Reading through the German Vineyard areas statistics 2007… e.g. here at Sigi Hiss or here at germanwineusa (page 6), I was surprised to see how much Pinot Noir = Spätburgunder is actually growing in the individual wine regions.

Baden: 5885 ha
Pfalz: 1585 ha
Rheinhessen: 1351 ha
Württemberg: 1262 ha
Rheingau: 386 ha
Ahr: 339ha
Hessische Bergstrasse: 44ha
Mittelrhein: 39 ha

This totals it all up to 10891 ha of Pinot Noir.
So Baden has 54% of German Pinot Noir Vineyards.

Now looking here we are not far away from the 6269 ha growing in the Cote d’Or Region of Burgundy.

But then, why is Pinot Noir from Baden so little known throughout the world?

Well Germany has almost only been promoting German Riesling for the last decades.
And Baden only has 1173 ha of the 21378 ha Riesling growing in Germany…. That’s only 5,4%.

So I think it’s time to wake up and show the world the different styles of Pinot Noir growing in Baden.
Meanwhile there are many hard working Pinot Noir Producers that cultivate great Spätburgunder on individual Soils and Terroir aspects. In the Markgräfler Land with some Sites like the Isteiner Klotz with pure Kalk (limestone). In the Breisgau with some Muschelkalk (shell limestone) sites. The Kaiserstuhl with its Vulkanverwitterung (volcanic ash) sites, or the big löss terraces… And the Ortenau with its Granitverwitterung (granite alteration).

For any questions, please just leave a comment. I’d love to add more Information.

We have just received an email pointing out that F&B Behind Bars wine expert Peter Saunders has chosen our:

Johner Wairarapa Riesling 2008
Johner Gladstone Pinot Noir 2007

to be featured in

Best of the Best
Wine Guide 2009

Distributed back to back with the December issue of F&B Behind Bars.

The PERSWIJN Wine magazine from the Netherlands has recently tasted and judged Pinot Noir Wines from all over the world outside of Burgundy.
In the category “Duitsland” (Germany) we won first place with our 2004 Pinot Noir “Steinbuck”.
And compared with all Pinot Noirs tasted, we share 3rd place with two New Zealand Pinot Noir à 17 points just behind a 2nd place NZ Pinot 17,5 points, and behind a 1st place Italian Pinot Noir with 18,5 points…

We have received a note from our U.S. Importer Ingenium Wines

We have received the following review from Master Sommelier Shayn Bjornholm:

2004 Karl. H. Johner “Enselberg” Pinot Noir, Baden, Germany
From the screw cap enclosure to the use of Pinot Noir on the label (instead of Spatburgunder) to the 14% alcohol by volume, Johner is quite obviously not your grandmother’s German producer. Both the style and marketing of the wine display a modern approach to sate the seemingly unquenchable thirst for this grape in the United States - and what timing. Bravo! The wine is delicious, flat out. It reminds of something between a riper California Central Coast meets a 1er Cru Chassagne Montrachet rouge - rich, fresh, bursting red cherry/raspberry and purple flowers with tannins that are soft and round, with a hint of tea leaf earth and a restrained touch of exotic baking spice due to oak. For the money, a fine, balanced, perfect to drink now bottle of Pinot Noir.

Now as I’m in New Zealand at the moment I only have our German Label of the Wine here…