The German Wine Fair is coming to Ottawa next week, which gives me an opportunity to praise the quality of German wines overall and lament the poor selection of German wines at LCBO stores.
I don't know if German wines are doing as well in Canada as they are in the U.S., where sales last year rose by 30 per cent, but it's hard to see how sales will improve here when there's such a sad range on store shelves. It's not that the individual wines available aren't necessarily good quality or value — the four reviewed today are both — but there are so few to choose from: a few Rieslings and Gewürztraminers, a Pinot Grigio, and some very undistinguished blends.
Certainly, they're all inexpensive, and maybe that says something about the price consumers are prepared to pay for German wines. Is there still a perception that all German wines are white and cloyingly sweet? If there is, that attitude is years behind the times. If you look at the way German vineyards and wines have been changing, you can see they're very much in line with international trends, while holding true to their own character.
For one thing, red wine production is up. About 36 per cent of German wines are red, compared to only 20 per cent 10 years ago. Pinot Noir has been making gains and plantings have increased 25 per cent during the past five years. So where are the German reds at the LCBO?
There are shifts within German whites, too. Riesling production is down slightly and the more popular Pinot Grigio and Pinot Blanc are up, by about 40 and 25 per cent, respectively, during the past five years. Winemakers in Germany, as elsewhere, have to make wine that sells. That might depress Riesling lovers, but don't worry, there's no imminent shortage of Riesling.
And while it's true that many German wines are medium-dry to sweet, there's a trend toward drier styles. Drier wines now make up nearly 40 per cent of German wines, compared to 25 per cent 10 years ago.
Does all this mean German wines are just becoming like all other wines on the market? Not at all. They retain quite discernible character.
And Germany remains a prime source of off-dry and sweeter wines that have a definite place in your wine repertoire. Off-dry Riesling and Pinot Grigio are great as aperitifs and for sipping, and they pair beautifully with foods that have some sweetness or spiciness.
One more change I've noticed in German wines is the shift from bottle shapes that consumers generally associate with German wine — those tall, slim flutes — and from busy labels crowded with German wine terms in Gothic script. Look at the German wines on the LCBO shelves now, and you'll see that most are in standard Burgundy and Bordeaux bottles. Labels have been cleaned up and are modern and easily readable.
On the other hand, wine producers from France's Alsace region have kept their flutes, and many have Germanic names. As a result, Alsatian wines now look more German than German wines do.
The German Wine Fair takes place Thursday, April 6, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the National Arts Centre. It features more than 100 wines, a number of prominent owners and winemakers, jazz, and food inspired by the countries in this year's World Cup of soccer, which Germany is hosting.
There's also a draw for two business class return tickets from Toronto to Frankfurt on Lufthansa. Tickets to the fair are $50 ($45 if you're a member of a wine club) and can be ordered at 1-866-892-3880 or online at www.germanwinecanada.org.
Appropriately, four good-value German wines today.