Hi I’m Konstantin Baum, Master of Wine and … No I can’t do this anymore. I’ve been
trapped in the cellar for too long! Now that’s better. Today we’re going to
do a deep dive into one of Germany’s Most important wine growing regions
the Pfalz – Special Edition – so let’s go This video was supported by Pfalzwein
I’m in the Pfalz today to tell you a Little bit about the region and pick out four
wines that I can bring home and taste for you But first of all, i need to get out my sunglasses
because I’m not used to those bright lights the Pfalz is one of the most important regions in
Germany when it comes to quantity and quality It is the second biggest wine region with
23,721 hectares of vineyards two-thirds are Planted to white varietals because of its size
it is however also the biggest red wine region In Germany. on top of that, it is the biggest
producer of Germany’s flagship variety Riesling In the world and it is the second-biggest
producer of Spätbugunder in Germany. The Most important grape varieties are a bit of a
mix Riesling, Dornfelder, Grauburgunder, Müller-Thurgau As well as Portugieser and Chardonnay
as the region offers many different Terroirs that can be used for different
varieties. There’s not one typical soil in The Pfalz. Instead the region has a huge variety
of different soil types from sandstone, limestone, Clay loam to even basalt the region has a famously
mild climate being shielded from westerly winds by The Haardt mountain range. It is one of the sunniest
and warmest regions in Germany and even fruits Like figs, oranges and almonds grow here which
is not the case for most regions in Germany. The Region’s wine history goes back to Roman times and
some of the best German producers are based here. However, the region is also producing large
volumes and it has one of the highest Yields per hectare. For a while the Pfalz like most
german wine regions had lost its way and did not Focus on quality but rather on producing large
quantities of simple off-dry wines. Over the last Decades this has changed completely and more and
more producers really focus on getting the best Out of their vineyards and produce some of
the best wines in Germany. The Pfalz is split Up into two areas: The northern Mittelhaardt
Deutsche Weinstrasse and the Südliche Weinstraße The northern half is still the most famous
with its well-known vineyards and wineries You can also find some of the oldest artifacts
of roman winemaking here, south of Neustadt The so-called Südliche Weinstraße long endured a
reputation for high yields and not so great wine Making. Today the Südliche Weinstrasse has some of
the most interesting producers and it also has 600 Vines planted in the vineyard to one inhabitant
living in the area which is a pretty amazing ratio. As the Pfalz is so big and diverse it’s sometimes
difficult to say what makes the region special. So my mission for today is to find out what
makes the Pfalz special, plus I need to find Some wines to taste – so let’s go! The Pfalz was
changed for the better by a new generation of
Young winemakers, who have studied, traveled
and worked in different places of the world. And brought that knowledge back home to improve
their family’s winery or set up their own. I’m in Grosskarlbach in the Mittelhaardt right now to meet
Dennis Wolf. He studied in Geisenheim and worked For some of the best wineries such as Keller, Domaine Ostertag and Chave. He’s now taking over his Family’s unassuming winery to make a name for
himself and to make Germany’s best Pinot Noir Hey Dennis Hi My name is Dennis and I’m a winemaker here at Weingut Wolf in Grosskarlbach.
So what makes the Pfalz special? Definitely our Terroir and the climate that’s
the perfect climate for making Spätburgunder and Riesling and also sparkling wine. In the Pfalz
you can also find the Deutsche Weinstrasse Which is the oldest german wine route. It was
established in 1935, it’s 85 kilometers long And on it you can drive through many wine
villages. The Pfalz is home to many famous Vineyards that have a long history and a
great reputation: Forster Ungeheuer, Wachenheimer Gerümpel and the Kallstadter Saumagen. The Saumagen is named after one of the Pfalz’s most famous
dishes Saumagen or pig’s stomach is a mix of Potatoes and pork and some say it actually goes
really well with the wine coming from this site The site is a mix of chalk, terrarossa, clay and loess
and maybe it’s best to look at it from up above So does the vineyard
look just like the dish? I’ll leave that up to you to decide!
