Rheinhessen is a relatively small area, sometimes called the land of the thousand hills, nestled between the Rhine and the Nahe Rivers. By the time of Charlemagne this region was known for its wines. To some extent it is famous or infamous for Liebfraumilch, to be reviewed in another article in this series. Of all the German regions Rheinhessen is the one with the largest area planted in wine grapes and also has the highest wine production. Rheinhessen alone claims over a quarter of the German wine acreage and wine production. It is also produces the highest percentage of generally low quality table wine, coming in at almost 12%. More than 60% of Rheinhessen wine is middle quality QbA wine, and a bit more than 25% is higher quality QmP wine. About seven of eight bottles contain white wine, but the percentage of red wine is increasing. The most widely grown varieties are the German hybrid Mueller-Thurgau and Silvaner. The usually higher quality Riesling represents about 10% of the total production. Dornfelder is the most widely planted red grape variety. The marketing materials, quoted below, present one viewpoint of this German-bred grape.
Mainz has a population of about eighty thousand. It is one of the centers of the German wine trade. It is the capital of Rheinland-Pfalz, the only German state government that has a wine minister. The city is built on the site of a two thousand year-old Roman citadel. In this part of the world two thousand years is a short time; a local museum contains three hundred thousand year-old artifacts. In season the Marktplatz (Market) and H'fchen (Little Courtyard) buzz with farmers selling their wares on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. Check the exact dates for the annual Sektfest (Sparkling Wine Festival) held in late May or early June and then Johannisnacht, another wine festival several weeks later.
Other sites to see include the Dom (Cathedral of St. Martin and St. Stephan) which broke ground shortly prior to the turn of the first millennium. Because of seven fires most of the Cathedral is newer, dating from the Eleventh to the Thirteenth Centuries. The cloisters contain a museum of religious artifacts. Right near by is the Gutenberg Museum. Other local museums are devoted to the Middle Ages, Roman warships, art, plants, animals, and fossils. If all this touring makes you thirsty for more than knowledge visit the Kupferberg Sektkellerei (sparkling wine cellars), the deepest on earth. There are several concert halls, theaters, night clubs, and wine bars. Not far from the city are the Mainz Sand Dunes, a tiny area home to plants and animals rarely seen in Western Europe.
Before reviewing the Rheinhessen wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Zweibelkuchen (Onion Pie). For your second course enjoy Haxen und Bratkartoffeln (Pork Hocks and Home Fries). As a dessert indulge yourself with Frankfurter Kranz (Buttercream Cake).
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Rappenhof Dornfelder Trocken 2004 13.0% alcohol about $15.50
Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Dornfelder is a cross, bred in 1956 by August Herold. In its genealogy, the grape claims every important red vine grown in Germany. Fortunately, it has inherited most of the positive attributes and very few of the negative. The wines are deeply coloured, velvety in texture with hints of floral. Slightly off-dry, this example gives good aroma replays on the palate. Serve with Wiener schnitzel. Now for the review. (By the way, I thought the color was more of a dark rose.)
My first pairing was with a barbecued, marinated rib steak with potato patties, potato wedges, and a commercially prepared eggplant and tomato side dish. When I ate the meat and potatoes the wine came out very short with moderate fruit. It crept back into the woodwork when faced with a fairly powerful eggplant dish.
The next tasting involved a cheeseless broccoli, mushroom, and zucchini quiche with mashed potatoes. The Dornfelder tasted sour and I sensed some sort of strange fruit in the background. I finished the glass with beer nuts. The wine was fairly flat but the sourness did disappear.
The final meal consisted of meatballs in a tomato sauce with rice and green beans. The wine was somewhat rounder than before but was still ever so short. I thought I was drinking an alcoholic fruit juice.
The initial cheese pairing was with a French goat cheese that really resembled a Camembert. While the wine was a bit flat it did taste lightly of black cherries. Then I went to a Swiss Gruyere. The Dornfelder did become a bit more robust but lost some of its fruit on the way. I terminated this disappointing bottle with a locally produced, fairly sharp Asiago cheese that I prefer to its presumably more authentic Italian cousin. Finally a decent pairing; the wine was pleasant.
Final verdict. I had no intention of reviewing two Dornfelders one right after the other. But we don't get many of them in our neck of the woods so I figured why not give it a try. I am definitely not planning on a third round before the cows come home. I fail to see why such a grape should cost more than many better grapes from German and other countries. Needless to say, if this wine were better...
The Pfalz region is just about as far as you can get from Berlin and still remain in Germany. Just over the border lies the famous French wine-producing region of Alsace. In fact, one major Pfalz wine producer has extensive vineyards on the other side of the French border. Are its grapes German or French? It all depends where they are processed.
