2018 St. Antonins Dornfelder Eiswein

This German red has a lovely purity of soft fruit, a trademark of the Dornfelder grape. Nice open nose of sweet red fruits. The palate is soft and fruity with lovely accessible pure red berry fruits. Almost no tannin; just a little bit of spiciness. A soft, ripe, rich, almost jammy wine that’s easy to drink.

Eiswein is made from grapes that have been left on the vine until winter night-time temperatures drop well below freezing. Then, in the early hours of the morning the frozen grapes, not affected by botrytis, are picked and crushed, resulting in a super sweet must that is then fermented. They're always expensive, but not always worth the money. This one is, though. Deeply coloured, with an incredibly rich, sweet nose of toasty caramel, honey, lime and some spiciness. It's very complex,. The palate is syrupy sweet with a spicy edge and hugely rich texture. Good acidity provide balance. Sensational stuff.