Lemonade for Adults

Stephen Bitterolf of vom Boden

My dear friend Stephen Bitterolf is the founder of vom Boden, one of the most influential German wine importers. Stephen is a real Renaissance man—a talented artist, a passionate gardener, and obsessive about great wine. Before founding vom Boden, Stephen was the Wine Director at Crush Wine & Spirits in New York City. He is the founder of Rieslingfeier, a biennial celebration of German and Austrian wine, and is the author of Vom Boden: Ten Years of Hocks and Moselles. There is no better person to tell you a little about Riesling (and German wine in general) and how beautifully it pairs with Classic German Cooking.

Stephen in his happy place: a steep vineyard in Germany's famous Mosel Valley

One hundred years ago, German Riesling was among the most expensive and revered wines on earth. Countless restaurant wine lists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries document this illustrious history. In fact, it is one of the oldest wine cultures of western Europe, born roughly in tandem with those of Italy, France and Spain as the Romans plundered their way across Europe. If this golden era has been obscured, the reasons are as obvious as they are devastating: two world wars and the Holocaust. Germany’s wine culture was among the least significant victims of these human tragedies. But what sets the contemporary German wine landscape apart from the others – especially in the context of Classic German Cooking – is that it evolved separately from the culinary traditions of Germany.

Unlike France or Italy, where food and wine are wrapped around each other like spaghetti around a meatball, for much of written history only tiny regions in the south of Germany were warm enough to ripen grapes. German wine was a great rarity. Those bottles were gems; treasures that only a monied class opened before or after dinner. (What could grow everywhere in Germany were barley and hops. October may be the only month you find yourself in a big tent in Munich, wearing Lederhosen and toasting a complete stranger with a mug the size of a small appliance, but beer has a place on the German dinner table year-round.)

For the last 30 years, however, German wine has gone through an unprecedented renaissance. There has likely never been so much truly great wine produced in this country. Climate change has undoubtedly influenced this development; ripening grapes in Germany is no longer a significant problem. But even more importantly, our new world culture of travel and sharing has helped to educate and enrich a whole new generation of German winemakers. Finally, a return to a more hands-on viticulture, to a more passionate and less efficient winemaking, has dramatically raised the bar.

So, if you know little or nothing about German wine but are interested - and you should be, because despite its history, contemporary German wine pairs exceedingly well with food – where should you begin? At the beginning! With Riesling.

Riesling is one of the greatest white wines on earth and while it can have a touch of sweetness (in the business, we use the phrase “off dry” to describe wines with a bit of sweetness) you should know there are many wonderful dry Rieslings. In fact, there are some excellent ones in the $20 range. The best way to explore this category is to just ask someone at your local wine shop. Or, if that’s not possible, find a German Riesling that has this word on the label: “Trocken.” Trocken is the German word for dry. Yup, it’s that easy.

Riesling is about incisive refreshment; it’s lemonade for adults. If there is a crisper white wine out there, I have not met this wine (and I have met many wines). A great dry Riesling makes a Sancerre or a Chablis seem like sitting on a bean bag by a warm fire. Riesling is the ultimate refresher: tell your friends right away. Riesling’s association with sweetness is because the grape is so refreshing. Its very high acidity level is what makes it like lemonade – sometimes you even need some sugar to balance those screechingly high levels of acidity.

Now maybe you’re ready to engage with off-dry Riesling – wunderbar! That’s easy too. Again, just ask someone at your local wine shop or look for the words “Feinherb” or “Halbtrocken.” These words indicate an off-dry wine. Want a bit more sweetness? Try a “Kabinett” or “Spätlese.” There, you’re basically an expert on Riesling. Yes, you’ll have to explore a little but remember, this is the fun part. There are no wrong answers and the homework is, well, drinking wine.

While Riesling may be the most important product of German wine culture, it is not the only one. Once you move past Riesling, you don’t have to worry about sweetness anymore, because nearly all other German wines are dry. Like Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder in German), which has been in the country for around 1,000 years. In fact, Germany is the third largest producer of the grape. You’re not going to be able to find German Spätburgunder on every American grocery store shelf, but it’s out there in some abundance at savvier wine stores. For fans of Burgundy, German Spätburgunder will be an absolute revelation in both quality and price.

Nearly any grape or style of wine you can think of can be found in Germany. Even sparkling wine! Germans have a long history with sparkling wines that transcends national borders. Some of the most illustrious Champagne houses, like Mumm, Bollinger and Krug, had German founders. If you want to try some German bubbles, look for the word “Sekt” on the label.

To explore German wines, you will need to learn a bit of new vocabulary, but I’ll help: Pinot Grigio is Grauburgunder in German. Pinot Blanc is Weissburgunder. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, well, your lesson is over, because they keep their French names. While you don’t see a ton of these wines in the U.S., if you do, they are likely excellent.

For the even more adventurous, go beyond the well-known grapes. For crisp whites, try Müller-Thurgau, Elbling or Silvaner. Explore the lighter side of red wine with Trollinger, Portugiese or Lemberger. There is very little German wine culture can’t do very well, with one exception: deep, rich, powerful, high-alcohol, tannic red wines. And this is where we return to the beginning of our story. Although climate change is changing the viticultural landscape, Germany is still a “cool climate” and the wines here can’t match the power of the wines of California, or southern France, Italy or Spain.

But this is exactly the point.

The very essence of German wines, their singular point and reason for being, is their delicacy, their nimble agility, their cut and refreshment. Despite developing so separately, the German wine aesthetic pairs beautifully with the aesthetics of German cuisine. Perhaps because they are polar opposites. Richer textures (from Quark to Spätzle to Kartoffelklöße and Maultaschen), stews and meats (Gulasch, Tafelspitz and Sauerbraten) form a perfect symphony when paired with higher-toned wines. We recognize the power of opposites instinctually when eating: As the Wiener Schnitzel, fresh and still-glistening from the frying pan, is slipped onto your plate, you grab that slice of lemon and go to town. The key to life, or at least to some measure of happiness, may be a simple equation: Fat plus acid.

The essential lightness of German wines makes them a joyful addition to nearly any meal or culinary tradition. The great cliché (and great truth) is that German Riesling, especially when a touch off-dry, pairs superbly with spicy foods, whether from China or Mexico. Both sushi and oysters are revelatory with the scalpel of a crisp dry Riesling – move over Muscadet and Chablis. The more ethereal German red wines pair well with leaner white meats. The cut and bounce of both the white and reds provide the perfect foil for any roast, or ribs, or braise, or boil.

The only factor limiting this list of potential pairings is the word count that Luisa gave me, which I fear I have already wildly overstepped. There remains only one thing left to do: Go grab a bottle of German wine, begin your exploration, and send me your best pairings!

Thank you, Stephen!

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