黑皮諾，德國葡萄酒的明日之星

文｜Tersina Shieh 編、譯｜張恬熙

下次當你在喝德國雷司令，又想選一瓶紅葡萄酒來陪襯時，大可毫不猶豫地選擇黑皮諾——Sp?tburgunder再也不是一顆滄海遺珠！

So next time when you need a red wine to compliment your German Riesling, look no further.Sp?tburgunder is not a hidden gem anymore.

雷司令無疑是德國最著名的葡萄酒，但Sp?tburgunder（即Pinot Noir，黑皮諾）如今也在悄然而上。綽號“德國葡萄酒先生”的喬爾·佩恩（Joel Payne），近日受到來自香港進口商巴赫梅爾葡萄酒（Bachmair Wines）的卡爾·巴赫梅爾（Karl Bachmair）邀請，舉行了一場品鑒會，帶領侍酒師和媒體記者們一同品鑒了9款來自德國5個不同產區的優質酒款。

黑皮諾在德國并不陌生，它就像大多數的歐洲葡萄品種一樣來源于勃艮第。盡管最早關于黑皮諾的記載是在14世紀，但實際上早在公元4世紀修道士就在種植這個葡萄品種。然而由于成熟度不夠，釀出來的葡萄酒不盡如人意，大多數被釀成桃紅葡萄酒而非紅葡萄酒。這一情況在過去的幾十年里發生了改變。氣候變化、克隆技術、葡萄栽培的改進以及釀酒技術的經驗積累，這些都將黑皮諾的品質大大提升并有了今日的成就。

德國釀造不同風格的黑皮諾。由于產區的氣候與勃艮第相似，因此不乏與勃艮第風格類似的黑皮諾葡萄酒。來自巴登產區雨博酒莊2015年份的馬耳特丁格（Weingut Bernhard Huber 2015 Malterdinger）是品鑒酒款之一。伯哈德·胡伯（Bernhard Huber）于1987年接手家族葡萄園，開始在酒莊內進行裝瓶，并慢慢地將種植面積增加到26公頃左右。在他去世后，他的兒子朱利安（Julian）繼承了酒莊。據喬爾·佩恩說，他的葡萄酒在盲品中常被專業人士誤認為是勃艮第黑皮諾，其中就包括備受尊敬的法國酒評家米歇爾·貝丹（Michel Bettane）。朱利安相信“小即是美”和“少即是多”。他的目標是只釀造頂級黑皮諾和霞多麗葡萄酒。

此外，德國還有更加國際化的新世界風格黑皮諾。當代釀酒師在全新的225升橡木桶中對葡萄酒進行陳年，從而使葡萄酒的酒體更加飽滿、層次更加豐富以及更有結構感。菲利普庫恩酒莊2015年份的庫恩櫻桃園(特級園)黑皮諾干紅葡萄酒（Philipp Kuhn 2015 Kirschgarten Grosses Gew?chs）就是一個典型的例子。

黑皮諾也會用來釀造德國起泡酒sekt。來自萊茵黑森產區的勞姆蘭德酒莊2010年份皮諾黑中白干型起泡酒（The Raumland 2010 Pinot Prestige Brut Blanc de Noir），二次發酵后在瓶中陳釀時間長達88個月，有多層次的果香氣息，略帶奶油蛋卷和煙熏味，酸度清爽。這款酒在2018年的戈米氏美食指南（Gault Millau Guide）中被評選為德國最佳起泡酒。

巴登和法爾茲是德國最南端的兩個葡萄酒產區，黑皮諾的種植面積最大，但黑皮諾也生長在符騰堡和萊茵黑森產區，以及阿爾和納厄這些有著溫暖微型氣候的產區。德國黑皮諾的種植面積有11784公頃，僅次于法國和美國，居世界第三位，超過新西蘭和澳大利亞的總和。

下次當你在喝德國雷司令，又想選一瓶紅葡萄酒來陪襯時，大可毫不猶豫地選擇黑皮諾——Sp?tburgunder再也不是一顆滄海遺珠！

Sure Riesling is Germanys most well-known wine but Sp?tburgunder (aka Pinot Noir) is quietly catching up.Joel Payne,nicknamed Mr German Wine by Karl Bachmair from Bachmair Wines(Hong Kong importer), guided a full house of sommeliers and media to taste nine such fine wines from five German wine regions recently.

Sp?tburgunder is nothing new in Germany.Like most grapes in Europe, it was brought from Burgundy and planted by monks a least in the 4th century although it was only first documented in 14th century.However, because of poor ripening, the wine was a hit and miss and the majority was rosé rather than red wine.But things have changed in the past couple of decades.Climate change, clonal selection, improved viticultural practice and experience in winemaking technique all propel Sp?tburgunder to todays height.Germany offers different styles of Sp?tburgunder.Its climate is similar to Burgundy and there is no shortage of Burgundian style Sp?tburgunder.The 2015 Malterdinger from Weingut Bernhard Huber in Baden we tasted is one of them.Bernhard Huber began estate bottling in 1987 after he took control of the familys vineyards and slowly increased planting to around 26ha.His son Julian inherited the estate after he passed away and continued Bernhards legacy.According to Joel, his wine was often mistaken by professionals,including respected French wine critic Michel Bettane, as Burgundy Pinot in blind tastings.Julian believes in small is beautiful and less is more.His goal is to only make Grand Cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

On the other end is the more international New World style Pinot Noir.Contemporary winemakers age the wine in new oak barriques (225 litres) resulting in fuller-bodied wine with more depth and structure.Philipp Kuhn 2015 Kirschgarten Grosses Gew?chs is one such fine example.Sp?tburgunder also makes its way into sekt, Germans sparkling wine.The Raumland 2010 Pinot Prestige Brut Blanc de Noir from Rheinhessen, spent a whopping 88 months on lees, is multi-dimensional with layers of fruits,hints of brioche and smokiness supported by crisp acidity.It was voted the Best German Sekt in Gault Millau Guide 2018.

Baden and Pfalz, the two Southernmost wine regions in Germany, have the most plantings of Pinot Noir but the variety is also grown in Württemberg and Rheinhessen, as well as the warm pockets in Ahr and Nahe.Its planting area, at 11, 784 ha, ranked the third in the world after France and the USA;and is more than New Zealand and Australia combined.So next time when you need a red wine to compliment your German Riesling, look no further.Sp?tburgunder is not a hidden gem anymore !