22. Germany Flashcards

1
Q

Describe the climate of the Germany.

A
  • mostly cool continental climate
  • Baden is noticeably warmer
  • wet summers
  • drier autumns
  • long cool ripening = retain acidity
  • long growing season (wines characterized by must weight/ripeness)
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2
Q

Where are the best sites in Germany located?

A
  • steep, stony slopes w/ southerly aspect
  • hand harvesting
  • head-pruned
  • individually staked
  • canes tied at the top

-near rivers: reflected sunlight to retain heat, air flow

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3
Q

What is the most widely planted grape variety in Germany?

A

Riesling

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4
Q

Describe German Riesling.

A
  • ranges from delicate and floral to richer and peachy

- ranges fro bone dry to luciously sweet

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5
Q

Describe Qualitatsweine wines.

A
  • dry
  • ranges from light/fruity to very concentrated/intense
  • best are Grosses Gewachs (GG)
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6
Q

Describe Pradikatsweine wines.

A
  • nearly all will have residual sugar
  • can still be dry
  • indicator of style
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7
Q

What are the levels of the Pradikatswine classification?

A
  • Kabinett
  • Spatlese
  • Auslese
  • Beerenauslese
  • Trockenbeerenauslese
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8
Q

Describe Kabinett Riesling.

A
  • most delicate
  • light body
  • high acidity
  • green apple, citrus
  • balanced with residual sweetness
  • sweeter will have lower alcohol
  • drier will have medium alcohol
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9
Q

Describe Spatlese Riesling.

A
  • more concentrated, riper
  • more body, alcohol
  • could be sweeter
  • citrus, stone fruit (peach, apricot)
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10
Q

Describe Auslese Riesling.

A
  • made from individually selected, extra-ripe bunches of grapes
  • range from dry to sweet
  • richer, riper
  • sometime noble rot
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11
Q

Describe Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese Riesling.

A
  • noble rot typical for BA
  • noble rot essential for TBA
  • sweet
  • low alcohol
  • honey, dried stone fruit candied peel, flowers
  • best sweet wines in the world
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12
Q

Describe Eiswein.

A
  • extremely rare
  • key is varietal purity
  • no noble rot
  • careful winemaking techniques (selective yeasts, no MLF, no new oak)
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13
Q

What are the two PDO labelling systems in Germany?

A
  • Qualitatswein

- Pradikatswein

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14
Q

What is GI wine labelled?

A

Landwein

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15
Q

What is wine without a GI labelled?

A

Wein

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16
Q

How many PDO regions are there in Germany?

A

13

17
Q

What is different about the labelling system in Germany (as opposed to France)?

A

Regions are not tied to specific varieties. Wines are labelled by their minimum must weight at harvest.

18
Q

What two items must be on the label of a PDO wine? What might else you see

A
  1. Region (must come from only 1 region)
  2. Pradikat level
    __
    Other:
    -Sweetness level term
    -Village + Vineyard Name
    -Indication of Quality
19
Q

What are German wine labelling terms for sweetness?

A

Trocken: dry
Halbtrocken, feinherb*: off-dry, medium
Note: Halbtrocken has connotation of being a lower quality wine label
*not legally defined

20
Q

How do German winemakers indicate quality on their wine labels?

A
  • a group of producers called the Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter (VDP) classified their vineyards
  • only seen on dry Qualitatsweine from the best vineyard sites
  • labelled Grosses Gewächs (GG) on the neck of the bottle
21
Q

Describe Muller-Thurgau.

A
  • crossing of Riesling and Madeleine Royale
  • floral, fruity
  • rarely high quality
  • acidity not as high as riesling
  • second most widely planted white variety in Germany
22
Q

Describe Silvaner.

A
  • third most widely planted white variety in Germany
  • Rheinhessen, Franken
  • dry and sweet
  • less acidic
  • less fruity
  • earthy quality
23
Q

What other white wines are produced in Germany?

A

Grauburgunder/Rulander (Pinot Gris)

Weibburgunder (Pinot Blanc)

24
Q

What are the two main black grape varieties produced in Germany? What are other black grape varieties?

