Trollinger: Germany’s Unique Red Wine

Go to any festival, wine bar or even biergarten in Germany’s Stuttgart area, and one is likely to encounter a bit of a puzzle: loads of Germans drinking a local wine that looks frighteningly like cherry Kool-aid. Found almost nowhere else but here, Trollinger (pr. traw-ling-GER) is ubiquitous in the Württemberg region, and Swabians love it. According to the German Wine Institute’s latest statistics, Germany now only grows this grape in Württemberg, and outside Germany, one can only find this grape in northern Italy as Schiava or perhaps in Austria, known as Vernatsch. So, basically this odd wine grape is, well, rare.

My German friend Petra scowls when I say this because she, like many wine lovers – even in this region – finds Trollinger not very tasty and its popularity bewildering. Trollinger’s dubious reputation is apparently renowned. I can still recall the first time I contacted the Dutch Wine Institute about another story and merely mentioned Swabians’ love for Trollinger. In addition to what seemed like a chuckle, the spokesperson said something akin to “oh those Württembergers and their Trollinger…they love their Trollinger; they drink it like water.”

And indeed they do. In Württemberg, 21.2 percent of the vineyards are devoted to Trollinger grapes – one of the region’s top three grapes.

Consider this: according to Edmund Penning-Rowsell in German Wine Atlas and Vineyard Register, “Despite its extensive growing area, Württemberger wine is hardly known outside the country. The reason is not hard to discover: in Württemberg, consumption of wine is almost three times as large as its production; and as the Swabian lives by the precept ‘you should never wait until you’re thirsty,’ the drinking of the daily quarter carafe (which quickly becomes a three-quarter one) is a necessary routine.”

Good for a Roman party…
Most believe that Trollinger arrived in southern German during Roman times. Fourteenth century documents, including a papal legate report that Martin Luther drank it in 1520, show it has made the rounds. Initially, the grape was all over Germany but used as a table grape for eating, not winemaking. Most believe the name is a transformation of “Tirol-inger,” because the grape originated in Tirol, Italy.

And though it is not the easiest grape to grow, it has a high yield. In fact, most would say it has too high a yield to produce good quality grapes. Many winemakers will thus reduce the yield to improve quality. Like Riesling and Lemberger, the two other top grapes for this region, it is a late harvester, not ripe until October. However, the reward comes in the quick production of this wine. It doesn’t require long storage time, usually ready for drinking in about a year. Swabians drink Trollinger young, and they drink it cold too. This is not your typical red wine.

The Popularity of Trollinger
Trollinger is everywhere. Even at my local biergarten where beer is clearly the order of the day, one will see large numbers of people consuming glassfuls of this bright ruby-colored beverage that is most definitely an acquired taste if one hasn’t grown up drinking it. I used to think only the older Swabians drank this wine, but then I encountered a group, Trollinger 2.0, at our annual Weindorf who disagreed. It’s a wine for everyone.

And perhaps that’s because Trollinger really is a unique red wine. Trollinger is undeniably red in color. However, it’s not a purply, blackish abyss of a wine. Rather it’s like a shiny ruby that reminds one more of a switched-on light, illuminating its special viertele glass mug in which they serve wine in Swabian Germany. Trollinger is served cold and reminds one more of a strong rosé. Additionally, though many will describe this wine as fresh and fruity, it can finish with a medicine-y bitterness that has caused at least one friend of mine to compare it to cough syrup.

“But that’s why it’s better blended,” says my friend Petra.

In fact, I put Petra’s advice to the test. Many times I have tasted and tried to appreciate the “fragrant,” “light and fruity” qualities of this popular wine, only to come away with a feeling that someone had transformed wild cherry cough drops into a beverage. I didn’t see how a medium-bodied red wine, such as Lemberger (the blending wine of choice), could possibly tame the Trollinger. How wrong I was. The addition of Lemberger makes Trollinger incredibly drinkable. Still served chilled, it presents a wine that is refreshing. The wine now seemed to have that reported “floral fragrance.” It did seem light and bright. It felt more berry than wild cherry. This was a wine I could see surviving centuries of get-togethers, barbecues and Sunday biergarten afternoons.

I have read that more Trollinger is blended than consumed on its own. However, my own anecdotal reports would indicate that local restaurant wine menus and grocery store offerings don’t correspond with this theory. Someone – nay – a lot of people are drinking Trollinger all by its lonesome, and it’s clear that they love it.

Not so long ago, my husband, his brother and I went to a wine bar where the choices were red, white or pink. As the men chose “red,” it was easy to see that Trollinger was the wine du jour. After several hours and a few vierteles of laughing and talking with newfound friends there at our table, they proclaimed the wine “fantastic.” As my husband said, “its all about the experience.”

Indeed, as Petra and I walked our dogs together, we encountered another friend who learned I was writing about Trollinger. Her response? “I love Trollinger. I always have so much fun when I drink it.”

So perhaps that’s the lesson here. Trollinger may not be the best of wines, but for some inexplicable reason, people love it and do seem to have a very good time when they drink it.

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