Germany Flashcards by Emma Findlayson

In general, what is the climate in Germany’s wine growing regions?

Cool Continental

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Which of Germany’s wine growing regions is the warmest?

Baden

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Summers in Germany can be wet, so what helps the final ripening?

Dry, long, cool autumns.

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What may help marginal German vineyards to ripen a full crop of grapes?

Dry, long, cool autumns.
Stones (heat up in the day & radiate heat in evening)
Southerly facing steep slopes.
Reflected sunlight from rivers.
Frost drainage from slopes and rivers.

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In Germany, how are vines trained on steep slopes?

Head trained
Individually staked
Canes tied at the top (maximise light & air circulation)

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What is must weight?

The sugar level in grapes

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How can Germany’s growers ensure the correct must weight for each category of wine?

Pickers make multiple passes through the vineyard over weeks and months.
Grapes can be sorted after picking.

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In Germany, which PDO standard is usually used for dry white wines and red wines?

Qualitätsweine

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Nearly all wines classified as Prädikatsweine have what?

Some residual sugar (off dry to luscious).
Although it is possible to make dry wines up to Auslese

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German kabinett prädikat level Riesling wines typcially have what body, acidity, alcohol and flavours?

Light body
High acidity
Green apple and citrus flavours
Medium sweet styles, alcohol: 8-9% abv
Dry styles: up to 12% abv

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What is Sϋssreserve?

Adding unfermented grape juice after fermentation to make a wine sweeter.

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Can German Kabinett prädikat level wines have Sϋssreserve added?

Yes

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How are the best quality Kabinett prädikat level wines from Germany made sweet?

By stopping fermentation early.

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Compared to Germany’s Kabinett how would a Spätlese from the same region compare?

More concentrated
Riper flavours : Citrus, peach & apricot
More body
More alcohol
Where relevant, sweetness

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How does Auslese differ to Spätlese in style and the way it is harvested?

Selected extra ripe bunches of grapes.
Richer & riper flavours: Citrus, peach & apricot
Where relevant, sweetness
Sometimes noble rot with flavours (honey, apricot, citrus zest & dried fruits)

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Describe the alcohol, sweetness and flavours of a German Riesling Beerenauslese (BA) or Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA).

Low Alcohol
Sweet
Flavours of honey, dried stone fruit, candied peel & flowers

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When making Eiswein (Ice wine) how do German producers maintain a purity of fruit flavour?

Yeast selection (no wild ferment)
Avoid MLC
No barrel ageing
Little if any botrytis

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What is a PGI known as in Germany?

Landwein

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What are German wines without a GI called?

Deutscher Wein

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A wine labelled as trocken will be?

A dry wine

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A wine labelled as halbtrocken will be?

A wine with some sweetness (off dry - medium sweet)

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The term ‘feinherb’ is used by some German producers to mean what sweetness level?

Halbtrocken (off dry - medium sweet)

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Which two items on the label can tell you the sweetness level of the wine if the term trocken or halbtrocken are not there?

Prädikat level
Alcohol level (lower indicates sweeter)

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In German wine labelling, what is the correct order of village and vineyard?

Village, Vineyard

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What are the village and vineyard for high quality wines labelled Piesporter Goldtröpfchen?

Village: Piesport Vineyard: Goldtröpfchen

What are the village and vineyard for wines labelled Piesporter Michelsberg?

Village: Piesport Vineyard: Michelsberg

A group of producers in Germany located mostly in the best sites is known as?

Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP)

Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) dry wines from there top sites (VDP.Grosses lage) are often called what?

Grosses Gewächs

A wine with the letter GG embossed on the bottle neck means the wine is?

VDP Grosses Gewächs (dry wine)

Is VDP.Grosses Gewächs (GG) part of German wine law?

No, it is a trademark of Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP)

Which of Germany's 6 Prädikatsweine can be dry?

Kabinett Spätlese Auslese

Put Germany's 6 Prädikatsweine in order of must weight and state the sweeteness level of the wine produced.

Kabinett: dry to medium: No noble rot Spätlese: dry to medium: No noble rot Auslese: dry to sweet: Sometimes noble rot Beerenauslese (BA): sweet only: typically noble rot Eiswein: sweet only: No noble rot Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA): sweet only: Must have noble rot

Which of the 6 Prädikatswein can only be sweet?

Eiswein Beerenauslese Trockenbeerenauslese

A white grape variety made into inexpensive wines, grown in Germany with medium to low acidity and attractive floral fruity flavours is?

Müller-Thurgau

A white grape variety grown particularly in Rheinhessen and Franken in Germany making dry and sweet styles, some of high quality is?

Silvaner

What is the German name for Pinot Noir?

Spätburgunder

Which two German regions make Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) in both a light, fruity style and more concentrated with oak?

Pfalz & Baden

Which German red grape variety makes particularly deep coloured wines?

Dornfelder

List German regions making Riesling, order by typcial ripeness, lightest to fullest.

Mosel: Lightest with higher acidity and lower alcohol & flavours of green apple. Nahe: Style betwen Mosel & Rheingau Rheingau: Medium to full body and distinctive ripe peach Pfalz: Riper fuller style from Forst & Deidesheim Rheinhessen: Some of the fullest bodied wines Baden: Fullest bodied with higest alcohol

List German regions and the important grape varieties allowed, identify grapes allowed for Grosses Gewächs (GG are dry wines from VDP).

