Germany Flashcards
What parallel do the northerly winemaking regions of Germany straddle?
The 50th Parallel.
When did the Romans bring winemaking to Germany?
Near the end of the 3rd Century.
What does the Germ word Einzellagen mean?
Vineyard
The famous Kloster Eberbach monastery in the Rheingau was founded in 1136 by which group of monks?
The Cistercians of Burgundy.
The Cistercians of Burgundy amassed the largest vineyard holdings in Europe by the end of the Middle Ages, with how many acres of vineyards in Germany?
Over 700.
The walled Steinberg vineyard, an ortsteil within the commune of Hattenheim, was the monks’ centerpiece and remains wholly intact today—an alleinbesitz of Kloster Eberbach for over eight centuries. What is an Alleinbesitz?
A monopole.
In what year were all of the church’s vineyards in Germany secularized?
1803
What effect did the Napoleonic code have on Germany?
It splintered the vineyards as in Burgundy.
What did the German Wine Law of 1971 do?
30,000 einzellagen were condensed in bureaucratic fashion into 2,600 registered vineyards, each with a minimum size of five hectares
There are only a few exceptions to this mandated minimum 5 hectare size today in Germany. What are they?
The Doctor vineyard in Bernkastel—whose three proprietors successfully petitioned to have the expanded boundaries shrunk to three hectares in 1984
The Kirchenstück and Freundstück vineyards in Forst, and the Schloss Vollrads ortsteil vineyard in Rheingau.
When is the first time Riesling vines are documented in Germany?
1402
When was the Auslese category introduced?
1787
When was the Eiswein category introduced?
1858
The 19th century was a golden age for German vintners, as the best wines produced along the Rhine often sold at prices above even first growth Bordeaux. What were the wines called at English Market?
Hock
In what year was the Geisenheim Wine Institute in the Rheingau founded?
It was founded in 1872.
Müller-Thurgau, created at Geisenheim in 1882, displaces what grape in the late 1960s to become Germany’s most planted grape?
Sylvaner.
What grape is the most commonly planted grape in Germany?
Riesling.
What two grapes is Müller-Thurgau a cross between?
Riesling and Madeleine Royale.
Scheurebe is a cross between what varietals?
Riesling and Bukettrebe.
Ehrenfelser is a cross between what two grapes?
Riesling and Knipperle
Kerner is across between what two grapes?
Riesling and Trollinger
What is Dornfelder a cross between?
Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe
What is second most planted red grape in Germany?
Dornfelder
In the 1980s, over 60% of all German vinous exports had what designation on the label?
Liebfraumilch
Can Liebfraumilch carry a grape name on the label?
No
What percentage of German vineyards are white varietals?
2/3s
Name the top seven white varietals of Germany?
Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Kerner and Bacchus.
Spätburgunder comprises what percentage of German plantings?
10%
Name the top five red varietals in Germany in descending order.
Spätburgunder
Dornfelder
Blauer Portugieser
Trollinger
Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier)
What is Weissherbst?
A saignée rosé wine made from a single variety and of at least Qualitätswein quality.
What percentage must a German wine be to be varietal labeled?
85%
What is an Anbaugebiete?
A German Wine Region.
Name Germany’s 13 major wine regions.
Ahr
Baden
Franconia
Hessische Bergstraße
Mittelrhein
Mosel
Nahe
Pfalz (Palatinate)
Rheingau
Rheinhessen
Saale-Unstrut
Saxony
Württemberg
Name the six prädikats of Germany.
Kabinett
Spätlese
Auslese
Beerenauslese
Trockenbeerenauslese
Eiswein
What determines a wine’s prädikat level?
The prädikat level is determined by the level of sugars in the grape at harvest, measured by degrees according to the Öchsle scale.
What is the Öchsle scale?
a hydrometer scale measuring the density of grape must, which is an indication of grape ripeness and sugar content used in wine-making. It is named for Ferdinand Oechsle (1774–1852) and it is widely used in the German, Swiss and Luxembourgish wine-making industries.
Can grapes harvested at a higher must weight in Germany, be declassified to a lower scale?
Yes. And it is common in warmer vintages.
What prädikat level are Grosses Gewächs wines?
It is not a necessary designation for GG wines, often released as Qualitätswein without prâdikats level.
Name the Prädikat Level and corresponding Minimum Öchsle Range.
Kabinett 70-85°
Spätlese 76-95°
Auslese 83-105°
Beerenauslese 110-128°
Trockenbeerenauslese 150-154°
Eiswein 110-128°
What does VDP stand for?
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter
When was the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter founded?
1910
What organization was formed to advance the classic, dry style of Rheingau Riesling in 1984?
Charta
Prior to the 2012 vintage what term designated the top tier of the VDP quality pyramid?
Erste Lage
What does Erste Lage mean literally and figuratively in the VDP?
