22 - Germany

Question 1

What is the climate of most wine regions in Germany?

What are the associated climatic problems/influences?

Answer 1

cool continental
wet summers - but rain declines in autumn during final stage of ripening
long cool ripening period -> gives grapes time ti build up sugar while retaining acidity

Question 2

where are the best sites found in Germany? What are the vineyard management techniques common to these sites?

Answer 2

steep, stony slopes
southerly aspect to maximize the heat and sunlight

these slopes have to be worked by hand.
vines are head-pruned and individually staked and canes are tied in at top of stake, to allow sunlight and air to circulate.

Question 3

Why is the harvest in Germany often spread out over several months?

Answer 3

The wines are classified by must weight - the level of sugar in the grape juice. Therefroe pickers pass through vineyard several times in order to ensure they get ideal grapes for each category

Question 4

True/False: Qualitatsweine refers to dry styles of wine of both red and white wines of all quality levels

Answer 4

True

Question 5

True/False: Pradikatsweine is an indicator of sweetness.

Answer 5

False. it is an indication of style, not sweetness

Question 6

What are the levels of Pradikatsweine and what are their characteristics in terms of Riesling?

Answer 6

Kabinett: most delicate style - light body, high acid, apple and citrus. sweet or dry. sweet has lower alc (8-9%) and best sweet wines are made by stopping fermentation early to achieve better sugar/acid balance.
Spatlese: made same way as Kabinett. more concentrated, riper and have more body, alcohol, sweetness.
Auslese: made from individually selected extra-ripe bunches. richer and riper than Spatlese. noble rot can play important part in flavor profile (dry or sweet)
Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese: noble rot is typical for both styles but only necessary for TBA. not made every year. sweet, low alcohol. honey, dried stone fruit, candied peel, flowers.
Eiswein: noble rot is not a key component. varietal purity. fine balance between acidity and sweetness. also seek to maintain varietal flavors (use carefully selected yeast, handle juice with care, avoid MLF or new oak).

Question 7

What is PGI wine in German called?

Answer 7

Landwein

Question 8

What are the wine styles (in terms of sweetness) of the PDO wines of Germany?

Answer 8

in order of must weight at harvest, from lowest to highest:

Qualitatswein - dry to medium sweet

Pradikatswein:
Kabinett - dry to medium sweet
Spatlese - dry to medium sweet
Auslese - dry to sweet
Beerenauslese - sweet only
Eiswein - sweet only 
Trockenbeerenauslese - sweet only

Question 9

How many delimited regions are there for PDO wines?

Answer 9

13

Question 10

what do the terms trocken, halbtrocken and feinherb refer to on German wine labels?

Answer 10

trocken: dry wines
halbtrocken: off-dry or medium sweet
feinherb: same as halbtrocken but does not have the negative association with lower quality wines that halbtrocken does. Feinherb is not legally defined, unlike the other two

Question 11

How do German wines commonly indicate vineyard location on their labels?

Answer 11

name of village + name of the vineyard (i.e., Piesporter Goldtropfchen means from vineyard of Goldtropfchen located in village of Piesport).

Question 12

What issue with the German wine classification system did the Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter (VDP) seek to address?

Answer 12

there are no legally defined indications of quality (such as Premier Cru or Grand Cru) in Gerany. The members of VDP classified vineyards by consensus. this is typically only seen on dry Qualitatswein labels - these are called Grosses Gewachs (GG) and considered to be best dry wines in Germany

Question 13

What two varieties is Muller-Thurgau a crossing of? What are its characteristics

Answer 13

Riesling and Madeleine Royale

ripens earlier than Riesling, less acidity and flavor intensity
can make attractive floral and fruity wine, but in Germany rarely produces high quality wine

Question 14

After Riesling and Muller-Thurgau what is the 3rd most planted white variety in Germany? What are its characteristics

Answer 14

Silvaner
dry and sweet styles
less acidic and less fruity than Riesling
often earthy

Question 15

What are the main white grape varieties in Germany?

Answer 15

Riesling
Muller-Thurgau
Silvaner
Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris

Question 16

What are the main 2 black grape varieties in Germany?

