Healthy VDP auctions show strength of top German estates
October 8, 2008
Freddy Price
Over 5000 was bid for a bottle of 1949 Rauenthaler Baiken Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, and magnums of a 2007 Egon Müller Riesling went for over 1000 at the VDP annual auctions in Germany at the end of last month
The VDP (Association of German Quality Wine Estates) auctions, held on 26-28 September, are a barometer for the value of the top estates' wines both in the most recent and great older vintages.
Bidders which include representatives from the domestic and export trade, and private customers can buy in quantities ranging from half a bottle to a significant proportion of the total production of great Auslesen and above.
The 'Grosser Ring Mosel-Saar-Ruwer auction was held at Trier. The two biggest bids were 1,117 each for magnums of Egon Müller's 2007 Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel and 5,098 for a single bottle of J.J. Prüm 1959 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese.
At the Rheingau auction at Kloster Eberbach, a single bottle of Hessische Staatsweingüter 1949 Rauenthaler Baiken Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese went for 5100, and 650 per bottle was bid for Balthasar Ress 2007 Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese.
At the third auction, at Kreuznach, 157 was bid for Meyer-Näkel 2006 Spätburgunder SR, a great Pinot Noir from the Ahr.
From Nahe a Schlossgut Diel 2003 Dorsheimer Pittermännchen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese fetched 637 for a half-bottle.
The growing market for the great dry Rieslings of Germany was illustrated by Christmann 2004 Idig Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2004 from Pfalz which fetched 400 per double-magnum.
A Wittmann 2007 Morstein Riesling Grosses Gewächs from Rheinhessen, fetched 375 per double-magnum.
VDP sales worldwide have been spectacular in some markets. Sales of German wines above £10 have doubled in the last two years, and the £6-10 market has performed very well. At the same time, the cheaper - Liebfraumilch - end of hte market has performed very badly.
In this month's Decanter magazine, in a special Riesling double feature, Andrew Catchpole and Mary Dowey make the case for German and Australian Rieslings - who makes the best in the world? Subscribe online now
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