11. Germany Flashcards
What is the Flurbereinigung?
Post-war reconstruction/consolidation of small, fragmented vineyards with the goal to improve vineyard accessibility and mechanisation capability so as to reduce costs
All of Germany’s main wine producing regions are at which latitude except for which region?
1) 49-50 north
2) Baden
What is Germany’s overall climate?
Cool continental
Along which river are most of Germany’s vineyards situated?
The Rhine and its tributaries
Describe the seasons in Germany
1) Winter - very cold
2) Spring - frost risk
3) Summer - warm but wet
4) Autumn - long and dry
What are the two mountain ranges that provide shelter?
1) Taunus
2) Haardt
What soil plays an important role in Mosel and Ahr?
Dark slate that retains heat and reflects warmth at night
What is pendelbogen?
Replacement cane pruning with the can arched to the trellis
What is the advantage of pendelbogen?
The arching is thought to improve sap flow and increase the number of viable buds
What are the five leading white plantings?
1) Riesling
2) Muller-Thurgau
3) Grauburgunder
4) Weissburgunder
5) Silvaner
What are the two leading black plantings?
1) Spatburgunder
2) DornfelderD
Describe Riesling in the vineyard (4)
1) Late budding
2) Thick wood
3) Late ripening
4) Frost resistant
When does Muller-Thurgau ripen and what is an advantage of this?
1) Earlier than Riesling
2) High yields in almost any conditions
Describe the wine characteristics of Muller-Thurgau (3)
1) Lower acidity than Riesling
2) Early/earlier drinking
3) Fruity, floral, simple
What has led to the rise in Spatburgunder plantings? (3)
1) Higher quality clones
2) Perfecting canopy management
3) Selecting harvest dates for ripeness, alcohol and acid
What style of wine does Dornfelder produce? (3)
1) Deep colour
2) High acid
3) Fruity, floral
In which two regions is Dornfelder particularly successful?
1) Rheinhessen
2) Pfalz
Where is Silvaner likely to produce higher quality wines?
Franken
There are sizeable plantings of Grauburgunder and Weissburgunder in which three regions?
1) Rheinhessen
2) Pfalz
3) Baden (most important)
What international variety has been permitted since 1990?
Chardonnay
What four other varieties are planted?
1) Portugieser
2) Schwarzriesling (Meunier)
3) Trollinger (Schiava)
4) Lemberger (Blaufrankisch)
Why did the number of crosses increase in the mid-20th century?
The drive to produce high yields with high must weights was encouraged by German wine law
What are two crosses capable of producing quality wines besides Muller-Thurgau?
1) Kerner
2) Scheurebe
Is enrichment permitted in Pradikatswein?
No
Why is enrichment becoming obsolete?
Climate change and improved viticultural techniques render it less necessary except for bulk production.
What is the traditional fermentation vessel?
Large old oak for oxygenation
What is the fuder?
1,000l oak vessel of the Mosel
What is the stuck?
1,200 oval oak vessel of the Rhine
What two oak sources are common?
1) Pfalz - large
2) French - barriques
Why has stainless steel become popular? (4)
1) Temperature control
2) Easy to clean
3) Size (cost and economies of scale)
4) Inert (stylistic preference)
What is sussreserve?
Unfermented/partially fermented must
Sussreserve must be produced from what?
From grapes of the same region and quality as the wine it’s added to
How is sussreserve produced?
A small portion is separated pre-ferment, which is then clarified, chilled and SO2 is added
When is sussreserve added?
Prior to bottling, which potentially reduces the alcohol percentage of the final wine as it’s 0%
What is a more quality -minded approach to retaining sweetness?
Stopping fermentation by adding SO2, racking, or filtering
RCGM can only be used at which level?
Deutscher wine
What is the sweet/dry sales and production trend?
Towards trocken/halbtrocken
What was the traditional use for sweetness?
To mask bitter/unripe fruit and balance acid
What technique is employed in the winery for inexpensive red?
Thermovinification for quick extraction
What are the four quality levels of German wine?
1) Deutscher
2) Land
3) Qualitats
4) Pradikats
What is the fundamental principal of German wine law?
Categorising according to must weight
What is Deutscher Wein? (3)
1) Wine without a GI from German fruit
2) 8.5-15% in any style
3) Inexpensive; accounts for a small % of crush
What is Landwein? (4)
1) 8.5-15%
2) Commonly trocken/halbtrocken
3) 85% from the region on the label
4) PGI equivalent
What is Qualitatswein? (2)
1) From 1/13 abaugebeite - stated on the label
2) Minimum 7% in any style
What is Amtliche Prufungsrummer (AP)
A 10-12 digit number that indicates when a Qualitatswein was lab tested, the vineyard location, and bottler’s lot #
What is Bereich?
1/40 named sites for Pradikatswein
Does the Bereich need to be on the label?
No, but Anbaugebeite does
From which varieties can Pradikatswein be produced?
Any so long as it’s permitted by the Anbaugebeite
Describe Kabinett (3)
1) The lightest in body but highest in acidity
2) Citrus, green fruit
3) Dry to medium-sweet
Describe Spatlese (4)
1) Picked two weeks after Kabi
2) Riper - stone fruit and fuller body
3) Slightly high alcohol at relative residual sugar level
4) Dry to medium-sweet
Describe Auslese (3)
1) Extra-ripe - honeyed if Botrytis included
2) Dry to sweet
3) Hand-harvested and/or hand-sorted
Describe Beerenauslese (4)
1) Hand-harvested
2) Always sweet; minimum 5%
3) Botrytis common but not essential
4) Very ripe, dry stone fruit
Describe Eiswein (3)
1) Harvested below -7 degrees, Nov-Feb
2) Pressed while frozen
3) High acidity, concentrated peach and grapefruit
How are growers protecting Eiswein fruit from disease/predators?
Plastic sheeting
Describe TBA (2)
1) Botrytis essential
2) Rarely higher than 8%
What is trocken?
No more than 4g/L residual sugar or up to 9g/L where the residual sugar doesn’t exceed total acidity by more than 2g/L
What is halbtrocken?
4-12g/L residual sugar or up to 18g/L where the residual sugar doesn’t exceed total acidity by more than 10g/L