Dornfelder

**Dornfelder** is a red grape bred in Germany in 1955, a deliberate crossing designed to give the country's cool vineyards a variety with deep colour and reliable ripeness. **In the glass** — it is prized precisely for its inky, dark-purple hue, offering juicy black cherry and blackberry fruit, soft tannins, medium body and gentle acidity that make it approachable and easy to drink. **Where it grows** — Germany is its heartland, particularly the Pfalz and Rheinhessen regions, where it ranges from simple fruity quaffers to more ambitious oak-aged bottlings; small plantings exist in England and elsewhere in northern Europe. **At the table** — happy alongside roast pork, sausages and hearty weeknight fare. **Cellaring** — most versions are made for early, cheerful drinking, though the more structured, barrel-aged examples can hold for several years.

Wines

• 40XL — Günther Steinmetz
• Cuvée Prinz — Kaiserspan Weinbau
• Cuvée Red Dealcoholised — Carl Jung
• Dornfelder Rheinhessen Qualitätswein — Peter Mertes KG Weinkeller
• Fresh Rosé — Black Tower
• Hughes & Hughes Dornfelder — Mewstone
• Inferno Whiskey Barrel Aged Blend — Apothic
• Karl Pfaffmann — Weingut Karl Pfaffmann
• PLATZhirsch — Kochen & Platz
• Rotling vom Muschelkalk Feinherb — Stefan Sauer