11 - Germany Flashcards
Growing environment in Germany (climate, rivers and topography)
Climate
- Cool continental
- cold winters
- Frost spring
- 500-800mm rain often in summers
- Autumns long and dry
Rivers: moderates -> site selection
Topography: Taunus and Haardt provide shelter from wind and rain
Baden: southerly, drier, warmer, sunnier
Match the soil type with regions and grape varieties
Outline the costs and benefits to growing vines on steep slopes
+ sunlight
+ draining soils
+ frost
- Cost of labour
- Specialist machines → $
- Soil erosion → $
Outline why vintage variation has reduced and quality improved in recent years? (4)
- Climate change
- Clonal selection
- Summer pruning
- Selective hand-harvesting
Outline changes in canopy management techniques
Individual stakes - steep slopes with cane tied to top →declining due to shortages of labour
Single/double guyot
with:
1. VSP - favoured especially in larger vineyards
2. Pendelbogen - replacement-cane arched to improve sap flow → more viable buds
What % of vineyards are organic? Why is this not higher?
9%
- Disease risk from humid summers
- helicopter sprays
In which situations would hand-harvesting be used vs. machine harvesting?
Hand
- Slopes
- Botrytis - multiple passes
- HQ wines
Machine
- Flat vineyards → high vol wines
Describe the characteristics of Riesling
- Late budding and ripening
- Thick wood
- High yielding
- Resistant to mildews
- Susceptible to BBR
- green → tropical; floral; toast, honey, petrol
- High acid with variety of sweetness
Why did Riesling plantings decline in the 70/80s and why have they increased recently?
- Difficulty achieving ripeness
- German crosses
- Improved vineyard mngt and rising temps
Describe the characteristics of Muller-Thurgau
- High yielding
70/80s - Liebfaumilsch
- Simple fruit, floral
- Med acid
Describe the characteristics of Spatburgunder
- Early budding/ripening
- Vulnerable to: EVERYTHING
- Strawberry, raspberry, red cherry, oak, earth, game, mushroom
- High acid, low-med tannin, med alcohol
What factors have driven increased plantings of Spatburgunder in Germany?
- Warming climate
- higher-q clones
- CM have also improved consistency
- Wholebunch helped contribute tannins without use of costly oak
- Increased demand
Describe the characteristics of Dornfelder
- Deep colour, fruity/floral, high acid
Two styles:
- Sour cherry and blackberry, some RS, fruity, easy drinking
- More complex, tannic structure and oak
Describe the characteristics of Silvaner
- Plantings declined
- Less acid /aromatics than Riesling
- Green → tropical fruit
- Franken: HQ, earthy, med-med(+) acid, med bodied
Describe the characteristics of Grauburgunder (Pinot G) and Weissburgunder (Pinot B)
Increasingly popular
Grau
- likes heavy soils
- Stone + tropical fruit, honey.
- Dry - sweet, med acid, med-full body.
Weiss
- citrus and stone fruit
- Med(+) acid.
What other grapes are grown in Germany?
- Chardonnay
- Portugieser
- Schwarzriesling (Pinot M)
- Trollinger (Schiava)
- Lemberger (Blaufränkisch) - fruity, simple, early drinking
Why were crossings developed and how did they become so popular in Germany?
What are they used for and what are their advantages and disadvantages?
- cope with cool climate
- to ripen sufficiently
- to meet min. must req
- Popular to use in mass-production e.g. Liebfraumilch
Advantages:
- Ripen sufficiently even in cool years
- Easier to grow
- Higher y
Disadvantages:
- Often lack acid for balance
- Generally less aromatic
→ there are exceptions
Which two winemaking teq may be particularly useful when dealing with Germany’s climate?
- Enrichment
- De-acidification: Mostly for high volume production
Why are large oak barrels (traditional)
and SST (modern) preferred as ferment vessels?
