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Summer temperatures in mid-September, a small town surrounded by grape-laden hillsides in the autumn sun, the terraces of the street cafés full; a scene that makes wine lovers feel immediately transported to Trentino or the Wachau or the Elass. Hardly anyone would have thought of Remich in Luxembourg. Yes, they do exist, and their partly steep, mostly south-southeast oriented vineyards stretch along the western bank of the Moselle over a distance of 42 km, from Wasserbillig in the north to the border triangle near Schengen in the south. Today, there are about 1350 hectares of vineyards, of which about 830 hectares are owned by the members of the cooperative "Les Domaines de Vinsmoselle" and its six large wineries. The rest is shared by about 50 independent family businesses and six trading houses (producteurs-négociants), which process their own grapes as well as grapes from contract winegrowers.

Sparkling wines

With a share of 20% of the total production, sparkling wine cannot be missing in the offer of the majority of Luxembourg's winegrowers and especially the big ones like Vinsmoselle, Gales and Bernard-Massard owe a considerable amount of their turnover to the business with the sparkling wines bubbles. Here, in contrast to the still wines, exports even play a role, and Bernard-Massard, for example, markets a not exactly insignificant part of its annual sparkling wine production of about 3,500,000 bottles, admittedly not all of Luxembourg origin, through company-owned branches in Belgium, Germany and France. The best ones from the Grand Duchy are allowed to adorn themselves with the designation "Crémant de Luxembourg", introduced in 1991, but they have to meet strict quality standards. These include, of course, manual harvesting, yield limitation, bottle fermentation and a minimum yeast storage period of 9 months, and they must also pass a sensory test. The fact that good money can be earned in this sector despite the excellent price-performance ratio can be seen in the "space station" in Ellange, which was put into operation by Caves Gales in 2003, pure high-performance sparkling wine technology, which is far from being fully utilised with the current production of 1 million bottles per year. Rivaner and Elbling are the main varieties for Luxembourg sparkling wine, but Pinot Blanc and Riesling are also processed, especially for the higher qualities.

The grape varieties

Overall, Rivaner is the most widespread variety and has long since shaken off the reputation it still has elsewhere under the alter ego of Müller-Thurgau. This is probably also due to the fact that it grows almost exclusively on slopes, as winegrowing in the flat countryside is almost non-existent in Luxembourg. In addition, it is usually vinified relatively dry here, which makes it a good accompaniment to food. In terms of quantity, Pinot Blanc also plays a role, while the best vineyards are often planted with Riesling and Pinot Gris. As "exotics", Elbling, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir also require a particularly fine touch to ensure that they do not come last in the supra-regional competition. So far, the local producers have not made enough of a fuss about the Auxerrois, which often presents itself here at an astonishing level and definitely has what it takes to help the Luxembourg wine industry achieve an international breakthrough as a flagship.

The rules

Whether you are a true wine lover or a wine snob, it is not as easy to find out more about the hierarchy of producers or vineyards in Luxembourg as it is elsewhere. There are no wine evaluators like Gault-Millau, Eichelmann or Wein-Plus. The annual classification by the national Viti-Vinicole Institute is not based on terroir, but on the organoleptic judgement of an examination committee. The committee consists of seven members, not only from the producer side, but also from consumer protection, the restaurant industry and the state authorities. In this way, every effort is made to guarantee the greatest possible objectivity in the evaluation. Depending on the number of points achieved, the wines entered for the "Marque Nationale" may adorn themselves with the Appellation Controlée seal or, with increasing classification, with the additional predicate "Vin classé" or even "Premier cru". The very best wines are then given a second taste by the tasters and, if they are held in high esteem, can be awarded the highest distinction of "Grand Premier Cru". Anything that does not achieve the minimum number of points falls into the "vin de table" category, which also applies to wines from vintners who do not even apply for an official classification.

The highest rating: Grand Premier Cru

Elbling, Cuvées and Crémants cannot qualify higher than "Marque Nationale - Appellation Controlée", while for Rivaner the upper limit is "Vin classé". Sweet wines are also catered for by the local wine law, with the designation "Vendange Tardive" covering the whole range between medium sweet aged Spätlese and Trockenbeerenauslese. For wines made from grapes harvested on the vine and frozen, there is the predicate "Vin de Glace", which corresponds more to the method than to the requirements of the German Eiswein. Another Luxembourg speciality is the category of "Vin de Paille", for which fully ripe or overripe grapes are virtually shrivelled into sultanas before fermentation. One person who is not deterred by the disproportionate effort of this method is Charles Decker from Remerchen, who has such rarities as straw wine from Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer and Auxerrois on offer.

