The Rheingau renaissance began in the 1980's, with producers like Robert Weil and Bernhard Breuer. In the 1990's another half-dozen small family producers joined them, with Peter Jakob Kühn heading the list of the very best. Peter farms biodynamically, without the labor saving benefit of herbicides, and ferments his Reislings on the natural, ambient yeast.

Though a very traditional winemaker, he is fearless in his willingness to adopt new methods when they are shown to yield better results. For example, after much of his 1999 harvest was spoiled by tainted corks, Peter Jakob Kühn joined the ranks of other courageous producers around the world, unhesitatingly adopting stainless steel caps and Stelvin caps in place of corks, even for his most expensive wines.

In 1991, Peter won the prestigious Feinschmecker award for the best dry Riesling in Germany. In March 2002, the Deutsches Weininstitut selected his Oestricher Doosberg Riesling Spätlese trocken 2000 to represent Germany at the European Wine Council Annual Gala Dinner held at Le Cirque in New York. The only source in America was Moore Brothers, so we sent three cases for the event.

Posted by Greg Moore

The Rhine turns westward just past Mainz, flowing along a 30-kilometer stretch of warm, southerly exposed vineyards that have been a center of German wine production since Roman times. It was in the Rheingau that Riesling’s potential was first realized and developed, through an unprecedented collaboration between the church, the nobility, and the peasants. Peter and Angela Kühn, at their 12-hectare estate outside of Oestrich, honor this tradition with finely honed Riesling of the first order. Their “Rheingau” trocken, redolent of lime and spice, fills the palate with rich flavors buoyed by brilliant acidity.

Regional History
Viticulture in Germany is mentioned by the Stoic philosopher Posidonius of Rhodes (135-51 BC), who wrote, “…the {Germans} drink a lot of undiluted wine…” It’s known that the Romans first planted many of Germany’s finest vineyard sites. With the rise of the early Christian church, the vine had been intimately intertwined with religious and secular history. Charlemagne supported winemaking directly with vine planting projects and indirectly, by his support and encouragement of monastic orders. By the late 18th century, it was the Church who was responsible for quality controls such as laws against the adulteration of wines, replacement of lesser-known varietals with the noble Riesling grape, and the custom of distinguishing certain vineyard sites as being superior. The Rheingau has a long – standing reputation (famous for being famous) as the finest wine producing region in Germany. The small village of Oestrich (in the heart of the region) holds two of the most esteemed vineyards, Doosberg and Lenchen. The micro-climate is tempered by the Rhein River, and the soil is more calcereous (reminiscent of Burgundy) than that found in other famous Riesling Vineyards.

Regional Foods
The lighter German wines are excellent with classic regional dishes such as wiener schnitzel, spaetzle (noodles) in butter or delicate cream sauce & kudlen (dumplings). The heavier Spätlese & dry or off-dry Auslese wines are excellent with fish (including sushi & sashimi), poultry, and other white meat dishes. German wines pair particularly well with reduction sauces having an edge of caramelization and the addition of cream or crème fraiche. German wines are naturally well suited to cut through the edge of sweetness and fat from these elegant sauces. In contrast, garlic-laden, tomato-based sauces and olive-oil preparations combat the delicate aromas and texture of most German wines.

© 2007 Moore Brothers Wine Company