BEST WINES of GERMANY

Hi i’m konstantin baum master of wine And today i’m going to taste the best Wines of germany or at least some of Them a few weeks ago i tasted my way Through the best wines of germany at the Vdp tasting over 450 wines from the best Sides and most of the best producers Were available to taste and i selected My favorites and i want to share them With you today as i’ve done in the past With those vdp tasting videos this time However i don’t just want to focus on Germany’s flagship varietals riesling And speed bugunder instead i want to Include six of the main grape varieties Grown in germany Einstein polizzai i mean einstein let’s Taste [Music] German wine makers have done a good job Of getting people to understand that Riesling and pinot noir grow well here But only roughly one third of all of the Vineyards are planted to those two Varieties there are the varieties that Can produce outstanding results and i Want to put them more into the spotlight Today the vdp development application is An organization of most of the best Producers in germany and at the ford Premiere they allow a selected group of Tasters access to the most recent grand Cru or courses gevex releases of those Wineries the quality of the wines is

Extremely high and i could have selected A completely different list of great Wines but these are the ones that kind Of stood out to me i also need to add That more than 80 of the wines at the Event were made from riesling and Sprayed bugunder so the competition for The first place in those two categories Was far more intense than for let’s say Garbogunda But now let’s start sniffing and Slurping Okay the first one is the 2021 am lumpin 1655 silvana from rhino zawa in franken Franconia and it retailed for around 30 Us dollars the 2021 vintage is the most Recent release by the vdp and it was a Bit of a tricky vintage it was quite Cold rainy there were problems with Diseases so It’s not a great vintage overall but If you focus on quality in a difficult Vintage you can still produce amazing Wines and while the wines tend to be a Little bit lighter fresher and more Restrained than the 2020s or the 2019s The 2021s are actually quite nice and Can be really amazing like this one here This vineyard i’m lumping 6055 is Actually quite a warm vintage it’s Shaped like an amphitheater and it’s Exposed to the south it has quite a Steep slope so the vines get a lot of Sunshine and therefore can produce

Really concentrated fruit even in colder Years the vienna’s name lumpin which Translates to At the kitchen towel was first mentioned In 1655 and that’s why they have that Year attached to the name sylvana is an Interesting grape variety it’s planted On 4 600 hectares in germany but it’s Actually one of the biggest losers over The last few decades so it was planted In way more places It is really at home in franconia in France where it’s really part of the Identity of the wine making scene but The biggest vineyards are actually in Reinhessen it is a grape variety that Has very delicate and elegant flavors And it can produce really amazing wines For me it’s kind of comparable to china Blonde so it’s not very opulent Flavor-wise but it has great acidity and You can make dry wines out of savannah But you can also make really good sweet Wines out of savannah so there are many Different options for the wine maker and Yeah it’s definitely something worth Exploring if you haven’t tasted any Savannah in the past the wine is still Really young and it has flavors of pear Apple but they are also yeasty spicy Notes coming through so it feels a Little bit wild on the palate it’s Yeah rich and concentrated But it’s not overpowering i mean the

Alcohol is at 13 And there’s this fresh Vibrant acidity that cuts through Everything so it doesn’t it’s not fat on The tongue it’s really lively on the Finish and it has a very long length There’s even some mintiness coming Through so it’s really complex and this Is young so this has just recently been Bottled And i think this will develop really Well over the next 10 years maybe 5 to 10 years i mean it’s Fun now but i think there’s more there’s More Lying in that wine that just needs to Come out over time i’m going to rate This wine 94 points i think it’s really Beautiful it’s very complete very Complex and i think Yeah it is an awesome wine especially When you consider the price quality Ratio if it retails for 30 us dollars It’s a bargain a previous vintage of This one has been featured in one of my Vdp tasting videos in the past this is The 2021 berkeley involved peshtine Riesling from the falls and it retails For around 100 us dollars the name of This vineyard comes from an extinct Volcano the pachsteinkopf which was Active in the past in that region and The basalt that you can find in the soil Comes from that place but it was

Actually worked into the soil by workers In the past to improve the soil quality And this kind of makes you wonder How much of terroir can actually be Man-made i mean this is clearly not Something that was there but it was Brought there and kind of Stayed there and changed the dynamics of The vineyard the name kind of brings up This spectacular image but if you go There and walk around it’s not a Spectacular sight the slope is kind of Soft and it’s not filled with basalt Stones there’s also quite a lot of Sandstone and loam and clay so it’s not All black but it makes really Spectacular wines in my opinion at least And i’m aware that i’m opening this Bottle way too early Sorry Sorry Sorry brooklyn wolf is one of the Leading producers in germany they’ve Been a pioneer in organics and Biodynamics and they’re actually a Pretty big estate but they still produce Really great wines yeah this is just Stunning I love this wine And i think i also love this side But i do love this wine It’s super Deep concentrated And rich

