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Product Description
Product Description
In this provocative new book,Owen Bird writes frankly and with authority on the German wine industry; how it got into trouble and how it can rescue itself. He gives considerable insight into the pre-eminence of Riesling as driving the future of the industry. An in-depth analysis of German wine laws, labelling,competition from the New World and the advent of "flying winemaking" are all presented from a winemaking point of view. The steps taken by the German Wine Institute and the Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter (VDP) to renew the image of German wine are compared and contrasted. For the first time in English, the new "Great Growths" Classification system launched by the VDP is explained and the individual terroirs discussed making this an ideal reference book and providing a current overview of the German wine industry.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you are looking for a traditional wine book about German wine with ornate labels and the scenic photographs of the vineyards bounded by castles, then this is not the book for you. This work provides an insight by a flying winemaker who sees the benefits of the new world of wines whilst wanting to maintain many of the German wine traditions.
Riesling is increasing in popularity worldwide with the new world wines leading the way. German Riesling should be at the forefront of this change in the tastes of the wine consumers of the world. Owen Bird outlines how this can be done whilst maintaining many of the traditions that make German Riesling grand.
Many consumers of wine remember German Riesling as being cheap and sweet and have not had the opportunity to sample some of the finest Riesling of the world. Whilst working in the wine industry in Australia I have experienced some of the great Rieslings in the world. Having spent time tasting Riesling in Germany I have experienced some of the finest Riesling in the world which is produced there. The German vignerons know that they produce some of the best Riesling in the world, but the rest of the world is yet to find them.
Owen Bird outlines how this renaissance in wine can be achieved in an informative manner that is easy to read. The use of Australian black humour lightens what could be wrongly perceived as very heavy reading. It was a book that was hard to put down because of how well it is written and with the occasional pieces of humour gives not only an insight into the German wine industry but also into the author who having worked around the world and who now calls Germany home.
The only question that remains is whether the German industry has the fortitude to take on board Bird’s suggestions and restore itself to the first choice when one looks for a Riesling.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Not gold
18 Sep 2007
Format:Paperback
This is, as far as I can tell, the only English-language book currently available that deals exclusively with German wines (not counting the translated version of the Gault-Millau, which has little more than number ratings). Sadly, it's a pretty mediocre effort. Owen Bird is reasonably knowledgeable about German wine, but this book could have used a lot more editing. The writing is frequently rambling, jumping from one point to another, giving a seemingly random example, before returning to a point addressed earlier. There are frequent errors in German spelling and obvious oversights in the English editing. Also, the book lacks an index. Clearly an amateur effort.
As for the substance of the book, Bird deals primarily with how to revive German wine from an international marketing point of view. An important topic, but not necessarily the most relevant one for German wine. How about reviving QUALITY in, say, the Rheingau? Reading this book, I got the sense, again and again, that Owen misses the point or has none at all.
It's worth trying to find a used copy of Stephen Brook's Wines of Germany, which is far better written and much more comprehensive.
As for the substance of the book, Bird deals primarily with how to revive German wine from an international marketing point of view. An important topic, but not necessarily the most relevant one for German wine. How about reviving QUALITY in, say, the Rheingau? Reading this book, I got the sense, again and again, that Owen misses the point or has none at all.
It's worth trying to find a used copy of Stephen Brook's Wines of Germany, which is far better written and much more comprehensive.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
An in-depth, comprehensive survey of industry trends and influences any serious wine drinker must have
26 May 2006
Format:Paperback
Any interested in the German wine industry's history and ups and downs must have RHEINGOLD; THE GERMAN WINE RENAISSANCE. Unlike most wine surveys of Germany, RHEINGOLD provides a strong historical focus with an in-depth analysis of German wine laws, labeling, competition, and changing image. From the wide-ranging influences of Asian cuisine and its influence on German wine production to the VDP's grouping of regional associations, RHEINGOLD is not your usual light review of grapes and wineries, but an in-depth, comprehensive survey of industry trends and influences any serious wine drinker must have.
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
German Wine Deserves Better
7 April 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I enjoyed certain elements of this book. I don't think I would recommend it to someone just beginning to learn about wine, the wine trade and its history.
There is a lot of information but I don't feel it was presented in the best fashion. I have to agree with one of my fellow reviewers, there is rambling here and to some extent, a lack of professionalism. Bird knows his stuff but he comes off as a bit adolescent in the execution, using Aussie expressions, being pejorative where it's not necessary.
If you have a background in wine studies, then you'll have a context, an anchoring point through which you might be able to interpret all the information because Bird really doesn't make anything simple here. He seems to complicate the explanation of an already complicated subject. Now that's I've read it, if I had a chance, I would only buy it for the Appendix, featuring the key-vineyard sites of the thirteen German wine regions.
It's not a bad book. There is some historical info here which sheds light on the wine trade in Deutschland. The remaining sections don't really enlighten the reader too much - I had to reread quite a bit...I'm still a little confused. Like the German wine industry, the book is a bit of a mess.
There is a lot of information but I don't feel it was presented in the best fashion. I have to agree with one of my fellow reviewers, there is rambling here and to some extent, a lack of professionalism. Bird knows his stuff but he comes off as a bit adolescent in the execution, using Aussie expressions, being pejorative where it's not necessary.
If you have a background in wine studies, then you'll have a context, an anchoring point through which you might be able to interpret all the information because Bird really doesn't make anything simple here. He seems to complicate the explanation of an already complicated subject. Now that's I've read it, if I had a chance, I would only buy it for the Appendix, featuring the key-vineyard sites of the thirteen German wine regions.
It's not a bad book. There is some historical info here which sheds light on the wine trade in Deutschland. The remaining sections don't really enlighten the reader too much - I had to reread quite a bit...I'm still a little confused. Like the German wine industry, the book is a bit of a mess.
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