Germany Flashcards
anbaugebit
1 of 13 major wine regions
bereich
area within a wine region
gemeinde
local community or village
einzellage
single vineyard
grosslage
a collection of vineyard sites of differing quality under one collective name
steillage
“steep site” a term typically applied to an incline greater than 30%
sonnenuhr
“sundial” vineyards
winzer
winegrower
kloster
“cloister” “monastery”
fuder
traditional 1,000 liter cask
stück
traditional 1,200 liter cask, a shortened form of stückfass
edelfäule
the noble form of Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that concentrates grapes but can lead to gray rot
alte rebe
“old vine”
trocken
“dry” wines with up to 9 grams per liter of RS
sekt
sparkling wine
Prädikat
classification system based on must weight of grapes at harvest
Grosse Lage
a single site (einzellage) of top ranking, as designated by the VDP
Erste Lage
Premier Cru wine site, as designated bu the VDP
Who planted grapevines in the first century?
Romans!
How did the 1971 laws affect the industry?
- set out to combat problems of modernization but ended up tarnishing the industry’s reputation
- created anbaugebiete, equivalent to AOC
- these laws also prioritized ripeness levels above all else
- individual vineyards were also consolidated
Why & when was the VDP created
to rectify the name confusion by reclassifying the original top vineyard areas as Grosse Lagen in order to recognize their prestige
- 1910
- peer based group
Sekt winemaking
- been produced since 1826
- high quality
- Riesling (lower end), Chardonnay & Pinot-Noir
Winzersekt
- single vintage sparkling wine & made in traditional method
- minimum of 9 months aging on the lees before disgorgement
who is credited with creating the first Spätlese
Schloss Johannisberg
What are the 9 essential WHITE grapes of Germany
Riesling Müller-Thurgau Grauburgunder Weissburgunder Silvaner Scheurebe
grau
gray
weiss
white
spät
late
burgunder
from burgundy
auslese
chosen
lese
harvest
beere
berry
What are the 3 essential RED grapes
Spätburgunder
Dornfelder
Lemberger
General climate
- NW section is modestly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean & North Sea
- S & E areas are generally more continental
- SE has an abundance of rivers & mountains that offer ideal aspects, prolonged sunlight & moderate temps
- Northernmost vineyards represent the extremes of viticulture in the Northern Hemisphere
What are the biggest viticulture challenge in Germany?
- Spring frost
- reliable conditions resulting from the river systems, which can encourage Botrytis
How many anbaugebiete are there in Germany?
13
What are the three main soil types in Germany?
Devonian Slate
Rotliegend
Loess
Describe Devonian slate
- igneous rock soils
- friable, low in nutrients, retains heat, well-draining, resistant to phylloxera
- coveted for growling Riesling
- Found in Mosel & Ahr
Describe Rotliegend
- red slate or sandstone
- well-draining, retains heat
- found in Mosel, Rheinhessen, & Pfalz
Describe Loess
- wind-blown deposits of various degraded soil types
- well-draining, low in nutrients, fine in texture
- found in Rheinhessen. Nahe, Baden & Franken
What is Landwein
-85% of grapes must be harvested from 1 out of 26 delimited regions
What are the three tiers of the PDO system
- Qualitätswein
- Qualitätswein Erstes Gewächs
- Prädikatswein
Describe Qualitätswein
- wine made from a single anbaugebiet made from approved varieties
- no chaptalization is allowed
Describe Qualitätswein Erstes Gewäches
- established in 1999, limited to classified Riesling & Spätburgunder from the Rheingau
- distinct from the VDP’s categories
Describe Prädikatswein
- categorized based on grape ripeness at harvest
- measured by Oechsle (must weight)
- 6 levels of ripeness
What are the 6 levels of Prädikatswein ripeness & must weight
- Kabinett (70-85)
- Spätlese “Late Harvest” (76-95)
- Auslese “Selected Harvest” (83-105)
- Beerenauslese “Selective Berry Harvest” (110-128)
- Eiswein “Ice Wine” (110-128)
- Trockenbeerenauslese “Dried selective berry harvest” (150-154)
What do Asterisks after vineyard names mean
wine is of greater ripeness than the stated Prädikat, with each additional star (up to three) indicating more ripeness
Goldkapsel
the unofficial way winemakers use to show high or special quality, with a longer gold capsules.
