Dornfelder - the german Red

German wines are commonly thought to be white, maybe along the lines of Riesling, sometimes very dry, some very sweet and fruity, dependent on which region they come from, with an almost metallic smell that speaks to the slate the vines thrive on.
Rarely one talks about german reds, and, in my opinion, which is tainted by a strong bias towards liking heavy-body wines like Rioja, Ochoa, Cabernet etc., there are good reasons for being not too excited about red grapes from central-north europe. Typically, red vines are less hardy in the german climate, also the traditional viticulture in Germany does not appeal to those plants, and the grapes that are grown are more light red, almost rose in color, and taste rather like that as well. All good for someone who really likes Trollinger and Lemberger, but I was never cut out for those wines.

But, I have to revise my opinion.

Recently, I drank two different german red wines, both from the Dornfelder grape, and was really stunned - one of them was aged in a barrique by the Weintor winemaker cooperative, and could have almost been a Rioja, in terms of oakiness, while being really soft and round, or Cabernet, in terms of complexity of flavours, a very rich nose with lots of berries jumping at you, blackberries and maybe cherry, a very deep red color - the kind of wine I want to take home with me.
Apparently, this grape is really doing well in the german climate (and has been crossed from the Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe vines for this purpose and other features, by August Herold in 1956), that can be a little tough on other reds, and being grown as well in England, and in colder areas of the United States.

I'll be looking out for this one.