Germany bows down to Andalucía’s premium wines

Prestigious German magazine Der Feinschmecker offers readers an extensive in-depth article rating the region’s lesser-known wines

07/05/2012

Der Feinschmecker is the most important magazine in the German gourmet sector

‘Vertigo in the deep south’ is the emphatic heading given by Der Feinschmecker, the most important publication in the German gourmet sector, to its special six-page article devoted to the wines made in Andalucía’s upland regions in its June issue.

The article highlights the potential of the southern Spanish region and its uplands when it comes to making top-of-the-range, fresh wines with heightened acidity and immense vivacity; a phenomenon, up until now, unknown in Germany. More to the point, the article puts the spotlight on premium wines from the town of Ronda and the region of Axarquía in Malaga, by describing the work carried out at six of the region’s bodegas.

Whereas, according to Der Feinschmecker, the Axarquía bodegas are famous for their sweet white wines made from Moscatel (Muscat) – which makes them easier to identify thanks to the perfect harmony between residual sugars and acidity –, the bodegas located around Ronda on the whole embody the awakening of the region’s red wines, which are often made in adherence to strict organic norms.

Andalucía managed to seduce the German magazine thanks to the professional insight of its bodegas – businesses which have many times led the way when it comes to making the “new reds” of Andalucía; made primarily from international varieties such as Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir and other varieties regarded in Spain as more exotic, for example, Lemberger.

Important to bear in mind is the fact that Spanish wine imports in Germany increased 29.2 per cent by volume in 2011 over the figures from the previous year, according to the latest figures from the German Office for National Statistics. As a result, Spain has outdone France in the German wine import ranking and currently occupies second place behind Italy.