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

[Zebra]

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,

in my experience it is usually GERMAN wine snobs who say so ….

 

[Grau]

in my experience it is usually GERMAN wine snobs who say so ….

I think that it's universal among most snobs of all types to state that anything from far away is better.

Unless, of course, the product in question is their own.

Thanks for starting this thread.

PS: Does Weinstraße still exist?
We used to ride bicycles from Freiburg i. Br. to Strasbourg and stop at vineyards along the way. Each wine was great but the last leg of the trip was a little slower.
After a long and delicious dinner, we'd sleep outdoors and still feel good the next morning.

 

[Zebra]

I think that it's universal among most snobs of all types to state that anything from far away is better.

Unless, of course, the product in question is their own.

Thanks for starting this thread.

PS: Does Weinstraße still exist?
We used to ride bicycles from Freiburg i. Br. to Strasbourg and stop at vineyards along the way. Each wine was great but the last leg of the trip was a little slower.
After a long and delicious dinner, we'd sleep outdoors and still feel good the next morning.

yes , that weinstraße still exists!

 

[Zebra]

it is the Badische Weinstraße.
there several such Wine Roads in Germany.

 

[Moonglow]

in my experience it is usually GERMAN wine snobs who say so ….

I don't like any wine it gives me a headache.

 

[Zebra]

I was told by many vineyard owners that they don't export their best

not to England in any case.
in England most people only know Liebfraumilch or Blue Nun.

Hopeless!

in England they are still fighting WW One, as far as wine is concerned.

 

[Zebra]

once upon a time … before WW one .. ….German white wines fetched higher prices in England than Ffrench red wines.

 

[Care4all]

I don't really drink much now, but when I was young I loved Blue Nun and have put down several dozens of bottles ...over the period!!!

 

[Grau]

not to England in any case.
in England most people only know Liebfraumilch or Blue Nun.

Hopeless!

in England they are still fighting WW One, as far as wine is concerned.

I haven't been to England in a long time but friends of mine in the UK like and drink German wine.

A dear, old Scottish friend of mine from Freiburg who is a writer and teaches at the University of Edinburgh keeps me posted German wines she finds but, sadly I had to stop drinking regularly due to cancer, heart and chronic pain med.s.

My wife went to chef school in NYC where she worked in 4 star restaurants so she had to learn about good wine.

Therefore, it would be a travesty not to have just a little wine with a gourmet meal.

 

[Blaster]

There are some very good German wines but also some that are not that great.

 

[Grau]

I don't really drink much now, but when I was young I loved Blue Nun and have put down several dozens of bottles ...over the period!!!

Even before I lived in Alsace - Lorraine (Freiburg i. Br.) I didn't particularly like Blue Nun and after I was spoiled by regional German wine, I had trouble finding anything close in the US. Now, there are surprisingly good wines in both North and South America.

Now that you're drinking less, you can enjoy better wine.

Thanks,

 

[Zebra]

I haven't been to England in a long time but friends of mine in the UK like and drink German wine.

A dear, old Scottish friend of mine from Freiburg who is a writer and teaches at the University of Edinburgh keeps me posted German wines she finds but, sadly I had to stop drinking regularly due to cancer, heart and chronic pain med.s.

My wife went to chef school in NYC where she worked in 4 star restaurants so she had to learn about good wine.

Therefore, it would be a travesty not to have just a little wine with a gourmet meal.

true!

British people who know about wine estimate German wine!

 

[Zebra]

truea

There are some very good German wines but also some that are not that great.

same as elsewhere . …..

 

[Zebra]

cheers!

 

[Moonglow]

My Papa, Mr. Helm told me that German wine was so strong you could get up the next morning after drinking at night, take a drink of water in the morning, and get drunk again.

 

[JohnDB]

Gewurtztrameiner, liebrfamilch, reislings, ice wine, and etc are standards of the whole industry.
Better than a Mosell....although it's somewhat considered a border wine. (To me)

The German White wines are supposed to be drunk younger than the French reds or even Italian reds. (Barollos and Barberesco) although Italy has a good number of whites as well. Chianti is usually drunk young and then there's Sherry and Balsamic vinegar that can be more expensive than a bottle of wine.

Younger wines are less expensive by nature than reds. No need for storing them 20 years or more to get a good flavor out of them. (Everyone pays rent....even wine)
(USA drinks wines too young IMHO)

I don't know why Americans drink young wines....

However.....
Wine grape vines need the age for the roots to reach particular layers in the soil to create the complex flavors in the wine grapes. And that's the start of a complex issue for having a great year in the wine world. Then good weather, the right types of fungus on the grapes, (specifically and intentionally introduced) and then dry conditions when harvesting. (Dew and rain make for watery, diluted flavor wine)

But German wines are the ones you pour over your cornflakes or cheerios in the morning for breakfast.

(Old chefs are drunks who don't cook for the public anymore)

 

[JLW]

Many years ago a group of us drove along the Rhine River and stopped in many of the castles and towns. I drank a fair amount of Rhine Wine. I thought they were excellent. To this day, I enjoy a nice glass of Rhine wine.

 

[Zebra]

Many years ago a group of us drove along the Rhine River and stopped in many of the castles and towns. I drank a fair amount of Rhine Wine. I thought they were excellent. To this day, I enjoy a nice glass of Rhine wine.

Wine rhymes with Rhine
in English and in German: Wein reimt sich auf Rhein.

 

[Stryder50]

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.

My late and long passed grandfather (Dad's Dad) made a kickass blackberry wine.
He/we are German BTW.

 

[Stryder50]

Gewurtztrameiner, liebrfamilch, reislings, ice wine, and etc are standards of the whole industry.
Better than a Mosell....although it's somewhat considered a border wine. (To me)

The German White wines are supposed to be drunk younger than the French reds or even Italian reds. (Barollos and Barberesco) although Italy has a good number of whites as well. Chianti is usually drunk young and then there's Sherry and Balsamic vinegar that can be more expensive than a bottle of wine.

Younger wines are less expensive by nature than reds. No need for storing them 20 years or more to get a good flavor out of them. (Everyone pays rent....even wine)
(USA drinks wines too young IMHO)

I don't know why Americans drink young wines....

However.....
Wine grape vines need the age for the roots to reach particular layers in the soil to create the complex flavors in the wine grapes. And that's the start of a complex issue for having a great year in the wine world. Then good weather, the right types of fungus on the grapes, (specifically and intentionally introduced) and then dry conditions when harvesting. (Dew and rain make for watery, diluted flavor wine)

But German wines are the ones you pour over your cornflakes or cheerios in the morning for breakfast.

(Old chefs are drunks who don't cook for the public anymore)

Rieslings are one of my favorite whites and several brands are available here, some made in this state.

Liebfraumilch was another favorite, but years ago it stopped being available here. Last Fall while visiting a son and family in Lincoln, Nebraska I found some at a shop there and bought a couple bottles to bring home. Forgot about new regs on what can be in carry-on and bottles of wine are verboten. I had to check my bag and the cost was more than the wine.

I'm saving it for "special occasion"s.