but now it’s time to pick up the wine From this vineyard at one of Germany’s most
distinctive wineries Koehler Ruprecht. Let’s go! Are you coming? I’m Dominik Sona the manager of the
Koehler Ruprecht estate in Kallstadt. What makes the Palz special for you? That is a very
interesting question. The climate is One of the parts which makes it special. It’s one
of the warmer areas of Germany where you can grow Of course vineyards peaches figs. Also it’s a huge area so it’s very diverse and Probably that’s what keeps us together. I know
we’ve been switching boundaries a couple Times we were French and then German and Bavarian
and French and German and um so it’s a Multi-um you know diverse personalities and
diverse state. The Pfalz is also famous for its almond trees and in spring they start to flower and they look beautiful. I’m in the Südliche Weinstrasses the southern part of the
Pfalz and even though I’m further down south it Feels quite a bit colder here and that is because
we are at a higher altitude and there’s also More wind here because the area is less shielded
by the Haardt ranges from westerly winds. The reason Though why I’m right here in this vineyard is
because I want to talk about organic viticulture. There are quite a few organic wineries in
the Pfalz and there are more and more coming
To join their cause. They want to preserve
the land for future generations and organic Viticulture helps achieve that. One of the OGs,
one of the oldest wineries here in this region To produce wine in an organic way is Ökonomierat Rebholz. They have been working in an organic Fashion since the second world war. The name of the
vineyard behind me translates to ”in the sunshine” But it’s getting a bit too cold out here so I’m
going to go to the winery to get my bottle now Servus! Hi! We are Hans and Valentin Rebholz from
the Ökonomierat Rebholz estate here in Siebeldingen. We are the youngest generation here in our Traditional family estate and we are
working together with our parents Here in Siebeldingen. Okay, so in one word
what does the Pfalz represent to you. Riesling / Diversity What makes the Pfalz special to you?
I think of course the people because The Pfalz is really unique for the open
mind between the winemakers. We taste Often together the wines and we have a big
diversity in styles and also big diversity In varieties and i think this is because of
the open mind of the different winemakers and Also because of the big area we work. Some people
are really close to the Alsace region and some People are a little bit more in the north and um
so this is the reason for the big diversity. The Pfalz borders on France. As a matter of fact during
its history it was also occupied by the French. Therefore, the food and wine culture in the region
is heavily influenced by the french neighbors. Here, in this village of Schweigen-Rechtenbach
the two countries really melt into each other. Check this out – right now I’m in Germany. And now I’m in France. Vive la France! And now I’m back in Germany. The Becker
family from Schweigen owns vineyards in France And takes those grapes home to their winery
in Germany and makes German wine out of them, Which is really a European wine I guess.
This also allowed them to experiment with Chardonnay, before it was even legal in Germany
and now they are one of the best producers of Chardonnay in the country. So I need to get one
of those bottles of chardonnay for my tasting. Hi my name is Friedrich Willhelm Becker. I’m
a seventh generation winemaker in the Becker family in the south of the Pfalz. Very
south. We are directly on the border to France And I’m the winemaker in the family since 2005.
So in your opinion what makes the Pfalz special? The people for sure we are winemaking region
and people compared to the rest of Germany I would say are a little bit more
laid back a little bit more open-minded. What makes the Pfalz special for winemaking is our
soils and the microclimate. The weather, the perfect soil And we are back… That was really nice
but now let’s taste those beauties. Riesling makes
Up a quarter of the vineyards in the Pfalz with
close to 6 000 hectares planted. Pfalz Riesling tends To be a bit richer than the wines from the Mosel
and the Rheingau, but they keep their freshness Very well too. I’m tasting the 2019 Koehler Ruprecht
Saumagen Riesling Spätlese trocken from This very special site that we just saw. The former
owner Bernd Philippi really established the winery’s Reputation for dry rieslings. They’ve always
done things a little bit different or you could Say in a traditional way. They harvest by hand use
ambient yeast for the fermentation. They use neutral oak Vessels and they leave the wine on the lees for a
long time. They also still use the Prädikat levels Like Kabinett and Spätlese for example but they
don’t label strictly by must weight but rather By taste and style of the wine. The wine smells of
ripe apple, pear, a little bit of pineapple as well. But it’s really complex and complete. There’s also
a little bit of yeastiness in the background. On The palate it’s really rich and concentrated. The
acidity is a bit lower than you would expect from Some other Rieslings. It’s more mellow and rounded.
