wein.plus
Attention
You are using an old browser that may not function as expected.
For a better, safer browsing experience, please upgrade your browser.

Log in Become a Member

In order to give German wine a young, modern image at home and abroad, the German Wine Institute launched the "Generation Riesling" in 2006. In the meantime, the open platform of young, well-educated winemakers has scored its first successes.

Germans are humourless, perfectly organised and love technology, cars and engineers. German wine is called Liebfraumilch, is acid and costs little. Meticulous correctness instead of joie de vivre. This is the image that the marketing professionals of the German Wine Institute (DWI) have repeatedly encountered at tastings and presentations of German wines in England, the USA and Japan, even far into the new millennium. Prejudices are just stubborn. So those responsible decided to look for a remedy to counteract the cliché of the wine engineer whose character is as bone-dry as his wine.

The recipe was quickly mixed - and worked immediately: the new generation of winemakers was to shape a colourful image of German wine: Young winemakers who speak fluent English, have experience abroad, can present humorously and casually and are uncomplicated in their dealings. This idea gave rise to the "Generation Riesling". "We wanted to use it to rejuvenate and dynamise our image," explains Ernst Büscher, spokesman for the German Wine Institute, "and it worked so surprisingly successfully abroad that we transferred the concept back to Germany."

No competition between associations and federations

An open platform has emerged under the catchy term, which currently has around 300 members. Although Riesling is in the foreground because of its reputation, its cultivation is not a condition for membership. "We have created a structure that does not create competition with young winemakers' associations, federations and winemakers' groups," Büscher emphasises, "anyone who is a member of the Association of German Prädikat Winegrowers (VDP) or is involved in a group should also be able to join Generation Riesling." Winemakers must be no more than 35 years old and must already manage a winery or have responsibility in a cooperative or a large estate - for example as cellar master, sales manager or managing director.

The name was found in 2006 and a logo was designed soon afterwards. Shortly afterwards, the DWI had its first T-shirts produced. Today, there is a website, a Facebook group and a Twitter account as official forums of the platform. In June 2006, the "Generation Riesling" made its first appearance - and immediately in the country where the "Krauts" are still an object of hatred today: Great Britain. It competed in a small team at the table football world championship on the island with a young winemakers' team that did not win, but remained relaxed and easy-going. At a presentation in London, 25 young winemakers also showed the other face of German wine for the first time. At the beginning of 2008, the "Generation Riesling" representatives toured the wine clubs of venerable universities like Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh. Then it was off to trade fairs overseas.

"German vintners are too modest abroad"

Désirée Eser from the Rheingau, owner of the VDP winery August Eser in Oestrich-Winkel since 2007, is one of the first members of the "Generation Riesling". The graduate engineer for viticulture and oenology is active in other groups and associations at the same time, "because you can achieve much more if you move forward together". She liked the concept "because German vintners abroad are far too modest. Overseas vintners and Americans let themselves be celebrated with huge star cult - we, on the other hand, don't." In the meantime, besides Eser, Theresa Breuer from the highly decorated Rheingau winery Georg Breuer, Verena Clüsserath from the renowned Mosel estate Clüsserath-Weiler and Laura Dreher from the Markus Molitor winery are also part of the group. The same goes for Alexander Laible from Durbach in Baden: he was Gault Millau's "Discovery of the Year 2009" and Artvinum's "European Young Winemaker of the Year". "The idea of 'Generation Riesling' is spot on," he says, "but it would be important to push further not only the brand itself, but related themes."

Good wine and young people at the trend summit
Since 2008, "Generation Riesling" has also been on the road in Germany - especially in front of young audiences and at chic events, such as the summer festival of the Deutsche Guggenheim Museum and the "Cannes-Rolle" advertising film awards in Berlin, at the renowned delicatessen Dallmayr in Munich and at the Hamburg "Trendgipfel".

For some time now, the winemaker platform has been cooperating with the Steigenberger hotel chain. In the series "Generation Riesling@Steigenberger", in which seven hotels are participating, young winemakers will show how they know how to make wine until the end of October. A total of 28 dates are planned on which 41 representatives of the "Generation Riesling" will present their wines at a "wine-culinary evening". During a four-course meal, they personally explain their work. The booking package includes two overnight stays as well as six bottles of wine with a wine cookbook to take home. "If it's successful, we will talk to Steigenberger about expanding it," says Ernst Büscher. It is clear to all involved: it is a good start, but by no means the goal. Alexander Laible emphasises: "The thing must continue to grow." Désirée Eser also emphasises: "To achieve an image change, three years is not a long time. So we'll keep going as long as everyone has fun with it."

http://www.generation-riesling.de

Facebook: Generation Riesling

Twitter: http://twitter.com/gen_riesling

Related Magazine Articles

View All
More
More
More
More
More
More
More
More
More
More

EVENTS NEAR YOU

PREMIUM PARTNERS