SWA 2011: ALSACE - GERMANY - AUSTRIA

SWA 2011: ALSACE - GERMANY - AUSTRIA

Alsace/Germany/Austria
A smorgasbord of styles and an awful lot to get excited about right the way through the medal categories

The Alsace/Germany/Austria combo began five years ago as a pretty small part of the SWAs, but it’s grown at an astonishing rate to be one of the biggest European sections; a factor probably not unconnected with, firstly, how hard many of these wines are to sell in the off-trade and, secondly, how much sommeliers tend to love them.

As you can imagine, submissions covered a huge variety of styles – from dry Rieslings to niche varietals like Scheurebe and Gewürz to lush sweeties and spicy Grüners. There was even a fair representation of reds this year, which is unusual.

This category is typically popular with the tasters. And the good news was that more or less every style of wine met with some success. The downside is that, since the appeal is niche rather than ‘must stock’, a fair few good wines were left at Silver or Bronze level when there were plausible calls for them to make the Gold List.

Unsurprisingly, the star was Riesling, with the flight of dry wines, in particular, meeting with rave reviews. Two Golds, four Silvers and a Bronze proved just how much our tasters loved the grape, particularly since it pulled off the difficult trick of showing a range of styles yet retaining a clear Riesling identity, food compatibility and flexibility. ‘The Sybille Kuntz was a unanimous Gold,’ said WineChap’s Tom Harrow. And the Turckheim, slightly lighter and more appley, also picked up a Food Match Award.

The sweeter wines were less consistently loved, with lack of balance an oft-cited problem, and although the medal winners did have equilibrium, none made the step up from Silver to Gold. Indeed, an awful lot of very good wines ended up with Silvers.

There were a few negatives in this category though, one being the under-performance of Grüner Veltliner. And while tasters found a lot to like about the Scheurebes, Pinot Gris, Sylvaners and Gewürz that got sent in, there were a few eyebrows raised about the prices. The Dr Heger Weissburgunder and Wirsching Scheurebe, for instance, are undeniably excellent wines, but there was much discussion about how easy they would be to sell.

There was no controversy about the excellent Weingut Bunn Grauer Burgunder, however. Even allowing for ex-cellar prices, this is a remarkably good wine for the money. Perhaps the category’s biggest surprise was the performance of the Durbacher red. In a flight where under-ripeness was a common problem – ‘even with food these are a hard sell,’ growled Team Leader Tom Forrest – its gentle sophistication stood out.

‘It’s just too good to ignore,’ said a smitten Mikaël Hannequin. ‘It’s so elegant and has great texture.’ Worth considering as an alternative to red Burgundy, perhaps…

“As soon as you hit £10 the Rieslings were all brilliant, with texture, finesse, freshness – the lot! ” Mikaël Hannequin, Searcys

“I’d love to have more sweet Rieslings like this on the list, but I just can’t sell them. ” Laura Ward, Vivat Bacchus

GOLD LIST

Weingut Bunn Grauer Burgunder 2009, Rheinhessen, Germany
£4.19 @ Weingut Bunn, Margarethenhof
SWA 2011 Gold List Value and clarity of flavours easily won the judges over. Aromas of light green fruits and blossom with smoky notes lead to a rich, lush palate. ‘Very good for summer drinking by the glass,’ said Nicola Thomson. ‘Mineral freshness and lively acidity,’ observed Team Leader Peter McCombie MW. ‘Easy and delicious.’

Turckheim Riesling Grand Cru Brand 2007, Alsace, France
£11.59 @ Boutinot
Elegant, balanced and very seductive. ‘Complex aromatic, spicy, ginger stone fruit,’ noted Robert Giorgione. Round, full and off-dry, Team Leader Angela Reddin found apple, spicy honeycomb and dried mango on the palate, while Irina Atanasova noted the aged characters, including petrol notes and a nutty, long finish.

Sybille Kuntz Gold Quadrat Riesling 2009, Mosel, Germany
£14 @ OW Loeb
SWA 2011 Gold List The perfect mix of freshness, complexity and minerality, the nose of ripe fruit, cloves and baked lemons leads to a concentrated palate with white stone fruit and ‘excellent mineral freshness', said Tom Harrow. ‘Very lively with some sweetness, but finishes dry,’ said Team Leader Jamie Goode.

Durbacher Steinberg Rotwein Cuvee 2006, Baden, Germany
£16.95 @ Durbacher Winzergenossenschaft
Medium in intensity, this Burgundy-style red from one of Baden’s top estates shows a nose and palate of bright red cherries and currants, dried fruit and well-integrated smoky notes. ‘Mineral and complex,’ said Philippe Moranges. ‘Hints of leather and a spicy finish,’ added Tom Forrest. ‘Plenty of appeal. Very drinkable,’ concluded
Sarah Jane Evans MW.

