Germany Flashcards
What are the 13 Anbaugebiete of Germany?
Ahh Mittelrhein Rheingau Saale-Unstrut Sachsen Baden Hessische Berstrasse Mosel Name Rheinhessen Pfalz Franken Wurttemberg
What are the primary white grapes of Germany?
Riesling, Muller-Thurgau, Silvaner (white)
Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir)
What style of wine makes up to 70% of Germany’s wine production?
White.
Where are a majority of Germany’s vineyards planted?
Southwestern corner near Belgium, France, and Switzerland.
49 degreees latitude or above.
What is Germany’s climate?
Cool, continental.
Strong moderation from rivers/mountains.
What is Germany’s topography?
Rolling hills with rivers.
Steep, hillside vineyards on riverbanks.
What kind of soil are Germany’s best vineyards planted in?
Heat retaining slate and basalt.
What are the viticulture practices of Germany?
Steep hillsides, south-facing.
Long, cool growing season.
Grapes struggle to ripen fully.
Most are planted along river valleys of Rhine/Mosel.
What are the main rivers in each of Germany’s regions?
The Rhine River
The Mosel Rivers
How do the Rhine and Mosel Rivers affect climate/viticulture in Germany?
They provide warmth from the reflection of sunlight onto the vines.
How are a majority of Germany’s wined fermented?
Stainless steel or large oak casks.
Chaptalization in Germany.
Controversial and often against the law/not allowed.
In what style are a majority of Germany’s wines fermented?
Dry, off dry, or sweet.
What is Germany’s wine law hierarchy?
Landwein (PGI) - regional wines
Qualitatswein (PDO) - from 13 Anbaugebiete, trocken
Pradikatswein (PD)) - sweetness @ harvest (6 levels)
How many sweetness levels of the Pradikat are there?
6
What is the Pradikat system in Germany?
A sub-set of Qualitatswein ranking wines by their ripeness at harvest.
What are the Pradikat levels of sweetness?
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) Eiswein Beerenauslese (BA) Auslese Spatlese Kabinett
Which three levels of Pradikat can be fermented dry and sweet?
Kabinett, Spatlese, and Auslese.
What is the sweetest level of the Pradikat system?
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA)
What is the VDP?
Verb and Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter
A German association of 200+ top producers committed to quality by emphasizing the trading of dry Riesling from the best terroir.
What is the 2012 VDP classification?
Grosse Lage: “Grand Cru” wines
Erste Lage: “Premier Cru” wines
Ortswein: Village wines
Gutswein: Regional wines
What are GG wines?
Grosses Gewachs.
Dry (trocken) wines from top vineyard sites in VDP.
“Great Growths”
What are the top four regions in Germany?
Mosel, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, and Pfalz.
Where is Germany’s oldest winemaking region and what is it known for?
Mosel.
Pure expressions of Riesling.
Where is Mosel located?
Northern limit @ the 49th parallel along the Mosel River.
What is the climate in Mosel?
Cold, continental.
What is unique about the vineyards of Mosel?
They are among the steepest vineyards in the world, south-facing.
What kind of soil is in Mosel?
Porous, heat-retaining slate.
What is the main grape varietal of Mosel?
Riesling.
What is the viticulture/vilification of Mosel?
Long, growing season to achieve ripeness.
South-facing slopes close to the Mosel.
Grapes are high in acid, low in sugar.
How are wines in Mosel fermented?
Stainless steel.
Residual sugar left to counter acidity.
Alcohol is generally low, around 8% tops.
What are some villages in Mosel?
Urzig
Bernkastel-Kues
Piesport
Brauneberg
Where is the Rheingau located?
South of the Mosel on the Rhine River.
Backdrop of the Taunus Mountains.
What is the climate in Rheingau?
Continental, slightly warmer w/ southerly latitude.
What kind of soil is in Rheingau?
A mixture of slate and others.
What is the topography of Rheingau?
One long south-facing slope on the north bank of the Rhine.
What are the main climate moderators of the Rheingau?
Taunus Mountains provide protection.
Rhine River reflects sunlight and provides warmth.
What are the main grapes of the Rheingau?
Riesling (white)
Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir, red)
What are two Rheingau appellations?
Schloss Johanisberg
Kloster Eberbach
Where is the Rheinhessen located?
Large sprawling area south of the Rheingau.
What is the climate of Rheinhessen?
Continental.
What is the topography of Rheinhessen?
Flat, fertile farmland.
What kind of soil in in Rheinhessen?
Red sandstone mixed with slate.
What are the main grape varietals of the Rheinhessen?
Riesling, Muller-Thurgau, Silvaner
What is considered the best, but not most widely planted grape of the Rheinhessen?
Riesling
Rheinhessen is the largest wine region in Germany. True or False?
True.
Where are the best vineyards in Rheinhessen found?
On a small strip along the steep West Bank of the Rhine.
Quality ranges from Liebfraumilch (Blue Nun) to top vineyards for Riesling.
In what decade/what percentage were all German wine exports of Liebfraumilch wines?
1980’s - 60%
What is Liebfraumilch and what grape is it typically made of?
A sweet, cheap wine that gave German wines a bad reputation in the 1980’s.
Made mostly from Muller-Thurgau.
Where is Pfalz located?
Contiguous with Alsace, separated by the Rhine River.
What is the climate in Pfalz?
Southerly latitude.
Sunny, dry, and one of the warmest areas in Germany.
What kind of soil is in Pfalz?
Limestone.
What are the main climate moderators in Pfalz?
The Rhine River (separates region from Alsace)
The Haardt Mountains (dominant influenced)
What are the Haardt Mountains a northerly extension of?
The Vosges Mountains in Alsace.
What are the main grape varietals in Pfalz?
Riesling
Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc)
Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris)
Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir)
What is a “Grand Cru” in Germany?
Grosse Lage
What is a “Premier Cru” in Germany?
Erste Lage.
Where is the historic Kloster Eberbach monastery located?
Rheingau
Where is Scharzofberg?
Saar
What is the German term for a single vineyard site?
Einzellage
Where is Weingut Donnhoff located?
Nahe
The Roter Hand refers to a classic growing region along the Rhine River in which Anbaugebiete?
Rheinhessen
The _____ and Saar Rivers are important tributaries of Mosel.
Ruwer