Answer 16

Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir): thrives in warmer vineyard areas. Important in Pfalz and Baden. usually wines are dry, light and fruity or concentrated and oak aromas

Dornfelder: deep color.

other varieties: Portugieser, Trollinger, Schwarzriesling - light bodied, fruity. usually sold as Qualitatsweine to the domestic market.

Question 17

What are the main wine regions of Germany?

Answer 17

Mosel, Nahe, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Baden, Franken

Question 18

What are the best villages in Mosel? Where is production concentrated? Where are the best vineyards situated?

Answer 18

Production concentrated in Middle Mosel
The best known villages: Piesport, Bernkastel, Wehlen
The best vineyards are on steep slopes, with slate soils right next to the river.

Question 19

What are characteristics of Riesling from Mosel?

Answer 19

Lighter body
Lower alcohol and higher in acidity compared to Rheingau, Rheinhessen and Pfalz.
Floral and green fruit flavors predominate.

Saar and Ruwer are two tributaries of River Rhine that are included in Mosel region - the plantings here are small. Best wines are similar to Middle Mosel, but even more acidic. Sometimes grapes that do not ripen are used in sparkling wine.

Question 20

Where are the vineyards of Nahe located? Where are the best vineyards?

Answer 20

Between Mosel and Rheinhessen
best vineyards are on banks of River Nahe, on steep, south-facing slopes

important village: Schlossbockelheim

Question 21

What characterizes the wines made from Riesling in Nahe?

Answer 21

the style is between Mosel and the fuller bodied wines from Rheingau, Rheinhessen, and Pfalz. Riesling is the only permitted variety for GG wines. Compared to Mosel, acid is similarly high but slightly riper fruit given the warmer climate.

Question 22

True/False: The Rheingau is a small, prestigious region

Answer 22

True

Question 23

Where are vineyards of the Rheingau situated? What are the important villages of Rheingau?

Answer 23

Most are on slopes of north bank of River Rhine (to west of region) and the River Main (in the east) and have southerly aspect. The grapes experience optimal ripening conditions with the benefit of protection offered by hills to the north.

important villages: Johannisberg, Rudesheim.

Question 24

What grape variety and wine style dominate in the Rheingau? What are the characteristics of the wines here?

Answer 24

Riesling dominates plantings
most wines are made in dry style
medium to full body
ripe peach character

Question 25

Besides dry wines, what other styles of Riesling are made in Rheingau?

Answer 25

BA and TBA wines - some of Germany’s best

due to humid conditions generated by the Rhine river, which borders west of region

Question 26

What is the most reputable village in Rheinhessen and what is it known for?

Answer 26

Nierstein - steeply sloping vineyards on west bank of Rhine that surround the village of Nierstein (this area known as Rheinterasse) Produces some of fullest-bodied Rieslings in Germany.

Question 27

Why does Rheinhessen have a reputation for innovation and excellence?

Answer 27

growers have started to produce top quality wines from areas without long-standingr eputation

Question 28

After Rheinhessen, what is the 2nd largest wine-growing region in Germany?

Answer 28

Pfalz

Question 29

Why is Pfalz the driest of German regions and suffers from water stress in warm years?

Answer 29

The majority of its vineyards lie to east of Haardt Mountains (continuation of the Vosges). The vineyards are a continuation of Alsace.

Question 30

What is the style of Riesling produced in Mittelhaardt in Pfalz (area surrounding Forst and Deidesheim)

Answer 30

ripe, fuller bodied style.

Question 31

Which German wine region produces the fullest-bodied German wines with highest alcohol?

Answer 31

Baden in the south of Germany

Question 32

Where are the best vineyards of Baden located? What is the main variety here?

Answer 32

south-facing slope of Kaiserstuhl (extinct volcano) which enables them to maximize available warmth

Main variety is Spatburgunder - Baden reputation for top-quality Spatburgunder.

GG wines can be made from white and black varieties

Question 33

Where is Silvaner the most prestigious grape variety? What are its characteristics?

Answer 33

Franken.
Because Silvaner is early flowering and early ripening, it is susceptibe to frost damage. Therefore needs warmest sites. It is able to reach concentration in Franken rarely achievable elsewhere in Germany.

Dry, rich palate, earthy
distinctive flask-shaped bottles

GG wines made from several varieties