20213041_WGDE2021_ENGL

NAHE | A PORTRAIT OF THE REGION
chäfer-Fröhlich
Weingut Schäfer-Fröhlich, Bockenauer Stromberg
is culture: take in the ruins of the former
monastery Disibodenberg where Saint Hildegard
of Bingen lived and worked for forty years. The
nearby meditation route “Weg der Stille” (route
of silence) offers contemplative peace.
BALANCED FINESSE
Back to wine. What is it that is so fascinating
about Nahe Riesling? Well, there is this
unmistakable, balanced style that combines
finesse, ripe acidity and aromatic intensity
with a complex, but never powerful, body
all wrapped in a totally animating lightness.
It is nothing to do with sorcery after all: it
merely is the result of a successful symbiosis
between nature’s offerings and formidable
winemaking. Where other regions use
timpani and trumpet, the Nahe plays in
quieter, more subtle sounds – think
xylophone and bassoon. Put another way,
colour is applied with a fine brush rather
than daubed. Then there is the calm
composure of the winemakers, combined
with natural authority and confidence. They
know what they are capable of achieving.
They don’t mind that the Nahe is an often
underrated region. They are a bit like
prophets without honour in their own
country: nobody bothers Cornelius
Dönnhoff when he’s out and about in Bad
Sobernheim – but in New York he is
celebrated like a rock star.
Photography was provided
Weingut Schäfer-Fröhlich is known for its
unmistakeable, authentic Rieslings
INFO
Heinz Kirchhoff, born in 1945, was a lecturer at a
commercial college. He describes himself as a “ selfconfessed
wine lover”. Beyond that, when he is not
visiting various German wine regions, an ambitious
home cook with a wide gastronomic outlook.
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