Von Hovel Oberemmler Hutte icewine 2003; opened a few days ago- very clean and fruity but NO acids at all. Tasted like unfermented grape juice. Maybe this was why it was priced so low ($23). Very dissapointing. Any idea where the acids went?
Perhaps this eiswein was made from hybrid grapes rather than Riesling. Some of these are low in acid. I have never tasted a Riesling eiswein from the better regions of Germany that did not have plenty of acid when young. In fact, some are rather raw and harsh when young and need many years to become civilized.
This was definitely Riesling. The acids should have been concentrated but were absent. This is the only icewine I've tried that was like this. Had other Von Hovel wines before that were very good.
The lack of acid may be related to the very hot year in 2003 in much of Europe, including Germany. Apparently it was the hottest year in Germany since 1540! Some of the vineyards may have been stressed and suffered from this great heat. It might be something like trying to make well balanced Riesling in southern California or Mexico for some of the German vineyards in 2003. Under such extreme conditions, vineyards in less favored colder areas could well make better wines than vineyards in warmer areas that usually make top wines. When it comes to 2003 wine from much of Europe, one had best taste a wine before buying several bottles.
DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.