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German Wines - Printable Version

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- Tartan Tippler - 04-15-2002

I am relatively new to wine drinking.About a year ago a relative of mine introduced me to a Wine company he has bought from for 3 or 4 years.The company is Pieroth who specialise in German wines.I have so far bought about 20 different bottles of various wines from them and am still deciding which ones we like best.Speaking to a number of friends / colleagues (one or two who think they are experts) the general reaction regarding German wines is one of ridicule and much hilarity "how can you enjoy German wine,its ****" is the popular opinion.Not being an expert,can anyone give me a brief history of German wines and offer opinion as to why it has/or used to have a bad reputation? Also can anyone provide info on Pieroth as I only have their salesmans word for it that they are as good as he says.Both myself and my wife really enjoy what we have bought from them to date although their bottles are relatively expensive compared to other Wine Clubs.


- Innkeeper - 04-15-2002

Hi Scotty, and welcome to the Wine Board. It seems that a certain virus of wine snobbery that started here in the States has reached your shores as well. It goes something like this: "Surely my dear, you're not drinking any wine that isn't bone dry are you?" This being uttered by a person sipping a California Chardonnay that is drenched in oak, surreptitiously contain 2-3% residual sugar, and actually tastes nothing like wine.

Most wine surely is best vinified dry, but the Germans have taught us how to appreciate sweet wine. Most of the best of them are made with the riesling grape; a most versitile grape that is far superior to chardonnay. It can and the Germans do make a dry wine (troken), a slighlty sweet one (kabinett), more sweet (spatlese), and quite sweet (auslese). Even sweeter dessert wines are also available.

Until very recent years, the Germans drank these wines with everything. Troken with weissfishe, and auslese with saurbraten. Internationization has now gotten them into red wine with beef and prior horrors like that. Fortunately there are still plenty of folks on both sides of the ocean that like German Riesling in all its guises.

[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 04-15-2002).]


- Bucko - 04-15-2002

People who dismiss a wine region with a wave of the hand, especially when done in a condescending manner, show insensitivity and a lack of knowledge of the wine region. German Reislings are without peer IMHO.


- hotwine - 04-15-2002

The Germans have been making wine for over 2000 years, and produce some truly delightful Rieslings. I especially enjoy those from the Mosel-Sahr-Ruwer region, and always have several available. As for Pieroth: I purchased wines from them in the late 1970's, and was initially pleased with the experience. However, about 1980, their local rep at the time began pushing obscure wines from Eastern Europe, and he lost me as a customer. Their program functioned a bit like a record club or book club: sign up for monthly purchases and get "really good deals on special releases." Yeah, right, if you like Bulgarian swampwater. That was a long time ago, and I have no idea how they're doing business these days. If you could be assured that their wines are all from Germany, then the company might afford you access to smaller vintners that are long on talent but short on marketing venues.


- Tartan Tippler - 04-15-2002

Thanks guys for your interesting responses.I can see this is going to be a valuable place to learn from!! I have just taken delivery of a new batch of Pieroth and I will post my "expert" opinion as I make my way through it! Cheers


- John Moore - 10-10-2003

HI! Tartan, I am a wine broker that is very familiar with the Pieroth wine co. as I have previously worked for them years ago. The wines selections they have are so-so at best and they do have a website presence. All you have to do is type in the word PIeroth wines in a search engine and you will definitely find their website. NOW! if you want to step up to extremely good German and Hungarian wines then contact me at my e-mail: IntWBrokers@yahoo.com

FYI: I am a wine broker