"In the Mosel Valley, growers were allowed to add water to the wines until the early 1980s to reduce acidity. They could add sugar as well. It was very controversial when they stopped those practices because our wines needed those additives to be competitive, to be consistent," Schultz says.
"Today, no one would want to add these things," he says. "We have trouble maintaining our acids. It is no longer difficult to get the sugar content up. In fact, we worry that our alcohol levels are too high. We haven't had a bad vintage since 1987, and the reason is global warming."
Now, Schultz says, "everyone is happy with the changes. It used to be that 4 or 5 vintages out of 10 were marginal. It's why we made sweet wines, to mask the sharp acidity. Now we have less problems."
There is growing concern, however, that Germany may be getting too warm. "Riesling, in a warm climate, you get the kerosene, petroleum character. That's not what consumers are looking for in young, dry Rieslings. Now we get that character very fast, instead of after two or three years of age in the bottle," Schultz says.
So, like David Graves in Napa Valley, German vintners are struggling with questions. Should they plant the grapes that their fathers and grandfathers did, or is it time to look south for guidance?
Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir have always been suitable for Germany. But in 20 to 50 years, Schultz's research indicates that Merlot and Cabernet Franc may be more appropriate.
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corie.brown@latimes.com
