MUNDUS VINI Spring Tasting 2023

7,568 wines from 44 countries - one even from Afghanistan - were in line for the MUNDUS VINI spring tasting. 242 jurors from all over the world awarded prizes to the best wines. As a premiere, the category "alcohol-free" was tasted for the first time, with 131 still wines and 56 sparkling 'wines'.

Reading time: 2m 15s

Devil's Advocate - Sommeliers are now the Trendsetters of the Drinks World

Fresh from his experience at the 2023 ASI Meilleur Sommelier du Monde, Robert Joseph suggests that wine service professionals now know more about the drinks industry as a whole than almost anybody else.

Reading time: 4m 15s

Devil's Advocate: Vinegar or Wine?

Robert Joseph wonders if younger consumers - and sommeliers - are growing more tolerant of volatile acidity than older experts.

Reading time: 3m 30s

Barolo: Deserves its Reputation?

Has Barolo gone out of fashion? For our sister publication WEINWIRTSCHAFT it is clear after this tasting that the Piedmontese classic has lost none of its relevance. Clemens Gerke exalts the wines.

Reading time: 4m

Devil's Advocate - Sex and Wine: the (not so) Sweet Smell of Covid

Wine tasters rely on the reliability and accuracy of their sense of smell. How many, Robert Joseph wonders, have been impaired by the pandemic.

Reading time: 4m 15s

Alcohol-free Wines Raise their Game: Rising Stars from Germany

Meininger Verlag has tested 247 alcohol-free wines in one of the largest tastings for this category to date. Clemens Gerke reports on quality developments in this growing field.

Reading time: 5m 50s

Germany: VDP Wines Punch Above Their Weight

VDP wineries may only represent 3% of the German market by volume, but their 10% of the value makes them very significant. It also explains the importance of  the annual Grosses Gewächs (Grand Cru) tasting. Alexandra Wrann of WEINWIRTSCHAFT takes a closer look.

Reading time: 2m 30s

VDP White GG 2021: Wide Field of White

A good 60 white wines other than Riesling entered the lineup at the preview. This large complement to the traditional white wine GGs is far more than a marginal note of the Wiesbaden preview. Some of the wines were of a particularly high standard. Christoph Nicklas reports.

Reading time: 2m 45s

VDP Riesling GG 2021: Walking a Fine Line

The VDP has made around 450 wines from 2017 to 2021 available for tasting. Of the 629 GGs that will be released from September 1, 2022, 380 are Rieslings. The 2021 Riesling vintage does not come close to the great 2019 vintage, nor to 2020. However, top wineries from Rheinhessen, Nahe and Pfalz offer numerous highlights. Sascha Speicher describes his impressions.

Reading time: 6m 10s