Has Pfalz been making wine for a long time? The wine museum in Speyer, Germany proudly displays a glass amphora containing 1600 year-old wine, perhaps the oldest wine in the world.
Pfalz is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) long, situated near the Rhine River. The best vineyards were in the hands of the Church until Napoleon's visit. The region boasts of about 25,000 vineyards whose average size is less than 2.5 acres. Not surprisingly, most of these grape growers are part timers. Pfalz was traditionally the number one German wine-producing region. It now ranks second in vineyard acreage and total wine production, closely behind its northern neighbor Rheinhessen. This area is sometimes called The Palatinate, and has been called the Tuscany of Germany. As you might guess from its extensive wine production, the region enjoys a mild climate. Who would have thought that figs and lemons grow in Germany? They do in the Pfalz.
White wine represents about 80% of the total wine production. The two top grape varieties grown here are Mueller Thurgau, a German developed hybrid, and the often noble Riesling. Portugieser is the most common red grape variety, but Pinot Noir can also be found, especially if you ask for Spaetburgunder, its German name. About 10% of Pfalz wine is classified as basic table wine, over 70% as middle quality QbA wine, and the remainder higher quality QmP wine.
The German Wine Road crosses the Pfalz region. Virtually anywhere you go on this road you can find something worth seeing, worth tasting, and I daresay worth eating. One place to visit is Deidesheim with its historic houses, town hall (Rathaus), and churches, especially the Gothic Church of St. Ulrich. Every Pentecostal Tuesday the church's entry is the site of a billy-goat auction, folk dancing, and a parade. The neighboring village of Lambrecht pays a tribute of a billy goat to Deidesheim for grazing rights, and has been doing so for more than six hundred years. The area includes the Schloss Deidesheim, a castle first built in the Thirteenth Century. The present castle was built in 1817. The original castle's moats are now gardens. Other attractions include local artists, and the wine estates of Pfalz's major producers, the three Bs, Bassserman, Buhl, and Bürklin.
Before reviewing the Pfalz wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with a Pfaelzer Teller (Bratwurst). For your second course enjoy Schoenhof Pfannchen (Ham Gratin in Brandy Cream Sauce). As a dessert indulge yourself with Rotweinkuchen (Red Wine Cake).
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Bottles of Rainier Lingenfelder's ornithological labels are deservedly sought-after, because they offer excellent quality at very good prices. This off-dry Riesling, which pairs beautifully with medium-spiced Thai dishes, is a perfect example. You get lovely, rich fruit (tropical, melon, citrus), zesty acidity, and great balance, It's a perfect pick-me-up for dreary winter days, too: open a bottle and sip it before dinner.
Before my review of this wine, I'd like to make a brief comment on the bottle. I don't think that I ever found a bottle harder to open. It may happen twice, but it certainly won't happen three times or more. And now for the review of the wine itself.
My first pairing was with a cheeseless lasagna. The wine was very pleasant with nice fruit and lightly acidic. The acidity did a good job of cutting the meat's grease. When it encountered a slice of poppyseed cake the wine became more acidic but remained very good. It tasted of melon and citrus fruit.
This Riesling next accompanied baked filo dough rolls covered by sesame seeds, stuffed with ground chicken and peas, and topped with a Middle Eastern salsa. The salsa was moderately spicy and included tomatoes, red peppers, and onions. This pairing was really a success. Once again the wine's acidity cut the meat's grease, and the salsa intensified the wine's fruit. The meal's conclusion was not as fine; a slice of apple cake containing mint chocolate was simply too sweet for the wine. Interestingly enough, the cake did intensify the wine's citrus taste.
I then tried stove-top cooked chicken in a sauce containing paprika and cumin, potatoes and tomatoes. The wine was quite fruity; this time I tasted lime. It was refreshingly acidic.
The only German cheese available in my favorite imported cheese store was a Limberger. This cheese is famous for its pungent smell, being the target of comedy by Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin, Abbot and Costello, Looney Tunes and others. Limberger is a cow's milk cheese with a soft interior. When I bought this cheese it had no real smell but by wine tasting time its odor started to develop. The wine was able to retain its fruit but did have a flat aftertaste. When facing a ripe Camembert from France, an unpasteurized cow's milk cheese, this wine lacked fruit, but as if to compensate, also lacked an aftertaste. Neither pairing was successful.
Final verdict. I like this wine, and I like its price. I will probably give the bottle one more chance. But if I have more trouble there are plenty of other German Rieslings out there.
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Levi Reiss has sinced written about articles on various topics from Touring Italy, Travel and Leisure and Food and Drink. Levi Reiss is the author or co-author of ten Internet and computer books. In his spare time he enjoys drinking fine Italian or other wine, especially when paired with the right foods. He teaches a variety of computer classes at a French-language community. Levi Reiss's top article generates over 450000 views. to your Favourites.
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