Nahe’s Schlossgut Diel - Victor Diel Interview

Schlossgut Diel is located in the heart of the Nahe region in Germany, a region that covers just under 4300 hectares and consists of only 9 VDP producers – VDP being Verband Deutscher Pradikats and not Vin de Pays – an assurance of quality winemaking, dedication and attention to detail. The winery itself is owned by Armin Diel, president of the VDP Association and possibly Germany’s most famous wine writer.

The wines themselves are known for their style that is “finesse rather than body” and these days are made by Armin’s daughter Caroline and, along with fellow winemaker Christoph Friedrich they have become a staple on high end German restaurant wine lists and Michelin starred restaurants around the world.

A truly family affair, Armin’s son Victor is in charge of sales worldwide and has had more than a decade of experience working in the Asian wine market and is a frequent traveler to Hong Kong where his wines are on some of the city’s best wine lists and very popular amongst German wine lovers and collectors. In town last week to showcase his wines and hosts a series of dinners, Victor took the time to sit down with Wine Times and talk about his wines, some of which command the highest of prices for German white wines in the world.

WTHK: What make the Nahe region such a special region?

VD: “First of all the Nahe Valley is one of the smaller appellations that really did not get much attention of its own until 1971. Before that we were part of the Mosel Rhine area so we are a pretty young area. Since 1971 we had to start from scratch regarding the branding of the area whereas the Rhine area has been famous and mentioned for hundreds of years. These days the Nahe region is one that should not be missing from any major restaurant wine list or top wine shops. A lot of thanks has to go to my father there has been a lot of improvement in quality as he is a wine writer and the chairman of the VDP association of quality German wineries. He has always pushed his colleagues for more quality and less quantity”.

WTHK: You make more Riesling than anything else. What styles of wine does the Nahe region allow you to make?

VD: “We have the full range from dry to sweet. All of our dry wines are QbA but within the VDP we have our own classification, much like Burgundy, where we have the estate Riesling, the Villages Riesling and then it goes into the Grand Crus which we call Grosses Gewaechs. Then of course we go into the sweet section where we keep the classical classification which starts from QbA – Kabinet, Auslese, Spatlese, and TBA. If climate conditions allow we are capable of making this entire range – Ice wine is obviously dependant on having a very cold winter”.

WTHK: Your father was a wine writer. How do you think his writing affected the German wine business in the region?

VD: “I would say that it had a massive impact. The Gault Millau was the first serious German wine book about German wine. At that time Robert Parker and Wine Spectator did not pay much attention to German wines and so he started the first edition more than 20 years ago with Joel Payne. In fact my father was working for the editor originally to write about restaurants but the publisher wanted my father to write a wine guide. It was the first time that winemakers faced this challenge of critique and this was a great opportunity to put their wines upon this platform. It was like a double edged sword as on the one hand you could be promoted and everybody can talk about your wine in a good way, but if you get bad ratings then people still talked…but in a bad way. Overall this enabled the quality of wine to increase in the region as it motivated them to improve quality overall”.

WTHK: How do you see the state of the German wine industry today?

VD: “German wines are certainly getting better and people’s views of German wines are also getting better. One hundred years ago German wines were possibly the most recognized in the world and amongst the most expensive wines in the world. Germany as a country has had a difficult time in these last 100 years; beside two world wars that obviously did not increase our popularity in the world. Another big problem was the vine louse that killed a lot of vines in Germany and then of course there was the glycogen scandal in the 1980’s. Not until ten years ago I believe German wines have been thought of again as top products. Their popularity is coming back now and getting stronger which is great for the German wine business. We have, at Schlossgut Diel regained a lot of popularity and many of our wines are now sold out before the vintage is even ready”.

WTHK: What are your thoughts on your wines ability to pair with Asian, really Chinese cuisine?

VD: “In my opinion there is hardly any better match than German wines with Asian cuisine. Roughly 30 per cent of our wines are vinified in a sweet style from off dry to Ice wine. Most of this 30 per cent goes into export because most Germans don’t drink sweet fruity wines. I believe that Riesling works well with the cuisine and the climate and the lower alcohol levels are something that really benefits the Asian palate and the climate too. Our wines are great with Sichuan, Indian and Thai foods especially”.

WTHK: Do you have a favourite wine?

VD: (laughs) “That is a very difficult question!! I have often asked myself this question! There have been so many great moments in my life with so many great wines! The perfect wine depends on the occasion, the time of year, the time of day, who you are with – wine is all about communication and passion. If you share a great bottle of wine with someone who knows how to appreciate it, it can give you a lot of joy and pleasure”.

Wines from Schlossgut Diel are available from Pieroth Hong Kong Limited and can be contacted at sales@pieroth.com.hk or you can call them on 2481-3960. For more information go to their website – www.pieroth.hk