Germany Flashcards
What are the major wine regions in Germany?
What is the climate in Germany?
Cool and continental with strong moderating influences from rivers and mountain ranges.
What is the topography like in Germany?
Rolling hills with rivers and steep hillside vineyards on river banks.
What are the soils in Germany?
Varies depending on the region, but the best vineyards are planted on heat-retaining soils and rocks such as slate and basalt.
What are the Germany grape varieties?
- Riesling
- Müller-Thurgau
- Silvaner
- Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir)
What is the primary grape variety in Germany?
Riesling
What are the primary aspects of viticulture in Germany?
- Steep, south-facing hillsides
- Long, cool growing season making it difficult to ripen grapes
- Planted along river valleys of Rhine, Mosel, and their tributaries
What are the primary aspects of vinification in Germany?
- The vast majority of wines are fermented in stainless-steel or large oak casks.
- Chaptalization (sugar addition) of wine is controversial and against the law for most quality levels.
- Wines can be fermented dry (trocken), off-dry, or lusciously sweet
What should you look for on a German wine label? (8)
- Producer 2. Vintage 3. Alcohol Level 4. Wine Region (Anbaugebiet) 5. Village Name (Gemeinde) 6. Vineyard Name (Einzellage) 7. Grape Variety 8. Ripeness at Harvest Level (Pradikat)
Germany contains three extremes that lead to the production of the world’s purest expression of Riesling. What are they?
- World’s coolest vineyards 2. Northernmost extreme latitude (49th degree) 3. Best vineyards among world’s steepest grade
Is chaptalization allowed in Germany?
- It is controversial and against the law for most quality levels
What levels of sweetness are wines fermented in Germany?
- Trocken (dry)
- Off-dry
- Lusciously sweet
Define Landwein (PGI)?
Regional wines; rarely exported
Define Qualitatswein (PDO)?
- Quality wine from 1 of 13 major regions (called Anbaugebiete)
- Includes top trocken wines
Define Prädikatswein (PDO)?
A subset of Qualitätswein categorized by ripeness at harvest. There are six prädikate levels of quality.
What does the German acronym VDP stand for?
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter
The VDP is a German association of more than 200 top producers. Founded in 1910, this association is committed to quality by emphasizing the tradition of making dry riesling from the best terroir and vineyard sites. The quality levels the VDP has set forth are a more restrictive classification of vineyards, or einzellagen, designed to emulate the grand cru model of Burgundy.
What does the German acronym GG stand for?
Grosses Gewachs
These are dry, or trocken, wines from the top vineyard sites in the VDP Classification.
Where is Mosel located?
Northern Limit of viticulture (49 parallel); some of most northernly vineyards in the world.
__________ is Germany’s oldest winemaking region and one of the greatest locations for the pure expression of Riesling.
Mosel
What is the Mosel climate?
Cold continental; moderated by the Mosel River.
What is the Mosel topography?
Steep vineyards (among steepest in world) and South-facing to capture sun’s warmth.
What is the Mosel soil type?
Heat-retaining slate
What are the Mosel grape varieties?
- Riesling
What is the Mosel viticulture aspects?
- Long growing season to achieve ripeness
- South-facing slopes very close to Mosel River
- Ripening a challenge
- High in acidity
- Low in sugar
What is the Mosel vinification aspects?
- Stainless steel fermentation
- Residual sugar left in wine to counter acidity
- Alcohol in finished wine generally low topping out at 8%
Where is Rheingau located?
South of the Mosel on the Rhine River with a backdrop of the Taunus Mountains.
What is the Rheingau climate?
- Continental, slightly warmer than Mosel (more southerly latitude).
What is the Rheingau soil type?
Mixture of slate and others
What is the Rheingau topography?
The Rheingau boasts one long south-facing slope on the north bank of the Rhein.
What is the Rheingau grape varieties?
- Riesling
- Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir)
Where is Rheinhessen located?
Large, sprawling wine area just south of the Rheingau.
What is the Rheinhessen climate?
Continental
What is the Rheinhessen soil type?
Red sandstone mixed with slate
What is the Rheinhessen topography?
Flat, fertile farmland
What are the Rheinhessen grape varieties?
- Riesling (best but not most planted in Rheinhessen)
- Muller-Thurgau
- Silvaner
What is Liebfraumilch?
Cheap, sweet wine mainly made from Muller-Thurgau.
Where is Pfalz located?
Geographically contiguous with Alsace
What is the Pfalz climate?
A relatively southerly latitude with sunny and dry climate, making this one of the warmest growing areas in Germany.
What is the Pfalz soils types?
- Limestone
What are the Pfalz grape varieties?
- Riesling
- Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc)
- Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris)
- Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir)
What river separates Alsace from Pfalz?
Rhine River
What type of grape variety is Grauburgunder?
Pinot Gris
What are Grosses Gewächs?
Dry or trocken wines from the top vineyard sits in VDP classification.
What does the word “einzellage” mean in English?
Vineyard
