Germany does not produce as much rosé as some other countries but what it does produce is very special and not to be missed. I have tasted some German Rosés in previous years and really liked them (to read about some of those click here). This year I had an opportunity to taste many more German Rosés including drinking many of them several times over the last couple of months.  And, I have to say that I am really impressed.  As a group I have never tasted so many Extraordinary rosés and nothing that was not Outstanding.  For great fruit and flavor, I cannot think of any rosés that can match German Rosés. Mostly made from Pinot Noir with a few made from other varieties blended with Pinot Noir, these German Rosés are really delicious, low in alcohol, and oh so easy to drink! That’s a win/win/win folks!! If you love Rosé and don’t know rosés from Germany you don’t know what you are missing!

Extraordinary

2018 Fritz Mûller Secco Perlwein Rosa Trocken Rheinhessen
This rosé is made from the traditional Portugieser grape with some Pinot Noir. It is light red in color and has a gorgeous cherry perfume with a floral undertone. On the palate the wine has great fruit with cherry and raspberry flavors and is spritzy and crisp on the finish. This is a really delicious fruit driven rosé whose appeal is enhanced by the bright spritzy quality – Extraordinary.        $17        Rudi Weist Selection  Imported by Cellars International  Carlsbad, CA

 

2018 Meyer-Näkel Pinot Noir Qualitatswein Dry Ahr Rosé
Light pink in color with a reddish hue this rosé has a stunning perfume of raspberry and cherry with a citrus tinge. Bright and very pure with a myriad of red fruit flavors showing a floral citrus undertone it is delicate yet flavorful and impeccably balanced. This is an absolutely delicious rosé – Extraordinary.      $23.99     Rudi Wiest Selection  Imported by Cellars International  Carlsbad, CA

 

2018 Rebholtz Spätburgunder Trocken Rosé
Very light orange red in color with a golden hue this rosé has a deep floral perfume with faint hints of apricot and spice.  With gorgeous red fruit flavors showing a faint exotic tinge and a kiss of citrus on the crisp finish this is an irresistibly delicious rosé – Extraordinary.       $19        Rudi Wiest Selection  Imported by Cellars International  Carlsbad, CA

2018 Salwey Pinot Noir Kabinett  Prädikatswein Dry Baden Rosé
This rosé has a pale golden orange color with a lovely floral perfume showing an exotic tinge and a kiss of spice. On the palate it shows great fruit tinged with an exotic floral spice undertone. Beautifully balanced and with a bright underlying crispness this is a really gorgeous rosé – Extraordinary.       $16.99       Rudi Wiest Selection  Imported by Cellars International  Carlsbad, CA

 

2018 Schäfer Fröhlich Qualitatswein Spätburgunder Weissherbst Trocken Nahe Rosé
With a very pale orange color showing a golden hue this rosé has a gorgeous perfume with hints of mango and citrus accented by a floral undertone. Elegant yet lush and fruity with mango and apricot citrus tinged nuances this is a stunning rosé with great balance and a bright crispness on the finish – Extraordinary.       $20      Rudi Wiest Selection  Imported by Cellars International  Carlsbad, CA

2018 Schmitt’s Kinder Qualitatswein Trocken Franken Rosé
This wine is a blend of Pinot Noir with other local grape varieties. It is pale pink in color with a golden hue and has a great perfume with hints of watermelon with a floral citrus tinge. Bright and flavorful with loads of fruit showing floral nuances and a crisp finish this is a really delicious rosé – Extraordinary.       $18      Rudi Wiest Selection  Imported by Cellars International  Carlsbad, CA

 

2018 von Buhl  Qualitatswein Spätburgunder Trocken Pfalz Rosé. Very pale reddish color with a golden tinge this rosé has lovely cherry tinged perfume. Lush and rounded on the palate with lots of  cherry tinged fruit and a balanced citrus tinged finish it is an irresistibly delicious rosé  – Extraordinary.        $16.98       Rudi Wiest Selection      Imported by Cellars International  Carlsbad, CA

2018 von Buhl Pinot Noir Rosé “Bone Dry”
With a pale orange color showing a golden hue this rosé has a lovely exotic floral tinged perfume. On the palate it is very full and flavorful with lots of fruit showing a faint floral undertone. Bright, yet beautifully balanced with a nice underlying crispness on the finish this is a really delicious rosé  – Extraordinary.       $16.99     Rudi Wiest Selection  Imported by Cellars International  Carlsbad, CA

Outstanding Plus

2018 Friedrich Becker Pfalz Qualitätswein Petit Dry Rosé
This rosé is made with Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Portugieser. It is light reddish orange in color with a faint golden edge and  has a nice cherry/berry tinged perfume with a citrus undertone.  On the palate it  is bright and crisp and  has lovely subtle cherry fruit with a citrus tinge on the finish – Outstanding Plus.        $17.95      Rudi Wiest Selection    Imported by Cellars International  Carlsbad, CA

 

2018 Pfeffingen Blanc de Noir Qualitätswein Trocken Pfalz
Very pale orange in color with a faint golden hue this rosé has a lovely peach tinged perfume with a floral citrus undertone.  On the palate it has delicious fruit with hints of peach and citrus and is elegant yet flavorful and crisp. This is a very appealing rosé with a lot of charm – Outstanding Plus.        $19.99         Rudi Wiest Selection  Imported by Cellars International  Carlsbad, CA

 

2018 Hans Wirsching Dry Rosé Qualitätswein Franken
Pale pink in color with a golden hue this rosé has a lovely floral perfume with hints of watermelon. It is soft, supple and very tasty with lush watermelon tinged fruit and a nice underlying crispness on the finish – Outstanding Plus.    $17.99     Rudi Wiest Selection  Imported by Cellars International  Carlsbad, CA

Outstanding

2018 Kruger Rumpf Nahe Spätburgunder Trocken Rosé
Pale reddish pink in color this rosé has a lovely rose scented perfume with hints of cherry. Delicate and balanced it shows cherry tinged fruit with a floral undertone and a nice underlying crispness – Outstanding.        $16.99       Imported by Skurnik wines        New York, NY

POSTSCRIPT

As noted, most of the German Rosés in this article are a Rudi Weist Selection imported by Cellars International Carlsbad, CA   I have known Rudi since he first started importing German wines in 1978. In 1979 I started The Underground Wineletter (to read the first issue and some of the issues from the early years (click here) and my friends and I tasted, bought, drank, cellared, and wrote about the German Rieslings that Rudi imported. There were many great wines and I still have some of these wines in my cellar. Over the years Rudi built an incredible portfolio of German wines. In the old days it was the sweet wines that were all the rage – Trockenbeerenauslese, Beerenauslese, Auslese, and Spatlese. There were also drier Kabinett styled Rieslings and over the years the shift has changed. The sweet wines are still made and are great, but there are now many more dry Rieslings that are really phenomenal. Riesling is a great white grape that is complex, balanced, and delicious with food. They have been under appreciated for a very long time, but dry German Rieslings are increasingly popular for very good reason. And alongside the dry German Rieslings are the great German Rosés that rank with the very best rosés in the world. But there is more. The most recent German sensation is Pinot Noir. This trend actually started some years ago and today Germany is making many world class Pinot Noirs (to read an early article on these wines click here). So the irony is that as German wines have become increasingly popular in the US Rudi is winding down his business. As this happens it will create a void. This will present an opportunity for someone to step up and fill the void. The quality of German wines (Dry Riesling and Sweet Riesling, Rosé, and Pinot Noir) today is just too great to be overlooked in the USA (to read more about Rudi Weist and Cellars International click here).