唔好睇漏呢支 $410 德國白酒——同 RP100 滿分酒款同地塊！｜Markus Molitor 成狂之路

Don’t Overlook This $410 German White: From the Same Plot as a 100-Point RP Wine! | The Markus Molitor Madness

🍷 引言｜Intro

呢排講咗好多紅酒，今日輪到白酒登場。我哋要介紹嘅呢間酒莊，橫掃咗大量滿分評分，仲有一套自己嘅「星星與顏色」分級系統，等你揀酒唔使頭痕。講到呢位主角，首先要上 Robert Parker 個網站，搜尋「100 points」，再睇「Producer」嘅排名。你會發現名單幾乎清一色係法國同美國酒莊，包括上集講過嘅 Petrus。但喺呢片汪洋大海入面，你會見到一間孤獨嘅德國酒莊——就係今日嘅主角：我稱佢為「酒界狂人」嘅 Markus Molitor。

We’ve been covering red wines recently, so today it’s time for white wine. We’re featuring a winery that has swept up numerous perfect scores, and boasts its own “Stars and Colors” grading system so you can pick a bottle with ease. To introduce our protagonist, head to Robert Parker’s website, search for “100 points,” then check the “Producer” rankings. You’ll see the list is almost entirely French and American wineries, including Petrus from our last episode. But in that ocean of names, you’ll spot one solitary German winery—our hero today: the “Madman of the Wine World,” Markus Molitor.

Markus Molitor 嘅戰績到底有幾癲？Robert Parker Wine Advocate 全球只有 222 款白酒攞過 100 分，而 Markus Molitor 一個人就橫掃咗 21 個位！即係幾乎佔咗全世界十分一！甚至佔咗 Mosel 產區將近一半嘅滿分！佢之所以咁「狂」，係因為佢由細開始就有一個極大嘅目標：要將 Mosel 產區恢復到「世界第一」嘅地位。

How insane is Markus Molitor’s track record? The Robert Parker Wine Advocate has only ever awarded 100 points to 222 white wines worldwide, and Markus Molitor has claimed 21 of them! That’s nearly one-tenth of the world, and almost half of all perfect scores in the Mosel region! He’s this “mad” because since childhood he set an ambitious goal: to restore Mosel to its former status as “world number one.”

Mosel 位於德國西部，以 Riesling 聞名。一百年前，Mosel 酒係 Titanic 頭等艙嘅用酒；當時英國最大酒商嘅酒單顯示，頂級 Mosel 酒同 Bordeaux 一級莊同價。但後來因為二戰後抵制德國貨等原因，Mosel 嘅聲譽一落千丈。所以 Markus 嘅復興使命，絕對係有理有據。

Located in western Germany, the Mosel is famous for Riesling. A century ago, Mosel wines were served in first class on the Titanic, and top-tier Mosel wines were priced the same as Bordeaux First Growths on British merchants’ lists. Later, due to post-WWII boycotts of German goods, the region’s reputation collapsed. So Markus’s revival mission is well-founded.

🍇 酒莊故事｜The Winemaker’s Story

Markus 出身於一個小型釀酒家族，係第八代傳人。當時家族葡萄園只有 1.5 公頃，全部種 Riesling，細到佢自己都話「只係 hobby」。屋企本來就唔富裕，仲要喺 Markus 十歲嗰年，爸爸因為嚴重意外冇咗隻手。一個農民家庭，爸爸傷殘，命運明顯係考驗緊 Markus。佢自然成為爸爸嘅「右手」，每個下晝放學之後就去酒莊幫手。

Markus comes from a small winemaking family—the eighth generation. Back then, the family vineyard was only 1.5 hectares, planted entirely with Riesling. It was so small that Markus himself described it as “just a hobby.” The family wasn’t well off, and when Markus was ten, his father lost a hand in a severe accident. A farming family with an injured father was destiny testing Markus. He naturally became his father’s “right hand,” helping in the winery every afternoon after school.

爸爸雖然傷殘，但熱情不減，成日帶 Markus 行勻各個葡萄園，講解每一塊田嘅特性。行到 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr 呢塊田嘅時候，就同佢講當年呢度嘅光輝歷史。就係咁，一粒「強者種子」喺 Markus 心裏萌芽。

Despite his injury, Markus’s father remained incredibly passionate. He took Markus through the vineyards, teaching him the unique character of every plot. When they reached the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr vineyard, his father recounted the region’s glorious past. That’s when the “seed of greatness” began to sprout in Markus’s heart.

