Müller-Thurgau

Also known as: Rivaner (Luxembourg, Germany)

Müller-Thurgau has a bad reputation – and rightly so, if one thinks of the watery litre bottles that Germany exported to England in the 1970s. But the grape variety itself is not to blame. In the right hands, with low yields and careful work in the vineyard, it shows a delicate, floral profile with fine acidity. It’s rarely found, but when it is, it’s worth it.

At Luckert, tithe yard in Franconia, at Chestnut from Rheinhessen or Franz Keller in Baden, Müller-Thurgau wines are produced that have nothing to do with the mass-produced product. Pranzegg in South Tyrol and Hajszan Neumann from Vienna also show what is possible when the variety is taken seriously.