The country's red producers have been doing their homework, writes Joe Breen
A snippet caught my eye in Decantermagazine recently. In Germany, it said, "red wine is on the rise, currently standing at 54 per cent of all wine consumed. Production is also increasingly given over to red wine and red grape varieties now account for 37 per cent of German plantings. Germany is the world's third-largest producer of Pinot Noir, with more land under this variety than Australia, New Zealand and Chile combined".
Surprised? We have a particular image of Germany in our heads, and red wine generally - never mind the ever-desirable and difficult Pinot Noir - does not feature in it.
The grape is at the heart of Burgundy's reputation for red wine, and it is no surprise to discover that the US is now the second-largest producer of Pinot Noir - between California, Washington and Oregon, some very serious wines are being developed. They are not always as subtle as they should be, however; for that quality, look no farther than the South Island of New Zealand, specifically vineyards such as Felton Road and Mt Difficulty (see Bottles of the Week).
But Germany has been doing its homework, and is increasingly game to show its wines in this company. At a tasting at the German ambassador's residence, the Pinot Noirs of Georg Breuer, in the Rheingau, were a revelation, earthy and vegetal with the beguiling, delicate elegance so typical of fine Pinot Noir - qualities the good envoy has been accused of lacking in recent times.
In Germany, where Pinot Noir is known as Spätburgunder, plantings of the grape have increased hugely in recent years. From a base of 3,400 hectares (8,400 acres) in 1980, the total had grown to 5,500 (13,600 acres) by 1990 and to more than 13,000 (32,000 acres) by 2003.
This rise reflects the change in the drinking habits of Germans. Red wine, in particular Spätburgunder, is their wine of choice - so much so that German red wine is not exported in any quantity, and what does escape is expensive.
A small matter like that is not enough to put off Ben Mason, of the Wicklow Wine Co. Mason believes in Spätburgunder - indeed, in German red wine generally - and has put his money where his mouth is by importing a select number of them, some of which are seriously impressive wines, to judge by a tasting we had at L'Ecrivain, the Dublin restaurant, with its sommelier, Martina Delaney.
This gambit would not win Mason any popularity contests, at least not with his partners in the business - German red wine is an even harder sell than its white cousin. But another Georg Breuer wine, Spätburgunder B 2001, at €34.95, was very fine , and Spätburgunder 2005(€28.95), from a great vintage, was awesome in its earthy complexity.
The Meyer-Näkel wines, from Ahr Valley, were also interesting, none more so than Blauschiffer 2005, at €29.95. All of the bottles are available from www.wicklowwineco.ie - and now, having impressed Delaney, from L'Ecrivain, too.
SUPERMARKET SWEEP
The annual French wine sale at Superquinn is something of an institution, but all institutions can get tired. So the decision of the chain's new wine buyer, David Orr, and his team to add a rake of new wines to the mix has given this year's sale a fresh impetus. There are lots of bargains: from the Loire, the vibrant, clean Pouilly-Fumé Les Pierres Blanches 2006(€11.99, down from €15.99), the well-balanced Saumur-Champigny Clos des Cordeliers 2005(€10.99, down from €14.69) and a good Muscadet from Bordeaux, the ever reliable Château Beaumont Haut Medoc 2004(€16.99, down from €22.69); and, from Champagne, the H Blin & Co vintage (€26.99, down from €35.99), which is worth setting aside for Christmas.