Large oak
- min oxidative
- $
- difficult to clean
- → Reserved for prem
SST
- reductive
- easy temp control
- used for inexp - prem
- easy cleaning
- cheaper → ability to purchase large
What options are available to a winemaker to make sweet wine? (4)
Which options are appropriate for producers of
prem and mid-priced
vs
inexpensive wine?
- grapes with high ripeness → ferment until yeast dies around 5.5-8%
- Stop ferment early → chill below 10c and/or add SO2, rack and filter → Prem
- Ferment until dry → add Sussreserve (unferm grape must)
- same region / same quality as base wine.
- common to come from same must
- producers take a small proportion of must pre-ferm → clarify → chill and protect it with SO2
- add back
- Reduces ABV via dilution
- potentially less balanced
- commercial wineries
- Ferment until dry → add RCGM - only for Deutscher Wein
How has wines of Germany shifted in terms of style?
Majority trocken or halbtrocken
Top producers still produce world-class BA + TBA
Why might a winemaker want to add sweetness to a wine?
- Balance high acidity → underripe grapes
- Bask bitterness → underripe grapes
- Improve mouthfeel, lack of flavour intensity → underripe grapes
- Stylistic
Techniques that may be used to make inexpensive vs. high-quality red wine.
Inexpensive
- Thermovinification followed by fermentation off-skins →tannin extraction
- SST ferment
HQ
- Cold maceration
- Wholebunch fermentation
Maturation in oak
How much rose is produced in Germany? What style?
Small
inexp + fruity
Some prem/oak
Outline Germany’s 1971 wine laws.
DEUTSCHER WEIN
- No GI
- 5% - 15% abv
- any style
- inexp, early drinking
LANDWEIN
- PGI
- Same abv
- mostly trocken/halbtrocken
QUALITÄTSWEIN
- PDO
- 13 designated regions → name on label
- all styles
- min abv is lower
- enrichment permitted
- majority of wines
- laboratory analysis + blind tasting = ‘AP’ number (just like sawis seal)
PRÄDIKATSWEIN - ‘distinction’
- more stricterregulations
- grapes from 1 of 40 Bereich
- highest must weights
- NO enrichment
- 6 levels defined by min must weight
Outline the difference in style between the different Pradikats
Kabinett
- dry-med sweet
- 7-12% ABV
- light body, green + citrus
Spatlese
- dry-med-sweet
- 7%
- more body, riper fruit
- picked two weeks later
Auslese
- dry-sweet
- 7% ish
- riper still with honey and some botrytis
- extra ripe grapes
Beerenauslese
- sweet
- 5.5% ABV
- very ripe/dried stone fruit
- usually with botrytis → only specific vintages
Eiswein
- sweet, peach/grapefruit flavours
- no bot
- rare + prem $
TBA
- sweet
- 5.5-8%
- long-lived
- always bot → high min must weight
Outline the process of making Eiswein (5)
Harvested after -7c
Sheeting used to protect from rot and predators
Rot = flavour gets amplified by freezing + grapes would disintegrate before freezing
Pressed while frozen
How can German producers communicate the dryness of their wines?
Below the Beerenauslese level, wines can be produced at all sweetness levels, to distinguish better
- EU labelling terms:
- trocken (‘dry’) → 4 g/L (may be more as long as not greater than TA)
- halbtrocken (‘off-dry’) → 4-12 g/L (may be more as long as not greater than TA)
- lieblich (’medium / medium-sweet’) → 12-45g/L
- süss (’sweet’) → 45g/L
(Acidity changes perception of dryness!)
- Halfbrocken name rarely used due to neg connotations → Feinherb used instead
- Producer specific labelling (unofficial)
- Goldkapsel labelling in Mosel → Auslese with botrytis
- shorter capsule indicating more concentration
Outline the geographical terms used under the 1971 laws. What is the issues with the current laws?
