Pruem Owners, Presenters, and Vintners

I was lucky enough to attend a wine tasting conducted by Raimund Pruem (or Prum, depending on where you look), owner and vintner of S.A Pruem Winery in the Mosel Valley, Germany. I didn’t know when I booked the tasting, but we were going to be enjoying three Rieslings — my very favorite type of wine.

Tasting Flight

Tasting Notes Sheet

According to the winery’s website, wines have been commercially produced on site for 200 years. Raimund Pruem took over the management of his family-owned property in 1971, and has brought production from 3000 cases per year to over 40,000. He now leads “one of Germany’s finest vineyards, which is located on the most preferred growing area along the entire length of the Mosel, garnering the highest honors year after year.”

The Winery is a founding, active member of the VDP (The Association of German Premium Wineries), a consortium of Germany’s top producers.

Pruem Vineyards

The tasting began with the S.A Pruem Essence Riesling. Going for about $15/bottle, this wine was light and spicy. It’s suggested as an accompaniment to filet mignon or spicy foods, but is also suggested as a simple drinking wine — whenever and wherever. I enjoyed this wine, but compared to the others, it had a thinner flavor and made less of a statement.

From there, we moved on to Schloss Rheinhartshausen Old Vines Riesling. This darker gold wine was described as “stylish” by its vintners in the seminar, commenting on its intense, richer flavors. The rootstocks of this wine go deeper into the soil, bringing in the minerals and earthy flavors of the soil. At $27/bottle, this wine has a more alcoholic aroma and flavor, and is suggested as an accompaniment to richer sauces and fatty fish. This is a “weighty” wine.

Tasting Seminar

Finally, we tasted what would become my favorite wine of the day: the S.A Pruem Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese. Loosely translated to “Heaven’s Kingdom,” this wine is deeee-licious! It has a bubbly, spicy flavor on the tongue, and is quite sweet (which is why I like it so much). This is the result of a later picking, meaning the grapes have more acidity and less liquid — this is where the sweet comes from. It has a long fermentation, facilitated by wild yeast gathered in the vineyard. This wine, at $32/bottle, can work well with spicy foods, including Thai and Indian flavors. Pruem referred to it as a “9-4” wine, meaning you can start in on it at 9 AM and drink it all day — there’s only 8% alcohol.

You can purchase all three wines in The Cellar at the Food and Wine Festival Center, or you can try them at the Munich Booth in the World Showcase! Enjoy!

For more posts and information about the 2009 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, visit our 2009 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival Index Page.