20213041_WGDE2021_ENGL

OVERVIEW
HOW TO READ
THIS GUIDE
There is a certain similarity between
a wine guide and a calendar: within
a foreseeable period both serve as
daily companions – but at some point
their usefulness comes to an end. When
the last calendar pages are gone – or most
of the wines featured in this guide have
sold out – it is time to say good-bye and
put the next edition on your bookshelf.
In order that you, dear readers, get the
greatest possible benefit from this guide
over the coming twelve months, we would
like to give you a few tips on how to get
the most out of it. First of all please note
that we have introduced a new element to
our estate descriptions: we have evaluated
each estate and awarded star ratings – out
of a maximum of five stars. Here is what
these categories represent:
* An estate that regularly produces
wines which are typical for
the grape variety and region.
** An estate known for reliable wine
quality, representing the wines of its
regions at a high level.
*** An estate known for making
individual wines of consistently
outstanding quality, held in high
esteem in both domestic and some
export markets.
**** An estate recognised for consistently
producing top wines of a distinct
style, whose wines are sought after in
both domestic and export markets.
***** An estate with a long and
continuous track record of
producing top wines of a distinctly
individual style, whose wines are
highly sought after in both domestic
and export markets.
In addition to the rating and description
of each estate, you will find a score –
along the internationally used
100-point-scale – for each tasted wine.
All the best wines come with a detailed
description. The Falstaff tasting panel
places very high importance on this
sensorial description: depending on
occasion and food, wines with a more
modest score, say a perfectly captured
entry-level wine of a two-star estate with
a solid 88 points may be more suited
than a still youthfully shy 94-point wine
from a five-star-estate. Our descriptions
will prove invaluable when making such
buying or drinking decisions. The tasting
notes will also go a long way in answering
the question of ‘will I personally like
this wine?’
What is more, we have designated one
wine of each estate as our “Falstaff Tip”.
This category usually designates a wine
that provides excellent value, is a particular
speciality of the estate or simply a curiosity
of note. Further information on the
individual estates which was beyond the
scope of this printed guide can be found at
www.falstaff.de where the search function
will yield very quick results.
But back to our comparison to calendars.
A calendar with outstanding photography
is worth hanging on to and warrants being
looked at again later. We hope that this
will be the case for this book. We all
know how differently we see things with
the passing of years and who knows,
memory may well imbue the guide with
value – even more so when a few bottles
of these vintages are still in the cellar.
8 falstaff Wine Guide Germany 2021