I’m not quite sure when it happened. There was no moment of Damascene conversion, no single palate-altering bottle or preconception-shredding cellar tour but some time over the past couple of years, the weight of evidence (measured in the strictly scientific unit of empty bottles per week) began to point to an unexpected conclusion: the single most improved, exciting, and all-round high-performing wine country in the world right now might be Germany.
For drinkers of my generation (X) and older this is quite the volte face. We came to wine-drinking during Germany’s nadir as a quality producer – the second half of the 20th century when a kind of crazed, number-chasing ethos took over the country’s increasingly chemical-soaked vineyards. These were devoted to monstrous yields from lesser grape varieties grown in unsuitable places, the emblematic product being the bafflingly successful sugary acid-water sold as Liebfraumilch.
German winegrowers were also saddled with a technical, confusing labelling system that equated quality with the amount of sugar at harvest, a system that was increasingly out of step as the world’s taste grew increasingly dry. The top tier of producers continued to work their historic sites with the same diligence they had developed over centuries. However, the wines they made – adored by initiates for their steely-silvery acidity, sense of place, and remarkable longevity – were, for the most part made from a grape variety, riesling, that was the definition of an acquired taste.
Germany’s slow ascent from the reputational doldrums is partly due to more people acquiring that taste. Throughout the vinous world there has been a decisive swing towards the kind of high-acidity, cool-climate qualities that riesling embodies. At the same time, German producers have met the world halfway, producing significantly more wines in a properly dry style.
Riesling, in all its forms (and the best classic off-dry, medium- and fully sweet styles from the Mosel remain among the wonders of the wine world) still accounts for many of my favourite German bottles. Butthere has been a remarkable improvement in Germany’s other styles. Most impressive is the pinot noir (or spätburgunder), which has emerged in the 21st century as a genuine challenger to burgundy. The country’s best sekt sparkling wines are likewise a much more serious proposition, offering a steely alternative to champagne.
When it comes to stocking up at one of the UK’s excellent specialist German merchants (thewinebarn.co.uk, howardripley.com, thewineryuk.com) I’d also want to make room in the trolley for creamy pinot blanc (weissburgunder), spicy pinot gris (grauburgunder), pristine, mineral silvaner and the grapefruit-inflected scheurebe. All of them suggest that German wine’s late 20th-century bad times were nothing more than a glitch.
Six of the best German wines
Waitrose Blueprint Dry Riesling
Mosel 2021 (£7.99, Waitrose)
This graceful introduction to modern Mosel riesling delivers all the charm of the style at a very modest price. Racy and full of energy with a tingling lime and lemon scent and a burst of peach, it is an excellent partner to fresh herby salads, sushi, and river fish such as trout.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Rheinhessen Pinot Noir
Rheinhessen 2021 (£8, Sainsbury’s)
It’s a tough call to find drinkable, characterful pinot noir for under £10 these days. This cheerful, juicy berry-scented example from the engine room of Germany’s largest wine region is both of those things, offering lots of soft, easy-drinking, chillable summer-red drinking.
Villa Wolf Pinot Noir
Pfalz 2020 (from £11.95, slurp.co.uk; adnams.co.uk)
Another excellent value spätburgunder (aka pinot noir) from one of Germany’s best regions for the variety, the Pfalz, just across the French border from Alsace. It’s full of plump berries and cherries but with delightfully vibrant acidity and gentle tannins.
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Graacher Riesling
Mosel, 2020 (£13.50, The Co-op)
With a touch more flesh and presence than the Waitrose bottling, this nonetheless delicate Mosel riesling from the reliable Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt has notes of berries and currants alongside the peach and lime, finishing with a classic Mosel wash of stony coolness and slightly salty minerals.
Wittmann Weisser Burgunder
Rheinhessen 2020 (£15.50, howardripley.com)
The hyper-talented Philipp Wittmann makes some glorious riesling in his Rheinhessen vineyards. For those who prefer something a little softer and fuller on the palate, his weisserburgunder, aka pinot blanc, combines apple and ripe lemon in subtly creamy yet luminous fashion.
Künstler Kostheim Weiss Erd Riesling Grosses Gewächs
Rheingau 2020 (£26, thewinesociety.com)
Another traditional riesling heartland, the Rheingau tends to deliver more richness and spice than the Mosel. That’s certainly the case with this exotic, lushly stone-fruited single-vineyard example from one of the region’s best growers, Künstler.