First Site is the literal translation it designates Premier Cru in the VDP, from 2012 onward.
Gross Lage means what since 2012 in the VDP?
It is the equivalent of Grand Cru.
How many different prädikat level wines may be produced from a single Grosse Lage site?
As many as they like.
How many dry wines may be produced at a Grosse Lage site?
Only one per vineyard.
The former Erste Lage logo–a “1” followed by a cluster of grapes now means what?
Grosse Lage.
An indication of Grosse Lage or Erste Lage appears where on the bottle?
On the capsule.
The Grosses Gewächs category is reserved for Grosse Lage, so producers of Erste Lage dry wines must label their products as?
Trocken
What is the maximum yield for Grosse Lage sites?
50 hl/ha
What is the maximum residual sugar for Grosses Gewächs?
9 g/l
Grosses Gewächs is barred from appearing on wine labels, how is it indicated?
They put GG on the label.
When may GG whites be released?
September the year after harvest.
When may GG reds be released?
September 1 two years after harvest.
What are the maximum yields for Grosse Lage, Erste Lage, Ortswein, and Gutswein.
50, 60, 75 and 75 hl/ha
What does the German Wine Institute of Mainz term Classic mean?
Classic wines are considered “harmoniously dry” with a maximum residual sugar content of 15 g/l. Wines labeled “Classic” are single varietal wines and omit any mention of a vineyard on the label. They show a superior minimum alcohol content of 12% (11.5% in the Mosel).
What does the German Wine Institute of Mainz term Selection mean?
Selection wines are “superior dry” with a maximum residual sugar content of 9 g/l (12 g/l allowed for Riesling). Selection wines are single vineyard wines from a single variety. Yields are restricted to 60 hl/ha. Must weight for Selection wines must be equivalent to Auslese, and vineyards are hand-harvested. The wines may not be released prior to September 1 of the year following harvest.
What was the Mosel region called before 2007?
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
How do producers in the Mosel indicate reserve bottlings?
With a goldkapsel—a gold-colored capsule. This generally indicates additional sweetness due to a higher must weight, and is most commonly encountered on Auslese bottlings. Even richer bottlings are marked with a Lange Goldkapsel—a longer gold capsule—and this length and color of capsule may be the only clue to a substantial difference in price and character. The Goldkapsel is a device used almost exclusively by Mosel producers, and is a means of subverting the 1971 Wine Law, which ruled that additional qualifications of the prädikat level, such as feine and hochfeine, could not be listed on the bottle
Name the four rivers of The Mosel.
The Mosel
The Saar
The Ruwer
And The Rhine
What is a Bereiche?
An appellation of origin, a district. A broad division of a wine-growing region made up of collective and individual vineyard sites; applicable to quality and Prädikat wines.
Name the six Beriech of Mosel.
Bernkastel
Burg
Cochem
Saar
Ruwertal
Obermosel
Moseltor
What is the largest Bereich in Mosel?
Bernkastel
Vineyards without perfect aspects and a steep slope to maximize warmth simply cannot ripen the noble Riesling, and are usually reduced to the production of what?
Lesser Grosslagen wine.
What is Piesport’s greatest vineyard?
Goldtröpfchen—“droplets of gold”
What vineyard was reputedly the source of a miraculous curative wine in the 14th century in Germany?
The Doctor Vineyard
The Saar bereich covers vineyards surrounding a portion of this River, a tributary of the Mosel south of Trier.
The Saar River
The Mittelmosel is the best part of the Bernkastel Bereich. What type of soil is there?
Dark Blue Devonian slate except near Erden where it is red slate.
How does the blue slate benefit the vineyards of the Mittelmosel?
It retains heat.
In the Saar what are the important Gemeinden and Einzallen?
Wiltingen: Scharzhofberger
Saarburg: Rausch
What are the Important Gemeinden and Einzellagen of Ruwer?
Eitelsbach: Karthäuserhofberg
Mertesdorf: Abtsberg, Herrenberg, Bruderberg
What are the Important Gemeinden and Einzellagen of Mosel?
Trittenheim: Apotheke
Piesport: Goldtröpfchen, Domherr
Brauneberg: Juffer, Juffer Sonnenuhr
Bernkastel-Kues: Doctor, Lay
Graach an der Mosel: Domprobst, Josephshöfer (monopole of Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt)
Wehlen: Sonnenuhr
Zeltingen: Sonnenuhr
Ürzig: Würzgarten
Erden: Prälat, Treppchen
If the Mosel is Germany’s oldest winemaking region, modern viticulture first appeared where?
Rheingau
In Germany what regions vineyards were the first to be demarcated?
the Rheingau
What percentage of Rheingau is planted in Riesling?
80%
What are the contributing factors to the Rheingau being warmer than Rheinhessen to the south?
