Germany Flashcards
Germany straddles what parallel?
50th parallel
making it one of the coolest wine regions in the world
By the (year) winemaking was definitively established along the steep slopes of the Mosel River.
4th century
Who introduced vine cultivation east of the Rhine river?
Charlemagne, the legendary beard-stained lover of wine
What is the word for vineyards in Germany?
einzellagen
The (blank) founded the famous Kloster Eberbach monastery in the Rheingau in 1136, where they amassed the largest vineyard holdings in Europe by the end of the Middle Ages, with over 700 acres of vines.
Cistercians of Burgundy
What does Monopole mean in Germany?
alleinbesitz
The Church’s influence in German viticulture was finally ended by (who), who established his Civil Code after defeating Germany
Napoleon
then known as the (blank)—and annexing all German lands west of the Rhine for France in the late 18th century.
Holy Roman Empire
All of the Church’s vineyard holdings were secularized in (what year)?
1803
impetus for the vineyard reorganization and registration mandated by the German Wine Law of (what year). 30,000 einzellagen were condensed in bureaucratic fashion into 2,600 registered vineyards, each with a minimum size of five hectares.
1971
There are only 3 exceptions to the mandated minimum size of 5 hectares from the German wine law of 1971. What are they?
Doctor vineyard in Bernkastel
Kirchenstück and Freundstück vineyards in Forst
Schloss Vollrads ortsteil vineyard in Rheingau
What is the name for Pinot Noir?
Spätburgunder
What is Germanys most planted white and red variety right now?
Riesling
Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir)
What is the German word for noble rot?
edelfäule
What were the years of the first Spatlesse, Auslese, and Eiswein recorded?
Spätlese 1775
Auslese 1787
Eiswein 1858
In the 19th century vines were moved further up the slopes. Why?
an increase in demand for foodstuffs aka agriculture
What are some viticultural threats to Germany?
Frost
Cold temperatures can cause an issue with ripening
When was the Geisenheim Wine Institute founded and where is it?
1872
Rheingau
What did the Geisenheim Wine Institute do?
They created hardier grape crossings that would ripen better
What were the crossings that the Geisenheim Wine Institute created?
Müller-Thurgau, Riesling x Madeleine Royale, 1882
Bacchus
Faber
Scheurebe, Riesling and Bukettrebe
Dornfelder, Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe, 1956 (countrys most second planted red grape)
When did phylloxera hit Germany?
late 19th century
After phylloxera what other industry set backs did Germany suffer?
The root louse, mildew problems, a huge depression, and two devastating world wars conspired to shrink domestic wine production.
After WWII, Germany looked to make wine as what?
mass production
in the 1980s, over 60% of all German vinous exports had (what) printed on the label.
Liebfraumilch
Was Liebfraumilch good?
No it was mass produced
The sweet, cheap, characterless beverage was a resounding commercial success, but almost singlehandedly destroyed the image of German wine internationally.
What does the VDP stand for?
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter
Riesling, planted in over (what percentage) of the nation’s vineyards
20%
What are the main white grapes of Germany?
Riesling Müller-Thurgau Silvaner Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) Kerner Bacchus
What are the main red grapes of Germany?
Spätburgunder comprises over one-tenth of Germany’s total vineyard acreage
Dornfelder
Blauer Portugieser
Trollinger
Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier)
What is Weissherbst?
a saignée rosé wine made from a single variety and of at least Qualitätswein quality.
In general, the higher quality German wines are varietal wines, and must contain (what percent) of the stated variety.
85%
Germany is ranked (blank) worldwide in wine production.
8th
What are the two tiers of German “quality” wine?
Qualitätswein
Prädikatswein
How many anbaugebiete are there in Germany?
13
What are the levels (Pradikats) in the Pradikatswein system?
Kabinett Spätlese Auslese Beerenauslese Eiswein Trockenbeerenauslese
The (blank) level is determined by the level of sugars in the grape at harvest, measured by degrees according to the (what scale).
prädikat
Öchsle scale
What is are the Minumu Öchsle Range for each Pradikat level?
Prädikat Level with Minimum Öchsle Range
Kabinett 70-85°
Spätlese 76-95°
Auslese 83-105°
Beerenauslese 110-128°
Eiswein 110-128°
Trockenbeerenauslese 150-154°
Prädikatswein must carry a minimum alcohol level of (what percent) ((what percent) for Beerenauslese, TBA, and Eiswein wines) and winemakers may not chaptalize at this level.
7%
5.5%
What is an Amtliche Prufungsnummer?
Prädikatswein must also carry an Amtliche Prüfungsnummer (AP Number), a series of five sets of numbers indicating that the wine has been approved by a tasting panel.
