Wine made from the Scheurebe grape variety is rare enough here in Ireland. I myself only tried it for the first time last weekend. It is a cross between Riesling and what was thought to be Grüner Silvaner, one of the varieties used in Liebfraumilch.

Silvaner, worth noting, is quite a bland variety grown in Alsace and Germany. Not unlike Pinot Blanc, this means that it can take on a good expression of its terroir. However, DNA testing in the late 1990s ruled in Riesling and ruled out Silvaner. The viticulturist who developed Scheurebe in 1916, Dr. Georg Scheu, had been using wild vines to cross with Riesling so the other parent could have been anything.

Back to the Scheurebe. I found ‘bland’ to be the last word you would use to describe it. I’m no expert on Scheurebe, perhaps there are many very unexciting examples made from this cross-breed, but this one wasn’t sort of character.

Being from the 2004 vintage, it has had plenty of time to develop and evolve. The fruit was restrained on the nose, with soft and subtle grapefruit, and even hints of cassis, which I believe it quite common in Scheurebe. It was a touch herbaceous and you could tell instantly it was a mature wine with a slight muskiness, which you’ll often get from older whites. On the palate the acidity was tight enough to hold everything together. I found it to be quite opulent and full, with softened, yet concentrated tropical fruit and spice.

Lingenfelder is based in the Pfalz, a region who’s reputation suffered through the likes of Liebfraumilch. Huge volumes of mediocre wines were being machine harvested from the flat Rhine plane. Today a new generation and a few veterans have helped restore a quality reputation. German tourists and city dwellers now flock to the region to experience the relaxed hospitality on the German-French border and try some dry, full-bodied Riesling that is now one of the staples of the country. Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder), Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder), Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) are all successfully grown in the Pfalz.

No doubt a wine for the curious wine drinker, the 2004 Lingenfelder Scheurebe is about as far off the commercial mainstream you’ll find at this kind of price. Not everyone will like it. But a lot of people are going to love it.

2010 could be a year to remember for German winemakers. Extreme weather conditions has led to extreme wines, with leading winemakers suggesting the lowest yields in 30 years have helped produce the most concentrated wines in memory.

In comparison, 2009 was a year for soft, youthful wines, whereas many wines from the 2010 vintage are showing great aging potential. This is partly down to cold and damp weather conditions restricting yields by up to 25%, according to the German Wine Institute. Some of the bigger estates have lost as much as 60% of their yield.

Being such a northerly winemaking nation, Germany’s climate is cool. Riesling does well here, and there are plenty of excellent sites for this fickle variety. After Riesling, Müller-Thurgau is the most planted white grape variety, and like the red Dornfelder, is a hybrid (or a cross), making it highly resistant to a cooler, damp climate. These wines should prosper despite the freak weather, although some winemakers may be expecting more irregular vintages with the continued impact of climate change.

So overall, is 2010 regarded as an extremely bad vintage or an extremely good vintage? It depends on the grape variety. Many Rieslings are said to be absolutely exceptional, with big acidity backing up the rich flavour profiles, although it may be more difficult to tell the difference between Kabinett and the late harvested Spätlese wines considering the increased concentration levels.

The conditions were too difficult for Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) as it suffered with the rain, so in some respects German wine drinking enthusiants might be in for a more limited choice, but it’s also looking like they might be able to get their hands on some of the greatest German whites ever produced. Most wineries are expected to maintain 2009 price levels.

Pictured: German vineyards on a nice day, probably not 2010.

There are some very angry people in Germany right now. If the powers that be decided to build a monstrous bridge and a four lane motorway through your beloved countryside you’d be right and narked too.

The Hochmoseluebergang motorway bridge will be 160 metres high, 29 metres wide and 1.7 km long. It will cut through the heart of Germany’s most important Riesling producing region – Mosel Valley.

“The skyline of the bridge will be higher than the mountains,” complained Ernst Loosen, one of the Valley’s top Riesling producers.

“We’re very worried about tourism, because people come here for the beauty and not to look at such an ugly construction.” As well as being an eye sore, Loosen is also concerned about the affect of the natural water supply from the forest above the vineyards.

There is also support for the bridge which is set to reduce journey time between Germany and the Benelux countries, easing the flow of traffic and making for a more efficient east-west connection. Mind you, everybody seems to agree that the beautiful Valley is about to get a little less beautiful and I would imagine that it is the owners of the vineyards that are having to be dug up who are finding it most difficult at this time.

So is the supply of that typical Mosel blend of steely acidity, intense cool aromas and subtle citrus fruit flavours about to treacle to a halt? I somehow doubt it, and despite the outrage, with a bridge like that they’re bound to get over it

This Bird Label Riesling comes from the Lingenfelder Estate, which is a family-operated winery with 13 generations of wine-growing experience in the sunny Pfalz region in Germany.

To view product page and for more details, click on Lingenfelder Riesling.

Riesling has long been the basis for the finest wine in Germany. The steep slopes along the Rhine and Mosel rivers retain warmth and incubate grapes to full ripeness in the otherwise chilly climate.

An aromatic white grape variety, Riesling is not unlike Sauvignon Blanc in that it is fruity and floral, as opposed to vegetal. When the fruit is harvested ripe in the cool climate of Germany, the wines have green fruit flavours (green apple, grape) with floral notes and sometimes a hint of citrus fruit (lemon, lime). If you enjoy light, refreshing whites that have a relatively low level of alcohol, then keep reading.

Sugars build up slowly in this variety and it retains its acidity well. Although some may associate Riesling with sweet wines, they can be as bone dry as you like. Many of the branded German wines in the supermarkets are overly sweet, but a lot of these are Liebraumilch (a blend of grapes) rather than Riesling. True German Riesling is often made in a drier style – and the sweet ones are usually balanced by high acidity, making for a pleasant and refreshing wine, rather than one that is overly sweet.

When you are exploring German wine, look carefully at the label. This will help you find the style and quality of wine you want. Like other European countries, Germany has a government regulated wine rating system. The levels include Qualitatswein bestimmte Anbaugebiete (QbA), which is a medium quality wine, and Qualitatswein mit Pradikat (QmP), which is the highest level of quality. ‘Trocken’ means dry and ‘halbtrocken’ means half-dry. These should be noted on the label.

Our German range includes some cracking Rieslings (and a slightly rare but very special red!), and here are our top picks from other world class producers of this noble grape variety, all representing very different styles – Alsace (France), Australia and New Zealand.

For further reading, check out Curious Mike’s blog post on the ugly duckling of wine.