Germany Flashcards
germany has some of the … most and … est vineyards in the northern hemisphere
norhternmost and coolest vineyards in the northern hemisphere
what is the principal white grape of germany
riesling
what are the 2 main rivers in germany and in what regions are they?
- mosel river = runs through the mosel region
- Rhine river = runs though the Rheingau region
German wine regions are called …
anbaugebiete
germany has 13 Anbaugebiete (wine regions).
Which are main important
- mosel
- rheingau
- rheinhessen
- pfalz
in which quadrant of germany are the bulk of Germany’s wine regions located ?
southwestern quadrant, near France and switzerland
what is the general climate of germany?
cool continental
what are some features that help moderate the climate of germany
- rivers (e.g. the mosel and Rhine)
- moutpains (e.g. tanks, haardt)
besides moderating climate, what other benefit do rivers provide?
reflects sunlight, which is vital to ripening grapes in cool growing regions like germany.
generally, where are grapes planted in germany?
a. valley floors facing any direction
b. hillsides facing south
b. hillsides facing south.
remember, germany is very far north so vineyards are planted on south-facing hillsides as they need to soak up as much sunshine as possible to ripen
what are the soils of germany
they vary depending on the region, but the top vineyards are planted on:
- blue slate (mosel)
- red slate (Rheingau)
- basalt (baden)
what are the advantages of German vineyards being planted on slate and basalt?
- absorb heat during the day
- release that heat overnight in this very cool climate
what are the white grapes of germany
riesling
muller-thurgau
silvaner
what is germanys red grape
pinot noir, aka spätburgunder
what percent of production in germany is white wine?
70%
what fermentation vessels are typically used in germany?
- stianless steel
- large, old, neutral barrels
what is chaptalisation?
the addition of sugar to the must (grape juice) – not to make a sweeter wine, but a stronger one.
Chaptalization is mostly used in cool regions where grapes struggle to ripen (and have insufficient sugar).
is chaptalization allowed in germany
yes, but it’s really only used for low-quality level wines (not prädikat wines)
in germany, wines can be fermented to:
a. fully dry
b. off dry
c. sweet
d. all levels from dry to sweet
d. all levels from dry to sweet
what does the term ‘Trocken’ mean in English?
dry
In germany, wines WITHOUT geographic indication are called …
wein
in germany, wines WITH geographic indication have three levels:
- landwein (PGI)
- Qualitätswein (PDO)
- Prädikatswein (PDO)
landwein (PGI) wines are:
a. regional, acceptable, quality, rarely exported
b. single site, high quality, rarely exported
a. regional, acceptable quality, rarely exported
what is a Qualitätswein
a wine from one of the 13 anbaugebiete
wines of this level can be dry to sweet
Prädikatswein is a subset of … wines
How many prädikat levels are there?
subset of Qualitätswein
6 prädikat levels
what are the 6 prädikat levels from lowest price/ ripeness to highest price / ripeness?
- kabinett
- spälese
- auslese
- beerenauslese
- eiswein
- trockenbeerenauslese
which 3 of the prädikat levels are most used as table wines?
- kabinett
- spätlese
- auslese
what does spätlese translate to in English?
what does auslese translate to in English?
spätlese = late harvest auslese = selected harvest
what kind of grapes are eisweins made from?
frozen grapes
of the 3 highest price/ripeness prädikats levels, which 2 will always be affected by botrytis?
- Beerenauslese (BA)
2. Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA)
when someone says, “all German wines are always sweet,”, what do you know to be true?
not all German wines are sweet.
The prädikat levels do not measure or indicate sweetness, or the residual sugar, in wine – the prädikat levels indicate the RIPENESS at which the grapes were picked.
How the wines are vilified == to complete the dryness or medium-sweetness – is up to the winemaker
which 3 prädikat levels can be fermented dry and have Trocken on the label
- kabinett
- spätlese
- auslese
what does VDP stand for (what is it spelled out)?
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter
who is in the VDP and what do they set out to do?
The VDP is an organizaiton of >200 of Germany’s best winemakers committed to excellence who set out to make and promoted top-tier, top-quality wines from the highest-quality terroir and vineyards based on traditional German winemaking.
what region outside of germany does the VDP emulate and model their classification after?
