of german wines from the 70's - trouble was about 75% of them were kabinetts!!! cant belive he hadnt drunk them and of course they were all undrinkable vinegar!!! (35 year old white wine - yum! haha)

however there was still plenty of auslese, spatlese and trockenbeerenauslese, 72, 73, 75, 76 and more - I just managed to snag some 76's for myself, and we sold the rest in the wine shop for big money- the people who had them came back in to the store and told us they were amazing!!!

I wish I'd get such tasks. When we cleared the cellar after my father passed on all I rescued was a bottle of vintage port - from the 1970s I believe.
I still have it...

Tesch has fantastic Rieslings. But beware ---- Riesling is not the perfect wine to go with asparagus. You should try something less fruity like a Pinot Blanc for example.

Sorry, you won't keep my Riesling away from my asparagus.

I generally enjoy a bottle of Newcastle BA with my asparagus.