(Manfred Klimek / WELT am SONNTAG)
It is the jack-of-all-trades for wine drinkers – particularly those who don’t want to go without their daily glass of good wine: the litre bottle of decent wine, which offers very decent German wines for comparatively little money. Produced by well-known winemakers – successful winemakers, that is – who could well part with this format without suffering any major financial loss. But they don’t want to. Not yet, anyway.
It is also a bottle size that, by international standards, seems almost out of step with the times, yet preserves something that has long since disappeared elsewhere: the idea that good wine does not necessarily have to be expensive. Whilst the global wine market is increasingly fragmenting into prestige vineyards, single-bottle releases and exaggerated narratives, a parallel world exists in Germany where top estates quite naturally bottle wines by the litre. These are not ‘second-rate’ wines, but well-crafted, often astonishingly precise wines that stem from the same winemaking tradition as the equally affordable, yet ultimately more expensive, estate wines – almost always bottled in the established 0.75-litre containers.
And yet, despite all the obvious advantages for consumers, these bottles are increasingly falling into oblivion. For the retail trade loves the narrative, the hype; it loves what can be continually emphasised in terms of price and provenance. The litre bottle, on the other hand, defies this logic. It is too simple, too clearly conceived as a wine for everyday drinking, too unspectacular. At the same time, the very clientele for whom it was once made is also disappearing: people who want to treat themselves to a good glass of wine without making a fuss about it. A glass with a meal, as part of everyday life, in the evening to unwind on the balcony, terrace or in the garden – for litre wines are, above all, white wines, summer wines.
The wineries themselves find themselves in a conflict that is not communicated to the outside world. For every good litre bottle of wine raises the question of why the estate wine from the same winery should cost more. Consequently, the litre bottle often remains under-promoted – a product that exists but rarely takes centre stage.
Yet, viewed objectively, it is a uniquely German phenomenon. In France, for example, the concept of ‘vin de soif’ – a simple, easy-drinking wine – does exist, and major estates such as Domaines Barons de Rothschild do produce accessible wines at modest prices. Yet the one-litre format – this deliberate choice to offer more wine whilst maintaining the same quality – is hardly to be found there.
In Germany, by contrast, the litre bottle has its roots in the hospitality industry, in wine served by the glass, in open-bar settings. It is not a statement, but a permanent cultural fixture. A litre of wine meant to be shared, aimed not at the moment of tasting but simply at the joy of drinking. The waning enthusiasm for wine among younger generations born after 2000 is their problem – and at the same time their opportunity. For it stands for something that wine is increasingly losing, and which the younger generation no longer even seeks in secret: a sense of the ordinary.
Undoubtedly, the grapes for these wines come from the first harvest, the pre-harvest, during which all grapes that the winery no longer wishes to allow to ripen are sorted out. And undoubtedly, some of the grapes also come from carefully selected purchases from trusted grape suppliers. Despite these ‘levelling-off’ measures – which are often perceived as a compromise on quality – no reputable winery can afford to release even a single bottle of wine from its estate that does not meet the quality criteria of the estate’s most expensive wine. After all, a merely average wine from an estate renowned for quality would be – especially in the age of social media – a disaster.
It is therefore time to take these bottles seriously. Not as a curiosity, but for what they are: one of the last truly democratic forms of wine on offer.
The Silvaner in a litre bottle from Winzerhof Stahl (from €6.50; the slightly higher-quality bottled version called ‘Kilo’ for €9.50) in Simmershofen, Franconia – a winery whose wines are also served in Michelin-starred restaurants – shows just how clear and fresh this category can be when it is taken properly seriously. No decorative frills, just a precise, straightforward wine that distils the grape variety down to its very essence – which is also robust. Freshness, a cool undertone, coupled with that typical, slightly tart herbal note that keeps the palate alert.
The Juliusspital in Würzburg interprets the litre Silvaner (from €8.50) in a slightly more classical style. Here, there is more roundness, more of that Franconian oenological naturalness at play. The fruit seems riper, the wine as a whole slightly softer, without losing its definition. A Silvaner that relies less on tension than the one from Stahl, and more on balance – and that is precisely where it finds its strength.
At Zehnthof Luckert in Sulzfeld am Main, a truly great Franconian winemaker with wines of international renown, the litre bottle of Silvaner (from €11.50) is an understatement of great skill. The wine is austere, precise, almost severe in its character. Less fruit, more structure, more mineral notes from the soil, a distinct style that doesn’t pander. The fact that such a style appears in a litre bottle is almost a statement in itself.
Finally, the Schenk Winery in Randesacker brings a litre-bottled Silvaner (from €8.50) into the mix, which comes across as somewhat more open and accessible without ever veering into the banal. The Silvaner displays fruit, but in a controlled manner, remaining dry, clean and clear. A wine that delivers exactly what one hopes for from this category: reliability without being dull.
The one-litre Rivaner (Müller-Thurgau) from the Uli Metzger Winery in Grünstadt in the Palatinate (from €5.40) is perhaps the most underrated entry in this selection. A grape variety that was long – and not without reason – considered unremarkable, yet here it is transformed into a quality wine with astonishing precision. Light, fresh, with clear fruit, and without any cloying, banal sweetness. And a far cry from the many unremarkable wines for which Müller-Thurgau is still often held responsible in Germany.
The Palatinate winery Hammel brings an almost playful twist to the concept with its two most prominent litre bottles. The Riesling ‘Literweise’ (from €6.36) is juicy, direct, with crisp acidity and uncomplicated fruit. It lacks great depth, but has an astonishing drinkability that suits the format perfectly. The ‘Literweise’ rosé (Dornfelder & Pinot Noir, from €5.79), on the other hand, focuses more on fruit and body, yet remains consistently fresh and lively – almost effortlessly good.
The Riesling from the Deisesheim-based Von Winning winery in the litre format (from €7.10) feels like a skilfully managed balancing act. The estate, known for ambitious, often oaky wines, demonstrates here that reduction is possible even in the simplest category. Clear, precise, with crisp acidity and fruit that never dominates, allowing the mineral notes to come through. A litre wine with character, without flaunting it.
David Spies, a winemaker in Rheinhessen and the cellar master behind the most famous Riesling served on DB dining carriages, delivers a litre of Riesling that perhaps comes closest to the ideal for this category. A Riesling that wants nothing more than to be good. Fresh, straightforward, with just the right balance of fruit and acidity. No statement, no concept – just a wine that’s there when you need it.