Growing grapes and making wine is always hard work and always unpredictable, especially so in a climate where even a short spell of extreme or unseasonal weather (if that term is still valid) can make huge differences in both quality and quantity. Vintage 2006 turned out to be one of the toughest for German growers and winemakers but one where hard work and attentiveness paid off to produce rich wines, full of flavour and extract and yet balanced by fresh acidity. This year required not only nerves of steel but also the ability to take the harvest at a sprint. As has been widely reported, June and July were generally warm and dry,...