Jan

19

Josef Leitz Wine Tasting

January 19, 2008 |

This evening I attended a wine tasting that was hosted by Johannes Leitz, who runs the Josef Leitz winery in the Rheingau region of Germany.  It was a unique opportunity to sample German Rieslings that fully cross the spectrum of sweetness.  As you may already know, German Rieslings can be super sweet or completely dry (i.e., non-sweet due to the fact that all of the sugar is fermented into alcohol), and there’s even a classification system in place to help guide consumers: “Kabinett” is the driest, “Spätlese” sweeter, and “Auslese” the sweetest.  Just note that not all German Rieslings fit into these categories - take the first bottle of the night, which was far drier than the Kabinett. 

In white wines, I tend to prefer lightness of body over heavy alcohol, a touch of minerality, a high level of acidity, and little or no sugar.  A fruity or floral bouquet is icing on the cake.  These are the reasons why Riesling is one of my favorite white grapes: done well, it can be everything I’m looking for in a white wine.  Gewurztraminer is another example of a grape that fits the above description, although it’s typically fuller bodied, less acidic and spicier than Riesling.  I’ll be reviewing a bottle of that varietal at some point soon.

What surprised me most about the Leitz wines this evening is how broad the spectrum of sweetness really is.  We began with the the driest of the five wines we would sample, in which not a grain of sugar was detectable, and from there the amount sweetness from sampling to sampling increased consistently and distinctively each time, four times over.

Among the wines that were poured, the 2006 Josef Leitz Rudesheimer Klosterlay Kabinett ($17) seemed to be the crowd favorite.  For example, while it was a bit off-dry, the woman next to me - a seasoned veteran with 30 years of experience tasting wines with her wine group - shared with me how impressed she was with the way ”the initial sweetness trails off through the finish.”   At $17 per bottle, it’s a good value and certainly a great place to start if you’re interested in trying wines from a cooler region like Germany.

By the way, if you’re looking to get a sense of what I’m talking about regarding sweetness gradations, serving Leitz’s Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese to a small group of friends would make for a fun, enlightening and easy do-it-yourself wine tasting.  Their names are listed below:

+ 2006 Josef Leitz Rudesheimer Klosterlay Kabinett ($17)

+ 2005 Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck Spätlese ($34)

+ 2004 Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Bischofsberg Auslese ($17)


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