Some German wine for you?

A loyal reader of this blog might have learnt mostly about reds and hear very little about whites mentioned in my winelov3r blog. Same goes to the country France being mentioned more then any other. Shall we deviate from the norm and peep in a little more to another world of wine...Germany.

A country that sees itself holding a mixture of reputation in the world of wine is perhaps a good way of introducing Germany. To date, while the first impression that was imprinted in my mind about German wine is delicious white wine...specifically Riesling...you bet many out there also carry the impression of this as a place where cheap and low-quality mass produced wines are made from.

But putting that upper and lower status associated with German wines aside, I would prefer to appreciate more of the main characteristics of the wine itself. Hmmm..close your eyes and taste a German wine and you might start to notice that most of the time your mouth will be covered by a layer of dryness. And that's so true because most of the wines sold in Germany tend to be dry, especially in the case when your foot is in a restaurant. But let not the dryness deprive or blind you of the many wonderful sweet wines that were born from this wonder land as well. In fact, the sweetness of some German whites that I've tried felt so pure and crisp. Not the type that will make one sick cos' of its sweetness..and one that brings me to the land it originates - one of refreshness and head-to-toe indulgence. But of course that is if you manage to grab hold of a nice one..as mentioned cheap and low quality ones do exist as well, so I wish you luck!

Coming back to German wines, one would definitely see less of reds, one main reason being the climate in German. If you've read one of my very first few posts, you might still remember how the surroundings affect our very beloved grape babies. And so is the case for the growing of the darker members of the grape family in Germany. But definitely there is no doubt that more and more dark and richer reds such as Spätburgunder (or else better know as Pinot Noir by us) are popping out from Germany these days. To be fair, they seriously worth some try (though I'd still go for my reds from France anytime=p).

Another point worth taking notice is that German wines tend to have a higher level of acidity in them, and 2 attributing factors underlie this characteristic. These being the fact that firstly the grapes that are selected (eg. Riesling) tend to contain high acidity levels even when there are at a high ripeness level. Secondly, we might want to thank the northerly climate which causes the lower ripeness.

A little understanding might help one when you enjoy a sip of the German wine. Why? Because for every sip, you consume not just the physical taste but also a romantic and long journey that this wine carries with it. And so while Gewürztraminer makes my taste buds shun away from it with the very first sip, that sip that I tried made my emotions seep a little closer to the lands of Germany, to feel yet another influence it brought with it. And with the wonderful Riesling, it brings yet another different understanding as to why many others out there respect it so much. In that sip of Riesling, I felt the wonder.

So are you ready for some German wine tonight? Do remember however, that as you take a sip, close your eyes and enjoy the acidity and uniqueness of her, and leave the status of high or low away for a minute. Experience with your very own judgment. That to me, is unique. *cheers*

P.S : The above information has been gathered from :
- Personal wine tasting lessons
- Wikipedia