- Difficult to distinguish quality of vineyards
- Einzellage + Grosslage must come after village name → difficult for consumers to know quality
- Lower regarded areas are making quality wines
- Higher regarded areas are making bulk, inep wines
What does Liebfraumilch indicate? (3)
- Med Dry White
- Qualitatswein with → 18 g/L RS
- M-T dominated blends
What is the VDP and who is part of it?
- Growers association
- 1910
- promote HQ
- Originally promoted un-enriched Naturwein but concept rejected by German law.
- 200 members representing
- Riesling main variety
- 25% of production is exported.
How do rules for VDP members differ from non-VDP members?
- Lower max y.
- higher min must weights
- Trad grapes
- Sustainable viticulture
- Some Organic
- Dry wines must be labelled QbA trocken
- Only wines with RS may be labelled with a Pradikat
- 4 tier vineyard classification system
- Audited every 5 years
Outline the four-tier classification system within the VDP
- VDP Gutswein (estate wine)
- = regional
- general st. of VDP
- 75hL/ha.
- VDP Ortswein (local wine)
- = village
- varieties typical of region
- same y.
- VDP Erste Lage ‘first-class’
- =PC
- HQ + ageable
- Stricter
- grapes that local association deemed best suited to area
- lower y.
- hand harvest
- ripe must = Spätlese
- ‘traditional winemaking techniques’
- village and vineyard name on label
- VDP Grosse Lage (great location)
- = GC
- best parcels narrowly demarcated by local associations
- outstanding + Ageable
- Stricter
- lower y.
- varieties restricted to certain areas
- Dry = Grosses Gewächs = labeled ‘GG’
- only vineyard name on label
- Dry white = Sep year following
- Red = 1y oak
- Sweeter Prädikat released May following
What is the Rheingau Charta?
- 80’s
- promote Rheingau dry wine
- Erstes Gewachs = Best sites → now labeled ‘GG’
- Riesling + Spatburgunder only
- Hand harvest only + lower max y.
- Dry but min must of Spatlese
- Joined with VDP in late 90’s
Outline the revised German wine law introduced in 2021 and is fully implemented by 2025.
Outline the regional labelling introduced by the 2021 revision to Germany wine law
- Anbaugebiet – 13 German wine regions
- Region – replaces Bereich + Grosslage, labeled states region
- Ortwein – village wine, labeled states village
- Einzellage –
- single vineyard
- dry - sweet
- recommended varieties
- kabinett must weight
→ Erstes Gewächs
- picked selectively
- 60 hL/ ha, 11% abv
→ Grosses Gewächs
- hand harvested
- 50 hL/ha, 12% abv
Similarities:
- single vineyard
- single grape variety
- Trocken
- subject to specified release dates
- sensory test
- Can indicate a smaller parcel = Gewann
Briefly outline the similarities and differences between the 1971 and 2021 wine laws (4)
Similarities
- Deutscher, Land, Qualitatswein, Pradikatswein system untouched
Differences
- geographic hierarchy (outside the VDP)
- Scrapping of geographic terms like Bereich and Grosslage
Describe the size, situation and growing environment in the Rheinhessen.
What kind of wine does it produce?
Size: largest by production
Situation: sheltered by Taunus
Growing environments:
1. Warm, fertile valley floors → bulk blends + youthful Dornfelder
HQ Riesling:
2. Rheinterrasse - steep, E-facing slopes near Rhine
Roter Hang - slate, clay, sandstone → iron
3. Wonnegau - near Rhine (Worms) → and Spatburgunder
Describe the size, situation and growing environment in the Pflaz.
What kind of wine does it produce?
Size: smaller than Rheinhessen
Situation: located away from rivers, Haardt to West → rainshadow
The growing environment: warmer than north
- Mittelhaardt (N) - S/SE slopes, protection from Haardt, limestone, clay
- Südliche Weinstrasse (S) - fertile sandstone → inexp → recent quality increase. Pinots popular→French rule
Production: mainly Riesling. Dornfelder, Spat popular due to warmer climate
Describe the situation and growing environments in the Baden.
