VINUM German Red Wine Award 2025: Classic at its best - The renaissance of great German red wines
"Granat" from Schwegler becomes red wine of the year
Advertisement
The VINUM German red wine Award, Germany's oldest and perhaps most prestigious competition for red wines, is in impressive form in its 38th edition. In 2025, the focus will be on classic styles - grape varieties, regions and signatures that have shaped German red wine culture and that are now making their mark with impressive aplomb. "The VINUM Red Wine Award has been the barometer of German red wine for almost four decades," says VINUM editor-in-chief Harald Scholl. "2025 proves that the strength of our wines lies in the classics - in balance, origin and precision craftsmanship."
Red wine of the year: Granat from Schwegler
The best German red wine of 2025 comes from Württemberg: the Cuvée Granat 2020 from the Albrecht Schwegler winery in Korb impressed the jury as a finely balanced, deep red wine made from Zweigelt, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabertin. Complex on the nose with notes of blackberry leaf, red pepper, camomile blossom and graphite; elegant on the palate with precise acidity and velvety fine tannins - a wine in which density and finesse come together perfectly.
Deutzerhof, Ahr - Roter Riese 2025
The honorary title of "Roter Riese" goes to Deutzerhof from Mayschoß on the Ahr. Three wines achieved 95 points, two 94 - a series that speaks for itself. The team around owner Jürgen Doetsch, cellar master Hans-Jörg Lüchau and field manager Christoph Hoffmann not only mastered the reconstruction after the difficult years, but also led Deutzerhof to the top of the German red wine scene in a very short time. Their Pinot Noirs stand for cool elegance, taut structure and Burgundian finesse - wines that combine origin, depth and energy and redefine the Ahr Valley.
Newcomer of the Year: Markus Schwaab, Kirrweiler (Palatinate)
The title "Newcomer of the Year" goes to the Markus Schwaab winery in Kirrweiler, run by Markus Schwaab and his sons Bastian and Moritz. The young family winery impressed with the Cuvée Traumfabrik Réserve BO 2022, which was awarded 94 points - a wine with a clear signature, dark fruit, fine tannins and precise spice. The 2019 Maikammer Kapellenberg Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Kalmit also underlines the potential of this ambitious winery.
A competition that reflects the scene
1,254 wines took part in this year's blind tasting, conducted by 30 tasters under the direction of the VINUM team. The wines were anonymized, tested several times and re-evaluated in final rounds. The result shows a German red wine scene in top form: classic in style, diverse in origin and more precise than ever before. 156 wines scored 92 points or more - impressive proof of the steady development in quality.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
Other news from the department business & finance
