Opening remarks by Freddy Price

On the occasion of the VDP-Frühjahrs-Weinbörse 2005 in Mainz

Freddy Price, Winewriter and Wineconsultant, England

"Hugh Johnson wrote in his foreword to my recently published book Riesling Renaissance  “There is an international freemasonry of Riesling-drinkers. We know each other by signs non-initiates might miss. We claim unique properties, magic powers almost, for this singular white grape”. During our travels round the world for the book, we found this international freemasonry everywhere - Alsace and Austria naturally but also in the New World, where, as you know, almost every winery makes wines with a number of grape varieties. When the owners or winemakers knew that our priority was Riesling, their eyes lit up and they talked about the German immigrants who brought the vines to their country long ago and then the current German wines that they had tasted. Some rushed to their cellars and brought up bottles of all their own vintages of Riesling for us to taste. Helen Turley, the famous Californian wine-maker, once explained that “making Chardonnay is similar to processing milk and a decision is made at the barn door to make cheese or yoghurt”. Making great Chardonnay is a challenge to the winemaker: making great Riesling is a challenge to the winegrower.

Fifty years ago when I first came to visit the vineyards of the Rhine and the Mosel, every British merchant offered a splendid range of German Rieslings - the great 1947s, ‘49s, ‘53s and, later, ‘59s. Then, like the tsunami whose effects so shocked my wife and me in Sri Lanka, the flood of wines made with inferior grapes annihilated and swept away 100 years’ dedication to the export of fine German wines.

Of course I love the other noble grape varieties of Germany, but, as Jancis Robinson always says “Riesling is the world’s greatest white wine”. The sun is rising in the UK though there is still apathy and ignorance. One importer recently told me that when in 1985 he bought his company, which was founded by a German, his first decision was to dump all the German agencies and concentrate on France and the New World. For him, the market has come full circle and his already considerable sales of the Germany’s superb 2001 vintage were doubled for the fine 2002 vintage - and are continuing to leap ahead.

Speech of Freddy Price continues…

Now his sales of German wines are far greater than those of France and the New World. As door-openers, he must have two or three dry or dryish Rieslings in volume that sell at the price point £5.99 but these are “bottled for” a well known name, not Weingut wines.

This exponential growth has benefited all the five VDP estates that he now represents. The actual growth market is the unprejudiced upwardly-moving wine drinker under the age of 35. He or she likes dry Rieslings in traditional tall bottles with simple labels, back labels and Stelvin screw-top capsules - and will pay higher prices.

The Press sings the praises of German wines but the real problems are distribution and availability – their editors will not allow them to write about wines that their readers cannot easily buy. Most members of the Wine Trade love Riesling but do not yet have the confidence really to push the sales. My experience is that those who build a profitable business in German wines in the UK need a small group of suppliers from different regions (with various grape varieties) who will work in unison to build the business. This justifies regular shipments and solves both problems – and not perhaps just for exports to the UK. Membership of the VDP should be a great advantage in this respect.
The VDP stands for quality, like Rolls Royce, now sadly for us a German owned company. Currently, VDP is driving the high quality dry wine revolution Erstes and Grosses Gewächs plus the revival of Mosel Erste Lage. I did not find it easy to explain these in my book, however, the wines are brilliant and now is the time to educate wine-drinkers world-wide. The huge efforts of the VDP are re-creating the prestige of all German wines. The renaissance of true Riesling is here.

At a personal level, my wife Janet and I have been welcomed with open arms by so many members of VDP and we would like say a personal thank each and every one.    
 
Wynford Vaughan Thomas from Wales, a wit and a journalist, BBC broadcaster and wine lover, once told me that he was discussing campaign problems with an American General, and asked him how he proposed to solve them, “Sir”, he replied, “we don’t solve our problems, we overwhelm them”."

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