Germany Flashcards
1
Q
Germany has some of the ___most and ___est vineyards in the northern hemisphere.
A
Northeast and coolest
2
Q
What is the principal white grape of Germany?
A
Riesling
3
Q
What are the 2 main rivers in Germany and in what regions are they?
A
Mosel River = runs through the Mosel region
Rhine River = runs through the Rheingau region
4
Q
German wine regions are called ___.
A
Anbaugebiete (ahn-BAU-guh-beet)
5
Q
Germany has 13 anbaugebiete (wine regions).
Which 4 do you need to know for the exam?
A
Mosel
Rheingau
Rheinhessen
Pfalz
6
Q
In which quadrant of Germany are the bulk of Germany’s wine regions located?
A
Southwestern quadrant, near France and Switzerland.
7
Q
What are some features that help moderate the climate of Germany?
A
Rivers (e.g. the Mosel and Rhine)
Mountains (e.g. Tanus, Haardt)
8
Q
What are the soils of Germany?
A
They vary depending on the region, but the top vineyards are planted on:
Blue slate (Mosel) Red slate (Rheingau) Basalt (Baden)
9
Q
What are the advantages of German vineyards being planted on slate and basalt?
A
Absorb heat during the day
Release that heat overnight in this very cool climate
10
Q
What are the white grapes of Germany?
A
Riesling
Müller-Thurgau
Silvaner
11
Q
What is Germany’s red grape?
A
Pinot Noir, aka Spätburgunder
12
Q
What percent of production in Germany is white wine?
A
70%
13
Q
Is chaptalization allowed in Germany?
A
Yes, but it’s really only used for low-quality level wines (not Prädikat wines).
14
Q
What does the term ‘Trocken’ mean in English?
A
Dry
15
Q
In Germany, wines WITHOUT geographic indication are called ___.
A
Wein
16
Q
In Germany, wines WITH geographic indication have three levels:
A
Landwein (PGI)
Qualitätswein (PDO)
Prädikastwein (PDO)
17
Q
Landwein (PGI) wines are:
A
Regional, acceptable quality, rarely exported
18
Q
What is a Qualitätswein?
A
A wine from one of the 13 anbaugebiete.
Wines of this level can be dry to sweet.
19
Q
Prädikatswein is a subset of ___ wines.
How many prädikat levels are there?
A
Subset of Qualitätswein
6 prädikat levels
20
Q
What are the 6 prädikat levels from lowest price/ripeness to highest price/ripeness?
A
Kabinett Spätlese Auslese Beerenauslese Eiswein Trockenbeerenauslese
(Kissing Sexy Aussies Better End Tonight)
21
Q
Which 3 of the prädikat levels are most used as table wines?
A
Kabinett
Spätlese
Auslese
22
Q
What does Spätlese translate to in English?
A
Spätlese = late harvest
23
Q
What does Auslese translate to in English?
A
Auslese = selected harvest
24
Q
What kind of grapes are Eisweins made from?
A
Frozen grapes
25
Of the 3 highest price/ripeness prädikat levels, which 2 will always be affected by botrytis?
Beerenauslese (BA)
| Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA)
26
Which 3 prädikat levels can be fermented dry and have Trocken on the label?
Kabinett
Spätlese
Auslese
27
What does VDP stand for (what is it spelled out)?
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter: a group that represents the country's top producers/ an organization of >200 of Germany's best winemakers committed to excellence
28
What region outside of Germany does the VDP emulate and model their classification after?
Burgundy
29
What are the typical wines made under the VDP classifications?
Dry Rieslings
30
In what year was the VDP founded?
1910
31
Grosses Gewächs:
what does it translate to in English?
these wines are always ___.
grapes come from ___.
Translates to Great Growth
Wines are always DRY
Grapes from top vineyards
32
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.
33
On a German wine label, the first word (of the two words together) that ends in -er is the ___.
Village, or gemeinde.
34
What is an einzellage?
Single vineyard
35
Which of Germany's wine regions is the oldest?
Mosel
36
On what parallel is the Mosel wine region?
49th parallel
37
Which river helps moderate the Mosel wine region?
Mosel river
38
What is the soil of the Mosel wine region?
Slate
39
What grapes are grown in the Mosel?
Riesling
40
Riesling grown in the Mosel is typically:
Just-ripe, high acid, low alcohol, off-dry
41
Why do most Mosel Rieslings have residual sugar?
To balance out the ripping-high acidity.
42
Name two gemeinden (villages) in the Mosel famous for their Rieslings.
Ürzig
| Piesport
43
The Rheingau is north or south of the Mosel?
South of the Mosel
44
What mountain range is on the north side of the Rheingau?
