Hello, all!
My grandfather just passed and I inherited a bottle of German white. Could somebody tell me if this is worth hanging onto, or just drinking?? The label is as follows:
"Rheinhessen 1959 Liebfraumilch- white rhinewine" Bottled by Peter Wenner, Bernkastel,Germany
From what I understand '59 was a good tear for German wines, but Liebfraumilch, not such a great varietal. Is this correct? Should I save it? I'd appreciate any help.
thanks................Ker
I don't believe this wine was made for the long haul, so open it and see what it's like. Don't expect anything, though.
Ken says,
Right.
But you may be surprised. Some of the cheaper German wines, after ageing, are far more interesting than one might expext.
When my father died, my brother and I had a drunk-fest over his single malt Scotch collection, dating back to the 1960s (but spirits don't age in the bottle). It was an incredible experience, cleaning out his storage warehouse, toasting our beloved father whilst discovering all sorts of genealogical family relics from a hundred years ago, and getting ourselves toasted in the process.
We had stumbled upon his stash of Scotch, and went on stumbling for several days after.
But several weeks later, I opened a cheap Piesporter riesling which we had inherited, vintage 1966, which must have cost all of two dollars at the time of release, and it was bloody magnificent.
It was if nearly forty years of imperfect cellaring made no difference. The wine was as clean as the day it was bottled.
The lesson: German rieslings are amongst the most ageworthy of wines. Hard to believe, because tastewise, they are amongst the most delicate and fragile.
Nonetheless, this wine was rampant with the classic riesling aromas of autumn, and still youthful in the texture of the mouth and finish. It was absolutely beautiful; yet admittedly and noticeably of a lesser pedigree.
I have always been one to appreciate a cheap wine and its shortcomings, as long as it's well-made (and the occasion is casual and care-free). We can't all be drinking Sunday wines every day of the week.
This 1966 German riesling was a delight. It is a testament to good winemaking and the tenacity of riesling to survive decades of indifferent cellaring.
Liebfraumilch is several notches down the quality scale, but you might be amazed at what you find. 1959 was a great year, and the Bernkastel Liebfraumilch might just be better than what passes today for the same classification. Enjoy! And let us know how it was.
---Bob
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