It’s always a pleasure to have one of our own members present a tasting and this evening was no exception with Katja sharing with us a selection of wines from her native Germany.
Katja opened members' eyes to the range of styles of wines from Germany which were very unlike the stereotypical slightly sweet Liebfraumilch.
Wine number one – a 2015 Riesling Dönnhoff - was voted top white of the evening, whilst members voted overwhelmingly for the 2014 Dornfelder as their top red – a real surprise for a northern European red having excellent depth and intensity.
Katja also converted a few members who never touch Pinot Noir with a couple of good examples, particular wine number five, which was second in the voting on the reds.
The wines of the evening were as follows:
1. Wine: Donnhoff; Grape(s): Riesling; Geography: Nahe; Year: 2015; ABV: 10.0%; Price: £ 15.80; Source: Tanners Wines
2. Wine: Villa Wolf; Grape(s): Pinot Gris; Geography: Pfalz; Producer: Ernst Loosen; Year: 2017; ABV: 12.5%; Price: £ 11.50; Source: Tanners Wines
3. Wine: Riesling & Traminer; Grape(s): Riesling, Traminer; Geography: Saale Unstrut; Producer: Kirmann; Year: 2017; ABV: 12.5%; Price: £ 10.44; Source: Weingut Kirmann
4. Wine: Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen, Grosses Gewächs; Grape(s): Riesling; Geography: Rheingau; Producer: Hans Lang; Year: 2009; ABV: 13.5%; Price: £ 26.00; Source: Tanners Wines
5. Wine: Spätburgunder; Grape(s): Pinot Noir; Geography: Pfalz; Producer: Weingut Walter; Year: 2015; ABV: 12.5%; Price: £ 14.99; Source: thewineryuk.com
6. Wine: Pinot Noir Vom Kalkmergel; Grape(s): Pinot Noir; Geography: Pfalz; Producer: Reh Kendermann; Year: 2014; ABV: 12.0%; Price: £ 11.99; Source: Majestic Wines
7. Wine: Zeitlos; Grape(s): Dornfelder; Geography: Saale Unstrut; Producer: Kirmann; Year: 2014; ABV: 13.0%; Price: £ 13.92; Source: Weingut Kirmann;
8. Wine: 1479 Schieferboden; Grape(s): Pinot Noir; Geography: Nelles (Ahr); Producer: Weinhaus Nelles; Year: 2017; ABV: 12.5%; Price: £ 16.99; Source: thewineryuk.com
9. Wine: Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese; Grape(s): Riesling; Geography: Mosel; Producer: Heribert Kerpen; Year: 2015; ABV: 7.0%; Price: £ 18.70; Source: Tanners Wines