Taunus Mountains
These mountains protect the Rheingau from cold northerly winds.
45
Which river runs through the Rheingau?
Rhine River
46
What is the soil of the Rheingau?
Slate for the top vineyards with some clay and sand on lower slopes.
47
What are the grapes grown in the Rheingau?
Riesling (white)
| Spätburgunder (red aka Pinot Noir)
48
Name 1 famous vineyard in the Rheingau.
Schloss Johannisberg
49
What is Kloster Eberbach?
Originally, 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.
50
Where is the Rheinhessen in relation to Rheingau?
South of Rheingau
51
What are the soils of the Rheinhessen?
Red sandstone, slate
52
What are the white grapes of Rheinhessen?
Riesling
Müller-Thurgau
Silvaner
53
Rheinhessen is the ___est wine region in Germany.
Largest
54
What is Liebfraumilch?
An inexpensive, sweet white wine made mostly from Müller-Thurgau. It was heavily exported in the 1980s and very popular at the time, but it ended up being a blemish on the perception of German wines for decades.
55
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.
56
The Pfalz region in Germany is pretty much a continuation of the ___ region in France.
Alsace
57
What river separates the Pfalz from Alsace?
Rhine River
58
What is the mountain range on west side of Pfalz?
Haardt Mountains
59
The Haardt Mountains are an extention of what other mountain range?
Vosges Mountain Range
60
What is the soil in Pfalz?
Limestone
61
What are the white grapes of Pfalz?
Riesling
Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc)
Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris)
62
What is the red grape of the Pfalz?
Spätburgunder, aka Pinot Noir
63
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.
64
German Wine Law of 1971
Germany was always confusing, but the German Wine Law of 1971 made it even more so. 30,000 single vineyards were condensed into just over 2,600 with only geographical boundaries as the deciding factor: soil, aspect, or terroir was not considered. They had to be a minimum of 5 hectares in size and this still stands today, except for a few exceptions where the winemakers had
petitioned the historical significance of their sites and gained the right to be smaller than
regulations required.
65
What does Erstes Gewächs mean?
Erstes Gewächs or Premier Cru: Single vineyard, single variety, must be dry.
66
gU (geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung):
Single vineyards given PDO status. Must be dry, or Aüslese or sweeter. Only six vineyards have been awarded this designation so far
67
Qualitätswein:
wine from one of the 13 anbaugebiet, basic, everyday wines, usually a low
level of ripeness and chaptalization is allowed.
68
Kabinett
The lightest style of Riesling, 70-80 Oechsle. if dry will be 10-12% abv
69
Oechsle
The scale in Germany to tell the sweetness of the grape. Oechsle measures the degree of sugar at harvest by weighing the grape juice or must.
70
Spätlese
meaning “late harvest,” 76-95 Oechsle, if dry will be 11-13% abv.
71
Auslese
meaning “select harvest”, Auslese is even sweeter picked at 83–105 Oechsle, if
dry will be 12%-14.5% abv. Can be affected by botrytis.
72
Beerenauslese
meaning “berry select harvest”, affected by botrytis, and harvested in different passes through the vineyard. 110-128 Oechsle (260+ g/l sugar).
73
Trockenbeerenauslese
meaning “dry berry select harvest” and the rarest, affected by botrytis and raisinated on the vine, 150-154 Oechsle.
74
Eiswein
grapes are allowed to freeze on the vine and are pressed when frozen, 110-128
Oechsle (260+ g/l sugar).
75
What is Sekt? And what are the 3 Sekts?
The three tiers of sparkling wine production
Deutscher Sekt
Deutscher Sekt b.A.
Winzersekt
76
Deutscher Sekt
Tier of sparkling wine production, called Sekt. Deutscher must come from grapes grown in Germany and can be made in the
Charmat method.
77
Deutscher Sekt b.A.:
Tier of sparkling wine production, called Sekt. Deutscher Sekt b.A.: same as Deutscher in that it must come from grapes grown in Germany and can be made in the
Charmat method, but 85% of grapes must come from an Anbaugebiet.
78
Winzersekt Sekt
Tier of sparkling wine production, called Sekt. Winzersekt is traditional bottle fermentation, minimum 9 months on lees, 100% estate-grown fruit, and varietal and vintage must be on the label.
79
VDP Sekt Statut
Regulations set by the VDP for sparkling wine production. Wines with this label will be bottle fermented, with Vintage Sekt aged a minimum of 24 months, Prestige aged a minimum of 36 months, and Grand Sekts aging well beyond. Grape varieties can be any regional specialty but Riesling and Pinot Noir are preferred. This also sets rules that the grapes must come from estate vineyards, and vineyard work is all done by hand. These can be single vineyards (Erstes Gewächs, or Grosses Gewächs)
80
Ortsteil
Single estate, can have this listed instead of a village
81
Alleinbesitz
monopole vineyard, rare in Germany.
