Wines made from Müller-Thurgau grapes of Saale-Unstrut
Discover the best wines made with Müller-Thurgau as a single variety or as a blend of Saale-Unstrut.
Müller-Thurgau shows the character of its noble origins. This Swiss white grape variety is a cross between the royal madeleine and the riesling. The idea that the latter was crossed with the sylvaner is irrelevant. The variety can be recognized by its vigorous character and its semi-erect habit. Preferring rich soils and short prunings, the plant sees its buds open quite early. The buds are cottony and soft green in color. The slightly embossed and tormented blade, with 5 to 7 lobes, makes it possible to distinguish the adult leaves. The clusters appear compact, pyramidal or cylindrical in shape and small to medium in size. The flavour of the Müller-Turgau berries is reminiscent of Muscat. The juicy and crunchy pulp is revealed under a greyish skin. When ripe, the fruit has a mottled shell on a golden yellow background. Switzerland prefers to extract the juice from this variety. The wine made from it is rather heavy and does not keep well.
Saale-Unstrut is the northernmost of Germany's 13 wine-growing regions. At 51 degrees northern latitude, it is one of the most northerly wine regions in the world. It takes its name from the two rivers on the banks of which the Vines of the region grow, and is composed of three non-contiguous Parts located mainly in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, with around 650 hectares (1600 acres) of Vineyards, often terraced, on South and south-west-facing slopes along the narrow river valleys. A smaller area of 20 hectares (50 acres) is located in the state of Thüringen and a block of just 7 hectares (17 acres) in Brandenburg.
Hosting a masterclass at Vinitaly in Verona – one of the wine world’s biggest wine fairs, and Italy’s most prominent – Richard Baudains presented 10 top-scoring Italian wines from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 to a captivated audience. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023, with judging commencing this week, the DWWA is a huge operation. Richard explained that last year, 18,244 wines were entered from 54 countries, and involved 237 experts from around the world, including 54 Masters of ...
Taking place over a month, between the 11 December and the 10 January, the unique Decanter at Home online event provides the perfect opportunity to sample a range of fine wines and access a series of curated videos from leading winemakers and experts at a time that suits you. A limited number of tickets are available for six world-class wine tasting masterclasses, including Bordeaux’s Château Angelus and Burgundy’s Bonneau du Martray, as well as general non-tasting tickets unlocking ...
Whenever I visit Domaine Richaud, just outside the village of Cairanne, the winemaking team remind me of friends I made at free parties in the 1990s in fields and disused warehouses. I’m not talking dreadlocks and dogs on strings, but there’s always an anarchic frisson in the air. You get the impression they know how to enjoy themselves. Perhaps it’s to be expected, given the radical furrow Marcel Richaud has ploughed. He’s approaching 70 now, but still thrums with pent-up energy, his ice-blue e ...