Wine: Besigheimer Felsengarten Acolon Trocken

A few days ago I discovered this bottle of wine in a large supermarket that I don't often visit. It's a bottle of Acolon dry wine. If your reaction is "What's that?" don't be ashamed. It was my reaction as well. I was so puzzled that I pulled out my mobile phone and read up on it before putting it in my shopping basket.

Acolon is a new grape variety that was created by crossing Lemberger and Dornfelder grapes. It was first produced in 1971, but it was only officially recognised as a new variety in 2002. Since then it's rapidly grown in popularity, primarily in Württemberg, where dry red wines are favoured.

After keeping the wine in a decanter for about 75 minutes I tried my first sip. The immediate impression was a strong acidity, probably because I've been drinking Samtrot and Trollinger for the last few days. As it settled in my mouth the acidity subsided, and it had a remarkably fruity taste. The subsequent sips tasted more and more fruity.

This is a very interesting wine. It tastes very different to a typical Lemberger. I need to compare it with a Dornfelder, which is a wine that I don't often drink. It's a relatively rare grape in Württemberg, only grown in some of the larger vineyards. I could cheat by buying a bottle of Pfalz (Palatinate) wine, but that would be an unfair comparison. I'll have to search the shelves next time I'm in the supermarket.