What kind of wine does it produce?
Situation: southerly, large, main area benefits from Vosges rainshadow
Growing environment: warmest, sunniest, driest
- Kaiserstuhl: steep, S slopes→full bodied, complex reds
- Ortenau: cooler, calcareous soil → more acid, delicate fruit
Production: most white, best known for reds →warmer
- HQ reds esp Spatburgunder often oaked
- High vol white blends esp. M-T
- HQ Pinots and Chardonnay
- Riesling with Pradikats → body
- Co-ops 75%
Describe the situation and growing environment in Wurttemberg.
What kind of wine does it produce?
Situation: E Baden
Growing environment: warm summer temp are ideal
- Neckar: river with steep, terraced vineyards
Production:
- Mainly light reds for locals → co-op Moglingen
- Most planted varieties: Trollinger, Lemberger and Schwarzriesling, Riesling
- Lemberger capable of fuller bodied reds, some oak
Describe the situation and growing environment in Mosel.
What kind of wine does this Anbaugebiete produce?
Situation: Most north
Growing environment: best vineyards = steep, s-facing slopes. Mosel river reflects sun. Dark slate soils.
Middle Mosel: largest, best vineyards including villages like Urzig, Wehlen, Bernkastel, Piesport
Sarr and Ruwer tributaries: sheltered valleys s-aspects, higher in altitude –> HQ
Production:
- Riesling
- Best-known for sweeter styles (balance acid)
- Drier → more popular
- small estates and large co-ops e.g. Moselland
Describe the style of Riesling produces in Mosel
- Pale
- Pronounced green + floral
- Light body, low abv, high acid + sweeter
- long lived
- Capable of Eiswein most years
Describe the situation and growing environment in Franken.
What kind of wine does this Anbaugebiete produce?
Situation: W-shaped valley along river Main, further east than most → continental
Growing environment: continental, s-facing slopes
- Wurzburg: S/SE slopes on chalk for Silvaner
- West: steep sandstone terraces, ideal for Spatburgunder
Production:
- Mostly M-T and Silvaner
- Silvaner: early budding/ripening→ planted on best sites, dry, full-body, floral/wet stone
- local consumption but gaining export markets
Don’t forget the Bocksbeutel
Describe the situation and growing environment in Nahe.
What kind of wine does this Anbaugebiete produce?
Situation: between Mosel + Rheinhessen
Growing environment: large area with variety of terroir. Hunsruck Mountains provide shelter. Slightly warmer than Mosel.
1. East - Schlossböckelheim to Bad Kreuznach: benefit from Rhine and Nahe with steep, s-facing slopes on mix of slate and sandstone
2. West - cooler conditions → later harvest
3. Flatter, more fertile sites - M-T for high-vol, good quality Grau and Weiss
Production: some red, but MOST white
Describe the situation and growing environment in Rheingau.
What kind of wine does this Anbaugebiete produce?
Situation: s-facing section along Rhine + Main, across Rheinhessen
Growing environment:
- Taunus mountains
- Width of Rhine increases moderating influence → temp, frost, humidity
- Warm region overall
- sand, loam, loess, sandstone, slate
- Rudeheim and Johannisberg - steep sloper, mid-slopes best for dry wine
- Assmannshausen - W end with S/SW-facing slopes of top vineyard make full-bodied Spat
Production:
- White dominates → Riesling, mainly dry
- Good rep for sweet with bot
- Estates unusually dominant over co-ops
Describe the size, situation and growing environment in Ahr.
What kind of wine does this Anbaugebiete produce?
Size: very small
Situation: N
Growing environment: narrow, sheltered valley with steep, s-facing slopes, + heat-retaining dark slate and greywacke (dark sandstone) → makes it possible for region to produce mainly REDS
Production:
- Black grapes, Spat →dry, relatively high tannin, oak
- Traditionally grapes were harvested late + RS
- Co-ops 3/4 although small estates enjoying more success