除咗呢粒種子，Markus 成功仲有兩大原因。第一：「別人貪婪時我恐懼，別人恐懼時我貪婪。」1984 年佢接手酒莊嘅時機差到極點——經濟低迷，一年後德國酒業爆出大醜聞，有人用化學添加劑，全球對德國酒信心一夜消失。好多酒莊生意跌到谷底，連 Grand Cru 靚田都冇人敢要，因為啲斜坡度實在太恐怖（睇片就見到）。但當年只得 20 歲嘅 Markus 後生仔大把火，知道呢啲傳奇地塊正常市況根本買唔到，於是「睇準危機，決定一搏」——開始租地、借錢，買入呢啲傳奇葡萄園。

Besides that seed, Markus’s success is driven by two major factors. First: “Be fearful when others are greedy, be greedy when others are fearful.” The timing when he took over the winery in 1984 couldn’t have been worse—economic hardship, followed by a huge scandal in the German wine industry involving chemical additives. Global confidence in German wine vanished overnight. Many Grand Cru vineyards were abandoned because their slopes were terrifyingly steep. But Markus was only 20, young and ambitious, and knew these legendary plots were impossible to acquire in a normal market. Seeing opportunity in crisis, he decided to gamble—leasing land and borrowing money to buy these legendary vineyards.

第二個原因：不惜工本做到最好！佢由十歲開始跟爸爸學釀酒，結合八代家族經驗，終於喺佢呢一代大爆發。當人人為咗賣平酒而降低成本，Markus 反而大投資做高質素酒。好似米芝蓮廚房咁，用頂級材料——野生酵母發酵、頂級橡木桶陳釀、了解每塊田嘅個性獨立管理（似 Burgundy 做法）。即使早期人手足，都堅持 100% 人手採摘；一般酒莊幾星期就收完，Markus 會用幾個月慢慢收，令佢可以採到唔同成熟度嘅葡萄。呢個做法仲帶嚟另一個 visionary decision：嘗試做 Trocken（乾型白酒）。當年人人追捧甜酒，做乾型係大冒險，但最近口味轉變，呢個決定非常聰明。佢仲係最早喺產區重種 Pinot Noir 同 Pinot Blanc 嘅人之一。

Second reason: sparing no expense to achieve the best! From age ten, Markus learned winemaking from his father, combined with eight generations of family experience, leading to a massive breakthrough in his era. While others cut costs to sell cheap wine, Markus invested heavily to make premium wine. Like Michelin-starred kitchens, he uses premium ingredients—wild yeast fermentation, top-quality oak barrels, and individual vineyard management (like Burgundy). Even in the early days with limited staff, he insisted on 100% hand-harvesting. While most wineries finish in a few weeks, Markus stretches harvest over months to pick grapes at varying ripeness levels. This led to another visionary decision: producing Trocken (dry white wine). When everyone was obsessed with sweet wine, making dry wine was a huge risk, but as tastes have shifted, his decision proved brilliant. He was also among the first to replant Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc in the region.

你可能覺得 Markus 似李嘉誠——低買高賣等市場復甦。我叫佢做「狂人」，係因為事實完全相反。佢買入嗰啲傳奇地塊之後，德國地價同酒嘅名聲冇反彈，反而因為種種挫折，大部份德國酒依然好難賣。呢個時候 Markus 要諗計，佢創咗高質高性價比嘅入門系列——呢招成為救公司嘅關鍵。佢仲親自帶住樣辦去歐洲各地跑業務，努力同高質素成功打入北歐市場。入門系列賣到全德國同挪威，佢就係咁逆流而上咗幾十年，直到 2015 年一舉成名——Robert Parker Wine Advocate 俾咗佢三個 100 分，人稱「300 分先生」。今日酒莊已經發展成 130 公頃嘅世界級名莊。

You might think Markus is like Hong Kong’s Li Ka-shing—buying low and selling high once the market recovers. But I call him a “madman” because the reality was the opposite. After he bought those legendary plots, German land prices and wine reputation didn’t bounce back. Due to various setbacks, most German wine remained hard to sell. Markus had to get creative: he created a high-quality, high-value entry-level series that saved the company. He personally traveled across Europe with samples to hustle for sales, and his hard work and high quality won over the Nordic markets. The entry-level series sold across Germany and Norway. He spent decades pushing against the tide until 2015, when he achieved instant fame—three 100-point scores from Robert Parker Wine Advocate, earning the nickname “Mr. 300 Points.” Today, the winery has grown into a 130-hectare world-class estate.

