What is the difference between Riesling and Liebfraumilch?

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These wines were called “Riesling,” but were actually Liebfraumilch, a cheap blended table wine. In fact, a true German Riesling is not blended with other grape varieties, and is usually sold as a vintage. Most are either dry or semi-sweet, with strong minerality and aromas of lime, lemon, apple, and pear.

What type of wine is Rheinhessen?

white wine
Rheinhessen produces mostly white wine from a variety of grapes, particularly Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner, and is best known as the home of Liebfraumilch, although some previously underrated Rieslings are also made, increasingly in a powerful dry style.

Is Blue Nun Liebfraumilch a sweet wine?

The name is a mouthful, and so is this sweet and wonderful white wine from Germany.

Is Rheinhessen wine sweet?

OVERVIEW. Rheinhessen, Germany- Made from the native Dornfelder grape, this sweet red combines silky tannins with flavors of raspberry and plum with a pleasant sweet finish.

Is Liebfraumilch a good wine?

Around the world, Liebfraumilch is one of the best known German wines of all – and let’s be honest: Not for all the right reasons. The “sweet & cheap” label has stuck to it for decades and wine connoisseurs tend to avoid Liebfraumilch like the plague. It’s largely forgotten history is far more glamorous though.

Why is it called Liebfraumilch?

Liebfraumilch or Liebfrauenmilch (German for ‘Beloved lady’s milk’, in reference to the Virgin Mary) is a style of semi-sweet white German wine which may be produced, mostly for export, in the regions Rheinhessen, Palatinate, Rheingau, and Nahe.

Is Rheinhessen wine good?

Rheinhessen winegrowers produce modern, uncomplicated wines as well as top-quality products. The Selection Rheinhessen has been around since the 1990s – an ambitious class of fine, dry wines. This initiative is to promote authentic wines at the highest level. Rheinhessen vintners are also sparkling wine specialists.

Is Blue Nun a cheap wine?

The wines may not have been as cheap and nasty as memory suggests, but they were not expensive and sophisticated, either. They were the face of German wine abroad and that face, like the Blue Nun herself, was more or less a colorful cartoon version of the great wines of Germany.

How do you drink a Liebfraumilch?

A Liebfraumilch must be at least 70% Riesling, M ller-Thurgau, Silvaner or Kerner. The wine should be drunk well chilled, and goes well with pungent cheese, apples, pears, and other crisp fruit. It tends to be drunk either before or after meals, but not during.

Where is Rheinhessen Germany?

Rhineland-Palatinate federal state
Rheinhessen covers an area south of Rheingau, north of Pfalz and east of Nahe, and is located within the Rhineland-Palatinate federal state. The region has been cultivating grapes for wine production at least since ancient Roman occupation. It’s also the home to the oldest surviving records of a German vineyard.

What happened to Liebfraumilch?

Now, the familiar Blue Nun is gone. The wine isn’t actually gone – you can still purchase Blue Nun Liebfraumilch at grocery stores and fine wine shops (but mostly grocery stores) almost anywhere in the country. But the bottle now sports an upscale label and some people think is has a new upscale taste, as well.