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We award the "Collections of the Year" to those wineries that have recently caught our eye in a particularly positive way and that convince us with especially independent wines and ranges. These can be famous top producers, but also up-and-coming wineries, and of which we have the impression, based on their performance, that they are just establishing themselves at the absolute top of the region.

The "Discovery of the Year" is awarded to wineries that we either did not know until recently, or that have recently attracted our attention with the greatest leap in quality in the respective region and that we can only recommend to every wine lover who wants to get to know new, not yet universally known top winemakers. Whether we can award a prize also depends on how representative the wine entries from the respective region turned out to be, but also on how complete the eligible wineries submitted and how good the overall standard is. So we may have no award winners at all for some areas, and possibly only one collection or discovery of the year for others.

Here you will find all the award winners for the time being. Links to the sub-pages with picture and congratulatory text will follow shortly.

The award winners of the 2021 tasting season

Collection of the year Baden

Franz Keller Winery - Black Eagle

Since the opening of the new cellar, the wines here have become even more refined and stylistically cooler. You can tell from the wines that Friedrich Keller's role models are in Burgundy, and yet they remain entirely Kaiserstühler Gewächse - just the most elegant of all. The 2019 Pinot Noirs are certainly the best we have ever tasted from here.

Discovery of the year Baden

Winery Peter Wagner

The often cool and elegant wines are an enrichment for the Kaiserstuhl - and that across all varieties and styles. Even the inexpensive basic wines deserve attention. Don't forget the sparkling wines!

Collection of the year Franconia

Winery Rudolf Fürst

2019 is not only the best vintage under the responsibility of Sebastian Fürst, at least the Bürgstädter Spätburgunder could prove to be the greatest ever made here. With all the enthusiasm, one almost forgets that Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay also belong to the top in Germany, on a par with the very best Palatinate and Baden growths.

Discovery of the year Franconia

Vineyard Philip Bernard

This small sideline winery from Erlenbach, not far from Klingenberg, is a must-see. Both the red and white Burgundy varieties and the Silvaner are often quite excellent, and at very consumer-friendly prices. But don't hesitate too long: the production comes from only 1.5 hectares of vineyards!

Collection of the year Moselle

Nik Weis - Sankt-Urbanus-Hof

Sometimes it is hard to believe that with such a wide range of wines, everything can really be of first-class quality. But this year it is the case with Nik Weis. The 2020 collection, from the smallest dry Riesling to the sweet Prädikat wines, has no weaknesses whatsoever.

Discovery of the year Mosel

Winery Christoph Eifel

A series of great noble sweet Rieslings crowns a 2020 series in which even the inexpensive entry-level wines are consistently convincing. You can tell from the wines that Christoph Eifel, who has just taken over the winery from his father, learned from Nik Weis and Thomas Haag, among others. A new top winery seems to be emerging here.

Collection of the Year Nahe

Hermann Dönnhoff Winery

It is difficult to say anything about an institution like the Dönnhoff Winery that is not already common knowledge. No Riesling lover in his right mind would want to imagine a wine world without Dönnhoff. From the base to the top, dry, sweet or noble sweet - everything here is first class.

Collection of the year Palatinate

Oliver Zeter

You only have to look at the variety list to see where Oliver Zeter's role models are at home. Many wineries are now experimenting with classic French varieties. But what is produced here from Viognier, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc makes it clear that Zeter is long past the experimental phase. He has also mastered the classic indigenous varieties, as can be seen from his excellent Rieslings and Spätburgunders. Even the sparkling wines are among the top in Germany.

Collection of the Year Rheingau

Georg Breuer Winery

Hardly anyone manages to combine slenderness and finesse with concentration, depth and expressiveness in wines as convincingly as Theresa Breuer. And this is not only true for Germany. The Schlossberg, for example, can be downright massive thanks to its structure and yet has no heaviness whatsoever - with only 12% alcohol. In addition, these wines age fantastically: in blind vertical tastings of older Riesling vintages, you can rarely go wrong if you attribute the freshest examples to Breuer. This also applies to more difficult vintages, as can be seen once again in the outstanding 20 series.

Collection of the Year Rheinhessen

Wittmann Winery

Already father Günter Wittmann was a pioneer in the field of first-class dry Riesling in the 80s of the last century, and since then the winery has always been among the top in the country. But what Philipp Wittmann is currently bottling eclipses everything that has gone before. The wines are drier, the fruit less than in the past, but they have gained in backbone, grip, depth, complexity and structure - and that rather with lower alcohol than in the past. These are wines that we can hardly imagine being better; it is not for nothing that we have chosen them without exception as our favourite wines. Also a premiere.

Collection of the Year Saale-Unstrut

Lüttmer Winery

Whatever may have prompted the Lüttmers to specialise in Frühburgunder: it seems to have been a good decision. In any case, we are always amazed at how good the wines are here. This is our first award for the Saale and Unstrut, and we are happy to present it!

Collection of the Year Württemberg

Beurer Winery

Jochen Beurer's mostly tightly woven and complex, always lively wines belong to the heads of character in the country. One should give them time and attention to experience the fascination they can exert. This often begins with the smaller wines; the red and white Grossen Gewächse, on the other hand, are without exception among the absolute top in the region.

Discovery of the Year Württemberg

Siegloch Winery

A new discovery that will not remain an insider tip for long. The wines are simply too good for that. Not only Lemberger and Trollinger are of astonishing class, but also Riesling or Pinot Blanc are convincing - and sometimes at strikingly low prices.

