Germany Flashcards
Germany map
Where are most of Germany’s vineyards located?
Southwest corner of country on borders with France, Belgium, and Switzerland
What is Germany’s climate?
Cool continental
What are some important rivers and mountains in Germany and why?
The Rhine river and tributaries
High importance of moderating influence from the rivers that reflect sunlight back up to the vineyards increasing warmth to aid in ripening.
Mountains provide protection from cold north winds and create rain shadows.
What are the types of soil?
Slate - In Mosel. Good for retaining heat in cool weather
What are grape growing techniques in Germany’s vineyards?
Steep, south facing hillside maxmize sun exposure and warmth.
Carefully selected vinyards for successful ripening.
Cool growing seasons.
What are some winemaking techniques in Germany?
- Large wooden fuder or stainless steel fermentation
- Residual sugar often left in the wine to counterbalance acidity (not all sugard are fermented to alcohol, hence low alc wines)
- Alcohol in off-dry wine is generally low.
- Wines can be fermented dry, remain off-dry, or lusciously sweet
What is Deutscher Sekt?
Sparkling wine made by any method from grapes grown in Germany.
Sekt means sparkling wine
Bargain sekt made in tanks
Quality sekt made by traditional method
Very crisp and bitey. Not bread-y.
What are the white grapes of Germany?
Riesling
Miller-Thurgau
Silvaner
Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc)
Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris)
What are the red grapes of Germany?
Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir)
What is the VDP (Verband Deatscher Pradikatsweinguter)?
- National German association of producers committed to traditional quality winemaking.
- Developed their own classification system based on Burgundy model with classified top vineyard sites (top VDP level = Burgundy Grand Cru).
Blv that due to climate change, vineyards can now achieve spatlese to auslese level ripeness every year giving wines more flavor and complexity.
VDP logo
What are the VDP heirarchies?
Grosse Gewachs (Grand Cru)
Erstes Gewachs (1er Cru)
Ortswein (village)
Gutswein (basic)
What is an Anbaugbiete?
- Germany has 13 recognized wine regions known as Anbaugbiete for PDO wines.
- Qualitatswein and Pradikswein require a single Anbaugbiete as place of origin.
- Anbaugbiete further divided into more exclusive geographical areas: Bereiche, Grosslagen, and Einzellegan.
What is a Gemeinde?
Local community or village
ie:
Wehlener Sonnenuhr (in the village of Wehlen)
or Zeltingener Sonnenhr (in the village or Zeltingen)
What is an Einzellage?
A single vineyard
More than 2700 in Germany
Grouped into Grosslagen
What are the Pradikat levels?
Quality levels based on ripeness at harvest
(from least to most ripe)
* Kabinett
* Spatlese
* Auslese
* Beerenauslese
* Trockenbeerauslese
What is the Oeschsle Scale?
- System/scale based on density or must weight
- The more solids, primarily sugar, in the juice, the denser the liquid will be.
- Does not translate into sweetness or finished wine
Oechsle = (density - 1) x 1000
What is a Bocksbeutel?
- A unique flattened ellipsoid wine bottle specific to the Franken Anbaugebiete
- Easily recognizable bottle from Franken
What does Halbtrocken?
Half dry
Off dry
9-18g sugar/Liter
Edelfaule
Noble rot aka Botrytis
Schloss
German word for castle, similar to French word for chateau.
What are the some of the most important Anabuagebiete of Germany?
Mosel
Pfalz
Rheinhessen
Rheingau
Nahe
Franken
Baden
Mittelrhein
Ahr
Mosel
- Vineyards on south facing banks of the Mosel river.
- Most elegant and ravishing wines made here.
- Slate soil that is porous and heat retaining in south-facing vineyards to capture warmth of sun
- Riesling main grape - acidic & kinetic from this area.
- Top producers in Mittelmosel area
What are important villages in the (Mittel) Mosel? Recognize on a map.
Erden
Urzig
Wehlen
Bernkastel-Kues
Piesport
Pfalz
- Continuation of Alsace
- Mountain protection from Haardt Mountains
- Rhine River moderates climte
- One of the warmest areas in Germany, focus is on dry wines
- Creamy and rounder wines vs other parts of Germany
- Soil is mainly reddish sandstone, clay, marl, chalky loam
What are the grapes use in Pfalz?
- Rieseling (more gingery-peppery wirh exotic citrus flavors)
- Spatburgunder
Rheinhessen
- Largest Anabaugebiete in size and production volume
- On Rhine River
- Lots of bargain priced, average wine
- Bland and sweetish wines
- Grapes: Riesling
Rheingau
- Mountains protect the region from the cold north.
- Long, south-facing slopes facing the Rhine River
- Rheingau has most favorable position on Rhine (best vineyards on right bank)
- Red slate soil
- Continental climate (further south than Mosel, warmer)
- Where classification systems and VDP began
What grapes are used in the Rheingau?
Riesling (rounder, fuller than Mosel)
Spatburgunder
What is an important village in the Rheingau? Recognize on a map
Johannisberg
First single vineyard Riesling was produced here in 1775.
Nahe
Nahe River is a tributary of the Rhine
Produces high quality Rieslings - precise and pure
Contintental Climate
Grape: Riesling
Franken
Located along Main river near Frankfurt
Eatern most Anbaugebiet
Cold, short, growing season
Grapes: Muller-Thurgau and Silvaner
Everyday table wine
Special bottle called a Bocksbeutel
Baden
- Largest Anabaugebiete by ground
- Along the eastern bank of Rhine River along French and Swiss borders.
- Warmest growing area
- Grapes: Spatburgunder (most planted), Muller Thurgau, Grauburgunder
- High quality rose is specialty of the region
Mittelrhein
Steep slopes along Rine river, along Rhine valley
North of Rheingau
Continental climate
Slate soil
Grape: Riesling
Ahr
Most northernmost and smallest grape growing region
Noth of 50th parallel
Red wine is 80% of total production - Spatburgunder…some of the best in Germany
Best Nahe producer
Hermann Donnhoff
Best Franken producer
Hans Wirsching
Best Rheingau producer (s)
Franz Kunstler
Robert Weil
Josef Leitz
Best Rheinhessen producer
Gunderloch
Best Mosel producer(s)
Fritz Haag
Dr. Loosen
Egon Muller
Joh. Jos.
Prum
Sellbach-Oster
1971 German Wine Law
Stipulated ripeness level at harvest as the prime determinant for quality
Established the top two categories of wine QBA and QMP
QMP = Pradikat, superior quality wine with specific attributes
QBA = Quality wine from 1 of the 13 Annabugebietes
Sweetness categories
Trocken (dry)
Halbtrocken (half dry)
Mild (some sweetness)
Suss (sweet)
Ripeness categories
Kabinett - early harvest
Spatlese - harvested later than kabinett
Auslese - hand selcted bunches
Beerenauslese - hand selected berries
Eiswine - frozen on vine (climate change a threat)
Trockenbeerenauslese - hand selected botrytis berries
What temp to serve dry and sweet wines from Germany?
Rieseling/dry whites - 45-49 F
Sweeter wines - 50-60 F
Food pairings (dry and sweet Rieslings)
Dry - baked snapper with tomatillo salsa (green notes play well with Riesling)
Sweet - Spicy thai noodles
