On the Grapevine

Our region profiles:

Wine-growing region profile: Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

Wine-growing region profile: no. 1, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
From just south of the ancient Roman city of Trier, north to Koblenz, where it empties into the Rhine, the Mosel river snakes its way past dramatically steep, slaty slopes covered in some of Germany's most famous vineyards. The wines of the Mosel and its tributaries, the Saar and the Ruwer, are richly fragrant, pale in colour, light bodied with a lively, fruity acidity. The slaty soil imparts a distinctive taste to Mosel wines, ranging from fine-fruity to earthy or flinty. Often they have a hint of effervescence. Riesling grapes ripening on the best of these slopes result in wines that are, according to Hugh Johnson, 'unsurpassed anywhere on earth: quintessential Riesling, clean as steel, with the evocative qualities of remembered scents or distant music.'

The Riesling grapes that produce the most elegant wines grow on the steep, southern-facing slopes. Müller-Thurgau and an old variety cultivated by the Romans, the Elbling, are also planted in this region. Mosel wines make the world's most civilised and stimulating aperitifs, and partner delicate fish and meat dishes very agreeably too.

Recommendations from this region:

2004 Riesling Kabinett Ürziger Würzgarten Ernst Loosen, Marks & Spencer, £9.99
2004 Riesling QbA Dr Wagner Ockfener Bockstein, Waitrose, £5.99
2001 Riesling halbtrocken Kestener Paulins-Hofberger, Lay & Wheeler, £11, Email Sales@laywheeler.com
2001 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Weingut JJ Prüm, The Wine Society, £13, Website www.thewinesociety.com

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Wine-growing region profile: FRANKEN
Franken, the hilly region east of Frankfurt, follows the zig-zag of the Main River. Distinctive wines and the Baroque residence in Würzburg make it a mecca for art and wine lovers alike; and Franken wines are distinctive for both the traditional Bocksbeutel - the flat, round-bellied bottle - and the drier styles which prevail. Cool climate and soil types make Riesling the exception and earlier-ripening white grapes, eg Rivaner or Bacchus, the rule. Above all, the region is known for powerful, earthy Silvaner wines. Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Domina, seldom seen elsewhere, are the main red grapes.

WÜRTTEMBERG:
Württemberg is a rural, hilly region adjacent to Baden and south of Franken. Metropolitan Stuttgart and Heilbronn are wine centres, but most of the vineyards are scattered amidst fields and forests throughout the Neckar River Valley. Red wine predominates and ranges from crisp, light Trollinger - the 'Swabian national drink' - to wines with more colour, body and substance e.g. Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier) and Lemberger. Riesling is by far the most important white variety, followed by Kerner, a crossing which has affinities with Riesling.

BADEN:
Warm and sunny Baden, the southernmost German region, stretches some 400km (240 miles) along the Rhine from the Bodensee (Lake Constance) to Heidelberg, taking in the Black Forest, as well as the vine-clad terraces of the Kaiserstuhl, a volcanic massif. As in neighbouring Alsace and Switzerland, Baden has a great tradition of wine and food. Dry, food-compatible 'Burgunders' (Pinots), red and white, have long been popular throughout the region. Rivaner vineyards are also widespread, while other classic whites e.g. Riesling, Silvaner and Gutedel, are more localised.

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Wine-growing region profile: Nahe

The Nahe region is named after the river that traverses the valleys of the forested Hunsrück Hills as it gently flows toward Bingen on the Rhine. It is a peaceful landscape of vineyards, orchards and meadows interspersed with cliffs and striking geological formations.

Although the Nahe is one of the smaller German wine regions, its extraordinary range of soil types is second to none. For this reason, the region is able to produce quite diverse wines from relatively few grape varieties. The steeper sites of volcanic or weathered stone, and those with red, clayish slate seem predestined for elegant, piquant Riesling wines of great finesse and a light spiciness, while flatter sites of loam, loess and sandy soils yield lighter, fragrant Müller-Thurgau (Rivaner) wines with a flowery note. The Silvaner grape thrives in a number of soils and produces full-bodied, earthy wines.

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