Over five days in August 2010, as a guest of the German Wine Institute press tour, I toured wineries in three regions and attended the annual international Riesling tasting for Sommeliers and wine buyers.

We were introduced to up & coming winemakers, proven mavericks of the modern era of German wine making, traditionalists, bastions of the villages, e.g., cooperatives, and an industry Sneak Preview of 2009 Riesling Releases (here’s a review of a previous year’s sneak preview).  We were treated to fine dining paired with educational wine tastings, luxury accommodations, welcoming guides, vineyard tours and lots of VIP tastings of old vintages.  Here’s a round up of what I learned:

• It ain’t Blue Nun anymore.  Wine winemakers like Bernard Huber are making stunning wines. (Newsweek article.)
• Village cooperatives are still commonplace. Co-ops provide bulk wine and money to grape growers. Most Germans drink this inexpensive wine ($2.99 – $5.99 euro) which is sold locally in grocery stores & restaurants. The co-ops are not well-respected in the international wine community although they are marketing improved quality to the press.
• German wine makers are fascinated by aging wines.  After tasting a 10-year old Pinot Noir, the winemaker said that 1990 was a dream year, but it should age another 10 years. Aged Rieslings are the grand dame of German wine. (I tasted Rieslings from 1909, 1925, 1932 etc.)
• According to internationally-respected Bernard Huber, the 2009 vintage is a banner year for Pinot Noir from his vineyards.
• The sparkling wines I tasted were consistently good, they were dry Blanc de Blancs and hand riddled.
• Top German wines are scarce in the US/Canada especially Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris & Pinot Blanc. Even great Rieslings are exported mostly to Europe & Japan. Following German wines can become something of a cult/ collector’s hobby.
• Wine making styles in Germany are no different than anywhere else; while there are regional qualities that can be pinpointed, it varies from wine maker to wine maker.
• The German Pinot Noirs that I tasted were comparable to different regions/wine makers in California. I named styles similar to a Merry Edwards Russian River Valley (a 2001 Weingut-Huber), Dry Creek (’07 Baron Philipp), Santa Ynez (2008 Neiss) & Santa Lucia Highlands (2007 Weingut Huber)
• Many young wine makers are going away to school and are less traditional. I applaud this trend, if we are to enjoy German wine in the states, they have to be more accessible, i.e., drinkable now, easy-to-read labels, and high-quality wine imports.
• Chardonnay is becoming popular for wine makers.  These cool region grapes benefited from malolactic fermentation in oak.  I enjoyed the Chardonnay I tasted.
• Some of my tasting notes for Pinot Noir: smokey bacon, green pepper, black cherries, ripe cherries, roses.
• While on the Pinot Trio tour, we tasted lots of Rieslings too. I learned that I vastly prefer dry Riesling and there are a lot of good ones, but an occasional sweet wine is lovely as an aperitif or after-dinner wine.