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.

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 is 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 fine-flowery 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. You just want this in your mouth.”

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.

Iris Ellmann presents The WineBarn’s IWC Specialist Merchant of the Year 2022 award. Photo: Iris Ellmann

To find your new favourite German wine, you can contact the award-winning merchant The WineBarn now.

Visit: www.thewinebarn.co.uk
Call: 0044 (0)1962 761 215
Email: wine@thewinebarn.co.uk