SILVER

Weingut Bunn Nierstein Hipping Riesling Spatlese 2009, Rheinhessen, Germany
£4.49 @ Weingut Bunn, Margarethenhof
Lovely defined array of fruit flavours, with gentle aromas of green apple, lime pie and lemon curd alongside a burst of warm citrus. ‘Very seductive because of the high residual sugar,’ said Mikaël Hannequin. ‘Well balanced and fresh – great!’

Balthasar Ress Hattenheimer Schutzenhaus Riesling Kabinett 2009, Rheingau, Germany
£9.23 @ Berkmann Wine Cellars
With honeyed apples and a pleasant minerality, this zippy Riesling has bright grapefruit
acidity, flashes of sweetness and a good length. ‘Spritzy, candied fruit and fresh orchard pear,’ mused Garry Clark.

Haag Gewurztraminer Vallee Noble 2008, Alsace, France
£9.93 @ Sommelier’s Friend
Classic Gewürz aromas of rose petal, lychee, white peach and spicy fruit. ‘There’s a lovely fresh acidity with a menthol coolness,’ said Mark Deamer. ‘With a natural sweetness of fruit on the finish, this has a lovely, food-friendly juiciness.’

Cave de Hunawihr Riesling Grand Cru Rosacker 2009, Alsace, France
£11.08 @ Liberty Wines
Universally appreciated for its complex, textured palate and bouquet, there’s apple pie, hints
of yellow stone fruit and citrus flavours. ‘Quite luxurious,’ said Angela Reddin. ‘The flavours
carry on to an elongated finish.’

Hans Lang Charta Riesling 2008, Rheingau, Germany
£10.95 @ The Wine Keller
Plenty of depth, with aromatic citrus and stone fruit flavours running happily alongside spiciness and honeyed notes of polish and beeswax. Angela Reddin felt the finish was a bit pithy, ‘but could develop in the bottle', while Mikaël Hannequin said, ‘check out the freshness – a must.’

Markus Molitor Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese 2007, Mosel, Germany
£12.59 @ Boutinot
Ripe honey and apple notes set the scene, with petrol notes, and hints of nuts and baklava rounding out the palate. ‘The good balance of acidity and sweetness leads to a lingering finish,’ observed Nick Chiu.

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Piesporter Goldtropfchen Spatlese Riesling 2007, Mosel, Germany
£13 @ OW Loeb
Rose petals, Turkish delight, stewed fruits – all present and correct on this honeyed Riesling. Ripe apple flavours course through with hints of petrol and slatey minerality balancing a fine acidity and good sweetness on the finish.

Hans Wirsching Iphofer Kronsberg Scheurebe Spatlese 2009, Franken, Germany
£14.45 @ The Winebarn
Delightfully aromatic, this is off-dry with candied fruit and rosewater alongside stony minerals and a touch of honey on the nose. ‘There’s a spritzy, steely palate with perfumed peach and rose,’ said Tom Forrest.

Dr Heger Ihringer Winklerberg Weissburgunder GG trocken 2009, Kaiserstuhl, Baden, Germany
£16.99 @ The Winebarn
Green tea and sage on the nose lead to a bright, fruity palate with high, crisp acidity and white pepper. ‘Well crafted,’ said Emily O’Hare. ‘Loaded with minerality,’ said The Vineyard's James Hocking.

Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen Erstes Gewachs 2007, Rheingau, Germany
£19.45 @ The Wine Keller
Citrus and tropical fruit aromas mix on the nose with stone fruit and hints of minerality. ‘Beautiful acidity makes the wine light, lengthy and elegant,’ said Angela Reddin.

BRONZE

Weingut huber Gruner Veltiner Traisental 2009, Traisental, Austria
£7.28 @ Cavendish Wines
White fruit and tinned pears mingle with spice and minerals on this good-value Grüner Veltliner. With medium acidity, there’s a lengthy, balanced finish.

Sepp Moser Breiter Rain Gruner Veltliner 2009, Kremstal, Austria
£12.84 @ Boutinot
Medium gold in colour, the nose is intense and smoky, with toasty oak buttressing the apple and sultana fruit. ‘Dishes like tandoori chicken and spicy sweet potato would be good matches due to its off-dry nature,’ said Nick Chiu.

Sepp Moser Riesling Gebling 2009, Kremstal, Austria
£12.99 @ Boutinot
Good aged character comes to the fore on the nose, with honey, lychee and a touch of toast. The long-lasting, lemon-infused palate is creamy and fresh with a waxy finish. ‘Everything is in the glass,’ said an approving Mikaël Hannequin.

Loimer Terrassen Gruner Veltliner 2009, Kamptal, Austria
£14.08 @ Liberty Wines
Plenty of complexity with this Grüner, with spiced pear mixing with toasty notes on the nose, alongside violets and rose. On the palate, there’s custard apple and minerals through a long finish.

“The [Weingut Bunn Grauer Burgunder] is a really good restaurant wine; not only complex, but also great value for money. If you put this on by the glass you’d have no problem selling it. ” Peter McCombie MW, Team Leader

Editorial feature from Imbibe Magazine – May/June 2011