Germany has a complicated wine law structure that makes it difficult to determine wine quality and sweetness. In an effort to minimize confusion, some producers adopted a system called the VDP (to avoid your eyes glazing over, I will only use the abbreviation!). This system was set up to mimic the quality levels of other EU wine regions, such as Burgundy. The VDP is a membership group that has about 200 members. The member wineries must abide by the regulations defined by the VDP. These regulations are stricter than standard wine laws, and include such things as which grape varieties can be used and limiting yields. Wineries are audited every 5 years to ensure they are in compliance with regulations or they will no longer be members. Member wineries can use the VDP eagle logo on their bottles. A majority of wines with the VDP designation are dry wines and must be labeled ‘trocken’. There is a hierarchical four category classification system in VDP wines. The lowest is VDP Gutswein. The next is VDP Ortswein, which is slightly higher quality compared. VDP Erste Lage are higher quality and have the potential to age. The yields of grapes for these wines is lower than the previous two classifications. The highest classification is VDP Grosse Lage. These are similar to the Grand Crus of Burgundy. If the Grosse Lage wine is dry, the VDP will be replaced with the abbreviation of Grosses Gewächs, ‘GG’.
This week, I drank a 2012 Toni Jost Devon S Spätlese Trocken Riesling from Mittelrhein. This wine is a deep gold with brassy highlights. It has marked aromas of petrol, fresh dill, honeysuckle, yellow peach, pineapple, meyer lemon peel and stoney minerality. Petrol is a common note found in white wines that have undergone extended bottle aging, like this bottle. This dry wine has high acidity, low end of moderate alcohol, and moderate body. On the palate, this wine leads with flavors that remind me of a dill havarti. It is followed by the aforementioned fruit, minerality and petrol notes that slowly fade on a longer finish. This wine would pair well with light fish or seafood, Thai food, or dim sum. It was unique but fun and a reasonably priced bottle at $25 for one that has been stored for 14 years since the grapes were harvested. This bottle also has a screw cap, which is increasingly more common in wine. It is a great example that a good quality wine can have a screw cap.
-TheLooseTannin
A Trip Around the World of Wine in 52 Weeks 