What do the numbers in the Amtliche Prüfungsnummer (AP Number) mean?
the first number refers to the region where the wine was tested
the second set of numbers refers to the commune in which the wine was bottled
the third set of numbers is the bottler’s code
the fourth set of numbers is a unique code for the bottling
and the final two numbers indicate the year in which the application was filed.
What does GG stand for?
Grosses Gewächs
What are Grosses Gewachs released as?
Qualitätswein, without mention of prädikat level
Dry wines are released as…
Qualitätswein
anbaugebiet must be stated on the label for Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein with the exception of what?
Liebfraumilch the mass produced wines
What is in the PGI category?
Landwein
Wein/Deutscher Wein
Landwein originates in one of 26 broad regions and must be trocken or halbtrocken in style. Deutscher Wein must be 100% German in origin. Wein may include grapes from other countries, and, if it does, the label must list the countries that contribute to the blend. In keeping with new EU allowances for table wines, Deutscher Wein may state the variety on the label.
What is German sparkling wine called?
Sekt
Most Sekt is produced in what method?
Charmat method
Sekt may labeled as (blank) if it is produced from traditional grapes grown in one of the thirteen anbaugebiete of Germany.
Qualitätswein
What is the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter, or VDP?
is a national German association of producers committed to top quality.
When was the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter, or VDP?
1910
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter, or VDP originally strove to promote….
unchaptalized natur wines, principally through wine auctions.
When the 1971 Wine Law abolished the use of the term natur and created the category of QbA, for which chaptalization is legal, the organization rewrote its internal constitution to promote superior standards while respecting new labeling laws and changed its name to the VDP.
Which organization was created in 1984?
Charta
What does Charta promote?
was formed to advance the classic, dry style of Rheingau Riesling.
Charta wines, distinguished by an icon of three Roman arches—styled from the balcony of Graue Haus, in Winkel—represented the first major attempt by producers to validate dry wines within a system that only rewards sugar.
Charta did not have as significant of an effect as its founders may have wanted, and today only a handful of producers remain committed to the concept.
Who absored Charta’s beliefs?
The VDP
What does Erste Lage translate to?
“first site”
When did the 4 tier classification system get created?
2012
What is the VDP Classification (2012 forward) and corresponding maximum yields?
Grosse Lage: “Grand Cru” Wines (max. 50 hl/ha)
Erste Lage: “Premier Cru” Wines (max. 60 hl/ha)
Ortswein: Village Wines (max. 75 hl/ha)
Gutswein: Regional Wines (max. 75 hl/ha)
What does Halbtrocken mean?
Half-dry, generally less than 18 g/L residual sugar.
so off dry style
What is the definition Grosses Gewächs?
VDP classification of dry wines from the best vineyards, must be Spätlese ripeness.
The Grosses Gewächs category is reserved for Grosse Lage, so producers of Erste Lage dry wines must label their products as (blank) instead.
trocken
In addition, while all VDP members are committed to (blank), individual member organizations in each anbaugebiet may choose whether or not to develop an (blank) designation.
Grosse Lage
Erste Lage
In the Pfalz, for instance, this category will exist and some former top sites, like (vineyard and vineyard), will be recast as Premier Cru.
Paradiesgarten and Kalkofen in Deidesheim
Grosses Gewächs wines are legally considered trocken and may not contain more than (blank) g/l of residual sugar.
9 g/l of residual sugar.
In the Rheingau, Grosses Gewächs wines frequently carry the alternative label of (blank), a trademarked term established by Charta.
Erstes Gewächs
True or False: While Grosses Gewächs is barred by German wine law from appearing on wine labels—hence its indication by initials—Erstes Gewächs is a legally authorized term, and it may be spelled out in full.
True
When can GG white wines and red wines be released?
Grosses Gewächs white wines may not be released before September 1 of the year following the harvest; essentially 1 year
red wines receive an additional year of aging. Essentially 2 years of aging
When can Erste Lage wines labeled by prädikat be released?
may be released as soon as May 1 of the year following the harvest.
What does Einzellage mean?
single vineyard
True or False: The einzellage must be listed on the label—in the style of the grands crus of Burgundy, the village name is dropped—and the vineyard site must be approved by the VDP.
True
Name some high quality producers that belong to the VDP?
Robert Weil Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Dr. Loosen Egon Müller Joh. Jos. Prüm Dönnhoff Keller Bürklin-Wolf Toni Jost
Name some VDP requirements.
Estate-bottling is mandatory.
Capsules on all member estates’ bottles must be emblazoned with the VDP logo, a stylized eagle clasping a cluster of grapes.
