Gutedel Goodness - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Gutedel Goodness


Hanspeter Ziereisen (Courtesy of Ziereisen)

Gutedel is what Badenites call chasselas, long a specialty in the southwest corner of Germany, as it is in Switzerland, which is just 12 miles from Ziereisen’s vineyards. Hanspeter and Edel Ziereisen make several versions, including a delicate, savory bottling called Heugumber (grasshopper) that our panels also recommend highly. But if you had to choose just one cuvée, check out the 2018 Viviser. From a parcel of vines planted in the mid-1980s on a high, wind-blown patch of Jurassic limestone looking out towards Basel to the south, it’s a chasselas with serious substance and personality. Aged two years on the lees in a 3,000-liter cask, the wine feels rich despite its 11.5% alcohol, brimming with savory, nutty mineral notes. The initial reductive flintiness gives way with air to brighter, fresher hints of quince and red apple, wildflowers and hay, the wine feeling sophisticated and wild. It would be delicious with a whole roasted sea bass or grilled haloumi.

Skurnik Wines, NY

94

Ziereisen 2018 Baden Viviser Gutedel

Every week, our editors highlight a wine that intrigued them in our blind panel tastings, expanding on their tasting note in this space. These are entirely editorial choices; there are no paid placements. Subscribers can also access the original tasting note by searching here.

is W&S’s editor at large and covers the wines of the Mediterranean and Central and Eastern Europe for the magazine.


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