From German Football to German Wine

As a die-hard German football fan, I am allowed to say that Die Mannschaft sucks big time at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018.  Such lack of preparation and organization is so un-German.  The early exit of the tournament put their defending World Champion title to shame.

For years, many people perceive anything German as unexciting, be it football, gastronomy, or wine.  “German football is too mechanical.”  “Pork knuckle and what else?” “I don’t like German wines.  I don’t drink sweet wines”.  How did all these generalizations come about?  What is the “German style”?  Efficient and systematic, but also dull and monotonous?  As the Germans bowed out of this year’s World Cup, it became obvious how the team had gotten too comfortable with prior success, and had failed to adapt to the loss of retired superstars, such as Schweinsteiger, Lahm, and Klose.  As much as these legends were once the rocks of the squad, a well-run operation should optimize every aspect of its entity, not only on a few key players.  Simply put, no system anywhere in the world could remain on the top of the game without constantly improvising with what they have.

In the world of German wine, that superstar is Riesling.  In the 13 Anbaugebiete, or wine regions, of Germany, there is not one where Riesling is not grown.  According to 2017 statistics from German National Tourist Board, among the 19 wine grape varieties grown in the country, Riesling alone took over almost 25% of the area.  That 23,809 acreage, representing 47.5% of Riesling grown worldwide, makes Germany the leader of Riesling planting, almost 5 times more than 2^nd place U.S.  No wonder beginner drinkers often think that “all Rieslings are from Germany”, and that “Germany only produces Riesling”.

In reality, of course, the German wine scene is not as monotonic as that.  In fact, Germany’s leading red wine, Spätburgunder, or Pinot Noir, takes up 11,767 acreage in the country, which is almost half of that of Riesling.  The rest of the Pinot family, Grauburgunder and Weissburgunder, has also received significant attention and enjoyed over 100% growth since 2000, and became the 3^rd and 4^th most important white grapes in the country respectively.

To let the world gain a better understanding of German wines, Wines of Germany has been very active in launching ambassador programs, developing certification courses, and collaborating with wine trades all over the world.  This year is the 6^th running of Riesling Weeks here in Hong Kong.  Although it was named after Riesling, the campaign has actually brought a fair share of interesting, non-Riesling wines.

Okonomierat Rebholz Gewürztraminer Spätlese, 2015, Pfalz

In a country dominated by the aromatic Riesling, it is interesting to find Gewürztraminer Spätlese, which arguably had an even more intense nose.  The wine had a floral note of rose petals, perfume, and was a bit grapey, but not too Muscat-like.  Some Gewürztraminers are sticky and fuller in body, but due to its sweetness level (off-dry), Okonomierat Rebholz Gewürztraminer Spätlese had a lighter, smoother mouth-feel.  And unlike many of its counterparts that lack finesse due to low acidity, this Gewürztraminer had just enough to balance with its sweetness, rendering a very pleasant, refreshing wine.