D3 Germany & Austria Flashcards
German Climate & Features?
Generally cool continental
Very high latitude (fringes of feasibility), so site selection crucial
Areas of very steep sloping (e.g. Mosel) which requires hand harvesting
Rhine river and its tributaries
Dry Autumns, good for extended ripening
Morning mists for botrytis
Taunus and Haardt mountains
Exception is Baden which is more moderate in temperature
Vineyard Risks in Germany?
Spring Frosts
Summer Rainfall - fungal disease and grape dilution
Soils in Germany?
Mosel - dark Slate which helps to retain and release heat
Elsewhere (e.g. Baden, Pfalz, Rheinhessen) - calcareous soils
Sussreserve?
Unfermented or partially-fermented grape must, from the same area/quality level, historically added after fermenting primary wine to dryness.
Only seen in lesser quality wines; better ones embrace interrupted fermentation
German Appellation Classes & Requirements?
Deutscher Wein - German grapes, 8.5-15% ABV
Landwein - PGI, 85% must be from the area on label, 8.5-15% ABV
Qualitatswein - PDO, must come exclusively from the wine region labelled, minimum 7% ABV,
Pradkiatswein - PDO, must come from a specific district, district doesn’t need to be named on label, though region does
Pradikatswein Distinctions?
Kabinett - lightest in body, highest in acid, 7-12% ABV
Spatlese - more concentration and alcohol, fuller body, minimum 7% ABV
Auslese - Extra-ripe grapes, more concentrated, may show some botrytisation, minimum 7% ABV
Beernauslese - cannot be dry, hand harvested, minimum 5.5% ABV, often botrtyised
Eiswein - Same must weight at BA, but picked when frozen (below -7C), no botrytisation
Trockenbeerenauslese - highest must weight, must be botrytised, rarely above 8% ABV
German Sweetness Levels?
Trocken (dry) - no more than 4 g/L, or 9 g/L if acid is very high
Halbtrocked (off-dry) - 4-12 g/L, or 18 g/L if acid is very high
Lieblich (medium/medium-sweet) - 12-45 g/L
Suss (sweet) - 45+ g/L
Goldkapsel?
Botrytised wine label
Liebfraumilch?
Medium-dry white, minimum 18 g/L sugar, 70% Riesling, Silvaner, M-T or Kerner
VDP?
Association for wines made without must enrichment, as well as other rules re. maximum yields, must weights etc.
Qualitatswein trocken where dry, and Pradikatswein labelling only for sweeter styles
4 VDP Categories?
Gutswein - equivalent to regional Burgundy wines, maximum yield 75 hL/ha
Ortswein - equivalent to village Burgundy wines, maximum yield 75 hL/ha
Erste Lage - equivalent to Premier Cru, hand harvested, maximum yield 60 hL/ha, must weight at least Spatlese, only grape varieties permitted for the area
Grosse Lage - equivalent to Grand Cru, hand harvested, maximum yield 50 hL/ha, must weight at least Spatlese, only grape varieties permitted for the area, red wines must see minimum 12 in oak
Where Grosse Lage wines are dry, they are labelled Grosses Gewachs
Rheinhessen?
Relatively warm and dry - protected by Hansruck and Taunus mountains
Biggest growing region and emphasis on white grapes
Mostly bulk, but some quality Riesling (and PN) growth by the Rhine on East-facing slopes in Rheinterrasse
Pfalz?
Between Haardt mountains the Rhine river
Haardt = Vosges = rain shadow and hence very dry
Warmer, riper fruit, increasingly red grapes (but majority white)
Mittelhaardt producing some of the best Riesling - SE-facing steep slopes
Baden?
Southerly latitude and rain shadow of Haardt mountains makes this the warmest and driest region
Famed for its red wines, and very ripe and full styles in Kaiserstuhl, though can be more elegant elsewhere e.g. Ortenau
Majority is still white planted - flat areas for inexpensive wines
Wurttemberg?
Mostly inexpensive reds for domestic production
Mosel?
White dominant, especially Riesling
Mosel river and dark gravels, along with steep slopes and Eastern exposures make for best sites
Saar and Ruwer rivers are tributaries to the Mosel
Franken?
Most continental region
White majority
Lots of Silvaner - early budding, early ripening,
Very good qualities on S/SE facing chalky aspects around Wurzburg
Nahe?
Varied soils etc.
White grape majority
Between Mosel and Rheinhessen/Rheingau both geographically and with respect to acidity and body
Rhine and Nahe rivers
Rheingau?
One of the most lauded regions for Riesling and Pinot Noir
Given protection by Taunus mountains
Rhine river
Polarised - generally either dry or fully sweet and botrytised
Ahr?
Well regarded for high quality Pinot Noir
Austrian Features?
Much is mountainous and ill-suited, though flatter areas towards Pannonian plain and the Danube are favourable
Cool Continental Climate
Places like Steiermark enjoy warm Southerly winds from the Adriatic
Spring frosts
Austrian Soils?
Thin granite soils - best for Riesling
Richer loess soils - best for GV because of its thirst
Austrian Grapes?
Gruner Veltliner - best suited to clay or loess soils; can be very vigorous so needs extra canopy management on fertile soils; rotundone and thick skins so contact minimised ideally, medium+ to high acid
Zweigelt - med+ acidity, med tannins, vigorous, red fruit
Welschriesling - high acidity, relatively neutral, inexpensive
Blaufrankisch - high acidity, med+ to high tannins, deep colour, black fruit flavours, early budding, late ripening; Mittelburgenland making up to outstanding quality
Riesling - typically full bodied, high acid and high quality
Austrian PGI?
Landwein
