Germany Flashcards
Who brought Vitis Vinifera to Germany?
The Romans
Who introduced winemaking east of the Rhine River in the 8th century?
Emperor Charlemagne
Who founded the Kloster Eberbach monastery in 1136?
Burgundian Cistercian monks
What is an alleinbesitz?
German for monopole
What is an einzellagen?
German for vineyard
What is special about the Steinberg einzellagen?
It has been an alleinbesitz of Kloster Eberbach for over 800 years
When did the church’s influence on German wine end?
When Napoleon defeated Germany and annexed the Rhine into France in the late 18th century
What was the impact of Napoleon on German vineyard ownership?
By the 1960s there were over 30000 vineyard sites throughout West Germany
What happened to German vineyards in 1971?
The 30000 vineyards were reorganised and registered into 2600 einzellagen with a minimum size of 5ha (with a few exceptions)
What were Rhine based wines known as in England?
Hock
What are Germany’s most planted red and white varieties?
Riesling
Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir)
When were Spatlese wines first discovered in Germany?
1775 by Schloos Johannisberg
Following the discovery of Spatlese wines, when were the first Auslese and Eisweins produced?
1787 for Auslese
1858 for Eiswein
How much of Germany’s plantings are made up of white grapes?
2/3
Which 7 white grapes each make up a minimum 2% of vineyard plantings in Germany?
Riesling
Muller-Thurgau
Sylavber
Grauburgunder
Weissburgunder
Kerner
Bacchus
What are the 5 red grapes of Germany?
Spatburgunder
Dornfelder
Blauer Portugieser
Trollinger
Schwarzriesling
Where is the Geisenheim institute located and when was it founded?
Rheingau in the 1872
When was Muller-Thurgau created?
1882
What are the 2 parents of Muller-Thurgau?
Riesling
Madeleine Royale
What are the 2 tiers of wine quality in Germany?
Qualitatswein
Pradikatswein
What is an anbaugebiete?
The equivalent to a province/autonomia
How many anbaugebietes does Germany have?
13
What are the 6 pradikats of Germany quality and their necessary Ochsle Range?
Kabinett = 70-85 degrees
Spatlese = 76-95
Auslese = 83-105
Eiswein = 110-128
Beerenauslese = 110-128
Trockenbeerenauslese = 150-154
What is the Ochsle Scale?
The sugar levels in the grapes at harvest measured by degrees
What are the minimum alcohol levels for the Pradikats?
Minimum 7% for Kabinett, Spatlese, and Auslese
Minimum 5.5% for Eiswein, BA, and TBA
What number must all Pradikatswein wines carry?
An AP number, which a series of 5 sets of numbers
What are many of Germany’s best wines sold under?
Qualitatswein with no Pradikat level
What method is generally used for German Sekt?
Charmant method
How can German Sekt achieve Qualitatswein level quality?
Grapes must come from traditional grapes growing in one of the 13 anbaugebiete
What does the VDP stand for?
Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter
When was the VDP setup?
1910
What is Charta?
An organisation focused on classic, Rheingau Riesling
Roughly how many producers are members of the VDP?
200
Prior to 2012, what was the top quality tier within the VDP quality system?
Erste Lage (first site/premier cru)
When was the VDP’s 4 tier quality system created and which other quality tier system does it replicate?
2012
Burgundy
What are the 4 quality levels within the VDPs quality tier system?
Gutswein = Regional Wines
Ortswein = Village Wines
Erste Lage = Premier Cru
Grosse Lage = Grand Cru
What wines may be labelled as Grosses Gewachs (GG)?
Dry wines from Grosse Lage sites
How must Erste Lage producers label their dry wines?
Trocken, as Grosse Gewachs is reserved for Grosse Lage wines only
Why does GG appear on the labels of Grosses Gewachs wine?
Grosses Gewachs is banned from appearing on labels by German Wine Laws, therefore GG is used
What are the aging requirements for GG white wines?
Cannot be released until September 1st the year following the harvest
Must VDP producers bottle wines at their estate?
Yes, this is mandatory
What is the logo of the VDP?
Eagle clasping a cluster of grapes
Is the VDP enforceable by law?
No, it is not officially recognised by German Wine Law, and is therefore voluntary
Where does the Mosel River originate?
