Germany's climate is generally colder than other European countries and as such should not be able to grow the quality of grapes necessary to make good wine.
Of course, German resolution has proved otherwise, and the country's Rieslings are among the finest in the world. The country also makes large volumes of inexpensive Riesling as well.
German labels contain every possible bit of information you need to know about the wine, as long as you are not intimidated by the German language, as I often am.
The top level of German wines and beers have the abbreviation QmP (Qualitatswein mit Pradikat, quality wines of distinction).
The second level has the abbreviation QbA, Qualitatswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (quality wines that meet lower, but basic standards). The lowest level, Deutscher Tafelwein, is of lower quality and sold primarily in Germany.
The middle level, QbA, offers some easy-drinking wines that are light, young (fruit not ripe), fresh and fun. Green apples and/or stone fruit are common fruit tastes.
I asked the tasters to compare five QbA wines ranging in price from $8.99 to $20. Here are the results of our blind tasting:
2003 Maximin Grunhauser Riesling at $19.99. The aroma suggested Granny Smith apples, pears and lemon juice. On the palate, the wine was juicy and mouth-watering. We tasted Golden Delicious apples on the finish. In this tasting, we discovered we got what we paid for. This, most expensive wine in the tasting, was the unanimous first choice among our 10 tasters, a rare occurrence at our meetings.
2004 Bluefish Riesling at $10.99. If your budget cannot handle $20 bottles very often, then try our number two choice at almost half the price. The nose reminded us of melon, cream and honeysuckle. On the palate, it had a relatively heavy body with peppery, spicy tastes, like a spicy honeysuckle. It was drier than the first wine and would be food friendly.
2003 von Buhl Pfalz Riesling at $14.99. Our bottle at the tasting was bad, so we tasted a second bottle later. Peaches dominated the aroma, and in the mouth, the peaches tasted more ripe than in most Rieslings, followed by a cider taste as if it were made from green apples.
2003 Leonard Kreusch Piesporter Michelsberg Qualitatswein at $8.99. This wine was made in an Old World style, meaning musky and minerally, with aromas of wet coral, lanolin and unripe nectarines. We tasted tangerines on the palate.
2002 Jon-Haart Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling at $15.99. This wine had a grassy, haylike aroma, like a sauvignon blanc. In the mouth, it was fruity sweet, much lower in acids than the others, resulting in a creamy texture.
Surfing the wine shelves
2004 Paddock Shiraz, Excelsior Estate at $9.99. This South African wine delivered enticing aromas of tobacco, cigar, and vanilla. In the mouth it was smooth and tasted of a pleasing blend of licorice and black cherry, a nice mouthful for the price.
2002 "Westwind" Old Vine Zinfandel at $19. This wine had distinctive aromas of cherries, spice, lemon thyme, earth and powdered bitter cocoa. In the mouth it tasted of the earth and blackberries with a peppery finish.
2002 Sebastiani Alexander Valley cabernet sauvignon at $28. The aromas of this cab offered predictable blackberries and chocolate with unexpected notes of caramel. These flavors were carried forward onto the palate, but it had a short chalky finish. Because of the sweet, caramel notes, we thought it would be good with a final course of blue-veined cheeses and bittersweet chocolate.
2002 Rodney Strong Russian River Valley pinot noir at $21.99. The aromas of black cherry and black currant spice met the nose. We found these fruits also were expressed in the mouth of this easy-drinking, light, refreshing wine.
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