There is this cliché about German wine that it is all bad and worthless

[Zebra]

There is this cliché about German wine that it is all bad and worthless.
And that a real "connaisseur" would never touch it.

Well, I do not share this opinion.
But I wonder, where it comes from.

I have some ideas on this cliché.

Tell you later.

What is your opinion about this cliché?

 

[iamwhatiseem]

China is well on their way to becoming the largest revenue maker in the wine business.
That tells you everything you need to know about the wine business.
Germany struggles because they are surrounded by other wine producing nations that roll their eyes at them and are too stuffed shirt to ever take Germanies wine contribution seriously.

 

[DudleySmith]

German white wines are better than most on the market.

Red wines from any country just taste like cheap cough syrup, so it's not really hard to make white wines better than red wines.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

German white wines are better than most on the market.

I watched a documentary on Netflix about wine producers taking part in some super prestigious wine competition, pretty sure was held in France.
A German producer won the high prize for a white wine and the cold/dead stares from the tuxedo/diamond wearing audience at him when he was accepting the award was unbelievable. They were outraged and aghast that he won.

 

[Zebra]

I watched a documentary on Netflix about wine producers taking part in some super prestigious wine competition, pretty sure was held in France.
A German producer won the high prize for a white wine and the cold/dead stares from the tuxedo/diamond wearing audience at him when he was accepting the award was unbelievable. They were outraged and aghast that he won.

I liked to read this

Reminds me of "the Judgement of Paris!"

The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, also known as the Judgment of Paris, was a wine competition organized in Paris on 24 May 1976 by Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant and his colleague, Patricia Gallagher, in which French judges carried out two blind tasting comparisons: one of top-quality Chardonnays and another of red wines (Bordeaux wines from France and Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Napa, California).

A Napa wine rated best in each category, which caused surprise as France was generally regarded as being the foremost producer of the world's best wines. Spurrier sold only French wine and believed that the California wines would not win.[3]

The event's informal name "Judgment of Paris" is an allusion to the ancient Greek myth.

Judgment of Paris (wine) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[wamose]

I'm not hip enough to be conversive on European wines. I'm a California kinda guy, Sonoma in particular. Dry Creek, Russian River and Alexander Valley are areas where I like the wine. Then again, I didn't even mention B&B Vineyards in Pennsylvania, which was started by two retired drunks who knew nothing about wine, me and my buddy Barry, RIP. Our headliners are Main St. Dandy (dandelion) and Easton Wine which consists of Alicante, Grenache and Muscato. We eventually ended up making Cab, Red Zin, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Carmeniere {Chile Grapes). We also made the basic fruit wines like Apple, Pear, Raspberry, Mulberry and Cherry, where we found out Barry's dog is an alcoholic. I also made some crazy shit like Pine Cone wine, Hambeno (ham and bean), Grass Wine, Sneaky Pete (potato wine), Tomatoe Wine, Asparagus Wine and a bunch of others. B&B - bottled and cellared on the banks of Shit Crick. So with a personal wine cellar like that, you can understand my reluctance to branch out too much.

 

[Donald H]

Competition from China will eclipse German wines as well as pretty much everything else. The Chinese system is proving to simply be better for companies, corporation, and the people who produce the goods.

China has found the way forward with it's brand of 'socially' responsible capitalism, administered by super intelligent leaders.

This is of course the reason why America is meddling militarily in Taiwan.

America must learn to compete in a peaceful way, and the wine industry is no exception.

Sadly, the future hangs in the balance with the annihilation of the Ukraine's people being the pawns in the big game.

 

[DudleySmith]

basic fruit wines like Apple, Pear, Raspberry, Mulberry and Cherry,

Those sound worth trying.

 

[AMart]

There is another German wine that was not on your original list. They have it at Mecklenburgs.........it's good.

Edit, I believe it's Dornfelder.

 

[Zebra]

My ideas - in short:

Before World War One the German wine was regarded very highly all over Europe.
German Riesling from the Rhine fetched higher prices in the UK etc than French wine from Bordeaux.

During and after WW One everything German was seen as bad - and German wine as "enemy" wine and got disregarded.
Other German products recovered - but not German wine.

 

[Zebra]

And now German wine is even disregarded in Germany by many snobs who want to be seen as "Connaisseurs".
There is no doubt that red French wine is usually very good.
But for a German to say: "I only drink French wine - German wine is undrinkable!" - that is plain stupid.

 

[wamose]

Those sound worth trying.

Fruit wines are pretty good but I'm finding that as time goes by, I like my wines a little less sweet. If you're looking for something to do, you can try making a couple batches. Start out with a couple kits (5 gal. premeasured ingredients) until you get the hang of it. Making wine can also take up a lot of room once you start getting carried away (and you will), so you better have an understanding lady. Good luck

 

[Zebra]

@ Stuart Pigott

Stuart Pigott (born 26 May 1960 in Orpington, Kent) is a British wine critic and author who has lived in Berlin since 1993.[1] Pigott mostly writes in German, and focuses on German wine. He writes for the specialist magazines Feinschmecker and Weingourmet as well as the Sunday edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Stuart Pigott - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

And he says: "Der Wein spricht deutsch! = Wine speaks German!"

 

[Zebra]

History:

Around 1850

FIT FOR A QUEEN​

At the height of German wine’s popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries, Mosel and Rheingau wines fetched equal or higher prices than the best wines from Champagne and Bordeaux. It was during this time that the term “hock” seems to have been coined as a nickname among the British for German white wine, derived from the name of the town of Hochheim am Main and used to convey the prestige of Rheingau wine. Queen Victoria’s visit to Hochheim during harvest in 1850 may have contributed to the use of the term “hock,” though it has fallen out of fashion today.

History of German Wine - German Wines USA

germanwineusa.com

 

[Zebra]

And then:

1914-1945

WINE AND WAR​

The effects of the World Wars across Europe extended to viticulture. In Germany, resources and manpower were diverted away from winemaking, and vineyard area subsequently decreased by more than half. International demand and regard for German wine also diminished following World War I and would not recover until far after the end of World War II.

History of German Wine - German Wines USA

germanwineusa.com

 

[Zebra]

germany has good wines ….

 

[Moonglow]

There is this cliché about German wine that it is all bad and worthless.
And that a real "connaisseur" would never touch it.

Well, I do not share this opinion.
But I wonder, where it comes from.

I have some ideas on this cliché.

Tell you later.

What is your opinion about this cliché

My German Papa, 1897-1991, would tell me about German wine and how after getting drunk the night before he could wake up the next day and dink a glass of water and would be drunk again. His last name was Helm.

 

[Zebra]

My German Papa, 1897-1991, would tell me about German wine and how after getting drunk the night before he could wake up the next day and dink a glass of water and would be drunk again. His last name was Helm.

did he wear a helm. = helmet ,,,?

 

[Moonglow]

did he wear a helm. = helmet ,,,?

Nyet.

 

[Grau]

There is this cliché about German wine that it is all bad and worthless.
And that a real "connaisseur" would never touch it.

Well, I do not share this opinion.
But I wonder, where it comes from.

I have some ideas on this cliché.

Tell you later.

What is your opinion about this cliché?

I've never heard any fellow oenophile claim that German wine was "...all bad and worthless"

I attempted to bring back about 10 bottles of Alsatian wine but ended up sharing most of it with other travelers facing flight delays in different airports.

I was told by many vineyard owners that they don't export their best wines so maybe that's the basis for the erroneous reputation.

Thanks,