HILD:THE MOST DELICIOUS MOSEL GRAPE YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF
It officially feels like summer in Houston. We have the heat, the humidity, the storms, and that means its time to stock up on whites and bubbles to power us through the next few months. It is in that spirit that I want to introduce you to a unique German wine called Elbling. I had actually never heard of it prior to last year, and that is definitely a shame because it is delicious! The Mosel is broken up into six bereiche (think of these as subregions), one of which is the Obermosel, or Upper Mosel. While the Mosel is obviously known for its Riesling production, this section of the Mosel is actually a little different. Instead of the slate soils that are prevalent in the rest of the region, this little area is rich in limestone soils, which is perfect for the rare, historical Elbling grape. For those that haven't tried it, Elbling is like Riesling's little sister grape. It's fun, quaffable, and refreshing.
To get a better understanding of Elbling and the wines of Hild we'll let German importer Vom Boden do the talking: Its important to understand that Elbling here feels like something of a religion. Its a culture, a regional dialect that is spoken through this wine of rigorous purity, of joyous simplicity, of toothsome acidity. Even at its best, Elbling is not a grape of greatness as much as it is a grape of refreshment and honestly and conviviality. The comparisons are plenty, though none of them are quite right: If Riesling is Pinot Noir, then Elbling is Gamay. If Riesling is Sauvignon Blanc, then Elbling is Muscadet. You get the idea. The joy of Elbling is the uncompromising vigor and energy, the raucous and super-chalky acidity. Matthias Hild reminds me of Randal Graham, the famous founder/winemaker of Bonny Doon, in his eclectic mix of scholar, advocate, farmer and trickster. He also sports a thinning pony tail and takes everything at his own pace and on his own terms. This strength of character likely explains some of how Hild has survived in the Obermosel making quality-minded, honest wines in a region where this is not a financially wise thing to do¦The fact that Matthias is single-handedly trying to save the old, terraced parcels of Elbling is a move that is equal parts romantic and completely insane. The financial realities of working these vineyards by hand while accepting their lower yields simply do not add up. This is an act of cultural preservation more than anything else. He calls the wine Zehnkommanull which means simply 10% the wine always ferments bone dry and is 10% ABV or less.
Intrigued yet? Elbling checks all the boxes of a perfect summer sipper, and for added fun we have the sparkling, as well! Grab a 6 pack now and thank us later when you're living your best life sipping Elbling by the pool. - MEG VAN TIL