The Rhine provides warmth to the vineyards. The vineyards predominantly face Southeast.
The vineyard closer to the Rhine have what type of soil?
a mixture of clay, loess, alluvial sand and red slate
Why are the Rieslings of Rheingau more powerful than those of the Mosel?
The varied soils of the Rheingau and the favorable mesoclimate combine to produce a more powerful style of Riesling than the Mosel.
What percentage of Rheingau Rieslings are dry?
Over half.
What color is the traditional bottle of the Rheingau? What about the Mosel?
A traditional flute-shaped brown bottle, the Rheingauer Flöte, is sometimes used to bottle Riesling in the Rheingau, whereas the Mosel uses green glass.
What village is the center for red wine production in the Rheingau?
Assmannhausen.
What vineyard produces the best Pinot Noir in Rheingau?
Höllenberg
August Kessler is among the finest growers.
Schloss Johannisberg successfully harnessing botrytis in the late 18th century led to the development of?
Spätkese and Auslese
What are Rheingau’s Important Gemeinden and Einzellagen?
Assmannshausen: Höllenberg
Rüdesheim: Berg Roseneck, Berg Rottland, Berg Schlossberg
Geisenheim: Schloss Johannisberg
Johannisberg: Hölle
Winkel: Schloss Vollrads, Jesuitengarten, Hasensprung
Hattenheim: Pfaffenberg (monopole of Schloss Schonborn), Mannberg, Steinberg
Hallgarten: Schönhell, Jungfer
Erbach: Marcobrunn
Kiedrich: Gräfenberg
Eltville: Sonnenberg
Hochheim am Main: Hölle, Kirchenstück
What are cities are the Northern and Southern boundaries of Rheinhessen?
Worms in the north and Mainz in the south.
Mainz is the home to what important German Institution?
The German Wine Institute.
the Rheinhessen has more land under vine than any other anbaugebiet. How many hectares are under vine?
26,500 ha
In what Anbaugebiet did Liebfraumilch originate?
Rheinhessen
What is the most prestigious sector of the Rheinterrasse (which is already the better part of the Rheinhessen.)?
The Roter Hang
The Rheinhessen has more acreage devoted to this grape than any other wine region in the world?
Silvaner
What is “Message in a bottle”?
An association of over two dozen young and dynamic winemakers in Rheinhessen committed to raising quality throughout the region.
Keller and Wittman are notable members.
What are the important Gemeinden and Einzellage of Rheinhessen?
Nackenheim: Rothenberg
Nierstein: Hipping, Pettenthal
Oppenheim: Schützenhütte, Sackträger
Westhofen: Morstein, Kirchspiel
Dalsheim: Hubacker
What is the English name for the Pfalz?
The Palatinate.
The Pfalz is a natural continuation of what region bordering it to the south?
Alsace
The Vosges mountain range continues in to Germany becoming what?
The Haardt Hills.
Forst is home to the Pfalz’s warmest and most exceptional vineyard site, called what?
The Grosse Lage Kirchenstück
Describe Pfalz Riesling?
Among Germany’s most full-bodied, the wines are almost invariably dry.
What two foreign varieties are grown in Pfalz?
Sauvignon Blanc and Sangiovese.
What are the important Gemeinden and Einzellagen of Pfalz?
Mittelhaardt-Deutsche Weinstrasse
Kallstadt: Saumagen
Ungstein
Bad Dürkheim
Wachenheim
Forst: Kirchenstück, Freundstück, Pechstein, Ungeheuer, Jesuitengarten
Deidesheim: Langenmorgen, Hohenmorgen, Kieselberg
Ruppertsberg: Reiterpfad, Gaisböhl (Bürklin-Wolf monopole)
Königsbach: Idig
Südliche-Weinstrasse:
Siebeldingen: Im Sonnenschein
Birkweiler: Kastanienbusch
Schweigen: Kammerberg
Where are the Nahe’s best vineyards?
Along the Nahe River, of course!
What are Nahe’s most important Gemeinden and Einzellagen?
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Münster
Norheim
Niederhausen: Hermannshöhle, Hermannsberg
Oberhausen: Brücke
Schlossböckelheim: Kupfergrube, Felsenberg
What is the world’s most northerly wine region dedicated to making red wine?
Ahr
What is the one Bereich and one grosslage of Ahr?
The region has only one bereich, Walporzheim-Ahrtal, and one grosslage, Klosterberg
What town is Franken’s wine center?
Würzburg
What are the important Gemeinden and Einzellagen of Frankenstein?
Würzburg: Stein, Leiste
Escherndorf: Lump
Iphofen: Julius Echter Berg
Bürgstadt: Centgrafenberg
How many hectares are in the entire anbaugebiet if Hessische-Bergstrasse?
Just over 400
What type of grapes are predominantly grown in Baden?
Red
