Germany Flashcards
History of German wine?
Flurbereinigung - vineyard restructuring after WW2
5th German wine law in 1971 - established regions and classifications based on must weight
Liebfraumilch was 60% of export in 1980s - Blue Nun and Black Tower
General German climate?
Cool continental
Moderate rainfall - mostly in summer
Morning mists
General German Topography?
Steep, south-facing slopes
Rivers radiate heat - moderate temp and extend growing season
Taunus and Haardt mountain ranges
German production?
7th largest area under vine
100,000ha planted
9mil hL produced
Vineyard management in Germany?
Average yields: 150hL/ha Deutscher Wein/Landwein; 105hL/ha Qualitatswein
VSP Trellising
Pendelbogen (replacement cane with arches), also single/double
Mostly hand harvesting - steep slopes, required by Beerenauslese and above
Little organic/sustainable due to climate
How is fruit ripeness improved in Germany?
Better clonal selection
Summer pruning
Green harvesting
Selective hand harvesting
Describe Riesling:
23% of total plantings
Late budding
Late ripening
Thick wood
Needs sun exposure and dry autumns
High level of sugar
Susceptible to botrytis
Great ageability
Describe Muller-Thurgau:
AKA Rivaner
Earlier-ripening than Riesling
High yields
Much lower acidity than Riesling
Popular in Liebfraumilch
Describe Spatburgunder:
AKA Pinot Noir
11.5% of total plantings
High quality, complex, oak-aged examples
Whole bunch common
Describe Dornfelder:
Deep color
High acid
Fruity, floral
Mainly grown in Rheinhessen and Pfalz
Describe Silvaner:
Simple, inexpensive wines
High quality in Franken
Lower acidity than Riesling
Plantings declining
Early budding
Early ripening
Winemaking in Germany:
Experimentation with lees/oak for whites
Enrichment common
- prohibited in Pradikatswein
Deacidification allowed, not often used
Sweetening practices in Germany?
Sussreserve - traditionally used to sweeten wines that had been fermented to dry
Sussreserve must be made from the same region/quality level as the wine
RCGM can only be used for Deutscher Wein
Now, quality producers stop fermentation with SO2, racking, or filtering
Describe Deutscher Wein:
Formerly Tafelwein
Grapes grown in Germany
No Geographical Indication
Tiny production
Describe Landwein:
Equivalent to PGI
85% must be from region
Trocken or Halbtrocken
Tiny production
Describe Qualitatswein:
13 Anbaugebiete (named quality regions)
Must undergo analysis and tasting panel
Given AP number for vineyard/lot/testing location (Amtliche Prufungsnummer)
Describe Pradikatswein:
All grapes must come from a Bereich (one of small 40 districts)
Classified as one of six levels based on must weights
Half the production of Qualitatswein