Bad Dürkheim

On Friday morning, I travelled up by train from Basel to Bad Dürkheim to attend the Pfälzer Wein- und Sektmesse, the annual wine fair for the Pfalz. Although many of the top wine estates in the Pfalz head to Mainz instead for the annual VDP extravaganza, the Bad Dürkheim event still attracts the rank and file of the Palatinate wine community.

All in all, it was an enjoyable if tiring day. My time at the fair was preceded just after lunch by a visit to Pfeffingen Estate, where Jan Eymael took time to accompany me through a tasting of a selection of wines. The 2010s we tasted all had a lovely freshness about them. This certainly wasn't one of the easiest of vintages, but the wines we tried show promise even at this early stage.

The Messe was quite a straightforward affair. Representatives of the varous wineries were lined up behind stands with a selection of their latest wines, and I would float from stand to stand, tasting one or two wines before introducing myself. Attending on the Friday afternoon probably spared me from the weekend hordes, so I was able to speak to a fair amount of people without too much argie bargie involved.