It’s Müller Time!
No I didn’t mistype the self-proclaimed Champagne of Beers’ name. I’m talking about Müller-Thurgau (hereafter “MT”), a German white wine grape with Swiss origins that collectively gets shat on by wine critics and sommeliers a like. And sure, there is a reason why many of the world’s elder palates might say this; the grape has a sordid history which resulted in over-production which led to thin, flabby, table wine. But here is the thing, it wasn’t the grape’s fault! Plus it is hot AF and will be for 3 months so I want to share underrated varietals to be drinking during lava air season.
MT was created by Swiss botanist and grape breeder Hermann Müller (Thurgau). He attached his home canton to his name to stand out in PhD School and to distinguish himself from probably 100 other Hermanns. And for those who are curious, a canton is the Swiss equivalent of a State in the U.S. So I would be Hallie Zmroczek New Mexico. But I digress…Hermie (that is going to be my new nickname for him) worked at the Prussian Institute for Horticulture and Viticulture in Geisenheim, Rheingau from 1876−1890 in the experimental plant station (Little Shop of Horrors Part 2 anyone? “FEED ME HERMIE!”). He wanted to take two German darlings and combine them; Riesling for its complex aromatics and Silvaner for its reliability. He did so and called it the ultra sexy and super marketable “Riesling x Silvaner 1”. Seriously why are scientists so bad at naming things? Get the Crayola guy, or someone over at Revlon who has come up with 100 names for off shades of red. It wasn’t until almost 100 years later and some fancy science-ing that the second parent of MT was identified. It was not Silvaner, but a grape called Madeline Royale. OOPS. Misidentification of grapes happens more than you think (*cough cough* Carménère *cough* Chile).
Then in 1913 before the shit hit the fan in Europe, August Dern of Bavaria brought the grape to Germany for some experimental plantings and it did well. August, recognizing the lameness of Riesling X Silvaner 1, re-named her after her creator because August was a BIG DEAL in Bavaria and he could do whatever he wanted. Experimental plantings continued until the really really big shit hit the fan. World War II destroyed Europe, and seeing that Germany WAS the instigator, their cities, and hence infrastructure, and economy were in literal ruins. Nobody wanted to trade with Germany anymore (and rightly so) for the time following the end of the war, so they had to become totally self sufficient and the people needed their wine. MT had proven to be productive in cooler climates, adaptable to a multitude of soils and boy, she was ready to be picked nice and early! Germany was ON BOARD for MT and they planted the hell out of it.
Fast forward to the 1970s and MT was being overplanted resulting it watery, thin wine which means no acid = no fun. It was thrown into some awful blended wine I just found out about called “Liebfraumilch” which is German for “Beloved Lady’s Milk” (GROSS GERMANY your wine naming is worse than Hermie’s!) a semi-sweet to sweet low tier quality wine that usually had MT in the blend and allowed for Chaptalization (added sugar to grape must before fermentation). I guess all the sugar hang-overs got to people because they started turning on the wine, and hence MT. MT plantings dropped off and vines were ripped up and replanted to Riesling which continues to be Germany’s most planted grape, followed by MT.
So what’s the deal with MT today? Now she is in the caring, thoughtful hands of vintners in many countries in addition to Germany, and is finally getting treated the way she was supposed to be the whole time. Let’s explore some growing regions shall we?
Italy - Trentino-Alto-Adige/Südtirol - Trentino and Alto-Adige are usually smooshed together into one region designation, but really they have a lot of their own stuff going on. Trentino grows MT, but it is in the bi-lingual region of Alto-Adige (Italian name) Süditrol (German name ) and specifically in the winegrowing district of Valle Isarco, which due to the cooler climate and higher altitude, grows some excellent MT and other German varietals like Riesling and Silvaner. MT from here has popping acidity, notes of spiced apples, and lovely tertiary minerality.
Oregon - Willamette Valley - We LOVE to talk about the Burgundy connection here in the Valley, but honestly, I’m a little over it. Look, I adore Pinot Noir, but we are putting all our eggs in one basket. The Valley is capable of nurturing plenty of varietals. Oregon has a rich wine history that goes beyond the Pinot boom of the 1960s. In fact, it spans WAY back to1825 when men at the Hudson Bay Company’s Fort Vancouver in Washington retired and took up farming in the Valley because she was a real Fertile Myrtle. While a lot of these new farmers were French-Canadian, the west coast was teaming with immigrants from all over Europe from the Gold Rush and other land gambles. Many of Oregon’s first wine pioneers where German. From Edward and John Van Pessl, to Adam Doerner, and of course the most notable, Frederick Adolf Rueter. Rueter built what is now the tasting room at David Hill Winery and the land surrounding it was planted with a menagerie of grapes, including German varietals (likely Riesling). I think Jeff over at Golden Cluster has an amazing section on their website devoted to Oregon wine history so please check it out for more information: https://www.goldencluster.com/history. SPEAKING of Golden Cluster, they are doing FUN things with MT, including skin contact wines. Also many MT vines in the Valley are OLD, like Smashing Pumpkins 1979 old. Other wineries showcasing MT, include Anne Amie. Head over to the Wine Reviews page to see my review of their 2019 MT.
For more on Germany in general, click the “Explore Bottle Blondes Wine Podcast” on the homepage and check out our episode all about Germany. Plus, to hear more about grape misidentification, check out our recent episode on Chile exploring the Carménère snafu. Listen and leave a nice review if you learn something new, or if you just like the Podcast. Thanks!