This really tells the story of this vineyard that Is exposed to the south a little warmer in this
warm climate. So it’s beautiful, very complex, very Round and rich Riesling. Close to 1,400 hectares
of vineyards are planted to Weissburgunder Or Pinot Blanc in the Pfalz, so it’s not one of the
most important grape varieties in the region, but It produces some really great results. One of the
wineries, that really focused on Weissburgunder Is Ökonomierat Rebholz. Ökonomierat, by the way, is a
title, that is given to accomplished agronomists In the region. I’m tasting the 2017 Ökonomierat Rebholz im Sonnenschein. The site is at 160 to 225 meters above Sea level, it has a southwestern exposure and is on
chalky soil. They hand harvest the grapes de-stem Them, leave the juice in contact with the skins
for 24 hours and press them in the basket press. But now let’s open this baby. This winery is a
member of the VDP the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter, That organizes some or most of the best
wineries in Germany and it was the first winery From the Südliche Weinstrasse, that was invited to
join in the 1990s. The wine has a golden color, it Smells of pear honeydew melon and a little bit
smoky as well. On the palate it’s really rich And unctuous, but it has a great freshness in the
finish so it’s not overpowering. It finishes lively. Beautiful, this really shows how much potential
Weissburgunder has in the Pfalz. Even though Chardonnay is one of the most popular grape
varieties in the world, its production in Germany Was only legalized in 1991. Roughly one third of
the total acreage in Germany can be found in the Pfalz, but at 819 hectares it’s still very much
a niche product. Some of the best Chardonnays in The region can be found in the Südliche Weinstrasse. The grapes for this wine come from Schweigen, some From the French some from the German side. They
grow on chalky clay soils, they are hand-harvested Destemmed and then fermented in 228 liter barriques.
some of the barriques are made from oak from the Pfalz and the wine is aged for a long time on the
lees. They’re actually using a screw cap for this Wine which is something that I quite like. I mean
you have to adapt your winemaking a little bit
But you certainly don’t have any problems with TCA
or cork taint. The 2018 Friedrich Becker Schweigen Chardonnay Smells of lemon zest, lemon tarte. There’s also
a little bit of hazelnut, roasted hazelnut Flavors coming through. The oak and the fruit
are really well balanced even though it’s 40 % New barriques. You don’t really feel the oak
overpowering the fruit at all. On the palate The wine shows great concentration and depth but
also beautiful freshness. There’s a little bit of Coconut and vanilla flavors coming through at the
back of my palate but it’s all really complex and Complete. Would I be able to identify this one as
a Chardonnay from the Pfalz in the blind tasting? I’m not really sure. I think the profile of
chardonnay from Germany and from the Pfalz Still needs to be sharpened a little bit but this
is a complex and complete wine and i think this is Definitely the way to go for Chardonnay in the
region. With one thousand seven hundred hectares planted to Spätburgunder it’s only the second-most widely planted red grape variety in the region After Dornfelder. But when it comes to quality it
plays a very important role. Today I’m tasting the 2018 Weingut Wolf Spätburgunder. The grapes for
this wine come from the Laumersheimer Steinbuckel Vineyard, were farmed organically and grow
on clay-loess soil. The wine was fermented Spontaneously in open barrels and punched down
by hand. They don’t destem a quarter of the Grapes so they do a little bit of whole-bunch and
the wine was then pressed in a historical basket Press and it’s actually historical – I promise. It’s
very interesting for me to taste this wine from This young winemaker that I’ve heard good things
about but I’ve never tasted the wines before This smells beautifully it’s quite pristine fruit
so you have quite a lot of cherry flavors coming Through there’s also a little bit of strawberry
and a little bit of spice. There’s also a little Bit of black tea flavors coming through not a
lot of oak it’s more on the fruit, more on the Herbaceous notes. Quite beautiful! On the palate it
has quite a lot of grip quite a lot of freshness. There’s also juicy fruit flavor coming through. I think this is a very complete wine especially If you consider that this is the first vintage of
this winery, so it’s definitely one to watch in the Future. Very well done! Well, this was an exciting
tasting and a bit of a different format of a video. My question in the beginning was: What makes the
Pfalz special and i still don’t know 100%. I mean The quality of the wine speaks for itself, I think
it’s great to have a region that has so much depth And so much complexity offers so many different
styles because there’s something there for every Taste and every occasion so if I have to pick
out one thing that makes the Pfalz really special Then it has to be the ability to perform on such a
high level with so many different grape varieties And wine styles. So thank you for watching, I
hope you enjoyed this video. If you liked it Then please like it down here subscribe to
my channel if you haven’t done so already. My question of the day is: What are your thoughts
on the Pfalz – what makes the region special To you? Let me know down below. I hope I see
you guys again soon, until then – stay thirsty!