Ambition and terroir

Some producers feel that their ambitions are not sufficiently served by the Marque National classification alone, and so seven renowned wineries in Luxembourg have joined forces to market part of their harvest under the banner "Domaine et Tradition". With Aly Duhr, Clos Mon Vieux Moulin, Sunnen-Hoffmann and Mathis Bastian, four genuine family businesses are represented, but that fine does not always have to be small is testified to by the affiliation of Domaine Gales and the Bernard-Massard company, although the latter is only represented by its jewels Clos des Rochers and Chateau de Schengen from Domaine Thill. Only single-varietal wines made from the grapes Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois can qualify for the "Domaine et Tradition" label and, following the Alsace Grand Cru model, must undergo strict yield limitations and a critical blind tasting of all members. For this extra quality and typicity, the knowing customer is then also prepared to pay a little more. Otherwise, the "Magnificent Seven" produce the majority of their wines under their own flag and, just like all other winegrowers, they can also use site designations if they want to indicate the origin of a particular vineyard. As in most other regions of Europe, there are also vineyards in Luxembourg that are considered to have a special credit rating. Overall, the soils in the northern part of the Wine Route are predominantly shell limestone, while the southern part is dominated by Keuper marl. Accordingly, the wines from the canton of Grevenmacher are often fuller-bodied and softer, while the wines from the canton of Remich are distinguished by their race and elegance.

The cuisine

As already mentioned, the vast majority of local wines are vinified dry, so they are good to drink with food. I don't think it would hurt the pride of the country's inhabitants too much to say that there is no such thing as Luxembourg cuisine, but they do know how to integrate the culinary influences of the larger neighbouring countries. Several Michelin-starred restaurants, not only in the capital but also in the countryside, bear witness to this. It is only a short drive from the vineyards of the Moselle to the small town of Frisange, where the formidable Léa Linster directs the kitchen in the restaurant named after her. Born in Luxembourg, she was the first and only woman to win the "Bocuse d'Or" in 1989, one of the highest awards in the culinary world. In her "Cuisinière", a small group of wine journalists from the United Kingdom, Belgium, Norway and Germany were then also able to be taught - in one or two cases even converted - with a menu of 9 courses that the local wine can certainly enter into a harmonious duet with the most exquisite dishes. In the process, large, medium and small producers were given a fair chance, and all of them had only brought in their top products. Auxerrois confirmed its reputation as an insider tip for rabbit press meat with foie gras, Rivaner was allowed to compete with a vegetable platter, Pinot Blanc proved to be a competent companion to frog leg risotto. The race of a Riesling and the aromatics of a Pinot Gris competed for our favour with the lobster salad. Caviar on egg mousse was more difficult for the competing Chardonnay and Auxerrois, but two Riesling editions proved quite equal to the salmon confit with pea purée. With the venison slices, perhaps the greatest risk was taken, but here the Barrique Pinot Noir 2003 from Aly Duhr was a true peacock's wheel! Not so successful, however, was the experiment with the soufflé of Luxembourg goat's cheese and the Pinot Gris and Auxerrois Vendange Tardive served with it, but this was quickly forgotten with the final fireworks of vanilla and pineapple ice cream, Gewürztraminer straw wine and Riesling ice wine.

The location

After a three-day marathon with numerous estate visits, lively discussions and almost 300 wines tasted, one can already get a good picture of the Luxembourg wine scene. What particularly catches the eye is the amazing price-performance ratio. Especially with the goliath of local producers, one notices that nothing is left untouched in order to be competitive in Europe. The Domaine de Vinsmoselle, with its large wineries operating at the cutting edge of technology, imposes strict quality specifications on the winegrowers who supply it and determines the harvest dates itself in order to ensure the best possible quality of the grape material. In this way, it can not only easily keep up with the cheap wines, but also shine with special selections, as evidenced by the gold medals it won at Mundus Vini 2007 for two Pinot Gris, a single-vineyard wine and a "Vendange Tardive". This success was also granted to a "Domaine et Tradition" 2006 Pinot Gris from the medium-sized company Caves Galen. While the larger ones in the industry can show their strength more in branded wines, the smaller family estates sometimes produce amazing specialities that can only be produced in limited editions. In dessert wines, Charles Decker, mentioned above, excels.

Mature Luxembourg wines

In Ahn, there are the two branches of the Duhr family, which demonstrated in a joint tasting that longevity is no problem for Luxembourg wines if they strive for quality. This was also proven by the father-daughter team of the Mathis Bastian domain in Remich, where hand harvesting in several passes is an indispensable prerequisite for top quality. The boutique winery Domaine Alice Hartmann in Wormeldange, where Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are always sold out quickly, continues to enjoy a reputation as a top producer. "Small but nice" also applies to two family-run wineries in southern Wintrange, where Sunnen-Hoffmann in Hommelbierg and Schuhmacher-Knepper in Felsberg own property in the best sites. The fact that one should not lose sight of what the customer can afford, despite all the striving for quality, is part of the corporate philosophy of two such different businesses as the traditional family estate A. Gloden & Fils in Wellenstein and the relatively new venture of Cep d'Or with vineyards in Stadtbredimus.

All that remains to say in conclusion, especially for German wine lovers: Luxembourg is worth a trip not only because of the petrol prices!

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