The Brothers Rings Are Changing German Wine One Bottle at a Time

As soon as I walked into Andreas Rings' winery in Freinsheim I knew I would like Andreas and his

wines. There were oceans of great bottles lining the walls. Rebholz, Rousseau, Roumier, etc.  My instincts were right; this is the new star in Germany and he can barely shave.  I found out about this winery because one of their Pinot Noirs was ranked the top Pinot in Germany by Martin Zwick's group of experts.  I always form my own opinion of any wine I taste but my props to Martin for discovering Rings.

I have never been this excited for an appointment in Germany, perhaps ever. The Rings brothers have taken the German wine world by storm with their profound bottlings of Spatburgunder and Riesling. It's almost as if they popped out of nowhere. Located in Freinsheim, which is great for Pinot Noir and Riesling, the brothers Rings have an adept hand at both grapes, especially at such a young age.   Andreas, who is in charge of the winemaking, at the tender age of 26, is a genius; if these are the wines he is making at 26, Germany needs to watch out what he can do at 36 or even 46. He will be an important winemaker for a very very long time and you are getting the opportunity to get in on the ground floor. The style of the wines is as big as Andreas' teddy bear-like personality. The Rieslings and Spatburgunders have incredible freshness, verve and depth. They are big, powerful and explosive wines that take no prisoners, which I find is typical Pfalz style; the Pfalz is not for wimps.

I am proud to be the first person in America to offer the 2013 Rings Steinacker Riesling for as little as $24.99 on a six pack. This is a silly value. This is the equivalent of Spatlese Trocken, which typically go for $30-$40 through the 3 tier system. This wine is so pure, so fresh, so chiseled, so buff and just so drinkable. The precision here is unreal. There is so much explosive yellow fruit and stony vibe to this wine. It is something to ponder and also something to throw back and not think about.  Wines that have structure, minerality and density, like the 2013 Steinacker, yet are also easy to drink and keep you coming back for one more sip. This also showcases the high quality of the 2013 vintage in the Pfalz with such nice acid (yes 2013 is an acid lover's vintage) and structure. This is a startling value made by an up and coming winemaker that you will all want to keep on your radar. Steinacker as a site is very dry and every bit of water is needed by the vines. Despite all this it creates such fine, mineral and lean wines.

If this killer Riesling was not enough, they also make world class Pinot Noir here (he is actually even more famous for Pinot Noir). For me the best value was obvious as soon as I tasted it. The 2013 Freinsheim Spatburgunder, which can be had for as little as $29.99 on the 4-pack, is a stunner. It has everything I look for in top class introductory German Pinot Noir. Think very good Village Côte de Beaune quality. Freshness, elegance, wonderful pure fruit and amazing gout de terroir. These Pinot Noirs just resonate - Pfalz! You can smell the sand, the clay, the rain and the salt. The freshness of the red fruit and balance is just startling. So pure, so clean. The high limestone content in the soil contributes to its lean and fruity character. For their introductory Pinot Noir to be this complex I knew I was in rareified air.

2013 Weingut Rings Steinacker Riesling - $26.99 

($149.94 6-pack)

2013 Weingut Rings Freinsheim Spatburgunder - $31.99 ($119.96 4-pack)