The rise of German wines

[Jean Fisch]

I am a BIG, BIG drinker (and appreciator of course) of German wines. I've been seeing several producers recently for annual order of joints, and they all tell me that the selling has never been as brisk as this year. For the first time, Schaefer was sold out before he released his wines. Dönnhoff is also selling out rapidly although no official list has yet been mailed to the ex-cellar customers.

Besides the fact of course that German winemakers are starting to use the usuall trick of the trade (buy now, very rare), the demand increase seems to be focused on the US market (and some UK dealers - but who essentially are middle men for the US).

Is there a trend towards German Riesling outside the US frenzy?

Jean Fisch

[Jancis Robinson]

Firstly, hello one and all and thank you very much for some seriously interesting questions.

Secondly, I apologize in advance for the many typos I'm doubtless about to inflict on you. I'd like to answer as rapidly as possible to as many qs as poss but my poor old keyboard has been worked so hard that only a few keys still have their letters on them...

Now, as a lifelong fan of top German wines, I'm hardly likely to agree this is a US flash in the pan, am I? I see a similar phenomenon in the UK, and in Australia the local Riesling is far more sought after than it was a few years ago. (I realize I'm straying off the point here a bit.)

I'm sure it has helped that Pierre Rovani seems much more enthusiastic about this style of wine than Parker has been, which has presumably fanned the flames in the US, but I do believe that more and more wine lovers on this side of the Atlantic are making space for German wines in their cellars - in fact I can't understand why the fine wine traders round London aren't more active in this market.