Germany Flashcards
Flurbereinigung- vineyard restructuring did what?
Its aim was to increase efficiency, reducing the cost of viticulture and making mechanization possible
Consolidated small, fragmented vineyards
Built access roads
Germany climate
49-50*N (except Baden)
Most northerly in world
Cool continental
High latitude means what is essential for ripening grapes?
Site selection
Moderating factors like the Rhine
Steep south facing slopes for sun exposure
Rainfall in Germany happens when and what challenges to viticulture does it offer?
Summer
Fungus, dilution of grapes, damage from hail
Fall in Germany has what kind of weather and allows for what viticulturally
Long and dry
Long ripening to achieve high levels of sugar for Pradikatswein
Mists on River are ideal for botrytis
What mountain ranges shelter Germany from cold winds and rain?
Taunus and Haardt
Soils of Baden, Pfalz, and Rheinhessen have pockets of what that are planted to what variety
Calcareous soil
PN, PB, Chard
Mosel and Ahr are known for what soils?
Dark colored slate that radiate heat at night to aid in ripening
Franken has what kind of soils and is planted to what variety?
Clay
PG, Silvaner
Fruit ripeness in Germany is improving, especially for black grapes, due to
Better clonal selection
Summer pruning
Green harvesting
Selective hand harvesting
Climate change
Pendelbogen is
Replacement cane pruning with canes arched in the trellis to improve sap flow and increase viable buds and thus yields
Why is Germany not suited to organic viticulture
Wet weather during growing season increases disease pressure
Sprays applied by helicopter due to steepness- drift onto neighboring vineyards
Riesling in Germany
1/4 of plantings
Cold hardy
Late budding/ thick wood- frost resistant
Late ripening- needs good sun and long dry fall, may not ripen in cool years
Muller Thurgau
German cross
High yielding
Liebraumilch
Lower acid than Riesling
Simple early drinking wines
Spatburgunder
Pinot Noir
Dornfelder
Black German cross
Deep color, high acid
2 styles: light/fruity w/some RS or lower yields w/oak aging
Silvaner
Simple inexpensive wines
Grauburgunder
Pinot Gris
Likes heavy soils
What style of winemaking dominates Germany
Bulk
Sussreserve
Unfermented or partially fermented grape must used to back sweeten wines
German wine laws classify grapes according to what?
Must weights at harvest
Deutscher wein
Wine without geographical indications but grown in Germany
Any style
Meant to be consumed young
Landwein
PGI
85% from region on label
Trocken or halb trocken style
Qualitatswein
PDO but less strict than Pradikat
Grapes from one of 13 regions- anbaugebiete - named on label
Lab analysis and blind tasting
Allows for sweeter wines - lower min abv
Majority of everyday drinking wines
Pradikatswein
40 recognized regions- bereich
No enrichment
6 levels
Kabinett
Spatlese
Auslese
Beerenauslese
Eiswein
Trockenbeerenauslese
Kabinett
Lowest must weights
Lightest bodied
Highest acid
Dry to med sweet
Spatlese
Fully ripe grapes
Greater concentration
Riper flavors
Auslese
Specially selected extra ripe grapes
Hand harvest or machine w/sort
Some botrytized grapes
Can be dry
Beerenauslese
Individually selected grapes
Hand harvested
No need to be botrytis but usually is
Eiswein
Same must weight as BA but grapes must be frozen
Trockenbeerenauslese
Botrytis
Long fermentation
Sweetness indicators
Trocken- dry 4 g/L
Halbtrocken - off dry btw 4-12 g/L
Lieblich- med sweet 12-45 g/L
Suss- sweet more than 45 g/L
Grosslage
Collective vineyard sites
Einzellagen
Individual vineyard site inside a grosselangen
Liebfraumilch
Med dry qualitatswein level
70% muller, riesl, silvaner, kerner
Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Rheinhau, Nahe
Why was the VDP created
Given the confusion surrounding Einzellage/Grosslage system there have been calls to create hierarchy of vineyard sites
VDP’s rules are
More strict than imposed laws
Lower max yields
Higher min must weights
Audited every 5 yrs
Seek to establish provenance of vineyards
VDP vineyard classification system
Gutswein- regional wines like HdNin Burgundy
Ortswein- village wines
Erste Lage - premier cru lower yields hand harvest, min Spatlese must weights
Grosse Lage- grand cru even lower max yields, min aging, dry wines - Grosses Gewachs
Rheingau Charta
Created to promote dry wines from best vineyards in Rheingau
Ries or Spat
Hand harvest
Dry
Min Spatlese must weight
New classification in Germany offers
Geographical hierarchy for Qualitatswein based upon the principle that the smaller the site the higher the quality
Rheinhessen
Warm dry- sheltered by mtns
Fertile valley floors
Liebfraumilch
Bulk
Rheinterrasse - quality
Wonnegau (south) - high quality Riesling and Spat
Pfalz
Between Haardt and Rhine plain
Not on River - follows Haardt - continuation of Vosges - dry
French/german rule -= Pinot grapes
Baden
Rain shadow from Vosges
Warmest, sunniest, driest
Red wines
Steep, south slopes around Kaiserstuhl
Wurttemberg
Light fruity reds
Co-op Moglingen
Mosel
Riesling
Site selection essential- most northern
Steep, south facing over Mosel
Slate soils
Franken
Most continental climate
Muller
Bocksbeutal bottle
Consumed local
Nahe
Protected by hunsruck mtn
White
Warmer - lower acid
Rheingau
High quality/age worthy Riesling
Protected from cold N winds by Taunus
Rhine is wider offering more moderation
Quality- lower yields
West - Spat
“Schloss “
Ahr
Northerly but black grapes
Ahr River cuts sheltered valley w/south facing slopes
Co-ops produce what % in Germany?
30% overall
3/4 in Baden and Wurttemberg
