295: Untangling German Wine Styles, Laws and Mysteries with Anne Krebiehl, Author of The Wines of Germany

Why has German beer been so much more successful marketing-wise than German wine in foreign markets, particularly in the U.K. and North America? How does German law make it complex to navigate the country’s wines for consumers? What is selective harvesting, and why is it fundamental to understanding German wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with author Anne Krebiehl. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks   Giveaway One of you will win a copy of Anne Krebiehl's terrific book, The Wines of Germany. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast.  I'll choose one person randomly from those who contact me.  Good luck!   Highlights How did Simon and Garfunkel help Anne learn English? What was Anne’s experience getting her first article published while working at Deutsche Bank? What drew Anne to shift from food writing to wine writing? Why did Anne want to work harvests around the world, and how did she convince wineries to let her join? What is Central Otago, New Zealand like, and what was Anne’s most memorable moment from the harvest? How do the landscapes of Piedmont, Italy, and Baden, Germany, differ from Central Otago? What makes Anne’s book, The Wines of Germany, different from other books about German wine? What is it about German wine law that can make it complex and confusing for consumers? What is selective harvesting? How did German wines become known to be sweet? Why has German beer been so much more successful than German wine? How does the central geography and climate of Germany impact its wine production?   About Anne Krebiehl Anne Krebiehl MW is a freelance wine writer and lecturer. She is the editor for Germany, Austria, Alsace and Grower Champagne for Vinous Media and publishes widely in trade and consumer publications. Her first book, The Wines of Germany, won Domaine Faiveley International Wine Book of The Year 2020 at the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards.   Bonus Interview - Ottawa Independent Writers | Writer's Workshop: Highlights The mistake in following a chronological series of events. There's nothing that will put readers to sleep more quickly than a this happened, then this happened narrative. The mistake of underestimating the difficulty of navigating a dual timeline. While it can be difficult to try to weave back and forth, clumping together parts of your story by category won't be satisfying to the reader. The mistake of believing that memoir is more closely aligned to non-fiction than fiction. A memoir is a true account but the techniques of memoir are all on the fiction side of things - plot, character development, climax and conflict.   About Ottawa Independent Writers Ottawa Independent Writers (OIW) was formed in 1986 as a venue for people with a passion for creating fiction and non-fiction, for writing poetry and plays, and for stringing words together in a variety of other formats. OIW’s members are involved in every aspect of the printed and electronic word.         To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/295.