Hocheimer Market

I was in the Hocheimer Market last night. It is a 500 year old tradition that is in between a typically traditional market, a wine festival and Oktoberfest and continues until November 8th. The rides amusement park rides and the booths selling all sorts of things attracts thousands from all over but of course It was the winestands that held my attention. Every winery in Hochheim had a tasting stand and I was able to meet the owners of Franz Kuenstler, Schrieber, and W.J. Shaefer.  They were all very modest people, especially considering they produce some of the finest white wine in the world. Most wines (with the exception of Kuenstler who has a real international name) were just as modest.

My experiences last night highlighted some observations I had previously noticed about Germans and their wine. There is an attitude (among some) that aging wines is unnecessary.  I find this baffling, given the mouth puckering acidity of young German Rieslings and comparing previous vintages plainly shows the benefits of time. Perhaps they are applying rules for beer (the fresher the better) to wine.

 The people last night (who were of this mindset), learned of my sommelier training and quizzed me about what was going on with a particular 2010 Riesling we were drinking. I felt uncomfortable, a bit defensive and had to resist the urge to Bullshit them with winespeak.
 
The wine in question was a baby. If I was on my first glass  I could maybe have given some deeper insight as to what these wines will evolve into but the honest answer was underwhelming: "It's peachy, lots of acidity, some minerality."

I would compare it to asking about the musical tastes of a toddler.  The answer is unlikely to be a preference for Brahms and the occasional Miles Davis tune and more likely to be Old MacDonald and the Itsy bitsey Spider song.  It is only after these wines 'grow up' that their personality becomes more specific and refined. This is true with the vast majority of fine wine.