Sneakpreview
VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® 2024
Wiesbaden

Why the international wine world is keeping a close eye on Wiesbaden at the moment

The “GG” on a wine bottle – the abbreviation for a VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® in combination with the VDP.Eagle, the logo of the VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter / Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates), makes the hearts of wine enthusiasts all over the world beat faster.   

These two letters are a promise: This bottle contains a top-quality dry wine from one of the best German vineyards. This promise can only be made because the sites classified as VDP.GROSSE LAGE® have demonstrated over decades that they convey the terroir – their origin – in an unmistakable way and produce wines of such quality that they inevitably attract the attention of the international wine world.

The new vintage of top dry VDP.Wines
celebrates its debut

What is a “GG” and how is it created?

First and foremost is the vineyard, which must have great potential. From the soil, microclimate, topography, proximity to the forest and river, to its embedding in nature and its visual appearance. Over many years or even centuries, these vineyards have built up a high reputation. This begins with the history, documented by historical site maps or references, and is complemented by the highest reputation both among producers themselves and professionals. Their uniqueness is also reflected in how rare these sites are. There are 100,000 hectares of vineyards in Germany, the VDP.Estates cultivate 5,600 hectares. Wines titled a VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® account for 0.4 % of German wine production, which illustrates how rare and sought-after wines of this type are that can be found on the best wine lists in the world. 

However, it is no coincidence that the grapes harvested in these vineyards ultimately become internationally acclaimed wines. They are the logical consequence of the VDP.Winegrowers' high standards and dedication to their products: The grape varieties are each selected to suit the region and vineyard, the yield is deliberately reduced to enhance the quality and finally the grapes are harvested by hand. The VDP.Winegrowers are constantly adapting to the climatic conditions. This was particularly important in 2023, as not all berries ripened evenly, and some had to be sorted to ensure that only the perfect grapes were brought to the press. Many experts are already certain that the work, passion and experience of the VDP.Members have once again paid off and that 2023 will go down in wine history as a remarkably good vintage. However, this also shows that the VDP.Members know from experience and intuition what their vineyards need and thus produce top wines year after year that are second to none.

Time plays a key role

Through all these measures – but above all through their personal intuition – the VDP.Winegrowers ensure that a VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® reflects its site character in the glass. The result are wines so individual that their origin is unmistakable. However, the vineyard site, all the manual work and the expertise of the VDP.Winegrowers alone do not make a “GG”. Another factor contributes to the depth, structure and complexity of the VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®: Time. The white wines mature for a year, the red wines are even allowed to rest for a full two years before they are bottled. The wines can continue to mature in the bottle for decades and change their aromas. Observing this change in taste over a long period of time is a particular attraction for many wine connoisseurs. In addition, the wines are constantly subjected to the strictest quality controls and undergo several blind tastings before they find their way into the bottle.

200 experts from all over the world judge
the best dry wines in Germany

Once they have been bottled and could be launched on the market from September 1st, the VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® wines still have a special review ahead of them, which is popular among experts. Every year, the VDP invites representatives of the top national and international tasters from renowned wine publications, the trade and top restaurants to the “Vorpremiere VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®” at the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden, which will take place this year from Sunday, August 25th to Tuesday, August 27th. 

Over three days, guests have the opportunity to taste and evaluate the new vintage comprehensively, intensively and exclusively for the first time. This procedure is an indispensable part of the assessment of the “GGs”. Although one year in the cellar is a supposedly long time for white wines, the VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® wines are still very youthful. Only professionals with special knowledge and tasting experience are able to recognize the potential in the wines at this stage, which mature over the years and decades and often only reach their optimum drinking window after a long time. In order to offer the best tasting conditions, each bottle is pre-tasted and the wines are brought to the tasters' table at the perfect temperature and in an individually selected order. A special feature this year is that the Sachsen/Saale-Unstrut wine-growing region will be represented for the first time by five VDP.Estates at the Vorpremiere VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®.