While the association’s influence is clear, the VDP has not yet been technically sanctioned by German law, and its classification scheme is essentially a voluntary one for members.
When were the terms classic and selection created?
2000 vintage
Who created the terms classic and selection?
The state-affiliated German Wine Institute at Mainz
Why were the terms classic and selection created?
simplified hierarchy for drier styles of wine
What are the requirements to use the term classic?
The terms Classic and Selection were intended to replace the more cumbersome halbtrocken and trocken, respectively.
Classic wines are considered “harmoniously dry” with a maximum residual sugar content of 15 g/l, and Wines labeled “Classic” are single varietal wines and omit any mention of a vineyard on the label.
They show a superior minimum alcohol content of 12% (11.5% in the Mosel).
What are the requirements to use the term selection?
Selection wines are “superior dry” with a maximum residual sugar content of 9 g/l (12 g/l allowed for Riesling).
Selection wines are single vineyard wines from a single variety. Yields are restricted to 60 hl/ha.
Must weight for Selection wines must be equivalent to Auslese, and vineyards are hand-harvested.
The wines may not be released prior to September 1 of the year following harvest.
What was the Mosel known as until August 1, 2007?
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
What is goldkapsel?
“reserve” selections
This generally indicates additional sweetness due to a higher must weight, and is most commonly encountered on Auslese bottlings.
What does Lange Goldkapesel stand for?
Even richer bottlings are marked with a Lange Goldkapsel—a longer gold capsule—and this length and color of capsule may be the only clue to a substantial difference in price and character.
The Goldkapsel is a device used almost exclusively by Mosel producers, and is a means of subverting the 1971 Wine Law, which ruled that additional qualifications of the prädikat level, such as feine and hochfeine, could not be listed on the bottle
Where is the Mosel River?
The Mosel River emerges from the Vosges Mountains in France and flows eastward into Germany, joining with its tributaries (the Saar and Ruwer) until it merges with the Rhine at Koblenz, marking the end of the Mosel Valley and the border of the Mittelrhein anbaugebiet.
What tributaries does the Mosel river join?
The Saar and Ruwer
The Mosel is divded into 6 areas. What are they?
Burg Cochem (terremosel) Bernkastel (mittelmosel) Ruwertal Saar Obermosel Moseltor
Which is the largest bereich fo the Mosel?
Bernkastel
ccupying a stretch of the Mosel from Trier to Zell, wherein most of the Mosel’s greatest gemeinden and einzellagen are located.
What does Gemeinde mean?
Local community or village. Piesport, for example.
What are the 9 main villages are known in the Mittelmosel?
North to South
Erden Ürzig Zeltingen Wehlen Graach-an-der-Mosel Bernkastel-Kues Brauneberg Piesport Trittenheim
What is the main grape of the Mittelmosel?
Riesling
What are the soils of the Mittelmosel?
The soils are composed of dark blue Devonian slate, although red slate characterizes the vineyards near Erden.
What makes the blue slate special in the Mittelmosel?
The absorptive blue slate retains heat and the river reflects warmth onto the vines, allowing them to ripen in a region where the annual average temperature is 49° F—8° colder than the grapevine’s ideal annual temperature.
Where are the best vineyards found in the Mittelmosel?
southward-facing slopes
Can you harvest the vineyards of the Mittelmosel mechanically?
No you cannot the slopes are too steep
cable systems are often employed to help workers on the cliffs
What is Piesport’s greatest vineyard?
Goldtröpfchen - “droplets of gold”
Name some producers from the Goldtröpfchen vineyard?
Reinhold Haart
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt
Name some of the sundial vineyards.
Brauneberg’s Juffer-Sonnenuhr vineyard is one of the Mosel’s “sundial” vineyards.
Along with Wehlener Sonnenuhr
Zeltinger Sonnenuhr
Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr features a sundial in the cliff face, allowing vineyard workers to know the time.
Where is the doctor vineyard and what is it?
Bernkastel-Kues is the site of the famous Doctor vineyard, reputedly the source of a miraculously curative wine in the 14th century and an exception to the 1971 German Wine Law.
Those growers to the east of the vineyard whose vines were excluded from Doctor in 1984 may label their wines as (blank).
Alte Badstube am Doktorberg.
What is the minimum Pradikat ripeness in the Mosel?
Which producers makes great wine from Bernkasteler Lay?
Dr Loosen
In Graach, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt owns the great alleinbesitz (blank)
Josephshöfer
After the Sonnenuhr vineyards of Wehlen and Zeltingen, exemplified again the famous (producer and producer)
Joh. Jos. Prüm estate
Dr. Loosen
What is one of the warmest sites in the Mosel and who is a famous producer from there?
Prälat
Dr. Loosen