March 27: German Pinot Noir, known as Spätburgunder, has been making thumping progress in quality during the last couple of decades and today Germany is considered one of the countries producing high quality Pinot based on its terroir and offers good value as compared with the Burgundy reds, writes Subhash Arora who tasted a dozen variants at a Tasting curated by a German wine expert, Romana Echensperger MW at the Nägler’s Fine Lounge Hotel in Oestrich- Winkel in Rheingau and loved the wines enough to visit at least one such region on his next trip to Germany
The second day of the Press tour post-Prowein 2019 brought us to a beautiful hotel in Rheingau where a Tasting of Pinot Noirs had been organised by the German Wine Institute before dinner to give the visitors a spectrum of diverse German Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder). Romana Echensperger MW, a specialist in German Wines and a Brand Ambassador for the German Wine Institute came especially from Munich to present 12 wines from 9 of the 13 different Pinot wine regions; Sachsen, Pfalz, Ahr, Baden, Württenburg, Pfalz (Palatinate) and Franconia were curated by her. The quality and diversity of German Pinot Noir was truly impressive this evening of March 20.
Earlier Days
My interest in German Pinot Noirs was piqued in 2003 when I visited the international pavilion of Vinexpo and was stopped in my tracks on the first day by a German producer who called out to me from his stand and invited me in to taste his reds. With the renaissance of Riesling in the aftermath of Liebfraumilch era of the 1990’s, I was keen to taste as many Rieslings as possible and so politely excused myself, saying I would come back. I told him, ‘Red wines? From Germany!! Are you serious?’ Somehow the stand was located at such a spot that I had to pass by the stall several times to go to the ones I really wanted to visit.
Every time he made the same request as I passed by- as if no one cared to taste them. I felt awkward enough to finally consent to taste the Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) wines he had. The wines were quaffable, not as light in colour or concentration as the reputation they had because of cold weather. I made a mental note to taste German Pinot Noirs as often as I could and have tasted several since and have been taken aback at the quality with relatively low price.
Notable improvements in two decades
When I asked her the reasons for the huge improvements during the last 5-10 years Romana said, ‘Pinot Noir is one of the important wines of Germany. 20 years ago people wanted Pinot Noir only from Burgundy- now things have changed with several countries like Austria, US, Switzerland, New Zealand and Germany making good quality too. We have our own interpretation and do not copy as if it had to taste like Burgundy.’
I was surprised when she told me, ‘Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir- as it is late ripening variety) has been in Germany since the 9th century while Riesling came only in the 14th, so we have a long history of Pinot Noir in Germany. After the second world war big volumes of vines were planted after phylloxera had devastated vines in the late 19th century. But the viticulture methods were poor so the quality was not high. It is easier to make a simple Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile but cheap Pinot is impossible. Quality and production have a narrow window.’
She added, People with passion for Pinot started to go to Burgundy to learn. With trial an error they learnt. New generation has been passionate about Pinot and the quality. Earlier it was ‘more the better’- but with Pinot Noir you need to be gentle and must have lower output. Also in the 1990’s it was an era of heavy oak. The newer generation cut down the use in the last 10 years making gentler wines with balanced oak.’
Pinot Noir is now the most widely planted red grape. Historically, German wine produced from Pinot Noir was pale, often the reds looked like Rosé, over-cropping and bunch-rot were the mainstay. Climate Change is also contributing to better quality. With Ahr being the northernmost cold area of wine making 20 years ago, quality was difficult. The desirable ripeness is now achievable during the last 20 years. In the 1990’s the vintners felt that ripeness and concentration were important as they thought that alcohol and tannic structure helped aging. They have now realised that high acidity in their Pinot Noir keeps them fresh and elegant for years, making it their own style. Moreover, some passionate producers pushed the envelope to adopt the technology to their vineyards and the diverse soils in different regions.
Big producer of Pinot Noir
Not many people know but Germany has around 12,000 hA of surface area of Pinot Noir, making it the world’s third-largest grower of this varietal- behind only France (where it is used in Champagne too) and the United States where the movie ‘Sideways’ made the demand go through the roof. Demand from Germans preferring red wines and the improving quality made the surface area double in 20 years. The quality validated their conviction that they could produce world-class Pinots.
Burgundy expensive, Germany not so much
The German vintners have also benefited from a steep price rise in Burgundy wines during the last 10-20 years; many local Burgundians even can’t afford their hometown ferment and come here looking for the cheaper substitute. Rising prices during the last decade have also helped German producers to charge higher prices and still have a good market at a decent profit.
Sommeliers and wine importers around the world have now woken up to the new wine-if not India which is still debating whether to like Rieslings-dry and off dry. No wonder, the sophisticated Japan is the most important export market today.
Tasting Wines
The 12 wines we tasted had a lot of promise and were definitely more delicious and elegant than we had been tasting /drinking earlier-and yet quite different from each other. Although all producing regions in Germany produce Spätburgunder, the best come from Ahr, Baden, Rheingau, Württenburg, Nahe and Pfalz.
So I asked Romana which areas one must visit from India to change the perception of Burgundy lovers about German Pinots-if it was not practical for producers to come to India. She named the above regions and said practically all the 13 wine making regions of Germany produced Pinot Noir and some were very good. But if I were to go to visit only one region and not very far from Frankfurt, which area would that be, I asked.
‘Ahr is an excellent region and there are some excellent producers,’ she opined.The climate being ideal for it right now with warmer micro climate, over 60% of the 500 + hA are Pinot Noir vines in Ahr; in fact this small region produces around 85% red wines. The best reds are quite 
expensive, and are generally priced much higher than Germany's top dry Rieslings. It is not uncommon for the top of the range of better known producers to sell for over €50- in fact we had one in the line-up which was reportedly for €65. But lower-ended wines are also available and a Burgundy lover can find a wide variety to choose from.
It’s a pity that the limited production, and high local demand for red wines in Germany mean these wines are not available easily in the international markets; especially in India where label registration costs are very high, it may not be commercially viable to import them.
Another area known for Pinot Noir and recommended by Romana is Baden in the south-west region of Germany. It grows about as much Pinot Noir as the world’s fourth most important Pinot producer New Zealand. It has a different style which may be particularly attractive for international readers of delWine.
Burgundy may be queen of Pinot Noirs, but Germany is not a push over anymore.With the ageing potential being enviable as significantly long though unmatchable with Burgundy, they are drinkable younger and in today’s world they may have a ready market for younger and impatient drinkers.
Wines Tasted
Subhash Arora
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