Collection of the Year German Sparkling Wine

Schloßgut Diel

German sparkling wine has become so important and of such high quality in recent years that we want to dedicate a separate prize to it from now on. In the first year, we could hardly find a more worthy winner than Schlossgut Diel. Not only has first-class sparkling wine been produced here for a long time, the current cuvée "Mo" is possibly the greatest German sparkling wine we have ever come across.

Discovery of the year German Sparkling Wine

Sekthaus BurkhardtSchür

The Sekthaus is the third prize-winner this year, coming from the Franconian Pinot Noir stronghold around Klingenberg and Bürgstadt. It seems as if there is a lot going on here at the moment. The estate was completely unknown to us until now. Our mistake. Because what we tasted was so convincing that we had to unpack our favourite wine heart several times. This is without a doubt one of the best sparkling wine houses in the country!

Collection of the Year Burgenland

Winery Ernst Triebaumer

Triebaumer is still one of the great beacons of Blaufränkisch. This is true not only for the legendary Mariental, which shows like few other wines what is possible from the variety. Since 2005, Triebaumers have also been experimenting with natural wines without any added sulphur. The stunning 17 Blaufränkisch Urwerk makes it clear that they have long since outgrown the experimental phase.

Collection of the Year Lower Austria

Winery Pichler-Krutzler

The sensational 2020 series of Rieslings and Veltliners from Elisabeth Pichler-Krutzler and Erich Krutzler would be capable of turning even the biggest Wachau sceptic into an ardent devotee. The Rieslings and Veltliners combine extreme concentration, depth and complexity with astonishing finesse and an almost light-footed demeanour that we have rarely experienced.

Discovery of the year Lower Austria

Pax Winery

Already with their first vintage, Franz Stefan Pichler and Verena Axman have made it clear that they are serious about their 2-hectare project in Wösendorf. With their polished and at the same time expressive wines, they are immediately claiming a place in the Wachau's top league.

Collection of the Year Styria

Neumeister Winery

It's not just the sheer quality of Neumeister's wines that never ceases to amaze us; it's also their very own, unmistakable character. Even the basic wines often have a mixture of inner calm and at the same time expressiveness that you can hardly find anywhere else. The wines need time and attention, but they are always worth it.

Collection of the year Piedmont

Cavallotto Tenuta Bricco Boschis

Cavallotto produces uniquely fine and at the same time highly complex and deep Barolo in the traditional style, which can only leave you cold if you have no idea what to do with the Nebbiolo grape variety. And even then it gets difficult. The 15 Riserve are among the greatest wines we know from Piedmont.

Collection of the year South Tyrol

Manincor Winery

Almost every biodynamically produced wine we tasted from Manincor this year first needed a day to show what it was really capable of. Most of them we drank for days afterwards, because we couldn't or didn't want to let go of them. This is where some of the most complex, profound and, above all, characterful wines of South Tyrol are produced.

Collection of the year Tuscany

Lisini

The award does not refer to the 2017 vintage, which is just going on sale, but to the 16 Annata, which we tasted last year, and above all to the two magnificent 15 Prestige wines Riserva and Ugolaia, both of which are among the greatest wines of the vintage: the Riserva is a little more powerful, yet tremendously deep and complex, Ugolaia at least as complex, but in comparison almost cool, fine, polished, differentiated and beguiling.

Collection of the Year Lombardy

Ca'del Bosco

Ca'del Bosco underlines its leading position in Franciacorta not only with the famous prestige cuvée "Annamaria Clementi", which is again almost unrivalled in the area. The "Vintage Collection" series is also so stunningly good that we couldn't help but give all the wines presented our favourite wine heart.

Discovery of the year Lombardy

Derbusco Cives

Don't be put off by the extravagant bottles and labels. These are not some kind of dazzlers that have to attract attention mainly because of their packaging, quite the opposite. Everything here is convincing without exception, and always more than that. The great "Decem Annis" from 2009 left us speechless: we have never known Franciacorta matured so well.

Collection of the year Sicily

Palmento Costanzo

2 vintages with 3 wines each of the prestige series "Contrada Santo Spirito" we could taste last, which differ only by numbers: one wine stronger than the other. Some of the deepest and most complex wines of Sicily are produced here. However, you have to dedicate yourself to them with time and tranquillity in order to be able to fathom everything they contain. Those who like it a little simpler and yet not undemanding, stick to the equally thoroughly convincing basic line called "Mofete", which introduces you to the world of Etna wines at a very affordable price.

Discovery of the year Sicily

Tenuta di Fessina

After we were not entirely convinced by the samples presented a few years ago, this time we were thrilled from the first sip. This is true for the clear, taut, multi-layered red "Erse Moscamento 1911", but almost more so for the two whites. The incredibly fine, at the same time deep and complex "il Musmeci" belongs to our absolute favourite wines among the whites of Italy.

Collection of the year Veneto

Giannitessari

From Giannitessari you can get excellent Soave, or red wines from the still little-known Colli Berici, which you should definitely keep an eye on. Almost even more exciting, however, are the Lessini Durello, completely independent sparkling wines from the Monti Lessini east of Lake Garda. Even the basic wines are convincing, but the vintage spumante, which are usually disgorged very late, are in a class of their own.

Collection of the year Rhône

Alain Jaume - Domaine Grand Veneur

The Domaine Grand Veneur is Alain Jaume's dependence for very good Côtes-du-Rhone and Côtes-du-Rhone Villages, but above all for excellent Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which succeed in combining intensity, concentration and power with astonishing polish and finesse in such a way that one hardly notices their alcohol power. Even the "Vieilles Vignes", one of the great wines of the region, remains comparatively affordable.

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