Masterpieces of the Mosel Top wines of the VDP Mosel-Saar-Ruwer 20 and 21 September 2012 Contents Page Masterpieces of the Mosel 2 300 fine Mosel wines from the new vintage Organizational details Possibly the richest in character of all German Rieslings VDP Grosser Ring Mosel-Saar-Ruwer 4 More than a century of top quality A splendid past From “natural” wines to Prädikat wines The 1990s: the Renaissance of Mosel Rieslings VDP – national organization 6 Over 100 years of Prädikat winegrowers in Germany VDP Grosser Ring Mosel-Saar-Ruwer – the growers 7 Mosel Saar Ruwer Facts & figures 10 At a glance The three-tier VDP classification model Riesling rarities Chronicle of the Prädikat wine estates in the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer Contact www.organize.de Masterpieces of the Mosel 300 fine Mosel wines from the new vintage Following the resounding success of the events in 2010 and 2011, the VDP Grosser Ring is once again playing host to “Masterpieces of the Mosel”. This year again, the vintage presentation bringing together all VDP winegrowers from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region will take place on the day before the annual Prädikat wine auction. On September 20, in the elegant surroundings of the Kurfürstliches Palais in Trier, guests will be able to discover not only the exciting 2011 vintage but also selected fine wines from previous decades. Due to the sunny and dry spring the vines had a lead of almost a month to blossom. We have been spared by May frosts and the quite streaky summer ensured that there was neither aridity nor extreme heat. Even the hail storm in august, which caused great damage to the Mittelmosel, passed of lightly here. So we are certain presenting you a great vintage once again. Selected fine wines from past decades will also give visitors the opportunity to explore the wide spectrum of Mosel wines, encompassing the harmoniously dry, off-dry, fruity and lusciously sweet, and including QbA, Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Eiswein. This will be followed on the next day (September 21) by the traditional Prädikat wine auction. Afterwards, why not spend the weekend exploring the region at your own pace or discovering the auction samples of the VDP regional associations from the Rheingau and Nahe? Organizational details MASTERPIECES OF THE MOSEL Thursday, 20 September: 4:00 – 9:00 p.m. Wine presentation for press, trade, gastronomy and private wine enthusiasts Kurfürstliches Palais (electoral palace), Trier Finger food will be served Admission for private wine enthusiasts 35 € // free admission for press, trade and gastronomy Friday, 21 September: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Pre-tasting (40€) Europahalle, Trier as of 1:00 p.m. Prädikat wine auction (45€) Europahalle, Trier Pre-tasting & auction: 70€ // free admission for press, trade and gastronomy www.organize.de Possibly the richest in character of all German Rieslings Like a magnifying glass, Riesling of the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer enlarges the nuances of the soil in which it grows, and brilliantly reflects one of the world’s most beautiful viticultural landscapes with its typical, steep vineyards. Whether harmoniously dry, off-dry, fruity or lusciously sweet... or a QbA, Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese or Eiswein... the Rieslings from this region are impressive on the palate and unique for their low alcohol content. They are mineral-rich wines with a fine fruitiness and a backbone of lively, stimulating, and refreshing acidity; they have an almost lilting, filigree finesse and a seductive play of fruit aromas and flavors. With their typical acidity and natural fruity sweetness these Rieslings are perfect partners with today’s healthful, aromatic cuisine. They number among the wines with the greatest aging potential in the world. Some of the most renowned and sought-after producers work next to dynamic young growers who are enthusiastically committed to saving the steep sites. This is only possible with traditional, manual methods of production and respect for a centuries-old cultural landscape and its traditions. The Riesling boom of recent years in the USA and other export markets is not least due to the delicacy, finesse, and elegance of the great Rieslings from the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer. Depending on soil, microclimate, and wine producer, they are the products of a unique wine culture with an international following. These Rieslings are increasingly in demand worldwide and set a style for an entire generation of winegrowers and consumers, just as they did a century ago. They are experiencing a remarkable renaissance internationally – and well on their way to doing the same in Germany. www.organize.de VDP GROSSER RING Mosel-Saar-Ruwer More than a century of top quality There were outstanding Mosel wines 150 years ago, and around the turn of the century, Rieslings from the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer acquired cult status and were auctioned for record prices. With the current popularity