June 17, 2009

SRS is a big fan of Wine Library TV and Mr. Vaynerchuk's exuberant, no-holds-barred style. We love the show even more now that he has featured the Klaus Meierer Estate in the latest episode! Please click the link to see some excellent commentary on German Riesling and to meet our DLG Young Vintner of the Year, Matthias Meierer. Your mouth will be watering after this segment, so lucky for you, the Spätlese featured is currently available at Wine Exchange. Visit http://www.winex.com/wine-27484-.aspx

May 28, 2009

Early Vine Blossom 2009

The vines have started to blossom earlier this year than in previous years. After a turbo-charged start to vine development this Spring and an early bud break in April, this year’s vine vegetation period is currently showing an 8 to 10 day advance compared to the long-term average. In the warmer, southern most growing regions of Germany such as the Kaiserstuhl and Baden, vines have already completed their blossoming phase. The cooler Mosel region, however, is taking it a little more slowly as always.

In many of the 13 German Wine Growing regions, the main blossoming is likely to occur during the upcoming Pentecost weekend (last weekend in May). In general, early blossom means early harvest, because approximately 100 days after blossoming, the first grapes are ripe, Ernst Büscher explained at the German Wine Institute in Mainz. However, this statement doesn’t always hold true, especially in the Mosel region, where early blossom often means longest hang time, meaning extraordinary concentration of fruit and aromas yielding terrific Riesling wines. Temperatures above 15 degrees centigrade and minimal precipitation are ideal conditions for a good blossoming period.

The vine blossoming is an important stage during the vine vegetation period, and is always closely observed by vintners and other wine experts. Depending on the blossoming, vintners can draw the first conclusions regarding the expected yields of the respective vintage. The fruit socket is satisfactory this year and –given an undisturbed blossoming period- should make for a good quality 2009 vintage!

November 5, 2008

Update on the 2008 Riesling Harvest - MOSEL (Preliminary Notes)

Bernkastel-Kues. The 2008 Riesling harvest has concluded -- vintners in the Mosel wine growing region are pleased with both the quality and the quantity. The main Riesling harvest did not start until mid-October and has been ongoing through the beginning of November. Riesling more so than any other varietal benefited from this year's cool fall weather and took advantage of the long ripening period; expect intense fruit aromas and extracts. Wine friends can look forward to another vintage of elegant and fruity Riesling wines with strong mineral notes. In comparison with previous vintages, 2008 should prove to be a very good vintage, however, it will not reach the outstanding complexity of 2007. Contrary weather conditions in the Fall called for the most selective harvest strategy -- vintners looking for top quality had to literally select grape by grape.

I arrived in Bernkastel on October 16 -- there was a small window of clear weather that long weekend and everyone took advantage; everywhere you looked in the Middle Mosel valley, grape pickers dotted the hills. Besides picking grapes in our own vineyard, the Maringer Honigberg, we met up with partner vintner Josef Bernard Kieren in the Graacher Himmelreich vineyard on Sunday (October 19), who was at that point still only halfway through the harvest. He showed me that they had not yet fully harvested any single vine, had finished the first pass of picking most likely for the QbA wines, and were now taking a second pass. Must weights in the top SRS partner vineyards in Graach, Wehlen, Ürzig, Brauneberg, and Piesport peaked into the high eighties and above ninety on the Oechsle scale, but in general, must weights averaged 80 degree Oechsle this year -- not many Auslesen, my friends, so look forward to a great variety of 2008 Kabinett and Spätlesen, and hang on to your 2007 Auslesen.

October 31, 2008

The Philipps-Eckstein estate has been awarded the third consecutive Federal Honor Award. In 2007, Patrick Philipps was honored "DLG Vintner of the Year" upon receiving the Federal Honor Award in Gold. Receiving such a high award three times in a row is very rare, Philipps says. The 37 year old has learnt the art of Riesling making from his parents. The family estate cultivates 10 acres of the top Graacher Domprobst and Himmelreich vineyards.

Congratulations Patrick - We at SRS are very proud to have you in our portfolio! Keep up the good work!

