All about Wine

Wurttemberg wines are subject to the highest standards. This is why the wine-growers of Wurttemberg, are committed to tending vines with loving, painstaking care and expert knowledge — from pruning in winter,to harvesting in autumn. On average, 8oo to 2,000 working hours are spent per hectare (ca. 2.5 acres), of which 400 alone are devoted to the harvest. Attention to detail during the harvest is decisive for the ultimate quality of the wines.

Following the harvest, the cellar master’s work begins. The cooperatives are equipped with modern facilities to strictly separate the crop according to vineyard site, grape variety and ripeness level as the grapes are received. After a gentle pressing, the juice is carefully vinified. The young wines are aged in traditional oak casks or in shiny stainless steel tanks in the cellars until they are ready to be bottled and fulfill their original purpose:
to be enjoyed by wine enthusiasts, connoisseurs and bon vivants.

And this is your cue, because the manner in which you store a wine is crucial to maintaining its quality. Wine should always be stored in the darkest possible place, as bright light detracts from its fruitiness.
The cardinal rule: the cooler the wine is stored (not more than 12°C, or 54°F), the slower it will mature, and the longer it will maintain its quality.
We wish you many a wonderful moment with Wurttemberg wines, whether it’s with a good meal or a good conversation.

Cheers!

By: Württemberg Wine-growers’ Cooperatives

Wine cellars that offer optimal storage conditions are few and far between in this day and age. However, the following rules for storing wine will help you enjoy your favorite wines for many years to come.

Ideally

Always store wine with corks horizontally.
Store in a room with a steady temperature of 8—12°C (46—54°F).
The humidity should be at 70% to prevent corks from drying out or becoming moldy.
The room should be clean and aired out regularly.
Avoid constant sunlight or neon light as well as vibrations.
Do not store in close proximity to strong odors, such as paints, enamels, fuel or onions.

Temperature

The right serving temperature helps ensure optimal drinking pleasure.

Optimal Serving Temperatures

Sparkling wine 8—10°C (46—50°F)

White wine

Young, light 9—11°C (48—52 °F)
Mature, full-bodied 11—13°C (52—55 °F)

Rosé, Weissherbst 9—13°C (48—55 °F)

Red wine

Young, light 14—16°C (57—61 °F)
Full-bodied 16—18°C (61—64°F)
Full-bodied with pronounced tannins 18—20°C (64—68 °F)

By: Winehaus

When one thinks of German Wine, historically we tend to think of the mass produced types of semi sweet wines produced in the northern regions. Retailing at very low prices the wines proved popular over earlier decades, fulfilling their role at the lowend of the market and the demand for inexpensive white wine, excluding of course the connoisseurs or those amongst us with the more refined palette.

With the festivities and fireworks over for the start of this new year, the resolutions quashed within days, we thought what better time than to look to start our educational process and introduction of the new age of German wines into the UK arena, to give focus and an informative insight into how Germany are also producers of some of the worlds finest wines. Des Jones, the power and driving force behind Winehaus, the UK’s largest south western german wine retailer comments Winehaus is all about the educational aspect of these fine wines, the region grows some of Europe’s finest grapes including the Riesling variety. The climate within the area of Wurtemburg is such that fine red grapes are also produced enabling an extensive variety of wines to be produced within the region.

And Des is correct. Wurtemburg is one of Germanys most affluent regions, producing in excess of 50 million bottles of wine each and every year, from crispy whites to full bodied reds. Of course the region also has its very own distinct grapes which produce bottles such as Trollinger and Lemberger. The cold winters of the late year, fresh springs and hot summers make the region one of the most perfectly suited areas for growing an extensive range of grapes.

As part of the educational process and introduction of these fabulous tasting wines into the UK market, Winehaus will be running an educational path, via their web site, on wines of the month and explaining the grape history, the production methodology, the flavours, the explanations behind the flavours and what the wine is best partnered with.

Over a period of 12 months Des will take you on a journey around the southwest region,without you even leaving your home. You’ll experience white wines, red wines, sekts and some hidden surprises.What is more in conjunction with the educational processes, special offers will be running on the wine of the month.

For those of you unfamiliar with the region, your journey will be one of great beauty and fabulous taste and most definitely one of your most memorable visits leaving your palette and mind enhanced and your love of south western wines will have commenced.

Full Winehaus ranges are available via
http://germanwinestore.co.uk
http://winehaus.co.uk
Retail Prices start from £6.95

By: Heidi Dodkins

Local Businessman brings a taste of Southern Germany to the Region

When local businessman Des Jones, from Leicester, first visited the region of Wurtemburg, SouthWestern Germany 32 years ago he hadn’t anticipated what an impact the region would have on his life and how that first visit would effect and navigate his future career in years to come, back home here in the Midlands. Surrounded with breathtaking scenery of manicured vineyards upon rolling hills, tipped with magnificent Hansel and Gretel German châteaux’s the allure of the region through panoramic eyes is not hard to see.

Being one of the most prosperous states within Germany, one
of the main economical channels for the area is through its
production of wines with some of Germany’s largest wineries
such as Durrenzimmern, Cleebronn-Guglingen and Dyade52 within the area, producing
vines along the river Neckar and its tributaries, with the oldest
plantations going back to the Roman era.

Internationally there has always been a mixed reputation
towards germanic produced wine with some consumers
within the export markets associating Germany with the
world’s most elegant and aromatically pure white wines while
others more stereo typically see the country mainly as the
source of cheap, mass-market semi-sweet wines such as
Liebfraumilch,which being produced in the northern areas of
Germany is obviously a million miles away from the cultivated
wineries in the south western regions.

Among Wine Enthusiasts, Germany’s reputation has primarily been
based on wines made from the Riesling grape variety, which at its
best is used for aromatic, fruity and elegant white wines that range
from very crisp and to well-balanced, sweet and of enormous
aromatic concentration. Predominantly and historically a white
wine country, red wine production within the region emerged
in the 1990s, primarily fuelled by domestic demand, and the
proportion of the German vineyards devoted to the cultivation
of dark-skinned grape varieties has now developed to over
a third of the region. For the red wines, Spätburgunder, the domestic name for
Pinot Noir, is in the lead.

So where and how did the region inspire local businessman
Des Jones you may ask? Professionally trained as a teacher
and since securing roles such as departmental head of a large
music faculty within the area as well as previous Managing
Director of a sports utility company, Des’s desire for business
and passion for precision and success is second to none and is
totally unquestionable. Fuse these proven skills with his desire
for the southwestern areas of Germany, his love of the region
and his refined palette for quality and fine wines and you can
clearly see the base foundations ofWinehaus, Des’s recently
launched German wine business here within the UK.

Selling over 35 different fine german wines, the extensive
ranges vary from crisp, white wines through to more heavy
bodied reds, light sparkling sekts (similar to Cava), light and
fruity reds to organic ranges, gifts sets and many,many more.
With paths already paved for national distribution, the
extensive ranges distributed through Winehaus will shortly
be available on supermarket shelves boasting the very latest
range which is called Dyade 52, a collection of 3 tiers of fine
wine as well as more everyday products being available in
local bars and restaurants.

All of the products are now readily available for purchase
through the Winehaus website which is as follows:
www.germanwinestore.co.uk
Prices start from a humble £6.95 a bottle online. With a local
businessman behind, why not look to refine your palette and
discover the passion that Des found all of those years ago
within the southern western german region.

By: Heidi Dodkins