drink soon
An excellent vintage which produced wines with good balance and concentration
Weather Conditions
In spite of cool and wet weather in May, the flowering in June was very successful. From the beginning of July a well-nigh perfect summer led to the start of the vintage of the Riesling in the middle of October in ideal conditions. The picking continued in lovely dry autumn sunshine until the middle of November.
Best Appellations
As a result the grapes were wonderfully ripe and healthy and there was enough botrytis to allow many fine Ausleses to be made. The gilt on the gingerbread was the Eiswein vintage picked on the night of the 14th November. The wines with the greatest finesse come from Mosel/Saar/Ruwer and those with the greatest richness from the Pfalz but fine Ausleses are to be found in all the classic regions.
Best Producers
Every famous estate made some great wines at different levels. For a time during the late ‘eighties some of the wines “went to sleep” for a period but they are perfect for drinking now, though the best may last for another twenty years – certainly the finest vintage between 1976 and 1988. Among the fabulous Riesling Eisweins Max Ferd. Richter’s Mulheimer Helenenkloster stands out, but the grapes were so healthy that any Eiswein from a top estate is a memorable experience and will last a lifetime.