A
  1. Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir)
    - third most planted grape variety in Germany
    - Pfalz, Baden
    - dry
    - light, fruity or more concentrated with oak
  2. Dornfelder
    - deeply colored
Other:
Portugieser, Trollinger, Schwarzriesling (Meunier)
-typically light, fruity 
-Qualitatswein
-domestic consumption
25
Q

Name the most well known villages in the Middle Mosel. Describe the best vineyards here.

A
  • Piesport
  • Bernkastel
  • Wehlen

-sleep slopes, slate soils, river next to the river

26
Q

Describe Mosel Riesling.

A
  • light body
  • high acidity
  • floral, green fruit flavors
  • only permitted variety for GG wines in Mosel
27
Q

What are the two small tributaries of the Mosel? What are wines from these areas like?

A

Saar, Ruwer

-similar in style but higher in acidity than Middle Mosel

28
Q

Where does the River Mosel run?

A

From the River Rhine to the German border

29
Q

Where is the Nahe? Where are the best vineyards located? What are the wines like?

A
  • between Mosel and Rheinhessen
  • best vineyards: on the banks of the River Nahe, steep, south-facing slopes,
  • pronounced acidity of the Mosel, slightly fuller body (less than Rheinhessen, Rheingau and Pfalz), slightly riper fruit
  • GG wines can only be made from Riesling
  • villages: Schlossbockelheim and Bad Kreuznach
30
Q

Describe the geography of the Rheingau and where the best vineyards are located. Describe the wines here.

A
  • small but prestigious region
  • best vineyards: west, slopes of the north bank of the river Rhine and River Main, southerly aspect
  • Taunus hills in the north: optimal ripening conditions
  • villages: Johannisberg, Rüdesheim
  • medium-to-full body
  • distinct ripe peach
  • BA/TBA popular here (humidity from rivers)
  • GG wines can be made from Riesling and Spatburgunder
31
Q

Where is great Spatburgunder made in the Rheingau?

A
  • to the west of Rudesheim

- village of Assmannshausen

32
Q

What is the Rheinhessen? What black and white grapes are grown here?

A
  • largest wine-growing region
  • white: Muller Thurgau, Riesling
  • black: Dorfelder, Portugieser, Spatburgunder
  • GG made from Riesling or Spatburgunder
33
Q

Where are the best vineyards in the Rheinhessen? What the Rieslings like?

A
  • steep slopes
  • west bank of the Rhine
  • centered around the village Niersetin

-fullest bodied Rieslings

34
Q

Describe Pfalz. What black and white grapes are grown here?

A

-second largest wine-growing region
-continuation of Alsace (Haardt Mountains, continuation of the Vosges)
-driest region of Germany
White: Riesling, Muller Thurgau, GrauBurgunder, Weibburgunder
Black: Dornfelder, Portugieser, Spatburgunder
-GG wines from Riesling, Weibburgunder, Spatburgunde

35
Q

What are the most established quality vineyards of the Pfalz? What are the wines like here?

A

Forst & Deidesheim (Mittelhaardt)
-steep slopes

  • ripe, fuller-bodied Riesling
  • drier styles
36
Q

Describe Baden. What are the wines like here? What’s the most widely planted grape here? Other grapes?

A
  • warmest
  • most southerly region
  • fullest bodied
  • highest alcohols
  • Spatburgunder
  • Also: Muller Thurgau, Grauburgunder, Riesling
  • GG can be made from a variety of different grapes
37
Q

What are the most popular areas of Baden? Where are the best vineyard located?

A

-Kaiserstuhl, Tuniberg

Best vineyards: south-facing slope of the Kaiserstuhl (extinct volcano)

38
Q

What is the primary grape of Franken? What are the wines like? Where are the best vineyards? What’s special about the bottling?

A
  • Silvaner is most prestigious grape variety
  • early flowering and ripening
  • susceptible to frost

-south-facing slopes around Wurzburg

  • dry
  • rich
  • earthy
  • flask shaped bottles
  • GG wines: Silvaner, Riesling, Weibburgunder, Grauburgunder, Spatburgunder