Congratulations! The wineries Jülg in Schweigen-Rechtenbach and Odinstal in Wachenheim are now members of the VDP. This was decided by the current members of the VDP.Pfalz at one of their meetings on March 30th 2021. This press release is in German.

Get a 12-bottle case for $420 ($35 per bottle instead of $70). This Spätburgunder is one of the finest of the premium wines from the steep sites of Weingut Nelles. A truly noble Grand Cru Spätburgunder with powerful oak, aromas of wild red fruit, a hint of vanilla, delicate winter spices with fresh acidity and well-integrated tannins. 13.5 % ABV. Members of the German American Chamber of Commerce can subscribe below to redeem this exclusive offer.

Why is Pinot Noir so darn special? Great piece by our favorite wine blogger, Madeline Puckette!

Very cool initiative that Julie Harans reports on today in Wine Spectator. The private dinner has a starting bid of $50,000 and is available for up to 14 guests, who will get to preview the new menu before the restaurant eventually returns from its pandemic-related closure in March 2020. 

Wine has outperformed the S&P for the past 30 years, including during downturns. This article explores a new app, Vinovest that is trying to leverage this opportunity.

Joseph V Micallef writes in this Forbes article about our favorite topic and interviews Romana Echensperger, MW, one of Germany’s leading authorities on Pinot Noir. Germany offers the most diverse soil types of any Pinot Noir producing region, and an array of indigenous Pinot Noir clones mostly available only in Germany. But much of Germany’s Pinot Noir production is still mainly consumed domestically.

There were sighs of relief on both sides of the Atlantic after US trade officials suspended the added wine import tariffs on certain French, Spanish and German still wines for four months! Great update by Decanter’s Chris Mercer from Wednesday 3/10/21.

These were the tasting notes from our Wünder Pinot Noir 2015 vintage from the 2020 Sommeliers Choice Awards: Fresh herbal aromas with mushrooms, moss and dried leaves. The palate is pure red fruit with flavors of cherry, strawberry and red plum. A slightly bitter stemmy note persists on the finish, adding complexity.

We have entered the Sommeliers Choice award for this year after we won a Gold Medal for our own brand Wünder in 2020. Here is an overview of the Judges on the Panel for this year’s competition.

Super interesting interview: CEO and chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group, also founder of Shake Shack, Danny Meyer, joins Washington Post Live on Tuesday, March 2 at 11:30am ET to discuss what the restaurant industry needs to make it through the remainder of the pandemic.

This is a terrific review of the amazing 2o19 vintage by Lobenberg’s, our favorite wine store in Germany. We are pleased to represent many of the wines that have been highlighted in this report and we are working relentless to bring more of these top wines to American Sommeliers and collectors.