of Mosel Rieslings on the international scene VDP growers are keeping with the tradition of their splendid past and demonstrating that ongoing efforts to achieve quality during the past century have paid off. In the long run, Mosel Rieslings are the most successful German wines in the international marketplace. The wine region along the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer valleys, since 2007 officially known as the “Mosel,” comprises the world’s largest area of steep vineyards; is one of Europe’s most northerly wine-growing regions; and is one of Germany’s oldest and best known viticultural landscapes. The region stretches from the confluence of the Mosel with the Rhine at Koblenz in the northwest to Trier in the southwest, where Romans had already planted the first vineyards, and thus, probably introduced viticulture into Germany. Although most of the region’s vineyards were planted with Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) through the Middle Ages, Riesling took the lead in the 17th century and has remained the Mosel’s “signature wine” to this day. A splendid past The Riesling grape, the queen of white wines, is at home in the Mosel and is usually painstakingly cultivated by hand on slopes, some of which are dangerously steep, in soils of stony slate and shell-limestone that store heat well. Despite its relatively northerly location, the climate in the Mosel is mild, and optimal sun radiation ensures good growing conditions. It comes as no surprise, then, that the finest wines from the Mosel have traditionally fetched top prices. Mosel growers have been committed to quality for 150 years. Even in the 19th century, their wine collections won awards at expositions. Wine auctions have taken place regularly since 1897. At the turn of the century, Mosel Riesling was an essential in the households of Europe’s royal families, and with great effort, it was exported to the colonial elite in the far corners of the earth, as well as to the United States.. From “natural” wines to Prädikat wines In addition to favorable climatic conditions and the experience and know-how of the wine- growing families, the success of Mosel Rieslings has long been fostered by extraordinarily high quality standards. Vintners who abstained from the then usual practice of adding sugar and/or other substances to their wines were known as producers of “Naturweine,” or natural (unchaptalized) wines. They adhered to self-imposed standards of producing their wines as naturally as possible, and they were dedicated to quality rather than quantity early on. An important advocate of natural wines was the mayor of Trier, Albert von Bruchhausen. He not only organized three regional consortia of “Naturweinversteigerer,” or estates that sold their natural wines at auction, into the “Grosser Ring” in 1908, but also founded a similar association on a national level, the “Verband Deutscher Naturweinversteigerer (VDNV), two years later, with headquarters in Trier. It was the forerunner of today’s “Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter” (VDP). The organized quality offensive made its mark, for despite the ups and downs of the 20th century, the wine auctions in Trier remained an institution, even weathering two world wars. When the term “natur” was excluded from legally permissible wine nomenclature in the 1970s, the members of the VDNV renamed themselves “Prädikatsweingüter,” or Prädikat wine estates. www.organize.de In the early 1990s, the VDP introduced “Erste Lage,” or top site, to designate members’ premium quality wines. These wines are comparable with the Grands Crus of Burgundy. The VDP vineyard classification in the Mosel is based on the 1868 Prussian vineyard tax assessment map, which itself is probably the earliest published vineyard classification of its kind in the world. According to the guidelines of the VDP, Erste Lage wines originate from the finest vineyards of Germany and show “character and personality.” To qualify as such, numerous criteria must be met, e.g. unique terroirs, traditional grape varieties, minimal yields, and selective harvesting by hand. Dry Erste Lage wines are known as “Grosse Gewächse,” or great growths; naturally sweet Erste Lage wines bear the traditional Prädikats, from Spätlese through Trockenbeerenauslese. Wines from classified sites or village wines come from traditional and high-quality vineyards and grape varieties typical of the region. Yields are restricted. VDP members’ “Gutsweine” are entry-level, everyday wines of high quality that reflect the first impressions of terroir. The 1990s: the Renaissance of the Mosel Rieslings The last decade of the 20th century was a time of renewal for the VDP Mosel. Under the leadership of Wilhelm Haag (1984 - 2004) and his successor, Eberhard von Kunow (2004 - 2008), the VDP Grosser Ring opened its doors to new estates and made many changes within the course of ten years, the scope of which had not occurred since the 1920s. Back then, as a result of the economic crisis, many a famous estate had left the association; today, step by step, many a renowned estate is joining it.