Burgundy
what are the typical wines made under the VDP classifications?
dry rieslings
in what year was the VDP founded?
1910
grosses gewächs:
- what does it translate to in English?
- these wines are always ….
- grapes come from …
- translated to great growth
- wines are always dry
- grapes from top vineyards
is grosses Gewächs a legal term?
no; it’s a term used by the VDP classifying a dry wine from a top site
what does the German term Gemeinde mean in English?
village.
For example, if you see Ürziger Würzgarten on a wine label, it means the grapes came from the village of Ürzig and the Würzgarten vineyard.
on a German wine label, the first word (of the two words together) that ends in -er is the …
village, or gemeinde
what is an einzellage
single vineyard
which of Germany’s wine regions is the oldest?
Mosel
on what parallel is the mosel wine region?
49th parallel
what is the climate of the mosel
cool contintental
which river helps moderate the mosel wine region
mosel river
what is the landscape of the mosel wine region
very steep, south-facing vineyards
what is the soil of them Mosel wine region
slate
- porous, well draining
- excellent heat retention
what grapes are grown in the mosel
riesling
riesling grown in the mosel is typically:
a. ultra-ripe, low acid, high alcohol, dry
b. ripe, medium acid and alcohol, dry
c. just-rip, high acid, low alcohol, off-dry
c. just-ripe, high acid, low alcohol, off-dry
most mosel rieslings are vilified in what type of vessel
stainless steel
why do most mosel rieslings have residual sugar
to blanke out the ripping-high acidity
think lemonade: if there’s too much lemon juice (acidity), you need sugar to balance out that sharpness
why are most mosel rieslings so low in alcohol?
because the grapes struggle to ripen at that northerly latitude, their sugars are low which in turn mean a lower-alcohol wine
name two gemeinden (villages) in the mosel famous for their rieslings
- Ürzig
2. Piesport
the Rheingau is north or south of the mosel
south of the mosel
what mountain range is on the north side of the Rheingau?
Taunus mountains
these mountains protect the Rheingau from cold northerly winds
what is the climate of the rheingau
continental
Rheingau is a bit warmer than the mosel due to its being further south
which river runs through the rheingau
rhine river
what is the soil of the rheingau
slate for top vineyards with some clay and sand on lower slopes
where are the vineyards of the Rheingau located, and which direction do they face
south-facing vineyards on the long slope on the north side of the Rhine river
what are the grapes grown in the rheingau
- riesling (white)
- spätburgunder (red)
name 1 famous vineyard in the rheingau
schloss johannisberg
what is cluster eberbach
orginally, it was a monastery founded by cistercian monks in 1135.
the monastery dissolved in the 1800s and today it’s known as a top-tier, single vineyard
where is the rheinhessen in relation to the rheingau
south of rheingau
what is the climate of rheinhessen
contintental
what is the landscape of the rheinhessen
flat with fertile soil
what are the soils of the rheinhessen
- red sandstone
- slate
what are the white grapes of rheinhessen
- riesling
- muller-thurgau
- silvaner
rheinhessen is the … est wine region in germany
largest
what is liebfraumilch
an inexpensive, sweet white wine made mostly from Muller thurgau. it was heavily exported in the 1980s and very popular at the time, but ended up being a blemish on the perception of German wines for decades
where are the top vineyards in the rheinhessen located
a thin ribbon of steep hills on the WEST bank of the Rhine river, between Nackenheim and Nierstein.
This area is best known for today’s high quality, dry rieslings
the Pfalz region in germany is pretty much a continuation of the … region in france
alsace
what river separates the Pfalz from alsace
rhine river
what is the mountain range on west side of pfalz
haardt mountains
the haardt mountains are an extension of what other mountain range
vosges mountain range
the haardt mountains provide the Pfalz with a … …
rain shadow
between the Pfalz’s southerly latitude and it being in a rain shadow, it has one of the … growing areas in germany
warmest
what is the soil in pfalz
limestone
what are the white grapes of pfalz
- riesling
- weissburgunder (pinot blanc)
- grauburgunder (pinot gris)
what is the red grape of the pfalz
spätburgunder, aka pinot noir
what style of wine does the Pfalz mainly produce
dry wines
pfalz rieslings tend to be fuller, riper, and higher in alcohol vs Mosel rieslings
