The first time Prowein

This year, the time had finally come: I'm off to Prowein! Europe's largest wine extravaganza, where every wine lover can be found. To give you an idea of the event's size: there are eighteen halls full of wine! Think of the Huishoudbeurs (Home Furnishings Fair), but almost ten times bigger, and with wine. Do the math.

It's interesting to see the difference between the halls. In the American wine hall, everything was very spacious and grand. It was also clearly marked where you could taste what, something France could learn a thing or two from. The Austrian section was neatly divided into sections. And in the Lebanese section, it was a pleasant chaos.

I'll share my highlights with you below. Many people have plans for Prowein. Importers or retailers, for example, visit wineries to sell their wines. Or they might just be looking for new ones. There's usually a theme to these visits. It's simply impossible to visit every hall. So that's the best tip I can give you: Make sure you have a plan . Decide beforehand what you want to do. We – I went with Elef ( @iamelef ) – had a few to-dos on our list, but otherwise we just let things happen. Next year I'll work on that more. Here are some tips for Prowein 2020:

Make a list of the wineries you'd like to visit. Want to learn more about them or perhaps sell their wines? Schedule an appointment.
Register for the masterclasses in advance. Otherwise, they'll be fully booked. You can usually do this through the Prowein website, but if that doesn't work, please email the winery. It will take a little time, but it's worth it. There are some really great tastings!
Orange Hour at German Wine is a lively gathering of Dutch wine enthusiasts. It takes place at the end of the first day of the fair.
Tip from a busy importer: don't talk to people you know. No time to waste!

Below I'll tell you more about my experiences at Prowein 2019.

Glass tasting at Riedel

We stumbled upon Riedel's wine bar. As a fan of the glasses as I am, I don't miss this opportunity to try the new line. That's the Performance Series. Three glasses stand before us: one for a crisp white (Sauvignon Blanc), one for a slightly fuller white (Gruner Veltliner), and one for oak-aged white (Chardonnay). I expected the first two to fit in the same glass, but they've tested this extensively and concluded that Gruner (and Riesling too) benefit from a little more space. In the first glass, the Gruner Veltliner is a bit greener and more closed; in the second, it smells and tastes creamier, and the ripe fruit is more prominent. Beautiful, isn't it? The third glass is too large for the grape. Only the fullest white wine will do. The bartender pours Alphart Chardonnay. In glass one, we smell primarily toast. In glass three, it becomes creamy and very exotic. In glass three, both worlds converge: oak, toast, and exotic fruit. It's always remarkable how much influence the glass has on the wine.

Want to know more? Then check out my previous article " A Different Glass for Every Wine ."

Ten times assyrtiko

We continue to Greece. Do you already know that Elef is working on a wine festival Organizing it in my hometown of Athens? It's planned for 2020, so some tasting and connecting is part of it. I don't mind, because I'm a big fan of Assyrtiko – Santorini's main grape. the Riesling of the south mentioned. We taste a whole series, where the Karamolegos 34 Assyrtiko and Sigalas Assyrtiko It stands out for me. Insanely good, pure, with a beautiful balance between acidity and ripe fruit.

Lebanon by Romana Eschensperger (MW)

If you have the time, I definitely recommend exploring the masterclasses. They offer some surprising topics. You'll need to dedicate an evening to them, as there are many, and registering takes a while, but it's definitely worth it!

Elef and I signed up for the Lebanon masterclass led by Romana Eschensperger. It was great, as I'd taken classes with her during both WSET3 and WSET4. She's adept at that. She talks about Lebanon as a wine country, and we taste wines from Adyar and Chateau Heritage. The Adyar Cabernet Franc stood out for me, hands down.

Getting to know Luis Perez's sherries

Although my to-do list wasn't that long, it did contain some things sherry After all the time I had spent on the subject for the case study (WSET Diploma), it was now high time to determine the quality of sherry empirically. two previous articles I shared what developments are currently taking place in the sherry region and now I find myself standing in front of the small stand of Bodegas Luis Perez.

Luiz Perez was one of the pioneers who brought about a turnaround. With Fino La Barajuela He makes a single vineyard sherry. But can it even be called sherry? Luis Perez, or rather Willy Perez – his son, doesn't fortify the wine. He lets the grapes hang longer so they contain enough sugars at harvest. This isn't according to the rules of the DO Jerex-Xeres-Sherry.

Sherry is a fortified wine – meaning, according to the regulations, it must be fortified with wine alcohol. But is that still relevant these days? There's currently a lobbying effort at the European level to amend the regulations for sherry. Hopefully, sherry will get a second chance with the general public. It is and remains a wonderful product.