Lidl Pfalz Liebfraumilch 2020

Like the term “hock”, Liebfraumilch has become a rather generic name for a lower quality German wine of usually mixed grapes and provenance and invariably sold in a tall brown bottle.  In theory it speaks of a slightly higher quality carrying a Qualitatswein designation rather than the Hock’s lower Landwein designation, but I’m doubtful that this designation signifies much.

This example from Lidl is true to type.  It is of low ABV (8.5%), off-dry, of diverse grapes (but must be at least 70% Riesling, Silvaner, or Müller-Thurgau) and very cheap at just £3.69 per bottle.

The wine also has the same producer (Peter Mertes KG) and identical bottle as many hocks being sold in the UK, and apart from the 0.5% lower ABV its very hard to spot any difference, except the bottle I tried had a very slight spritz and was perhaps a little less sweet.  So this appears to be a thoroughly generic German, high volume, low cost wine.

All this said, at the given price it’s not half bad.  It is of course on the sweet side as it hits the tongue, but its finish is much drier with a nice bitter finish and the slight spritz is attractive.  Myself I find it quite drinkable.  If you can enjoy the initial sweetness and the lack of any sophistication in the flavours or nose, and are on a budget, then the price is certainly attractive, and it represents very good value for money.