But it doesn’t feel heavy at all the Same on the palate you’ve got lots of Freshness it’s really really long like a Laser beam basically but it leaves a Strong impression on your tongue Like a laser beam would probably it Smells of lemon zest lime also a little Bit of orange there’s apricot flavor Coming through Green apple the core of the green apple But it smells beautiful and there’s Some Wild funkiness as well On the palette It is really rich and fresh and long It’s Quite delicate as well so that’s kind of A contradiction but It is just Like that and I mean it has twelve percent twelve and A half percent of alcohol so it’s not Powerful It Leaves a long lasting impression though I would rate this wine 97 points i think It’s just beautiful An amazing wine really outstanding And I so regret pulling the cork this early I think this will last for decades Easily But What can i do before i taste the rest of

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Use the link below and the code Constantinbaum mw for 20 off before i Continue with the tasting i’ll have Another sip And now let’s get back to the wines the Next one is the 2019 xivai kiersberg Weiss bugunder from baden and it retails For around 50 us dollars weiss bergunder Or pinot blanc is planted quite widely In germany there are 5 900 hectares of It most of it in baden and then Reinhessen and the false and yeah i mean There are some quite simple bland wines Being made out of this grape variety but You can also produce really beautiful Complex white wines heinous nipple much Diet founded this winery in the early 20th century and it’s today run by Conrad salve and i think he’s producing Really amazing wines right now out of The pinot grape varieties so he’s really At the forefront of pushing the Boundaries of what is possible with Pinot blanc and pinot gris but also Pinot noir the kirchberg vineyard sits At 200 to 260 meters at the kaiserschool Which is in the southwest of germany Close to the french and swiss border and Quite a lot of really good pinots come From that area the soils are stony and Of volcanic origin and the vineyard is Planted to pinot blue pinot gris pinot Noir chardonnay so they are mainly the Paganian grape varieties planted there

This is the 2019 vintage which was quite A bit warmer than the 2021 vintage you Don’t necessarily feel that in this wine It shows a little bit more maturity But it doesn’t have like Concentration and alcohol it’s more fine Elegant structured on the palate with a Long finish Lots of vibrancy they don’t cover up the Fruit with too much oak instead they use Large oak vessels or old oak vessels They also keep the wine for a long time On the lease in order to give them a Little bit more creaminess and richness On the palate and slightly wilder Funkier aromas so this smells of A ripe apple but also lemon zest and you Also have kind of Like a lemon tart flavor coming through As well this is the combination of the Leaves with the fruit on the palate It has body and concentration but it has So much freshness and vibrancy on the Finish so this really reminds me of a Very well made Wine from burgundy a white wine from Burgundy like a chablis maybe so it’s Quite balanced fresh Vibrant and yeah everything is just There at sideways they try to make wines That last and this really just starts Getting into the drinking window Certainly a wine that will be beautiful With lots of different fish dishes so

Anytime you’d Normally take a great chardonnay from Burgundy or whatever You can take this and it will do a great Job I think this is beautiful i’ll rate it 95 points Great pinot blanc the next one is the 2019 salve hankenberg graubergund from Baden and it retails for around 30 us Dollars it might be a bit weird to Include two wines from the same winery In this tasting but i just think that The wines from salve are under Appreciated and they are pretty good Bargains still i think you can get Really really great wines at low prices On top of that graube gunder or pinot Gris is a bit under appreciated in Germany at the moment Lots of people drink it but many some Years and wine professionals don’t like It because it can be a bit bland a bit Boring but i think it’s wrong to hate The grape variety i think you just have To look for producers that do the right Things with that grape variety and xy is Definitely one of them the hankenbeck is A pretty warm sight in southern baden And it’s not just warmed by the sun it’s Also warmed by mediterranean winds Coming up through the roan valley to That location the name dates back to the Fact that it was the place where people

Were hung where the gallows were Maybe you can still taste that in this Wine let’s see the goodness is pretty Widely planted it’s planted on 7 400 Hectares in germany most of it in baden Again and then ryan hessen and the false But you can find it in many different Places So this is actually quite a step up in Terms of concentration and aromatic Expression remember pinot blanc and Pinot gris are actually the same grape Variety mutations of pinot noir but they Can exhibit quite different Characteristics pinot gris in general is A little bit more aromatic a little bit More Flavorful and can be a bit more rich on The palate as well and this shows Exactly that so you get ripe pear aroma You got a little bit more oak flavors Coming through as well not a lot of oak But a little bit more oak flavors and on The pinot blanc on the vise bakunda and Then you also have like a little bit of Brioche a little bit of yeast flavors Coming through and then there’s this Pear apple dimension coming to you also Have some reduction there a little bit Of well yeah struck match flavor so it’s Quite complex on the palette it actually Shows muscles richness and concentration Broken up The fresh acidity that kind of cleans up

