Germany Flashcards
What is Germany’s climate?
Most northenmost premium vineyards in the world, grapes grow in a cool to cold climate.
What are the top whites in Germany?
Riesling
Gewurtztraminer
Muller-Thurgau
What is the top red in Germany?
Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir)
What are the top regions in Germany?
Mosel
Pfalz
Rheinhessen
Rheingau
What are the wine laws of Germany built around?
Sugar content
Therefore winemakers are most concerned about ripeness of grapes
What styles of wine does Germany most commonly produce?
All types of sweet to dry whites (Riesling)
Considerable amount of red
Where are the main wine regions of Germany located?
Near the Rhine river in the warmer southwestern part of Germany
What is the story behind the beginning of the sweet styles of German wine?
- Year was 1775
- Courier was carrying a royal decree
- Headed to top wine region Rheingau
- The courier was delayed 2 weeks
- Grapes infected with botrytis
- Grapes harvested b/c of royal decree
- Result was rich sweetness and high quality
What is the sparkling wine from Germany called?
Sekt
Why do Germans plant their vineyards on such steep slopes?
To maximize their exposure to the sun
Steepest on Mosel River planted at a 76 degree grade
What are German winemaking laws based on?
Ripeness
How are most German wines labeled & why?
Grape Variety
Long history of developing and breeding different grapes
Qualitatswein mit Pradikat
Qualitatswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete
Landwein
Tafelwein
The four major German wine quality classifications
Amtliche Prufungsnummer or A.P.Nr
Wines strictly regulated
Individual wines are judged based on their unique characteristics
Wines that pass at least minimum quality control standards are awarded an official test number called A.P.Nr
(helpful because they are specific to each wine)
What is used to measure the density of a wine?
Oechsle
Why is an Oechsle used?
To measure the sugar content of the grape juice or must by using density
- estimates potential alcohol
- used to classify wines
What are the four categories in ascending order that wine is divided into?
Tafelwein
Landwein
QbA
QmP
Chaptalization
The process of adding sugar to wine
Is done in all the categories except QmP
Legally, a wine must be fermented until dry and then sugar is added
Chaptalization will raise the sugar content
Sussreserve
Sweet, unfermented grape juice
Qualitatswein
A “quality wine” made from riper grapes that range from just unripe to overripe
95% of the country’s production
What are the requirements of QbA?
"quality wine from a recognized region" approved grapes grown in the thirteen official winemaking regions region listed on label often sweetened with sussreserve solid wines/reasonable pricing
What are the requirements of QmP?
“quality wine with special attributes”
- best wines in Germany
- approved grapes
- naturally ripened
- six different style designations (listed on label)
What are the six styles of QmP wines?
Kabinett Spatlese Auslese Beerenauslese (BA) Eiswein Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA)
Rotwein
Red Wine
Weisswein
White Wine
Weissherbst
Rose wine
Trocken
Dry or containing very little residual sugar
Halbtrocken
Off dry, containing some residual sugar
Classic
Must come from 1 of the 13 recognized regions
Drier style, slight amount of sweetness,
produced from ripe grapes,
12% alcohol min.
Selection
Drier style
Ripe grapes
Recognized Region
Recognized INDIVIDUAL VINEYARD SITE
Weingut/Gutsabfullung/Erzeugerabfullung
“estate bottled”
vdp
private association
top-quality winemakers
distinctive capsule
Describe the term Kabinett
Wines made from grapes that just qualify for minimum QmP generally considered a normal harvest in Germany
- lightest QmP style in body and alcohol
- bottled 7-10% abv
- high in acidity
- off dry/semisweet
Spatlese
‘Late Harvest’
Harvested a couple weeks after Kabinett grapes
More body and alcohol
Ranges from dry to sweet
Auslese
‘Select Harvest’
Harvesting only very ripe bunches of grapes by hand
Only in warmer years
Typically used for semisweet or dessert wines
Beerenauslese (BA)
‘Berries Select Harvest’
sweetest, syrupy, richest, rarest wines in Germany
overripe auslese wines (naturally infected with botrytis)
Botrytis AKA edelfaule
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA)
highest sugar concentration once or twice a decade Trocken = dry "Dry berries select harvest" Dry means the berry is dry because it's a raisin!
Eiswein
Partially frozen grapes
Harvested at 12 - 17 degrees fahrenheit
contain ice crystals
(if they froze solid, skins would split open, juice degraded)
grapes pressed outside, ice crystals removed, further concentrating juice
Erste Lage
- VDP estate
- hand harvested grapes
- min. ripeness levels
- strict limits on yield
-called erstes Gewachs in Rheingau
Grosses Gewachs
Similar to Eerste Lage
the estate must be dedicated to dry wines
What are other notable grapes in Germany besides Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Muller Thurgau, and Spatburgunder?
Silvaner
Scheurebe
Dornfelder
Describe Riesling from Germany
- Can produce racy, dry wines to the sweetest dessert wines in the world.
- Ripens slowly
- Cold Heartiness
- Elegant
- Balanced
- Top Quality
Describe Gewurtztraminer from Germany
- Distinctly flavored
- Lychee, Rose, Perfume, Spice
- Dry and Sweet styles (rarely dessert)
Muller-Thurgau
- Ripens Quickly
- High Yield
- 20% of Vineyards
- A Riesling Cross
- Lacking in Acidity and Character
- Usually used in lower quality/sweetened blends
Spatburgunder
- Pinot Noir
- “late Burgundy” (translated)
- Produces top German red wines
- Lean & Acidic (due to climate)
- Tart, red, fruit flavors
- Grown in the warmest, southern region
Silvaner
- Fast Ripening
- Neutral White
- Dry/Semisweet
Scheurebe
-Genetic Cross - Silvaner X Riesling
Dornfelder
- 2nd most widely planted red grape
- Ripens Quickly
- Deep colored red wines
- Fuller bodied/More tannins than other German reds
What is most of Germany’s soil type? How does it affect the wines?
Rocky Soil
Slate
Gives wines a strong mineral or flinty characteristic
Absorbs energy from the sun and rereleases it in the form of heat to the vines
This is why German grape growers plant grapes on steep, south facing slopes
Anbaugebiete
Large Winemaking District (13)
Bereiche
“Sub-Region”
Specific winemaking area within an anbaugebiet (39)
Grosslagen
“Large Site”
Collection of adjoining vineyards within a bereich (160+)
Einzellagen
Individual vineyard site within a grosslage (2,600+)
Mosel
- Vineyards planted on steep slopes of the Mosel River
- Westernmost wine region in Germany
- Riesling
- Ripeness is at a premium
- Wines low in alcohol
- High acidity
- Soft Sweetness
Pfalz
Warmest Anbaugebiet of Germany Not far from Alsace Warmer conditions (lemons/figs also produced) Highest yields Rich, fruity reds
Rheinhessen
Second leading wine produces
List the types of the region groups in Germany.
Anbaugebiete (13 large districts)
Bereiche (subregion)
Grosslage (large site)
Einzellagen (individual sites)
