Expertise

Germany 2022 – full and fresh wines

Our new buyer Fiona Hayes, who will be taking over responsibility for buying German wines, says the 2022 vintage is all about approachability, with wines offering full body and ripeness.

Pfalz

Buying trips to Germany in recent years have often involved long discussions around drought and heat surrounding the vintage. 2022 is no exception, yet the wines are a far cry from some of the heat-affected vintages like 2003. 2022 is akin to a blend of two recent vintages: the acidity of 2019 and the alluring, juicy fruit of 2018. What is clear from tasting hundreds of wines in 2022, is that those growers who really understand the pressures of the vintage and their terroir can produce standout wines that can be extremely ageworthy, as well as drink spectacularly now.

2022 followed the classic 2021 vintage, a high-acidity year, with wines displaying a cool flavour profile with the potential to age in the cellar for decades. A tough act to follow without a doubt, yet I was more than pleasantly surprised with the resulting wines, showing exceptional balance and approachability.

Discovering the Saar

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Bright, refreshing acidity

The acidity in 2022 is bright and refreshing and the fruit aromas have a purity and precision (drought-affected vintages can be susceptible to dried-fruit aromas) with many growers attributing this to the fact that the vines didn’t shut down in the same way as 2003 or 2018. The weather conditions were dry, but temperatures were not too extreme and hot, especially at night where cooler temperatures enabled the grapes to retain their acidity. Well-timed rain in early September brought welcome relief to younger vineyards where roots have yet to establish themselves and cope with water stress, and flatter areas where roots are not as deep as their steep-sloped counterparts.

Growers are becoming better adapted and informed about how to react to drought conditions, especially given that water and heat issues are no longer the exception rather than the rule. Conversations around modifying viticultural and winemaking practices such as more grape-bunch shading, cover crops, minimal tilling, no deleafing, earlier picking and direct pressing (many growers avoided skin contact in 2022 as this can lower acidity further).

Taking a look at the wines sourced by Marcel Orford-Williams, I’ve picked a few of my own personal favourites from the selection of 2022s.

Silvaner 'Pur Mineral', Furst 2022
Sebastian Fürst may be recognised for his spätburgunder wines, but this silvaner should not be overlooked. Planted on some of the heavier soils of Franken that is preferable for this grape, the wine comes into its own and shows great purity and minerality.

Niedermenniger Riesling Kabinett Von Hovel 2022
Running parallel to the prestigious Scharzhofberg vineyard, this site is equally impressive, benefitting from complex soils and the careful attention to detail that winemaker Maximilian Von Kunow implements. Having taken over in 2010, his wines have adopted a precision and focus, as well as more sustainable practices that we are very supportive of.

Anselmann Dornfelder 2022
German reds are becoming more popular. Spätburgunder (pinot noir) is leading the way, but dornfelder has a certain charm with its juicy profile and showcases the Pfalz region perfectly.

Approachable style

Overall, 2022 is an approachable vintage with fuller body and ripeness with refreshing acidity. It is a year that shows no real extremes and therefore is very approachable in style and can be drunk straightaway, unlike 2021 and 2019 that have high dry extract and nervier acidities that can benefit from cellaring.

>>Discover more German wines from the 2022 vintage

>>Learn more about buying German wines

Fiona Hayes

Buyer

Fiona Hayes

Fiona Hayes has nearly two decades’ experience in the wine industry, and has worked as a buyer for key regions in Europe and further afield for a number of UK wine merchants.

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