-generally used for Auslese Pradikat that would typically show higher must weights than stated
What are the four tiers of VDP & describe them
Gutswein: Regional wines sourced from a single anbaugebiet
Ortswein: Village wines from one gemeinde (village)
Erste Lage: 1er cru wines form approved sites
Grosse Lage: Grand cru wines from approved sites
Difference between Grosse Lage & grosselage
Grosse Lagen is an individual high-quality vineyard while grosslage is a collective vineyard, no quality implied
Is VDP, Grosse Lagen dry or sweet
Always dry, maximum of 9 g/l of RS
How will Grosse Lage be identified on the label
By vineyard name alone
What is the logo of the VDP
Eagle
Who is the IRF
International Riesling Foundation
Why was the IRF created
- to dispel confusion around sweetness
- a sweetness scale was developed for producers for the back label
In general what is the Mosel known for?
pure, light, low ABV Riesling
What course does the Mosel river take?
Begins at the Vosges Mountains in France, flows eastward into Germany (merges with tributaries, Saar & Ruwer), then merges with the Rhine river
Name the 6 Bereiche in the Mosel
Bernkastel Burg Cochem Saar Ruwertal Obermosel Moseltor
What is the largest of the Bereiche in the Mosel
Bernkastel, most of the greatest gemeinden & einzellagen are located here
What soils dominate the Mosel?
dark blue Devonian slate, well drained & phylloxera resistant
main challenge is erosion as slate can slide to the bottom of the slope, forcing winegrowers to physically carry it back up the hill
What is the aspect like of most Mosel vineyards
Extremely steep, southward-facing slopes. Impossible to mechanically harvest & cable systems are often employed to enable workers to traverse the cliff-side
Name the two tributaries of the Mosel
Saar & Ruwer
Where are the best vineyards planted in the Mosel?
Middle Mosel
Why is Riesling the dominant grape in Mosel?
-High tolerance to cold
Describe Mosel growing cycle?
- 30-50% longer than growing regions further south
- Riesling develops high phenolic ripeness
- thick skins & aromatics are well suited to botrytis
What is the classic style of the Mosel?
Prädikat wines with RS
How does the Mosel River moderate the vineyards along its slopes?
- Mitigates frost
- Mellows diurnal shifts
- bounces like back onto the vineyard to aid in ripening
What Bereich is home to the regions most famous producers & bulk of Mosel Production?
Bernkastel
What are the top three bereiche of Mosel?
Bernakastel, Ruwertal, Saar
-Highest concentration of top sites & producers
What were Blue Nun & Liebfraulmich wine
Poor quality sweet wines that tarnished Germanys reputation
What is Grosse Gewaches? Can it be on labels?
- Dry, hand-harvested only wines
- legally “trocken” level with no more than 9 g/l of sugar
- only GG state on Label as Grosses Gewachs is not legally allowed
- VDP rule
where is the Rheingau located
- Along the Rhine River on the Northern Bank with vineyards facing SouthEast
- Warmer than the Rheinhessen in the South due to the Rhine River reflecting sunlight
What is soil in the Rheingau
upper slopes are dominate by slate but lower slopes are mixture of clay, loess, alluvial sand near the River
What style of wines marks the Rheingau
dry is over half of the production
Where & what is the Assmanhausen
It is an anbaugebiet within the Rheingau that has most of the Spatburgunder production for the region
Where is the Rheinhessen located
directly South of Rheingau, bordered by the Rhine River to the North & East, bordered by the Name in the West & the Pfalz to the South
Describe the Rheinhessen’s image & vine production
The most hectares of any anbaugebite
historically poor quality & bulk production
What grapes is the Rheinhessen known for
Riesling, Muller-Thurgau & Silvaner
where is the Pfalz located?
natural continuation of Alsace & South of the Rheinhessen
explains the soil type of the Pfalz
complex, varied soil due to ancient geological activity similar to Alsace
What mountain range is near the Pfalz
The Haardt Hills (aka Vosges Mtns in Alsace)
what style of wine is the Pfalz
Dry Rieslings, the complex soils make varied wines
What type of wine is in the Nahe
generally sweet Riesling
Explain the Ahr
- worlds most northernly wine region dedicated to red wine
- Spatburgunder production
- “mediterranean” climate
explain the Franken anbaugebitte
- mostly beer & silvaner production
- traditionally dry wines
- traditionally bottled in squat, flask shaped “bocksbeutel”
explain Mittelrhein
Riesling planted on steep, slate riverside slopes
- 80% of wine is trocken or halbtrocken
Hessische-Bergstrasse
one of the smallest anbaugebitte
Explain Baden & Wuttenburg anbaugebite
- southern Germany
- Spatburgunder production
- mostly co-ops
Sachsen & Saale-Unstrut anbaugebite
- former east Germany
- Muuler-Thurgau production
