Half Bottle: Dr Loosen Estate Riesling QbA 2020

Riesling from Germany is like no other wine, with a wonderful balance of acidity and fruit sweetness, along with a variety of appealing aromas - honey, citrus fruit and a hint of petrol. The Dr L is a lightish style, very fresh and perfectly balanced, and of Kabinett quality, even though he chooses to declassify to Qualitatswein. Although there is some residual sweetness, the perfect balancing acidity make it a perfect match for a huge variety of dishes, from spicy Asian foods to Charcuterie and Sauerkraut. It is delicious with most white fish dishes.
The Loosen Estate goes back some 200 years, and Ernst took over in 1985 due to his father's ill health. At 27 years old he had some doubts about leaving his studies in archeology (having graduated in viticulture at Giesenheim) but soon began to enjoy what he was doing.

By 1987 he realised that a complete change in attitude was necessary, and having been deserted by all of the vineyard staff, he appointed old school friend, Bernhard Schug, as winemaker. Bernhard was hitherto untrained and a confirmed beer drinker! The 1987 vintage produced some of the finest wines the estate had ever made, as "treatment" of the wine was kept to an absolute minimum - a little filtering, no fining and meticulous hygiene in the cellar.

Since then, the Estate has gone from strength to strength picking up most of the awards that Germany has to offer over the years.

In all he owns some 11.5 hectares (28 acres) of Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards along the Mosel and has the distinct advantage of vines aged between 60 and 100 years old. He also owns some prime vineyard sites on the Pfalz region of Germany.

He is now thought of as one of the pioneers of the rise in popularity of Riesling in the UK and was named "Winemaker of the Year 2001" by Gault Millau, the who's who in German winemaking.

In 2005 Ernie was named Wine Person of the Year by Decanter Magazine.