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Thirteen generations of winemaking — and counting
Rainer Karl Lingenfelder hopes his three sons — ages 12, 15, and 16 — will someday, as he puts it, “continue the family business.”
And what a business it is: Lingenfelder Estate, one of Germany’s most intriguing wineries.
Not that there might be any pressure on those boys. I mean, the family traces its grape-growing roots to only 1520. That’s a mere 13 generations. Kids gotta go their own way, right?
I mean, who cares what dad and 82-year-old grandpa, who still works in the winery and vineyards alongside his son (“He tried to retire, but we couldn’t let him go,” Rainer says), think?
Well, here’s hoping at least one or more of those sons shows the viticultural touch that seems to run through Lingenfelder veins. Because a world with Lingenfelder wines is a world I want to grow old in.
Rainer swung through the Miami Valley last month on a whirlwind marketing tour of the states, and stopped at The Winds in Yellow Springs for a wine luncheon (a coup of sorts, and yet another indication of the importance of the Miami Valley as a thriving wine market).
There he poured several wines, including a 2004 Scheurebe (Be sure to check out the various pronunciations of Scheurebe on Lingenfelder’s web site — it’s a hoot) and two of his flagship “animal label” rieslings from the excellent 2005 vintage, the “Bird” Riesling and the “Fish” Riesling.
Don’t let the “critter” nature of the labels fool you: These are serious wines, and serious bargains as well at about $13 a bottle. The Bird label is produced from Lingenfelder’s fruit in the Pfalz region of Germany, just north of France’s Alsace region, with which the Pfalz shares climate and geology. The Fish label is grown from grapes from a fellow winemaker up the river a bit, in the Mosel region of Germany (and there won’t be any 2006 vintage of the Fish Riesling because of lowered yields that year, so seek out the ‘05).
The wines were similar in “dryness,” but Lingenfelder said the Fish label contained nearly 4 percent residual sugar, compared to about 1.8 percent for the Bird label. Just shows the magic role of acidity in riesling, especially German rieslings.
But it’s not all about white wines at Lingenfelder. Unlike many of his German winemaking peers, Lingenfelder produces a robust amount of red wine — 30 percent of the winery’s production, in fact. And it was Rainer’s idea. His father, who didn’t like red wine, tore out the red-wine grapevines in 1960. But Rainer, who spent time in Australia in the 1970s and three months learning in Bordeaux in 1980, planted pinor noir (called Spatburgunder in Germany) on the estate in 1980 (see, kids? You’ll have the freedom to do what you want, even if it disses the old man … ).
Lingenfelder served his flagship pinot noir, the 2002 GanYMed (a propritary name derived from a figure in Greek mythology who was, essentially, sommellier to the gods), and it was a revelation: dark in color, with concentrated pinot flavors framed by toasty oak and firm acidity. So THIS is what they can do with red wines in Germany now?
Well, yes, and that’s in part because it is getting warmer, and fast. Toss aside for a moment the politics of global warming, and listen to Lingenfelder tell you that he just experienced the warmest April ever recorded (and these are Germans, so there have been records). And it was by a large margin of two to three degrees, Lingenfelder said.
“And over the last 15 years, our picking time has been two weeks earlier on average than it had been in all previous years,” Lingenfelder said.
Now remember, his family has been doing this for a few centuries, so “all previous years” — well, it kind of means something here.
Here’s betting that it’ll mean something to those Lingenfelder boys, too, as they work up a sweat in the vineyards with the spirits of 13 generations looking down upon them.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Comments
By Jessica
June 7, 2007 3:26 PM | Link to this
Cuvee Wine Bar & Cellar in Bellbrook, 4457 State Route 725, carries Lingenfelder wines. We can order any that you don’t see on the shelves, also. 937-848-2161
By Jim
June 7, 2007 8:11 AM | Link to this
Great Lingenfelder website. And the audio was a hoot. Having lived in the Mosel region, I’ll have to try the Scheurebe
By Mark Fisher
June 7, 2007 7:29 AM | Link to this
Cathy: Perhaps some wine retailers or the wines’ distributor, Bowling Green Beverage, can help us with your question …
By Cathy
June 6, 2007 3:37 PM | Link to this
Mark, you are tempting me. I adore well-made German wines. Besides The Winds, are there other wine shops in the area which carry a decent selection of the Lingenfelder’s wines?
By Ann Boucher
June 6, 2007 11:16 AM | Link to this
I agree, great story, and I really enjoy your lively style of writing.
By Greg
June 6, 2007 10:02 AM | Link to this
Great story. I also enjoyed the audio on the referenced web site. You should add your take on the word.