German Wine History, Law, Varietals Flashcards
What is the german term for “single vineyard”?
Einzellagen (pr. EINS-el-lagen
Where do most Einzellagen derive their names?
Monastic orders (primarily Benedictine, Carthusian, & Cistercian)
What is the German term for “monopole”?
Alleinbesitz (pr. ah-LINE-behz-zits)
What is the German term for “clos”?
Ortsteil (pr. orts-tie)
What is the translation for Hessische Staatsweingüter?
Hessian State Wine Domains
When were all German monastic vineyard holdings secularized? What caused this?
- Napoleanic Code following the French annexation of western Germany.
What is the predominant vineyard of the Hessische Staatsweingüter?
Kloster Eberbach
What was the objective of the German Wine Law of 1971?
Condense 30,000 einzellagen in to 2,600 vineyards.
What is the minimum size of a vineyard under German Wine Law of 1971?
5 hectares
Which 4 vineyards are exceptions to the German Wine Law minimum vineyard size?
Doctor, Kirchenstrück, Freundstück, Schloss Vollrads.
When was Riesling first documented in Germany?
1402
When was must weight first identified as a quality marker in German winemaking?
1830s
What is the German term for Noble Rot?
Edelfäule
What was the English term for wine from the Rhine?
Hock
Why are many German vineyards on steep hills? When did this start?
Need for workable, lower elevation land was dedicated to food production. 1700s.
Which German educational body is known for development of varietal crossings? Where is it located and when was it established?
Geisenhem Wine Institute. Rheingau, 1872.
What were the last three most planted white grapes in Germany, from most recent to oldest?
Riesling (1995), Müller-Thurgau (1970s), Silvaner
What is varietal cross of Müller-Thurgau?
Riesling x Madeleine Royale
Name 7 prominent “crossed” varietals?
Müller-Thurgau, Ehrenfelser, Kerner, Bacchus, Faber, Scheurebe, Dornfelder
What are the 2 prominent red grapes in Germany from most to least planted?
Spätburgunder and Dornfelder
What is Liebfraumilch?
Mass produced sweet white, often made from Müller-Thurgau, coming from the quality decline of the 1980s.
What does VDP stand for? What is it?
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter.
What is this logo? What is it called? What does it represent?
VDP. Adler (“eagle”). Eagle looking the right (represents looking to the future) with six grapes to represent the six regional associations that were part of the Association of German Wine Auctioneers.
What are the top 3 most planted varietals in Germany from most to least?
Riesling (23,700 ha)
Müller-Thurgau (12,600 ha)
Spätburgunder (11,800 ha)
*2019, Wines of Germany
What is Weissherbst?
Single variety, Saignée rosé of at least QbA quality level.
What is the minimum percentage of the stated varietal required for varietal wines in Germany?
85%
What are the German quality categories from highest to lowest?
Prädikatswein
Qualitätswein
Landwein
Deutscher Wein
What are the ABV, acidity, vintage, and varietal requirements for Deutscher Wein?
ABV between 8.5%-15%, min total acidity 3.5 g/l, vintage and varietal are not required. Represents very small percentage of production.
How many Landwein regions are there? What styles are generally produced?
- Trocken & Halbtrocken.
What does Prädikat mean in German?
“special attribute” - refers to ripeness level and harvest condition
What is an Anbaugebiete? How many are there?
Growing region. 13.
What does QbA stand for? What was it shortened to? What does it mean?
Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete, shortened to Qualitätswein. Translates to “quality wine from a specific growing region”.
What does QmP stand for? What has it been shortened to? What does it mean?
Qualitätswein mit Prädikat, shortened to Prädikatswein. Translates to “quality wine with special attributes”.
What are the Prädikat levels from lowest to highest in “quality”?
Kabinett
Spätlese
Auslese
Beerenauslese
Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein
What determines the Prädikat level?
Must weight.
How is must weight measured in Germany?
Öchsle scale. (pr. AEHKSH-lah)
How does the Öchsle scale work?
One degree correspondes to one gram of difference between the mass of one liter of must (at 20° C) and 1kg of water.
Which German quality categories permit chaptilization?
Deutcher Wine
Landwein
Qualitätswein
What are the ABV requirements for Prädikatswein?
min 7% abv. min 5.5% for Beerenauslese, TBA, and Eiswein
What is the Öchsle range for Kabinett level wines?
70°-85° Oe
What is the Öchsle range for Spätlese level wines?
76°-95° Oe
What is the Öchsle range for Auslese level wines?
83°-105° Oe
What is the Öchsle range for Beerenauslese level wines?
110°-128° Oe
What is the Öchsle range for Trockenbeerenauslese level wines?
150°-154° Oe
What is the Öchsle range for Eiswein level wines?
110°-128° Oe
What does the abbreviation A.P. Nr. stand for? How is it translated?
Amtliche Prüfungsnummer. “official testing number”
(pr. aumt-LEEH-hey PROOF-ungs-nuhm-ehaar)
What information is contained in the A.P. Nr.?
x-xxx-xxx-xxx-xx
region - commune where bottled - bottler’s code - bottling code - application year
What is German sparkling wine called?
Sekt
What quality categories is Sekt released under?
Deutscher Wine. May be released as Qualitätswein if using permited varietals and from an anbaugebiete.
What is Charta? When was it established and what region did it cover?
Organization to promote quality dry Riesling. Est in 1984 in the Rheingau. Now falling out of popularity.
What does this logo represent?
Charta
What is the translation for Erste Lage?
“First Site”
How does Grosse Lage differ from Erste Lage? When did this differentiation become law?
Grosse Lage represents the top vineyards in Germany (comparable to Burgundy Grand Cru). Erste Lage is comparable to Burgundy’s Premier Cru. Grosse Lage was created in 2012 and Erste Lage was demoted to the “second tier”.
What does this logo represent?
Grosse Lage
What are the tiers of the VDP vineyard ranking from top to lowest?
VDP. Grosse Lage
VDP. Erste Lage
VDP. Ortsweine
VDP. Gutsweine
How many growers are a part of the VDP?
198
*VDP website, 2021
What is Grosse Gewächs? Who manages the designation?
“First Growth”. Dry wines made from Grosse Lage vineyards. Managed by the VDP.
