Charlemagne Wine Club - 2002 Tastings

Monday 15th April 2002
Riesling presented by Freddy Price
Riesling is without a doubt one of the world’s great grape varieties. It reflects, to perfection, the different soils and microclimates in which it is grown while still preserving its distinct identity.
It has a vibrancy, nerviness and piercing quality from its acidity, is strongly aromatic with suggestions of flowers, honey and spice and has a great length of flavour and the ability to ripen to great levels of lusciousness. The most expensive offerings are the super-ripe Beerenausles and Trockenbeerenauslese whose prices reflect their rarity and the risks involved in making them in their almost marginal winter climate
Jancis Robinson says of the grape, “Each region, vineyard even, prints its own stamp on the Riesling pattern, the crackling beauties of the Nahe, the sleek honeys of the Rheingau, the rather intellectual types of the Middle Mosel and the lissom aristocrats of the Saar and Ruwer.”
German wine reached the nadir of its image in the late 80’s, mainly because of Liebfraumilch and its like. So, Freddy Price created his agencies with what he called “The Magnificent Seven”, one top estate in each of the seven main regions of Germany. The reputation of both Freddy and the estates rose against the tide of a receding market, so he was able to sell these top quality wines to most of the top UK wine merchants as well as to his traditional customers.
Freddy is now working on a book devoted specifically to Riesling and has selected eight wines that represent the levels to which Riesling can rise in the hands of talented producers: Max Ferdinand Richter (Mosel), Schloss Saarstein (Saar), Emerich-Schonleber (Nahe), Karthauserhof (Ruwer), Peter Jacob Kuhn (Rheingau), Lingenfelder (Pfalz).
The final treat will be Geisenheimer Klauserweg Riesling Beerenauslese 1976 from Wegeler-Deinhard.