Dr Loosen

The Dr. Loosen estate has been a family affair for over 200 years in the Mosel region of Germany. When Ernst Loosen took over in the late 80s, the estate had seen little investment and the cellar equipment was dated, but the vineyards were in excellent condition. With Riesling vines averaging 60 years old in some of Germany's best-rated vineyards, he had the raw materials to create stunningly intense and world-class wines! Crop sizes were dramatically reduced and only organic fertilizers are now used.

The Loosen portfolio includes the Sonnenuhr (meaning 'sundial') vineyard which lies opposite the town of Wehlen, and is characterised by its blue-grey slate base. Downstream is Urziger Wurzgarten with its red volcanic soil; which adds spice to the wines (the name translates as 'spice garden'). The Erdener Pralat vineyard is a smaller site and also a contender for top vineyard, whilst Erdener Treppchen produces wines of varying Pradikats (levels of sweetness) but all of very high quality.

Whether affordable Kabinett (drier) or expensive Auslese (sweeter), the Loosen wines are some of the best Germany has to offer.

German wine labels can be extremely confusing and so here is a quick note on the names: the first two words (e.g. Wehlener Sonnenuhr) bear the name of the wine's commune and vineyard. Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese and Beerenauslese broadly speaking refer to the sweetness of the wine. Beerenauslese is the sweetest style, followed by Auslese. Spatlese and then Kabinett are the lightest and driest styles. Goldkapsel and Long Goldkapsel wines are special bottlings of the best wines, and therefore are rarer.