Volcanic Wine Awards | The Jancis Robinson Story

Southern strength – Germany's 2024 VDP wines

Thursday 19 June 2025 • 5 min read
pouring red wine at the Mainzer Weinbörse 2025 © VDP by Peter Bender

The second half of this report focuses on Baden, Pfalz, Rheinhessen, Rheingau and Württemberg. See also part one, Beyond the frost line.

Few would dispute that this is a particularly challenging time to be in the wine industry. Producers find themselves navigating a complex web of rising costs, shifting consumption, trade tensions and the omnipresent ‘black box’ that is climate change. Add to that an increasingly critical public-health discourse around alcohol, and a ‘cultural asset’ that has long felt recession-proof is proving itself to be anything but. 

Yet a resolve to deliver, regardless of the challenge, felt like the unofficial motto...

Become a member to continue reading
Member
$135
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 287,394 wine reviews & 15,847 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors
  • Access 287,394 wine reviews & 15,847 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 287,394 wine reviews & 15,847 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade
  • Access 287,394 wine reviews & 15,847 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Tasting articles

flowering Pinot Meunier vine
Tasting articles Once a bit player, Pinot Meunier is increasingly taking a starring role in English wines. Above, a Pinot Meunier vine...
Opus prep at 67
Tasting articles Quite a vertical! In London in November 2025, presented by Opus’s long-standing winemaker. Opus One is the wine world’s seminal...
Doug Tunnell, owner of Brick House Vineyard credit Cheryl Juetten
Tasting articles Save water, drink these wines from the Deep Roots Coalition, a group of wineries who eschew irrigation. Among them is...
Rippon vineyard
Tasting articles Twenty-two reasons not to do Dry January. Among them, a Pinot Noir produced by Rippon, from their vineyards on the...

More from JancisRobinson.com

2brouettes in Richbourg,Vosne-Romanee
Free for all Information about UK merchants offering 2024 burgundy en primeur. Above, a pair of ‘brouettes’ for burning prunings, seen in the...
Las Teresas with hams
Nick on restaurants Head to the far south of Spain for atmospheric and inexpensive hospitality. Above, the Bar Las Teresas in the old...
cacao in the wild
Free for all De-alcoholised wine is a poor substitute for the real thing. But there are one or two palatable alternatives. A version...
Novus winery at night
Wines of the week A breath of fresh air that’s a perfect antidote to holiday immoderation. Labelled Nasiakos [sic] Mantinia in the US. From...
Sunny garden at Blue Farm
Don't quote me Jet lag, a bad cold, but somehow an awful lot of good wine was enjoyed. This diary is a double...
View of Serralunha d'Alba
Inside information A pleasant surprise, showing more nuance and complexity than initially expected. Above, a view of Serralunga d’Alba. 2022 is widely...
View from Smith Madrone on Spring Mountain
Free for all Demand, and prices, are falling. A version of this article is published by the Financial Times. Above, the view from...
Albert Canela and Mariona Vendrell of Succes Vinicola.jpg
Wines of the week A rosé to warm your winter, from £17.30, $19.99. Above, Albert Canela and Mariona Vendrell of Succés Vinícola. The wind...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.