Brent Kroll on the insane diversity of German wines

VaselineMay 22, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Brent Kroll on the insane diversity of German wines

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Brent Kroll is the owner of three establishments in Washington, DC: Maxwell Park, Pop Fizz and Trouble Bird. The Detroit native began learning about wine while dining in college and landed his first sommelier role at Miami’s Casa Tua by age 22.

Although he has worked across the country, Kroll became one of DC’s best-known sommeliers while serving as wine director at Neighborhood Restaurant Group, overseeing more than a dozen wine programs. Its first venue, Maxwell Park (named after Kroll’s childhood park in Detroit), opened in the Shaw neighborhood in 2017, followed by pop bar Pop Fizz in 2022 and cocktail bar Trouble Bird in 2023.

After shooting the Supertasters video with Kroll, SevenFifty Daily talked to him about his passion for German wine.

***SevenFifty Daily*: What is the first German wine you ever tried?**

Brent Kroll: Dr. Loosen Riesling. I used to pour Estate Riesling by the glass when I worked at Coach Insignia as a waiter in Detroit when I was in college. I turned 21 while working there and finally got to taste wines by the glass. Madeline Triffon, MS, selected the wines for our company and always had an excellent representation of Riesling.

SFD: What is your favorite German food and wine pairing?

It’s a tie: a ripe German Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) with roasted foie gras or Riesling feinherb with crispy roasted pork. I’ll give an honorable mention to Silvaner with spring vegetables.

Why do you love German wine?

It’s electric. It’s the Gatorade sommelier. The gateway to German wine is dry Riesling. Then you learn to love the drier styles and respect the Grosses Gewächs.

But there is much more to it than Riesling. With temperatures warming around the world, you see German Pinot Noir thriving in many regions, even in places like the Mosel. Try a Hans Wirsching Silvaner, Pfeffingen Scheurebe or an Enderle and Moll Grauburgunder to see the diversity. I didn’t even touch Sekt, German sparkling wine!

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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