Wines of Germany USA has partnered with our Houston ambassador Chris Poldoian of By the Glass Podcast for 5 episodes dedicated to German wine!
By the Glass is a podcast dedicated to boozy beverages and the people who make & drink them, with thoughtful interviews about the food & beverage industry published weekly. The host, Chris Poldoian, is one of Houston’s most well-known young sommeliers and was listed among Wine Enthusiast’s “Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers” in 2017.
Each German wine tasted on episodes 18-22 of By the Glass are available in the Houston area. Sip along as you listen below, and subscribe or follow on Spotify, Apple, or PodBean for weekly beverage insights!
For the first episode on Wines of Germany, Chris meets up with Lance Zierlein to go over the basics of German wine. Lance Zierlein is a sports commentator and NFL draft analyst based in Houston. He and Chris discuss the history of German viticulture, the best way to understand a German wine label, as well as the major grapes and regions within the country.
In the first half of a two-part discussion on minimal intervention in German winemaking, Chris sits down with Jochen Beurer, former European BMX champion turned Württemberg winemaker to discuss farming, biodiversity, Southern Germany’s most exciting red varieties, and the natural wine community within the country. Imported by Vom Boden and Demeter-certified Biodynamic, Weingut Beurer embodies the quality-driven approach to viticulture and vinification growing in Southern Germany.
In part 2, Chris speaks with Jenna Fields, the founder of The German Wine Collection, about minimal intervention from the perspective of an importer. Jenna brings to the USA classic producers from regions as diverse as the Ahr and Franken. Jenna’s portfolio includes venerable estates such as J.J. Prüm as well as more modern producers such as Rebholz and Schäfer-Frölich. Jenna and Chris discuss the aesthetics of German wine as well as the way education and consumption has changed with a younger generation of winemaker and consumer.
Another 2-part episode! In part 1 of Chris’s dive into the next generation of German winemakers, he speaks to sisters Meike & Dörte Näkel, fifth-generation winemakers in the Ahr, Germany’s northernmost region for red wine production. Their winery, Meyer-Näkel, is the regional benchmark for Pinot Noir, known as Spätburgunder in Germany. After taking the reins over a decade ago, Meike & Dörte have emphasized sustainability in their farming practices. They discuss with Chris what it means to inherit a venerable wine estate as well as Ahr’s unique viticultural challenges.
In part 2 of the young German winemakers episode, Chris is joined by winemaker Andreas Hütwohl, the Deputy General Manager and Export Director of Von Winning in one of Germany’s most diverse regions, Pfalz. Joining the winery in 2010, Andreas has helped the 300-year-old estate of Dr. Deinhard rebrand to Von Winning, which is heralded for its Burgundian approach to Grosses Gewächs Riesling. Andreas and Chris discuss how the next generation of German wine professionals is redefining the Pfalz through innovations in farming, fermenting, and marketing.
Stay tuned for more updates from Wines of Germany here or by following us on social! @GermanWineUSA on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Find Chris on Instagram at @braisedthoughts or @bytheglasspodcast.
