Ernst Loosen: Working wonders for Rieslings

Aimee Dawis ,  Contributor ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 05/06/2008 9:56 AM  |  Lifestyle

It's not everyday you meet a living legend. But Jakarta's wine lovers had the rare opportunity to meet and talk with Ernst Loosen, who has worked tirelessly for more than two decades to improve and promote the quality and image of Rieslings all over the world.

Before taking over his family's wine estate in 1988, Loosen made a pilgrimage to some of the most highly respected wineries in the world.

It was his belief that before he could make world-class wines, he first had to understand what it is that makes a wine truly great.

Through this voyage of discovery, Loosen developed the foundation for his own wine-making style -- a style that is rooted in the authentic expression of the soil, the climate and the vines themselves.

When he assumed ownership of the Dr. Loosen wine estate, he realized that with ungrafted vines averaging 60 years old in some of Germany's best-rated vineyards, he had the raw materials to create stunningly intense, world-class wines.

To achieve this, Loosen dramatically reduced his crop size and stopped all chemical fertilization, preferring only moderate use of organic fertilizers.

And, most importantly, he turned to gentler cellar practices that allow the wine to develop its full potential with a minimum of handling and technological meddling.

These techniques have resulted in a wide spectrum of luscious Rieslings, starting with the lightest and most delicate.

These include Kabinett, which is made from ripe grapes picked early in the harvest; Spatlese, a richer, bolder wine made from riper grapes harvested later than Kabinett; and Auslese, which is produced from very ripe, late-harvested grapes that are selected cluster by cluster.

There are also Beerenauslese, a rich, dense dessert wine made from nearly shriveled grapes pressed to extract an ultraconcentrated nectar, and the rare Eiswein -- literally "ice wine" -- which is produced from grapes harvested during a heavy frost in the wee hours of the morning.

The brilliant Rieslings have won Dr. Loosen the high accolade of being named the best German producer by Wine & Spirits magazine in fall 2007.

Ernst Loosen himself was awarded the title of Decanter of the Year in 2005, and in 2006 he was named one of the world's top 10 makers of white wine by Decanter, Britain's most respected wine magazine.

Despite his skills and talent for wine making, Loosen had not always wanted to be a winemaker -- his first passion was archaeology.

As a young man, he was sent by his father to the wine college of Geisenheim to train as an enologist.

"It was never my intention to be a winemaker, and it was my father's idea, but he didn't want to be challenged. So I went along with it," he recalled.

After leaving Geisenheim, Loosen went to the University of Mainz in 1981 to study archaeology. His father was keen for him to run the estate, but he did not want to.

It was not until his father became very ill with hepatitis in 1987 that Loosen came home to oversee the difficult vintage. The great vineyards in Wehlen, Graach, Uerzig and Erden were in poor condition, but Loosen has never looked back.

Today, his wines are the most widely distributed German wines in the world. They are currently available in 60 countries, from the United States and France to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

He pointed out his wines are well-received in Asian countries because they are "very charming".

The wines, he said, are "light and refreshing, and they're low in alcohol. They are especially suited for spicy Asian food because the low alcohol content (7-8 percent) does not increase the heat from the spices but balances it".

Eager to test his words, diners at Scusa Restaurant, at the Intercontinental Hotel, tried the procession of Dr. Loosen's Rieslings with the five-course wine-tasting dinner that was created especially to celebrate the arrival of Ernst Loosen in Indonesia.

The menu matched the wines perfectly.

It featured dishes such as citrus marinated sturgeon carpaccio with tuna tartare, fennel sorbet and Sicilian oranges -- served with Dr. L Riesling, 2006.

The menu also featured cannelini bean soup and red bell pepper potage with scallop tortellini and Marsala reduction accompanied by Dr. Loosen Riesling Spatlese 2006, as was the pumpkin ravioli stuffed with spicy prawns and dressed with fried Italian basil, chili and butter emulsion.

The spicy elements in the Asian-infused Italian dishes brought about a burst of exciting flavors in the mouth as they were enjoyed with the Rieslings.

The Spatlese blended harmoniously with the spicy prawns in the pumpkin ravioli.

The delicately sweet Beerenauslese proved to be the diners' favorite -- graceful and smooth on the palate, it was the ideal complement for Scusa's famed melted chocolate cake with stewed dried figs and honey gelato.

It also marked a perfect ending to a charming encounter with Dr. Loosen's Rieslings.

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