German wines with vendance variations - perfect tasting combination

When high quality German wines and vendace dishes are set on the same table surrounded with appreciative winepeople the result cannot be better! Continuous, bubrowing and expert conversation and small talk confirmed that there are many ways to implement rewarding winetasting.

 
Sampo Restaurant is one of the most famous and appreciated fish restaurants in Finland. Sampo is devoted exclusively to vendance, weather fried, smoked or breaded. Sampo’s elegance lays on the old decoration and cozy athmosphere, let alone vendance. No wonder that winepeople had inspiring and thorough conversations about wines and food!

 

 
First half of the tasting concentrated on German VDP-wines and their backround. Meeting started with a glass of Sekt from Rheinhessen and croquette with vendance roe. After a short introduction to VDP, participants tasted four different wines, one wine from each VDP quality gategory; VDP.Gutswein, VDP.Ortswein, VDP.Erste Lage®, VDP.Grosse Lage®.

   Second half of the tasting was devoted to match up with vendance plate and wines from different areas in Germany, eg. Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Franken.

  

                    

THE VDP (DIE PRÄDIKATSWEINGÜTER) - THE CLASSIFICATION
The narrower the appellation of origin, the higher the quality of the wine.

VDP. GUTSWEIN, GOOD FROM THE GROUND UP
VDP.GUTSWEINE are entry-level wines in the VDP’s hierarchy that links wine quality with origin. ”Wine-grower wines”.

VDP. ORTSWEIN, SOURCED FROM SUPERIOR SOILS
VDP.ORTSWEINE originate from a village’s best vineyards. They are the ambassadors of its respective terroir. ”Village wines”.

VDP. ERSTE LAGE ®, FIRST CLASS
VDP. ERSTE LAGE® designates first-class vineyards with an auto­nomous profile with distinctive characteristics. ”Vineyard wines”.

VDP.GROSSE LAGE ®, THE PEAK OF THE PYRAMID
VDP.GROSSE LAGE® designates the very best vineyards of Germany, within which the finest parcels have been narrowly demarcated. ”Parcel/site wines”.

Glass of wine:

Sekt Braunewell Pinot Rose Brut. Rheinhessen 2019. Pinot Noir. Vegan.
Pink, redcurrant notes on the nose, taste brut (10 g/l), acidic (7.2 g/l), hint of mineral, gooseberry notes, nuanced.

Gutswein: Prinz Von Hessen Riesling Feinherb. Rheingau 2018.
Pale yellow, green apple notes on the nose, taste medium dry (13g/l), acidic (7.8g/l), lime notes, minerally, nuanced.

 
Ortswein: Fitz-Ritter Dürkheim Riesling Organic Dry. Pfalz 2020. Vegan.
Pale yellow, whitecurrant notes on the nose, taste dry, strongly acidic (7.5 g/l), ripe grapefruit notes, structured.

Erste Lage: Juliusspital Würzburger Abtsleite Silvaner trocken. Franken 2016. Bocksbeutel.
Pale yellow, citrus notes on the nose, taste dry (3 g/l), acidic (6,2g/l), strong, minerally, perfume notes, mild spicy.

 
Grosse Lage: Lämmler, Fellbach, Lemberger GG. Württemberg 2018.
Red, blackcurrant notes on the nose, taste dry (2,9 g/l), acidic (6 g/l), soft tannins, nuanced.

Schloss Johannisberger Bronzelack Riesling Trocken. Rheingau 2019.
Pale yellow, lemon notes on the nose, taste dry (6 g/l), very acidic (8.2g/l), minerally, hint of petrol, structured.

Braunewell Essenheim Pinot Noir Limestone. Rheinhessen 2017.
Red, berry notes on the nose, taste medium.bodied, dry, acidic (5.6 g/l), medium tannic, fresh, mineral.

 
Silvaner Grenzstein Großes Gewächs Weingut Höfling. Franken 2016. Bocksbeutel.
Pale yellow, apple notes on the nose, taste dry (2,8 g/l), acidic (6.5 g/l), slightly oaky.

 

Text and photos: Heikki Remes
www.viinimies.com