Returning Historic Varieties to Germany’s Vineyards

By

Matthias Neske

•

•

Volume 11, Back in Time •
, , ,
Photo credit Matthias Neske

This is a story for the wine romantics among us who dream of bygone varieties, who hunker down to listen to the old stone terraces telling stories of yesteryear, of those with a weak spot for growers and wines committed to character. It is in this world of nostalgia and nerds that this story is set. Enter Ulrich “Uli” Martin, a viticulturist from Gundheim in Rheinhessen. “Such a reliable companion!” he says. “Honest, direct, and amiable. You sense it immediately.” This high praise, however, is not aimed at his best friend, at least not in the traditional sense. Rather, at a grape…

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here
Avatar photo

Matthias Neske has done a lot of things. He has worked for the government, in research, in tourism, has done UN projects in Asia, holds a PhD in Geography - and then there's wine.

Now he works full time as a freelancer in the wine business. He has been publishing on his blog Chez Matze for over ten years. He is also co-author of the Falstaff Wine Guide Germany, and writes for retailers and growers. Matthias is passionate about individuality, nature, diversity and dry humor.

Similar Posts

German Wine’s Radical Love Machine
· ·

German Wine’s Radical Love Machine

ByValerie Kathawala

Known to his 18,000-plus Instagram followers as @soilpimp, Robert Dentice is a German wine collector and vinyl fanatic, founder of the Riesling Study event series, and a driving force behind a brand new project called sourcematerialwine that is set to spread his evangelical zeal for German wine to the wide world. Short of spending an evening at one of his legendary Riesling-, Silvaner-, or Weissburgunder-fuelled music events — and he’d sincerely love nothing more than to have you there — the next best way to get a sense of the radiant positivity he brings to German wine is to cue…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here
When Vermouth was Spelled Wermut
·

When Vermouth was Spelled Wermut

ByPhilippe Grandbois

It was the first hour of my first shift, and of course, it was a “Manhattan Cocktail.” I pictured the flashcards heavy in my pocket from the cram-session the night before:  Rye whisky,  sweet Vermouth, and bitters. Don’t forget the cherry.  To that point, I had known Vermouth as little more than a grandmother’s drink, the bottle dying a slow oxidative death in wood-paneled curios around the world. So after making the guest’s request, and in the name of job experience, I downed the remaining jigger of inexperienced overpour. Later, I would comment to the bar manager that it tasted a…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here
Sober Culture
·

Sober Culture

ByEva Biringer

What does one drink, when one doesn’t drink?  Isabella Steiner opts for an oat milk latte. On the sun-kissed, hipster corner of Berlin known as Paul-Lincke-Ufer, a line for almond croissants forms from a crowd that looks more house party than home office. Steiner takes her spot, her poodle-mix by her side. Steiner and her business partner, Katja Kauf, manage Nüchtern Berlin, a platform for “Sober Culture — Made in Germany.” It appears to tap into something even deeper than the global wellness trend. “The selection of non-alcoholic alternatives [in Germany] rose sharply in 2020,” says 32-year-old Steiner. “This year they…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here
Sekt: The Chequered History
·

Sekt: The Chequered History

ByAnne Krebiehl

For the longest time, Sekt was a dirty word. It stood for bottles of inexpensive, easy fizz with obnoxious plastic corks to be found on the street, next to the debris of spent fireworks, on New Year’s Day. Leftovers from high jinks and cheap thrills the night before. But that was then. Today, Sekt’s star is once again on the rise. We cannot even say that it is returning to its former glory because the story of German Sekt today is unprecedented and, quite literally, effervescent. It was the 20th century that destroyed with consummate efficiency what was once so promising, so frivolous,…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here