WINE COLUMN

White Wines for a White Christmas

Weissburgunder is synonymous with the French Pinot Blanc. This ancient white-grape variety thrives in fertile or chalky soils and ripens fairly late. It represents 5.6 per cent of Germany’s total annual vineyard yield.

BY IRIS ELLMANN

Jakob Schneider samples Schneider winery’s refreshing Weissburgunder.

Weissburgunder wines have a less pronounced, relatively neutral bouquet, yet more acidity than the Grauburgunder, otherwise known as Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio, from which it derived.

The drier style Weissburgunders are extremely popular with food. Most plantings are in the Baden and the Pfalz wine regions, but it is also a traditional variety in the Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen regions.

Multi-award-winning wine merchant and German wine specialist, The WineBarn, recommend three of their top Weissburgunders to share with family and friends this festive season.

SCHNEIDER 2017 WEISSBURGUNDER PINOT BLANC QBA DRY

NAHE £15.10 PER BOTTLE

The grapes used to produce this wine were harvested from a single vineyard in Niederháuser Rosenheck. There, the soil is rich in shale and loess, giving this wine its unique minerality. This rich and creamy Pinot Blanc is perfect for everyday drinking. The combination of fine fruit and acidity will wake you up after a long day at work.

BERCHER 2019 JECHTINGER WEISSBURGUNDER DRY

BADEN £15.35 PER BOTTLE

The grapes for this Weissburgunder were grown in loess-rich soil and the wine was fermented in stainless-steel tanks. It has fineflowery and subtle fruit notes combined with a filigrain acidity. Tamlyn Currin, talented and expressive wine writer for Jancis Robinson, describes this wine as: “Really exciting Pinot Blanc! Pears and river pebbles and a little buzz of electric energy. Gorgeous finish, a squeeze of grapefruit and then that wonderful mineral/white pepper spice.”

DR HEGER 2017 IHRINGER WINKLERBERG WEISSBURGUNDER RAPPENECKER GRAND CRU DRY

BADEN £41.50 PER BOTTLE

The grapes for this wine were grown in Dr Heger’s Ihringer Winklerberg vineyard, where the soil is rich in limestone and loess, which creates the wine’s luscious fruitiness, rich aroma and remarkably filigree minerality. This Weissburgunder is bright, fresh and brilliant, with very appealing, vivid fruit flavours of candied lemon peel, tart white apples, spring blossoms and white almonds. It has a crystalline texture, elegance and is rich in finesse. Very charming, with an acidic structure, subtle spiciness and fine minerality in the finish. A decidedly animated and lively Grand Cru.

To find your new favourite German wine, you can contact the awardwinning merchant The WineBarn now. Visit: www.thewinebarn.co.uk Call: 0044 (0)1962 761 215 Email: wine@thewinebarn.co.uk

Photo: Iris Ellmann

Iris Ellmann presents The WineBarn’s IWC Specialist Merchant of the Year 2022 award. Iris Ellmann is the managing director of The WineBarn, a multi-award-winning wine merchant that has been importing premium German wines to the UK for over 20 years. The WineBarn team lives, breathes and loves wine.

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