Ch.14 – Germany Flashcards

1
Q

Sekt in one card

A
  • German for sparkling wine
  • 90% inexpensive & high volume brands
  • Germans love Sekt - highest per capita 3.7l in world
  • Big increase in production in 1950s as cheap base wines from all over EU
  • Several styles of Sekt from tank to trad method (no carbonated) Sekt, Deutscher Sekt, Deutscher Sekt bA, Winzersekt
  • Perlwein (not Sekt - tank or carbonated)
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2
Q

What and why is Perlwein (aka Secco)?

A
  • Tank or carbonated method wine
  • inexpensive base wine
  • less than 3 atmospheres of pressure (so no tax)
  • WHY? cheaper in Germany than fully sparkling as don’t attract tax of min 3 bars pressure fully sparkling wines)
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3
Q

What are the four categories of Sekt?

A
  1. Sekt
  2. Deutscher Sekt
  3. Deutscher Sekt bA
  4. Winzersekt
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4
Q

Define Sekt

A
  • Tank fermented
  • NV : no mention grapes/ vintage
  • blended base wines from S Europe made sparkling in Germany
  • can sell 6 mths after start of 2nd fermentation
  • min 90 days on lees or 30 days if stirred
  • 90% of all Sekt
  • Brut or Extra Dry, med acidity, noticeable resid sugar
  • Light intensity fruit, no autolytic notes
  • Acceptable to good, cheap price
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5
Q

Define Deutscher Sekt

A
  • Sparkling wine from German grown fruit
  • Tank or trad method
  • Vintage or NV
  • Single or blend
    • If labelled one variety must be 85% of that grape
  • Fruit can come from many different German regions, but cannot state region(s) on label
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6
Q

Define Deutscher Sekt bA

A
  • bA = bestimmte Anbaugebiete “of a defined region”
  • related to Qualitatswein bestimmte Anbaugebiete (Qba)
    • quality wine from one of 13 defined wine growing regions eg Rheingau, Rheinhessen
  • Name of region must appear on label
  • Tank or traditional method
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7
Q

Define Winzersekt

A
  • Winzer = wine grower, so winegrower sparkling
  • estate bottled
  • only grapes grown by estate
  • traditional method
  • min 9 months on lees in bottle
  • usually made with Riesling, but range possible
  • Vintage, grape variety, producers name must be on label
  • If Riesling, medium intensity green apple, white peach, toasty,smoky autolytic notes, high acidity, Brut style
  • V good to outstanding, med to premium priced
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8
Q

Growing environment for high volume tank-fermented Sekt

A
  • High vol production areas S Europe - Italy, Spain, France
  • Low aromatic varieties preferred, picked early to ensure high acid, low aromatic base wine
  • Typically crushed in region of origin and juice chilled and truck /train to Germany
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9
Q

Wine growing and harvest for Sekt from German-grown fruit

(ie Deutscher Sekt, QBa, Winzersekt)

A
  • Cool continental climate German regions gives grapes of low pot alcohol, high acidity - suitable base wines
  • Picked early for primary fruit, high acid - unripe fruit selected out
  • Mainly single variety wines, some Chardonnay & Pinot Noir blends
  • Riesling makes most prestigious wines, but also Pinots Noir, Blanc & Gris, Chardonnay & Silvaner, plus some aromatics like Scheurebe
  • Hand harvest for better wines, adds cost & to final price
  • Variations of climate/soils overridden in blending of base wines prior to second fermentation
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10
Q

Tank method for German Sekt

A
  • First ferment cool to retain fruit
  • Wines then blended for consistency across batches & brand style
  • Second ferment in tanks
  • Better wines lees aged 3-6mths before filtration, bottling and release to market
  • Tank method means large vols made & released in short time, reducing costs & prices
  • Grapes grown in Germany may be made into base wine by grower and then delivered to large specialist Sekt producers for second fermentation
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11
Q

Traditional method Sekt

A
  • used for both champagne varieties (C & PN) and Riesling
  • Riesling does not go through malo
  • CHOICE If base wine from Riesling do you want
    • distinctive floral, green apple and lemon primary (in which case do min 9 months lees) OR
    • attractive smoky note which develops rather than biscuit/brioche of champagne varieties (in which case do extended 18mths + lees)
  • Mature sweet Riesling may be used for dosage in premium wines to add richness
  • Trad method means Winzersekt more expensive
  • Some companies use transfer method for cheaper bottle fermented wines
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12
Q

Wine Law for Sekt (not Perlwein)

A
  • Sekt must
    • be made by second fermentation (no carbonation)
    • at least 10% abv
    • CO2 of min 3.5 atmospheres
    • from base wine from grapes any EU country
  • Varietal/vintage wines must be 85% that variety/vintage
  • Both trad/transfer method wines lees contact min 90 days, can be sold after 9 mths
  • Flaschengärung“bottle fermented” but may be disgorged by transfer method
  • Klassische Flaschengärung cannot use transfer method
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13
Q

Wine laws for Perlwein

A
  • Perlwein can be
    • from specified region (Qualitatsperlwein bA) or as EU wine (Perlwein)
    • Us tank method, but CO2 injection allowed
    • often sweeter than Sekt (diff sugar scale)
      • Trocken (dry) uo to 35g/L residual sugar
      • Halbtrocken (off-dry) 33-50 g/L
      • Mild (sweet) more than 50g/L
  • Varietal/vintage wines must be 85% that variety/vintage
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14
Q

Price breakdown of Sekt market

A

Three price categories:

  • low end, price-driven up to €4 over half of all sales
  • standard quality up to €8
  • high quality, much more expensive - growing market
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15
Q

How much is the tax on every bottle of of Sekt levied since 1902?

A

€1.02

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16
Q

Describe the Sekt wine business in Germany

A
  • German market - volume producers compete for retail space v aggressive. Big brands, big advertising, sold in supermarkets
  • Sekt production dominated by few v large cos
    • Rotkäppchen-Mumm, Henkell, Schloss Wachenheim, each multiple brands, 80%production
    • Rotkäppchen-Mumm biggest sparkling dominates lucrative economy section with quality yet cheap Rotkäppchen & Jules Mumm.
    • Private label strong esp Aldi & Lidl
  • Winzersekt sold cellar door, specialists & restaurants
    • Producers incl von Buhl and Schloss Vaux
17
Q

Consumption of German wine?

A
  • 90% domestic, 10% exported
  • Big cos do have brands in E Europe (exported from Germany or subsidiary brands made in Eastern Europe)
  • 75% of all sparkling wines (incl Champagne) sold in hospitality sector. German wine market v price conscious and prefer to buy (esp high quality) sekt at retail to drink at home, not pay restaurant prices
18
Q

What is VDP Sekt?

A
  • 2018 VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) private assoc of wine cos committed to high quality incorporated Sekt into its own statutes
  • VDP Sekt requires VDP members to following standards under tag line ‘good Sekt from the beginning’
    • Fruit must be grown on VDP member estate
    • Specifically for Sekt production
    • Picked by hand, early (to be appropriate), whole cluster pressed, trad method only
  • Two tiers
    • min 15 mths on lees
    • single vineyard/ all vintage 36 mths on lees
      *