The Vosges in Alsace, France
What are the 2 important tributaries of the Mosel River?
Saar
Ruwer
Where does the Mosel River meet the Rhine River?
Koblenz
What are the famous soils of the Mosel Valley?
Precipitous slate slopes
What is the main grape of the Mosel Valley?
Riesling
How to producers close their reserve selection bottlings in the Mosel Valley?
With a gold capsule, known as goldkapsel
What is the climate of the Mosel Valley?
Cool continental
What are the 6 subregions of the Mosel Valley?
Bernkastel
Burg Cochem
Saar
Ruwertal
Obermosel
Moseltor
What is another name for the Bernkastel subregion?
Mittelmosel
What are the soils of the Mittelmosel?
Dark blue Devonian slate
What is the benefit of slate on vines in the Mosel Valley?
They retain heat reflected off the river and coming directly from the sun and slowly release it during the cool nights, keep the vines warm and helping them ripen
How are the vines of the Mittelmosel harvested?
By hand with the help of cable systems as the slopes are so steep and rocky
What is considered the best vineyard in the Mittelmosel?
Goldtropfchen vineyard within the Piesport village
Where is Burg Cochem?
The lower Mosel Valley
What are significant about the slopes of Burg Cochem?
They are some of the steepest slopes in Europe, with gradients at around 65%
Where is the Saar subregion?
West of the Mittelmosel around the Saar river
What is the greatest vineyard of the Saar Valley?
Scharzhofberger
Where is the Ruwer subregion located?
Northeast of the Saar
Where are the Obermosel and Moseltor subregions located?
South of the Saar along the Luxembourg border
Which 2 producers were first established in the Rheingau?
Kloster Eberbach
Schloss Johannisberg
What is the main grape of the Rheingau?
Riesling
What river does the Rheingau run along the north of?
The Rhine
What are the soils of the Rheingau?
The upper slopes are dominated by slate, the lower slopes are a mixture of clay, loess, alluvial sand and red slate
What’s the difference between Rieslings from the Mosel and Rheingau?
Rheingau Riesling is fuller bodied with a higher concentration
Which Rheingau village is dominated by red grapes?
Assmannshausen
Where is the Rheinhessen located?
Directly south of the Rheingau bordering the Rhine which runs to the north and east
What is the best quality producing village in the Rheinhessen?
Rhienterrasse
What are the soils of the best Rheinhessen sites?
Red clay and slate
What are the 3 most planted grapes of the Rheinhessen?
Riesling
Muller-Thurgau
Sylvaner
Where is Pfalz located?
East of the Mosel Valley, seen as a continuation of the Vosges
What is the name of the hills which are a continuation of the Vosges into Pfalz?
Haardt Hills
What is the climate of Pfalz?
Sunny and dry, and warm compared to the Mosel
What are the soils of Pfalz?
Complex. Layers of red sandstone and limestone with other rock
What is the main grape of Pfalz?
Riesling
Where is the Nahe located?
West of the Rheinhessen
Which river is the Nahe river a tributary to?
The Rhine River
What is the premium grapes of Nahe?
Riesling
Which producer is famous for their rich, sweet pradikat wines from the Nahe?
Donnhoff
Where is the Ahr located?
Northwest of the Mosel
What is special about the Ahr?
It is the worlds most northerly win region dedicated to red wine
What is the dominant grape of the Ahr?
Spatburgunder
Which mountain shelters the Ahr?
Eifel mountains
What are the soils of the Ahr?
Volcanic slate
Where is Franken located?
East of the Rheinhessen
What river does Franken lie on?
River Main
What is the best performing grape of Franken?
Sylvaner
Where is the Mittelrhein located?
Northeast of Rheinhessen along the Rhine River
Where are Baden and Wurttemberg located?
Southern Germany
Baden lies against the French border with Wurttemberg east to the east
What is the climate of Baden?
Warmest of Germany’s regions
What is the dominant grape of Baden and Wurttemberg?
Spatburgunder
Where are Sachsen and Saale-Unstrut located?
East Germany (formerly under Soviet control)
What river does the Sachsen region lie on?
Elbe River
What are the dominant grape varieties of East Germany?
Muller-Thurgau and Weissburgunder
What is Germany’s northernmost wine growing region?
Saale-Unstrut