The tongue After the concentrated mass of the wine Has disappeared so It is a bit more bulky but really well Made i will rate this one 95 points i Think it’s excellent Brilliant pinot gris It could have a little bit more balance A little bit more length I know i’m expecting great things of Those wines but in order to get higher Marks i think it should be Just slightly more balanced To be like in the world class of things But it’s outstanding i’m moving on to The red wines and i’m tasting the 2020 Rudolf first hunzrich spade bergunder Pinonua from franken franconia which Retails for around 150 us dollars the First family has been in the wine Business since the 17th century but Rudolf and monica first took over the Winery in 1979 in order to focus on burgundian Wines and riesling sebastian first today Runs the winery and i think he’s been Quite instrumental in establishing this Wine which is kind of a more recent Addition to the course of the vex family In 1971 hunsrok was included in the Really well-known vineyard saint Grafenberg but since 2010 it got its Identity back and it can now be bottled Under the old name that has been known

For a long long time the vignette is Located in a valley close to the mayan River it’s exposed to the south and it’s A pretty warm microclimate the soil is Bunsenstein which is sandstone that is Colored slightly red because of the high Iron content I made a couple of videos on pinot noir So just a few things it’s by far the Most widely planted red grape variety in Germany with roughly 11 660 hectares Planted to pinot and that makes germany The third biggest country for pinot Production after france and the u.s Pinot production has grown significantly Since the 1990s and so as the quality And the wines are better and better can Get more expensive and more expensive as Well but i think compared to burgundy There’s still a bargain and you can get Lots of different expressions from the Different winemaking regions in germany This one got quite a lot of attention Because the previous two vintages were Rated 97 and 98 points that’s a lot for German pinot noir but the wine is just Stunning it smells of blackberries Raspberries but there’s also black tea Spice notes coming through a little bit Of oak flavor as well so you got a Little bit of chocolate powder there on The pellet it’s rich structured very Long very precise It’s just stunning because of the depth

And the complexity of the hunsrok i’m Going to rate it 97 points It is Stunning outstanding pinot And well it is the most expensive wine In this tasting but in the general Context of pinot noir At this quality it’s not that expensive So Wow this is a topic to follow but i’m Going to finish the tasting with the 2019 dautel michael itzberger lemberger From wurtenberg which retails for 40 us Dollars the vignette is a steep southern Slope on colored mars soils and it’s Named after the michigan church on top Of the hill the winery has been around Since the 16th century and it’s now run In the 21st generation by christian Dauter who’s worked in the us in south Africa australia austria france you name It and he’s now bringing all of that Knowledge back home and producing some Really great wines the red variety is Called lemberger in germany and Blaufrankisch in austria and it’s Planted on around 2000 hectares in Germany but the vast majority can be Found in wurtenberg it is an interesting Red variety because it’s a good addition To german pinots it’s a bit more Concentrated and rich for me it’s a Little bit like a mix of gamma and surah As in it can be quite fruity but it can

Also be a little bit more spicy and Structured so the grape variety Certainly has quite a lot of potential In germany this is quite intense and Complex so you have flavors of Blackberries blueberries there’s also a Little bit of black pepper coming Through It’s quite An expressive nose on the part it’s Juicy but also structured so there’s a Good balance there between the grippy Tannins and the fresh acidity and solid Mid palette So yeah it’s a bit more yeah rich and Concentrated than german straight It has a bit more Bite to it Different wine for different occasions I’m going to rate this 93 points i think It’s a beautiful expression i think it’s Also like all of the other wines too Young so This can be aged for a bit longer to Mellow it out and give it a bit more Tertiary flavors but it’s already there All right this was an exciting tasting And i think These wines all showed really well i’m Very happy with my selection my Favorites I gotta be honest were the pachstein and The hunsrok Two

Just Beautiful wines and i know that i’m Contradicting myself a little bit here Because i wanted to highlight the other Grape varieties as well But germany is still best at riesling And pinot i gotta be honest but There’s More there’s more and there’s potential To get better and better at the other Grape varieties as well I don’t see any reason why the other Four wines Can’t Be even better can get even better in The future They are certainly in my opinion still Fairly cheap for what they represent so You should definitely try and check out These wines or maybe those grape Varieties in your home markets to get a Broader image of what german wine is so Thank you for watching if you like this Video then please like it down here Subscribe to my channel if you haven’t Done so already My question of the day is what is your Favorite grape variety grown in germany Apart from riesling and spade bogunna Please comment down below and give me Some suggestions what Mines i should try for myself I hope i see you guys again soon until Then stay doorstep uh thirsty

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