🧠 教育篇｜The “Stars & Styles” System & Tasting Guide

講到德國酒，大部份人會覺得啲名又長又難讀，仲有傳統分級系統，冇認真研究真係好難明。記得我話過 Markus 自己做 sales 嘅時候，佢發現唔打破呢個隔閡根本賣唔到酒。可惜 VDP 因為各種原因冇採納佢嘅建議，既然改變唔到環境，就改變自己——佢建立咗自己嘅「Stars & Styles」系統，方便銷售。

When it comes to German wine, most people think the names are long and hard to pronounce, plus there’s that complex traditional grading system. Without serious study, it’s really hard to understand. Remember I mentioned Markus was his own salesman? He realized that if he didn’t break down this barrier, the wine wouldn’t sell. Unfortunately, the VDP didn’t adopt his suggestions for various reasons. If you can’t change the environment, change yourself—so he created his own “Stars & Styles” system designed for easier sales.

「Styles」指嘅係酒帽顏色，代表甜度：白色 = 乾型（Dry）｜綠色 = 半乾（Off-dry）｜金色 = 甜型（Sweet）

“Styles” refers to the color of the capsule, indicating sweetness: White = Dry | Green = Off-dry | Gold = Sweet

佢仲整合咗一張「神奇分級圖」：傳統德國酒按葡萄成熟度分級，越右邊成熟度越高、等級越高。配合 Markus 嘅「Styles」系統，你一眼就睇到飲緊咩等級同甜度。例如你想飲頂級乾型白酒，就喺「White」線上面揀最右邊位置——即係 Auslese 等級，呢個等級嘅乾型白酒複雜度同香氣都爆燈，因為 Auslese 葡萄好貴，當年只有 Markus 會咁用。

He also put together a brilliant chart to explain the wine levels. Traditional German wine is graded by grape ripeness: the further right you go, the higher the ripeness and grade. By matching this with Markus’s “Styles” system, it becomes crystal clear what grade and sweetness level you’re drinking. For example, if you want a premium dry white, find the furthest point to the right on the “White” (dry) line—that corresponds to the Auslese level. At this level, the complexity and aroma are off the charts because Auslese grapes are very expensive. Back then, only Markus would use them to make dry wine.

「Stars」就係 Markus 自己嘅評級：由無星到一星、兩星、三星。星越多，代表 Markus 覺得支酒越能表現風土。之前提到嗰 21 個 100 分酒款，大部份都係三星酒。但唔使驚，任何 Markus 出品都係高質素，即使無星都要達到佢嘅高標準先夠膽推出。所以如果你想飲最好嘅、budget 無限，就「追星」；但如果想入門，由無星開始完全冇問題。

“Stars” is Markus’s own rating: from no stars to one, two, or three stars. The more stars, the better Markus feels that wine expresses its terroir. The 21 100-point wines I mentioned earlier are mostly 3-star bottlings. But don’t worry! Anything from Markus is top-quality. Even without stars, it only hits the market if it meets his high standards. So, if you want the absolute best and have no budget limit, “chase the stars.” But you can also start with the no-star selections.

而家你識咗「Stars & Styles」系統，已經係專家！我有幾個推薦俾你：

Now that you know the “Stars and Styles” system, you’re an expert! Here are a few recommendations:

• 甜型愛好者｜Sweet Lovers： 搵金色帽。Markus 話唔同葡萄園就好似唔同樂器，例如 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr 就好似小提琴，優雅溫柔，仲有好多 100 分紀錄。2022 年嘅 Auslese 三星（約 $1000 HKD）可以體驗到產區頂峰。想更抵飲，推薦 2017 Wehlener Klosterberg Auslese，金色帽、兩星，特價只需 $400 HKD！甜得嚟有活潑酸度平衡，造得超靚！
• 半乾型｜Off-dry lovers： 揀綠色帽。一星級數，都係 $400 以下，「少少甜，好多 fun」——經典廣告對白。推介 2023 Bernkasteler Badstube Spatlese - Green，一星，性價比超高。
• 乾型愛好者｜Dry Lovers： 揀白色帽。傳奇嘅 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Kabinett 只需 $410 HKD！同 RP100 滿分酒款同一個傳奇地塊，用入門價飲到「酒王」神髓。
• 入門首選｜Entry-level Best Seller： 如果想輕輕鬆鬆感受「狂人」質素，就試佢嘅暢銷入門系列——Haus Klosterberg，有白、綠、金三色帽選擇，只係 $220 HKD，已經感受到個股力量！

所有靚酒都喺 Kings Wine Cellar 有售，快啲嚟揀你嘅心水 Markus Molitor！