November 28, 2007

State Honor Awards "Staatsehrenpreise" 2007

The "Staatsehrenpreise" (State Honor Award) is among the highest honors an estate can receive. These vintners represent, literally, the cream of the crop. Individual wines can win Gold, Silver or Bronze medals through the Chamber of Agriculture, and these medals are a pre-requisite for an estate just to be in contention for the State Honor Awards. Today, the Department of Viticulture and Oenology announced State Honor Awards for nine Mosel estates. Schäfer-Reichart Selections congratulates the winners -- this is an extraordinary achievement -- and we are incredibly proud to have four of the nine winners in our portfolio! Of all the US importers SRS alone holds that distinction!

Those are:
Weingut Philipps-Eckstein, Graach-Schäferei (Winemaker Patrick Philipps)
Weingut Josef Bernard-Kieren, Graach (Winemaker Josef Bernard)
Weingut Paulinshof Klaus & Oliver Jüngling GbR, Kesten (Winemaker Oliver Jüngling)
Weingut St. Nikolaus Hospital, Bernkastel-Kues (Winemaker Achim Kerpen)

The Awards took place at the "Europahalle" ballroom in Trier and were led by Peter Fuchß, Head of the Viticulture and Oenology Section at the Department of Trade and Industry, which is based in Mainz, Germany -- Mainz is the capital of the Rheinland-Pfalz state, in which lies the Mosel region. Every year, the wine industry looks to the Chamber of Agriculture medals for individual wines and the State Honor Awards for estates as an objective source of information -- these wines and estates have passed rigorous testing and strong competition, and consumers can rest assured these are the best German Rieslings. In California and throughout much of the US, wines by Weingut Philipps-Eckstein, Weingut Josef Bernard-Kieren, and Weingut Stiftung St. Nikolaus Hospital are available exclusively through Schäfer-Reichart Selections. Please inquire directly for specific wines from these great estates imported exclusively by SRS.

Complete list of winners:
Weingut Hank Michael Hank, Mehring-Lörsch
Weingut Pohl-Botzet, Graach
Weingut Rebenhof Johannes Schmitz, Ürzig
Weingut Philipps-Eckstein, Graach-Schäferei
Weingut Josef Bernard-Kieren, Graach
Weingut Paulinshof Klaus & Oliver Jüngling GbR, Kesten
Weingut St. Nikolaus Hospital, Bernkastel-Kues
Alter Weinhof Franz Krämer, Erden
Wein- und Sektgut Heinz Schneider, Leiwen

Weingut Josef Bernard Kieren, Graach, Mosel                               Winemaker: Josef Bernard

Awarded in 2008:

• Ten (10) Gold Medals (Goldene Kammerpreismünzen)                                       Chamber of Agriculture Rheinland-Pfalz
  
• Four (4) Gold Medals (Goldene Kammerpreismünzen)                                                  German Society of Agriculture
• State Honor Award                                                 
  

Previous Awards include:

• Federal Honor Award 2004 (Bundesehrenpreis 2004)
  
• State Honor Awards 1992 - 1995 - 2002 - 2007 - 2008 (Staatsehrenpreise)
  
• Winning Wine at State Awards 2007 (Landesprämierung Rheinland-Pfalz)
• Winning Wine in Category "Trockener Schoppenwein"
• Winning Wine in Category "Fruchtig Lieblicher Schoppenwein"
• Several Winning Wines at German Riesling Maker Awards                               (Deutscher Riesling Erzeugerpreis)
• Winning Wine of Busche German Wine Awards
  
• Honor Award by the County of Bernkastel-Wittlich
• Recommended Estate by numerous renowned wine guides such as                         Gault Millau, Eichelmann, Alles über Wein, Weinwelt und Feinschmecker, Weingourmet, Weinplus.de, Selection - Premium Select Wine Challenge,
  

• Berlin Weintrophy 2008 + 2007
  (9 x Berliner Gold, 20 x Berliner Silber)
• State Honor Award "Staatsehrenpreis" 2007 - 2006
• Gold Medals by Chamber of Agriculture Rheinland-Pfalz and German Society of Agriculture (DLG)
• Riesling Du Monde Straßbourg 2007 (Médaille D'Argent)
• Riesling Du Monde Straßbourg 2006(Trophée d'Excellence-Highest Award 2006)
• Mundus Vini 2006 - International Wine Award (Gold und Silber)
• Cervin Awards Aosta Valley, Italy
• Awarded Four Stars by Wine Guide "Selection"