© Albrecht Schwegler WineryIt is thanks to pioneers like Albrecht Schwegler from Korb near Stuttgart, Fürst Hohenlohe-Öhringen, Gerhard Roth from Wiesenbronn in Franconia or Paul Fürst that the image of the red wine cuvée has gradually changed. As early as the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s, they began producing high-quality red blends that claimed to be at least equal in quality and price to the best Pinot Noirs in the country.
As a result, more and more producers were inspired to create high-quality red cuvées, mostly as a niche product in the range, but a few also built a large part of their success on this type of wine.
But there is no such thing as a "wine type". The range is wide. Some imitate classic models, especially Bordeaux, others assemble mainly indigenous varieties. The growing interest in fungus-resistant new varieties is expanding the field even further. A small niche is occupied by the "old set" or "mixed set", in which the individual varieties grow together on one plot from the outset and are harvested and vinified together.
This is perhaps also the shortcoming that red wine cuvées still have in Germany: they have no identity of their own, no comprehensible common character of origin or region. You have to know the individual wine to get an idea of what to expect. But they all benefit from the idea that the whole is better than the sum of its parts. That is the art of assemblage. Of course, not everyone masters it equally well. But more and more are doing it.
We tasted around 100 red cuvées from Germany this year, of which we present the best here. Unfortunately, not all the important representatives of this wine category accepted our invitation, which is why one or two well-known names and their wines are sadly missing. Wines that are still to be presented to us will automatically be added here. Links to all the wines tasted with detailed descriptions and their producers can be found at the end of each list.
Weingut Helmut Geil
— Rheinhessen
trocken Cuvée "WildschWein"
87 WP
very good
14.20 €
Weinbau Familie Stritzinger
— Main
2020 Landwein Alter Satz "Vinum Frankonium Purpureum 20"
89 WP
very good
23.90 €
Weingut Eisele
— Neckar
2020 Landwein trocken "Adam Muschelkalk" Goldkapsel
25.00 €
Weingut Bickel-Stumpf
— Franconia/Franken
2020 Thüngersheim VDP.Ortswein trocken Cuvée "Rot Hügel"
87 WP
very good
Weingut Rudolf Fürst
— Franconia/Franken
2019 trocken "Parzival"
90 WP
excellent
23.00 €
Weingut Wageck-Pfaffmann
— Pfalz
2019 trocken Réserve Cuvée "Wilhelm"
90 WP
excellent
Weingut Wageck-Pfaffmann
— Pfalz
2019 trocken Cuvée "Wilhelm"
89 WP
very good
Weingut Braunewell
— Rheinhessen
2019 trocken Réserve "François"
89 WP
very good
30.00 €
Weingut Roth
— Franconia/Franken
2019 trocken Cuvée "G"
88 WP
very good
22.00 €
Oliver Zeter
— Pfalz
2019 trocken Cuvée "Z"
88 WP
very good
17.50 €
Weingut Espenhof / Nico Espenschied
— Rheinhessen
2019 Syrah-Cabernet Franc trocken "Herz + Hand"
88 WP
very good
15.00 €
Weingut Espenhof / Nico Espenschied
— Rheinhessen
2019 trocken "Stammbaum - Assemblage" Reserve
88 WP
very good
12.50 €
Weingut Zimmerle
— Württemberg
2019 trocken "Goldadler - Triologie"
88 WP
very good
38.00 €
Weingut Hans Wirsching KG
— Franconia/Franken
2019 VDP.Gutswein trocken "Rondos"
87 WP
very good
Weingut Helmut Geil
— Rheinhessen
trocken Cuvée "WildschWein"
87 WP
very good
14.20 €
Weingut Blankenhorn
— Baden
2019 Schliengen Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot VDP.Ortswein trocken "Postillon"
87 WP
very good
37.00 €
Weingut Knauß
— Württemberg
2019 trocken "Signatur Rot"
87 WP
very good
11.90 €
Weingut Wageck-Pfaffmann
— Pfalz
2018 trocken Réserve Cuvée "Wilhelm"
91 WP
excellent
Weingut Richard Östreicher
— Franconia/Franken
2018 Sommerach Katzenkopf Cuvée "R"
35.00 €
Weingut Engelhof
— Baden
2018 Landwein "Wildner Red Sponti"
91 WP
excellent
39.00 €
Oliver Zeter
— Pfalz
2018 "Zahir"
90 WP
excellent
42.00 €
Weingut Wageck-Pfaffmann
— Pfalz
2018 trocken Cuvée "Wilhelm"
89 WP
very good
Weingut Kistenmacher-Hengerer
— Württemberg
2018 trocken Cuvée * Maximilian *
89 WP
very good
16.90 €
Weingut Albrecht Schwegler
— Württemberg
2018 "GRANAT Grande Cuvée"
89 WP
very good
56.00 €
Weingut Jürgen Ellwanger
— Württemberg
2018 trocken "Hades - Nikodemus"
89 WP
very good
29.00 €
Weingut Rainer Schnaitmann
— Württemberg
2018 trocken Cuvée MC, Simonroth®
88 WP
very good
36.00 €
Fellbacher Weingärtner eG
— Württemberg
2018 Fellbach Lämmler trocken Edition P, "Amandus"
87 WP
very good
26.90 €
Weingut Albrecht Schwegler
— Württemberg
2018 "SAPHIR Grande Cuvée"
88 WP
very good
38.00 €
Weingut Albrecht Schwegler
— Württemberg
2018 "BERYLL Grande Cuvée"
88 WP
very good
19.00 €
WEINGUT ESCHER
— Württemberg
2018 Cabernet Franc-Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon trocken "Wunderwerk"
48.00 €
Bio-Weingut Bernhard Ellwanger
— Württemberg
2018 trocken "G.T"
88 WP
very good
12.90 €
Weingut Braunewell
— Rheinhessen
2018 trocken "der kleine François"
87 WP
very good
10.50 €
Weingut Helmut Geil
— Rheinhessen
trocken Cuvée "WildschWein"
87 WP
very good
14.20 €
Weingut Siegloch
— Neckar
2018 Landwein trocken Cuvée "vogelfrei - Aves R"
87 WP
very good
20.00 €
Weingut Wageck-Pfaffmann
— Pfalz
2017 trocken Cuvée "Wilhelm"
90 WP
excellent
Weingut Wageck-Pfaffmann
— Pfalz
2015 trocken Cuvée "Wilhelm"
89 WP
very good
Weingut Wageck-Pfaffmann
— Pfalz
2017 trocken Réserve Cuvée "Wilhelm"
89 WP
very good
Weingut Wageck-Pfaffmann
— Pfalz
2014 trocken Cuvée "Wilhelm"
89 WP
very good
Weingut Emil Bauer & Söhne
— Pfalz
2017 trocken "Cultor"
89 WP
very good
Weingut Braunewell
— Rheinhessen
2017 trocken "François"
88 WP
very good
15.80 €
Weingut Emil Bauer & Söhne
— Pfalz
2017 trocken "Altor"
88 WP
very good
Weingut Emil Bauer & Söhne
— Pfalz
2017 trocken "Amator"
88 WP
very good
Weingut Wageck-Pfaffmann
— Pfalz
2016 trocken Cuvée "Wilhelm"
87 WP
very good
Weingut Emil Bauer & Söhne
— Pfalz
2017 trocken "Servator"
87 WP
very good
