Germany
2018 Gold 6 Silver 10 Bronze 2 Commended 10
2017 Gold 6 Silver 6 Bronze 2 Commended 9
Germany has developed nicely in this competition from a mystifyingly small player to a good one. Of course, our teams would like to see more Rieslings come in (frankly, for sommeliers, no number would be too high when it comes to tasting Rieslings), but 18 medals and 10 Commendeds was a record here.
Also, that bulge in the number of Silvers suggests a lot of great wines that our tasters’ hearts would really like to have given Gold to but their heads told them they just couldn’t. Worth bearing in mind if you want to go exploring for a few under-the-radar stars.
Riesling, as you’d expect, was the standout performer here, but the Spätburgunders (Pinot Noir) were also very well received, and price-wise they stack up pretty well against their counterparts over the border in Burgundy.
If there was an underperforming area (and we’re really being picky here) it was with the ‘other white varieties’ – Silvaner, Scheurebe et al, which were basically ‘OK’ rather than ‘exciting’.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘Riesling is one of the most complete varieties. You can play as much as you want and not go wrong.’ Aurel Istrate, The Connaught
‘It’s not without reason that Wines of Germany has concentrated on Riesling. The non-Rieslings were all accurate, authentic expressions of their grape and their country, but they’d still be a hard sell.’ Martin Lam, team leader
‘I was expecting to see nice value for money around the £10 mark but we didn’t.’ Lionel Periner, team leader
‘Great wines but not easy to sell at around £18.’ Robert Mason, Cheese at Leadenhall
‘I’ve always had [a German Riesling] on by the glass. You can’t have 10 but you can have three or four. The best way is to use them is with a tasting menu.’ Matthieu Longuère MS, Le Cordon Bleu London