GG wines not in the course in grey. Mosel: Riesling Nahe: Riesling Rheingau: Riesling & Spätburgunder Pfalz: Riesling, Spätburgunder & Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) Rheinhessen: Riesling & Spätburgunder Baden: GG made from a range of white & red varieties Franken: Silvaner, Riesling, Spätburgunder, Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) & Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris)

What are Germany's 3 largest vineyard regions from largest to smallest?

Rheinhessen Pfalz Baden

Give the transalation to the following German words? Trocken, Halbtrocken (feinherb), Spätburgunder.

Trocken: Dry Halbtrocken (feinherb): off dry-medium sweet Spätburgunder: Pinot Noir

What is Grosses Gewächs (GG) and how does it relate to Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP)?

Grosses Gewächs (GG embossed on the neck of the bottle) are dry wines made by members of the VDP, who manage some of Germany's best vineyards. Grosses Gewächs is a trade mark and not part of the PDO (Qualitätsweine or Prädikasweine) although typically they are Qualitätsweine level.

Which single grape variety can be used to make GG wines in Mosel?

Riesling

What are the three Mosel villages that have an established reputation for top quality?

Bernkastel, Wehlen, Piesport

What three common features do Mosel's best vineyards have?

Steep slopes: aspect, frost and water drainage Slate soils radiates heat in the evening, lengthening ripening days Next to the river:reflected sunlight, frost drainage

Germany's lightest Rieslings with higher acidity and lower alcohol than most & flavours of green apple come from where?

Mosel

Which German region's best wines are Rieslings, grown on steep slopes by a river with the same name as the region, near the town of Schlossböckelheim?

Nahe

GG wines from Nahe can only be made from which grape variety?

Riesling

Which German wine region produces Riesling with the same pronounced acidity, but is slightly fuller and riper than Mosel?

Nahe

Which region is on the north bank of the Rhine with southerly facing vineyards & protected by the Taunus hills and, due to humid conditions by the Rhine, produces some of Germany's best BA & TBA wines?

Rheingau Note: Rheingau & Rheinhessen, both on the Rhein river

In which region are the villages of Johannisberg and Rüdesheim both located?

Rheingau

What are the two grape varieties used to make GG wines in Rheinhessen?

Riesling & Spätburgunder

A German Riesling with medium to full body and distinctive ripe peach character most likley comes from?

Rheingau

What are the two grape varieties used to make GG wines in Rheingau?

Riesling & Spätburgunder

Which German region can be considered a continuation of Alsace, with the Haardt Mountains a continuation of the Alsace's Vosges, providing protection from the rain?

Pfalz

Which German wine region grows Riesling as its top grape and Dornfelder as its second most important variety, with Müller-Thurgau widely grown?

Pfalz

Forst and Deidesheim are both villages in which region?

Pfalz

Which German region is the most southerly, producing Germany's fullest bodied wines with highest alcohol?

Baden

Which region's highest quality vineyards are based on southern slopes of the extinct volcano Kaiserstuhl?

Baden

Spätburgunder is the most widely-planted grape variety in which German region?

Baden

Which grape varieties can be used to make GG wines in Baden?

A range of white and black grape varieties.

Which two German regions are not dominated by a river?

Pfalz & Baden

What is the most prestigious grape variety in Franken?

Silvaner

Silvaner is susceptible to frost. Why?

It is an early flowering variety FYI it also ripens early.

Which grape varieties can be used to make GG wines in Franken?

Silvaner, Riesling, Spätburgunder GG wines not in the course in grey Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris)

In which German region is Riesling not widely-planted?

Franken

For Franken give the key varieties highlighting GG wines.

Franken GG: Silvaner, Riesling, Spätburgunder Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris)

For Baden give the key grape varieties highlighting GG varieties and any influences the region experiences.

Baden GG: Made from a range of white & black grapes Grapes: Spätburgunder, Müller-Thurgau, Riesling Best area is south slopes of Kaiserstuhl volcano. Warmest and most southerly Fullest body, highest alcohol

For Pfalz give the grape varieties highlighting GG varieties, villages and any influences the region experiences.

Pfalz GG: Riesling, Spätburgunder & Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) Müller-Thurgau, Dornfelder Forst & Deidesheim best on steep slopes Haardt Mountains continuation of Vosges, very dry!

For Nahe give the key grape varieties highlighting GG varieties, villages and any influences the region experiences.

Nahe GG: Riesling Schlossböckelheim Best on steep south facing slopes Riesling style between Mosel & Rheingau

For Mosel give the key grape varieties highlighting GG varieties, villages and any influences the region experiences.

Mosel GG: Riesling Piesport, Bernkastel, Wehlen Lightest Rieslings with higher acidity and lower alcohol & flavours of green apple Steep slopes: aspect, frost and water drainage Slate soils radiates heat in the evening lengthening ripening days Next to the river: reflected sunlight, frost drainage

For Rheingau give the key grape varieties highlighting GG varieties, villages and any influences the region experiences.

Rheingau GG: Riesling & Spätburgunder Rüdesheim, Johannisberg Medium to full bodied Riesling and distinctive ripe peach Some of Germany's best BA & TBA Steep southerly slopes, vineyards protected by the Taunus hills.

What is the name of the region that is highlighted?