2016 Bernhard Scheurebe Kabinett ‘Hackenheimer Kirchberg’

85% Scheurebe, 15% Riesling hand harvested from thirty year old vines on clay and calcareous marl soils. 8.5% alcohol. Scheurebe is a little-known variety here in the states. Created in 1915 by Dr. Georg Scheuas a cross between Riesling and Bukettraube, it was designed to be similar to Riesling but better suited to growing in the Rheinhessen. 

Fantastic value on this lightly sweet but still very fresh, almost decade old Scheurebe.  It might not be as complex as Riesling, but it’s delicious and quaffable, with high toned notes of lemon, grapefruit and blackcurrant (Scheurebes trademark). Light in body with well balanced and still brisk acidity. Perfect for weeknight Thai and Indian meals.

“If Riesling expresses all that is noble and good, Scheurebe offers all that is dirty and fun.” - Terry Thiese (legendary Germany wine importer)

This 600 year-old family estate is nominally in the Hessen but its soils, with their complex amalgam of porphyry, quarzite and loam, bear more resemblance to the Nahe, which is just over the hill. Hartmut Bernhard, the current proprietor, is an instinctive wine-grower and maker. He knows exactly what he is doing without intellectualising it.  At his side is his wife Petra, who holds a German engineering degree in viticulture and enology. Twelve generations ago, Hartmut’s ancestors, originating from the Spanish Netherlands in a region known as Brabant, faced religious persecution, compelling them to emigrate. Utilizing their Gulden, they purchased vineyards, initiating the cultivation and trade of wine. In 1890, Hartmut’s Great-Grandfather notably supplied wine to the government in barrels. Post World War II, his father transitioned to bottling wine, marking the inception of the present-day winery. Total annual production is 6,000 cases with about 25 acres under vine.