Today is international mulled wine day. Never heard of it? Me neither, but it did get me thinking on the history of mulled wine. It seems nearly all Northern European cultures have a form of mulled wine, gluhwein, glögg, kuhano vino, greyano vino, vin chaud to name but a few. Mulling, or heating and spicing wine has been around for two millenia give or take a few centuries. The first recorded mention of mulled or heated wine is found in the 2nd century B.C. in a play by Roman playwright Titus Macius Plautus, The Weevil or Curculio. The Romans would heat wine in the sun to continue fermentation or to thicken the wine for storage and transportation. Then water the wine down with old wine and/or sea water to balance the acidity and then add enriching spices to make a palatable drink. The great Greek physician, Galen also mentions heating wine as a tonic for curing many ailments around the same time, coincidence? The first mention of it in the UK, where it is commonly and possibly only drunk during the bonfire night festival in the month of November and during December in the build up to Christmas Day, is in the fourteenth century cookbook The Forme of Cury. The Recipes contained within suggest serving certain spiced dishes with a spiced wine. This tradition has continued to this day in many households, especially those in the countryside who associate mulled wine with winter hunting.
But, that’s enough of that. Mulled wine, in my opinion, is best saved for a one off novelty drink to welcome guests at Christmas or as an apre ski starter for ten. For the remainder of this article I’m turning 180 degrees and reviewing a German Eiswein. Rich in fruit, thick in body and deliciously sweet. The wine in focus is a Riesling Eiswein from the Gustel-Lutz winery in the Rheinhessen region of Germany.
Riesling first appears in written records in Germany's Rhein valley in the fourteenth century. It may have been a wild vine cultivated during the Middle Ages. It spread from the Rhein valley to the Mosel valley and in the eighteenth century became the dominant variety. In modern times, the Rheinhessen, bounded by the Rhein to the east, is Germany's largest vine growing region with a range of black and white grape varieties planted. The focus is on Muller-Thurgau and Riesling white varieties and Dornfelder, Spatburgunder and Portugeiser red varieties. The region has traditionally focused production around the town of Nierstein on the banks of the Rhein river, the Rheinterasse, and produces some of the best Riesling to come out of Germany as a country. In recent years the area for value and good wines has moved further south and west which has increased the Rheinhessen's reputation for innovation and progress.
It's here in Bechtolsheim that the Lutz winery, at the foot of the Petersberg hills have made a gorgeously rich and unctuous dessert wine. German Eiswein is a rarity and reasonably difficult to obtain. The best depend only on the weather to produce the correct conditions, which means that it has to have a series of days or weeks with very low temperatures during October through December to ensure that the grapes freeze solidly on the vine for harvesting. The best Eiswein manages to achieve the perfect balance between acidity, fruit and sweetness using varietal flavours. Having been left on the vine into Winter, the Riesling variety benefits from being a late ripening grape so it can accumulate the required sugar levels to make a sweet wine without losing the acidity required to make a balanced wine.
So how do I rate this wine? Well pouring it out of the bottle you can immediately see the beautiful gold colour. You can also tell that the wine has plenty of body, it's legs appear thick and sticky on the side of the glass. The intensity of the Riesling variety are maintained with a heavy shot of honeysuckle and apricot and undertones of peach, nectarine and toast on the nose. On the palette the honey and apricot dominate with a finish of minerality and petrol and oh boy is the finish long. I'll be tasting this wine into next week. The balance is excellent with the high acidity enabling a level of sweetness which makes the wine so unctuous and delicious without detracting from the fruit. This is an excellent wine.
APPEARANCE
Clear deep gold in colour.
NOSE
Clean high intensity aromas.
Primary aromas
Honeysuckle; Peach; Apricot.
Secondary aromas
Toast.
Tertiary aromas
Dried apricot.
The wine is fully developed.
PALATE
Sweet; High acidity; Medium alcohol; Full body; Pronounced flavour intensity
Primary flavours
Honey; Peach; Apricot; Wet Stone.
Secondary flavours
Toast.
Tertiary flavours
Hint of petrol.
FINISH
Long.
CONCLUSION
An outstanding example of a Riesling Eiswein.
Drink now but has potential for ageing.
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