by Dr. Hermann Pilz and Richard Grosche
2,600 guests from over 20 countries descended on Mainz earlier this week for a first look at the 2006 vintage in Germany from 150 members of the Verband der Deutschen Prädikatsweingüter (VDP). The quality, especially on the
Nahe and Mosel, was much better that most analysts had expected. The downside is that the severe selections made to ensure that quality mean that "Riesling is short in volume at a time when demand is rising,” said Wilhel Streifensand from P.J. Valckenberg, who represents numerous member estates on the export market.
