Rheingold - The German Wine Renaissance [Paperback]

Owen Bird (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 14, 2005

In this provocative new book,Owen Bird writes frankly and with authority on the German wine industry; how it got into trouble and how it can rescue itself. He gives considerable insight into the pre-eminence of Riesling as driving the future of the industry. An in-depth analysis of German wine laws, labelling,competition from the New World and the advent of "flying winemaking" are all presented from a winemaking point of view. The steps taken by the German Wine Institute and the Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter (VDP) to renew the image of German wine are compared and contrasted. For the first time in English, the new "Great Growths" Classification system launched by the VDP is explained and the individual terroirs discussed making this an ideal reference book and providing a current overview of the German wine industry.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Arima Publishing (December 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845490797
• ISBN-13: 978-1845490799
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,016 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An in-depth, comprehensive survey of industry trends and influences any serious wine drinker must have, May 26, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rheingold - The German Wine Renaissance (Paperback)

Any interested in the German wine industry's history and ups and downs must have RHEINGOLD; THE GERMAN WINE RENAISSANCE. Unlike most wine surveys of Germany, RHEINGOLD provides a strong historical focus with an in-depth analysis of German wine laws, labeling, competition, and changing image. From the wide-ranging influences of Asian cuisine and its influence on German wine production to the VDP's grouping of regional associations, RHEINGOLD is not your usual light review of grapes and wineries, but an in-depth, comprehensive survey of industry trends and influences any serious wine drinker must have.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor

California Bookwatch

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars German Wine Deserves Better, April 7, 2008

By 

Tebes "Buchlieber" (Niagara Region, ON) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rheingold - The German Wine Renaissance (Paperback)

I enjoyed certain elements of this book. I don't think I would recommend it to someone just beginning to learn about wine, the wine trade and its history.

There is a lot of information but I don't feel it was presented in the best fashion. I have to agree with one of my fellow reviewers, there is rambling here and to some extent, a lack of professionalism. Bird knows his stuff but he comes off as a bit adolescent in the execution, using Aussie expressions, being pejorative where it's not necessary.

If you have a background in wine studies, then you'll have a context, an anchoring point through which you might be able to interpret all the information because Bird really doesn't make anything simple here. He seems to complicate the explanation of an already complicated subject. Now that's I've read it, if I had a chance, I would only buy it for the Appendix, featuring the key-vineyard sites of the thirteen German wine regions.

It's not a bad book. There is some historical info here which sheds light on the wine trade in Deutschland. The remaining sections don't really enlighten the reader too much - I had to reread quite a bit...I'm still a little confused. Like the German wine industry, the book is a bit of a mess.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not gold, September 18, 2007

By 

N. Zhu (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rheingold - The German Wine Renaissance (Paperback)

This is, as far as I can tell, the only English-language book currently available that deals exclusively with German wines (not counting the translated version of the Gault-Millau, which has little more than number ratings). Sadly, it's a pretty mediocre effort. Owen Bird is reasonably knowledgeable about German wine, but this book could have used a lot more editing. The writing is frequently rambling, jumping from one point to another, giving a seemingly random example, before returning to a point addressed earlier. There are frequent errors in German spelling and obvious oversights in the English editing. Also, the book lacks an index. Clearly an amateur effort.

As for the substance of the book, Bird deals primarily with how to revive German wine from an international marketing point of view. An important topic, but not necessarily the most relevant one for German wine. How about reviving QUALITY in, say, the Rheingau? Reading this book, I got the sense, again and again, that Owen misses the point or has none at all.

It's worth trying to find a used copy of Stephen Brook's Wines of Germany, which is far better written and much more comprehensive.