German dry Riesling 2014 wines for summer
Riesling's fresh and aromatic character makes it the perfect addition to any picnic, BBQ or al fresco dinner this summer. Here's five German dry Riesling 2014 wines from Decanter's recent panel tasting...
Long gone are the days when German Riesling wine was all about bulk sweet hock on shop shelves: dry is now the trend for many.
Dry Riesling and ‘Sauvignon Blanc fatigue’
‘The consumer wants dry wines, and has done for several decades – and German dry Rieslings are some of the greatest, most compelling and exciting white wines on the planet,’ said David Motion, one of the Decanter experts in this panel tasting.
Scroll down for our top five Rieslings
Giles MacDonogh, also on the panel, added, ‘It will be sad to lose the sweeter style, the proper spätlesen or kabinetts, but clearly the impetus in German wine is not for sweet wines now. In fact, the Germans stopped drinking them long ago, finding the sweeter wines unsophisticated.’
Matt Walls, the panel’s third member, believes Riesling could profit from ‘Sauvignon Blanc fatigue’, an issue recently covered on Decanter.com.
He said, ‘I think aromatic and refreshing dry Rieslings would be a very natural place for people to move on to.’
German dry Riesling 2014 vintage: The Decanter verdict
Despite the fact that the 2014 harvest was affected by constant rain in late august, our panel was pleasantly surprised by the end result.
‘There was enough heat in the spring and early summer to ensure the grapes were ripe at the time the weather broke,’ said MacDonogh. ‘So in certain regions, they were able to make really good wines if they made rigorous selections.’
With 85% of the entries in this tasting achieving a Recommended rating or better, many producers clearly dealt admirably with the climatic conditions. The best examples had ‘tension and excitement with a transparent expression of their terroir’, said Motion.
All concluded the dry German Rieslings are largely versatile and can stand many types of food. Walls suggested not only asian food but white meat, and Motion even added red meat to the list.
Edited by Laura Seal for Decanter.com
Decanter panel top picks:
Based on score and current availability.
Dönnhoff, Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, Nahe, Germany, 2014
Nahe grower Dönnhoff would be in most people’s top 10 in German dry Riesling. The estate dates back to 1750. Helmut Dönnhoff has recently ceded...
2014
DönnhoffGrosses Gewächs
Fritz Haag, Brauneberger Juffer Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, Mosel, Germany, 2014
The Dusemonder Hof – Fritz Haag winery’s original name – in Brauneberg is one of the great names of the Mosel Valley. The Haags have...
2014
Fritz HaagGrosses Gewächs
Von Othegraven, Großes Gewächs, Grosses Gewächs, Ockfen Bockstein, Mosel, Germany, 2014
96
One of the top wines of the Saar Valley, which is included in the Mosel region, the 16ha, pure Riesling estate in Kanzem is owned by Günter Jauch whose grandmother was a von Othegraven. The estate dates back to the 16th century. The best vineyards are on the Devon slate soils of the Ockfener Bockstein, the Kanzemer Altenberg, the Wiltinger Kupp and the Wawerner Herrenberg. Most of the wines made here are traditional off-sweet and sweet kabinetts and spätlesen.
2014
Von OthegravenGrosses Gewächs
Heinrichshof, Schlossberg, Mosel, Germany, 2014
95
The rank outsider among our Outstanding producers, and for most of us a discovery, the Heinrichshof in Zeltingen is a small (6ha) family estate now run by Peter and Ulrich Griebeler, whose grapes are chiefly grown on the steep slopes of the Zeltinger Schlossberg and Sonnenuhr (sundial). The wines are Peter’s domain. He trained with Armin Diel in the Nahe and Fritz Haag nearer home. The estate focuses on dry wines, and 2014 was its first vintage: bravo!
2014
Heinrichshof
Bamberger, Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen, Nahe, Germany, 2014
95
Quite restrained on the nose. Slightly spritzy, powerful on the palate with flavours of juicy ripe pears. Lively, explosive, intense wine with an amazing freshness. Typical example of Monzingen.
2014
Bamberger