82
Trocken
general term for dry wines.
83
Halbtrocken
“Half dry” or off-dry wines, usually reserved or Landwein, and does not tell you exactly how sweet they are
84
Amtliche Prüfungsnummer
The AP number, a quality control measure for all PDO wines. Wines must be submitted to a panel where they are tested. If they pass this number tells the examination board number, commune number, producer number, application number, and year of application.
85
What are the grape varieties of Mosel? What are the wine styles?
Main: Riesling
Secondary: Spätburgunder, Müller-Thurgau.
Styles can be sweet to dry: white, dry red, and sekt (sparkling)
86
Talk about the Mosel River.
```
The Mosel is a tributary of the
Rhine River and flows from
the Vosges mountains. The
two other main rivers are the
Saar and Ruwer.
```
87
What is special about Bremmer Calmont? Where is it?
Bremmer Calmont in Mosel is the world’s steepest vineyard, with half the vineyard at gradients up to 60%
88
What is the soil of the Mosel?
Blue Devonian and red Devonian slate are the famous soils of this region, but sandstone and clay are present
89
Describe the sekt in Mosel
Sekt from here can be either Charmat method or traditional method, off-dry to dry
90
Describe the pinot noir in Mosel
Red wines from Pinot Noir will be light-bodied and see neutral (sometimes newer) French oak aging.
91
What is a goldkapsel?
Reserve wines can be designated with a gold capsule (goldkapsel) that indicates more richness. A longer gold capsule (lange goldkapsel) can indicate an even higher level of sweetness and richness.
92
What are the six Bereichs of Mosel, from North to South?
Moseltor, Obermosel, Ruwertal, Saar, Burg
| Cochem, Bernkastel
93
What are the 3 gUs of Mosel?
Uhlen Blaufüsser Lay, Uhlen Laubach, Uhlen Roth Lay
94
What is the Rheingau known for?
This region is slightly
warmer than the Mosel and has the
capability to create beautifully balanced dry
wines from Riesling and reds from Pinot
Noir. Being so close to the river, this is also
the birthplace of the Spätlese, Aüslese, and
Eiswein
95
What are the main and secondary grape varieties of the Rheingau?
Main: Riesling
Secondary: Spatburgunder, Muller-Thurgau
96
Who started growing grapes in the Rheingau?
1136: Cistercian monks from Burgundy founded Kloster Eberbach
97
What estate harvested and vinified the first spatlese, auslese and eiswein grapes?
Schloss Johannisberg
98
What are the wine styles of Rheingau?
Styles can be sweet to dry
| white, rosé, dry red, and sekt.
99
What is the bereiche of Rheingau?
Johannisberg
100
What is a bereiche?
A wine subregion
101
Describe the riesling in the Rheinhessen
here is where Riesling
begins to be bolder, dryer, and obtain a depth of flavor on these red sandstone outcroppings that cannot be mimicked anywhere else
102
Describe the Rheinhessen
The Rheinhessen is home to Germany’s most expensive and sought-after dry Riesling-G-Max, from undisclosed locations within the Keller portfolio. Wines here are thoroughbreds and show the density and complexity of this grape. Spätburgunder
(Pinot Noir) grows well here. This is also part of the home of Liebfraumilch, the blended, sickly-sweet wine that tarnished the idea of quality wines in Germany
during the 1980s
103
What are Liebfraumilch?
the blended, sickly-sweet wine that tarnished the idea of quality wines in Germany during the 1980s, found in the Rheinhessen
104
Major and minor varieties of the Rheinhessen:
```
Main: Riesling
Secondary: Müller-Thurgau,
Silvaner, Grauburgunder,
Spätburgunder, Portugieser,
Dornfelder.
```
105
Three bereiches of Rheinhessen:
Nierstein, Bingen, Wonnegau.
106
Describe the Pfalz region of Germany:
The Pfalz is a geological (if not political) extension of Alsace and benefits from the same rain
shadow effect and mosaic of soil structures. The mountains are lower here and called the
Haardt hills. It is split into two Bereiches: the Mittelhaardt-Deutsche Weinstrasse, and the
Südliche Weinstrasse. Riesling is the main grape here and rivals the Rheinhessen in terms of
body and richness. Wines from the Pfalz take on an almost tropical fruit character, and Müller
Thurgau, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) all have a significant
amount of land under vine. Red wines here include Dornfelder, Portugieser, and
Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir).
107
What region is an extension of Alsace in France?
The Pfalz in Germany