FACTS AND FIGURES

561 VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® wines went through the tasting process this year, earning the right to come onto the market on September 1st, 2024. These wines were produced in 312 sites.

 

By Variety

Wines

In Percent

By Region

Wines

In Percent

Riesling

313

56%

Ahr

37

7%

Spätburgunder

126

22%

Baden

74

13%

Weißer Burgunder 

33

6%

Franken

54

10%

Silvaner

27

5%

Mittelrhein

6

1%

Grauer Burgunder 

23

4%

Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

39

7%

Lemberger / Blaufränkisch

18

3%

Nahe

37

7%

Chardonnay

14

2%

Pfalz

95

17%

Frühburgunder

7

1%

Rheingau

71

13%

 

 

 

Rheinhessen

65

12%

 

 

 

Sachsen/Saale-Unstrut

20

4%

      Württemberg 63 11%

TOTAL

561

100%

 

561

100%

 

What the 2023 white wine vintage year was like

After a dry spring without frost, during which the VDP.Winegrowers would have liked more rain for the development of the plants, it later became almost too much of a good thing. As a result of the warm and dry spring, the vines budded early. A few rainfalls during the ripening phase demanded a close look and a highly sensitive approach to caring for the plants, as the disease pressure increased quickly and significantly due to these circumstances. This resulted in early ripening, which meant that some grapes were harvested as early as the end of August. As estate and single-vineyard wines ripened at the same time in different places, many grapes had to be harvested at the same time, turning the harvest into a real major effort that was concentrated in a very short period of time. Meticulous care had to be taken to select only the healthy grapes. But the hard work paid off. The majority of VDP.Members were more than satisfied with the harvest and were able to bring top quality grapes into the cellar.

 

What the 2022 red wine vintage year was like

The year 2022 began under favorable conditions: A warm spring with no late frost damage allowed the vines to develop quickly and healthily. As early as May, the warm temperatures significantly boosted the growth of the foliage and the flowering of the vines. Quick and precise work was required in the vineyards to keep pace with nature. The ripening phase was accelerated by the dry and moderately warm summer, especially in cool locations with a sufficient water supply, which benefited from the hot days. Younger vineyards, on the other hand, suffered from the drought. Similar to 2018, the grape harvest began in many places at the end of August. In the top VDP.ERSTE LAGE® and VDP.GROSSE LAGE® sites, the optimum ripening time was often reached quite early. Thanks to the combination of soil and climate, these sites have developed an advantage in terms of ripeness. Precise timing was crucial in order to harvest the grapes at the peak of ripeness without compromising on quality. Thanks to careful manual work and precise selection, perfectly healthy and fully ripe grapes could be harvested.

 

And this is what the VDP.Winegrowers say

“The white wines from the 2023 vintage are incredibly balanced and have a cooler style. With a beautiful mineral pressure and rather low alcohol, they fit in perfectly with the times.” 
- Steffen Christmann, VDP.Estate A. Christmann, VDP.President

 

“After 2023 was certainly not uncomplicated, the VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® wines are a bigger surprise: you can really speak of an excellent vintage that has produced 'cool-climate Rieslings' despite the hot weather. The wines have good complexity with a firm core and good balance. This was certainly also because we were able to harvest healthy grapes in the Rheingau.” 
- Wilhelm Weil, VDP.Estate Robert Weil, Rheingau

 

“We tasted the wines not only with the VDP.Winegrowers, but also with a sommelier, and everyone was consistently impressed by the Frühburgunder and Spätburgunder GGs from 2022. It is an incredibly dense and high-quality field in this vintage in the Ahr valley. For the first time, we have bottled seven Frühburgunder and 30 Spätburgunder GGs, all of which are of exceptional quality.” 
- Hans-Jörg Lüchau, VDP.Estate Deutzerhof, Ahr

 

A detailed version of the press release, including sound bites from all growing regions, can be found here!

 

Voices of the press, trade & blogposts

20 years VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® 2022 in Wiesbaden

©2023

Photo: Franziska Stegemann

Film: Peter Bender