Germany Flashcards
Where in Germany are most of the vineyards located?
Most of the production of wine is concentrated in the southwest of the country, along the river Rhine and its
tributaries Mosel, Ahr, Nahe
What is unique about the amount of wine that Germany produces?
Germany as a nation consumes more wine than it produces. Germany is
Europe’s largest importer of wine.
What is Germany’s most widely planted varietal?
Riesling
is Germany’s most widely planted vine, accounting for 20 percent of the vineyard area.
Aside from Riesling, what is Germany’s other two most widely planted whites?
The other main grape
varieties for white wines are Müller-Thurgau and Sylvaner, which respectively represent about 20 percent and 7
percent of the country’s total planted acreage
What other white varietals aside from Riesling, Muller-Thurgau and Sylvaner are planted?
Other white varieties include Bacchus, Elbling, Gewürztraminer,
Gutedel (Chasselas), Kerner, Huxelrebe, Rülander (Pinot Gris), Scheurebe, and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc)
What are the main red varietals grown in Germany?
The main red varieties are Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Dornfelder, Blauer Portugieser, Fruhburgunder (a clone of
pinot noir), Lemberger, and Trollinger (Schiava)
What’s the main difference in Germany’s appellation system from Italy and France?
Germany’s approach to defining wine quality is different from other appellation systems such as France’s
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée and Italy’s Denominazione di Origine Controllata. Appellations in other
countries are geographic in nature and have specific regulations controlling each area as to yield. Germany
however chose to base their definition of wine quality on ripeness levels because of the difficulty of ripening
grapes so far north.
How are the higher qualities in German wines determined?
The focus on sugar content embodies the theory that grapes with higher sugar levels are
riper and therefore yield richer wines with intense flavors and opulent bouquets.
What is Germany’s lowest wine Classification?
Deutscher Wein (DW) is the lowest-quality level (rarely seen in the export market) and thankfully only accounts for roughly 3% of a German vintage’s production. As per the EU, it is classified as a Wine Without Geographical Designation.
What is the second to lowest German wine classification?
The next wine category is Landwein, quality wine from a specified region”. It is the PGI of Germany.
What does Qualitätswein mean?
The PDO wines of Germany are labeled as Qualitätswein, or “quality wine with distinction.”
What are the seven subcategories of QbA ranked in ascending order of ripeness?
Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein, and Trockenbeerenauslese. The seventh is Erstes
Gewaches. This is a legally defined term that applies to Riesling and Pinot Noir from classified sites in the
Rheingau
When is Chaptalizaion allowed?
Chaptalization (the addition
of sugar to unfermented grape juice) is allowed for DW and Landwein wines but forbidden for Qualitätswein
wines.
What is sussreserve and when can it be used?
The practice of using sussreserve
(unfermented grape juice) to balance Qualitätswein wines is allowed, but rarely used in the top examples
It’s
one of the major differences between the quality levels of grapes that have ripened and have enough natural
sugar.
The measurement of sugar in a grape, an important indicator as to ripeness, is referred to as?
must weight
How is Must Weight Measured?
It is measured on a hydrometer, a thermometer-like device which has a graduated scale and compares the
specific gravity of the must to the specific gravity of water at 20°C (68°F).
What is the German unit of Sugar?
Oechsle is the German unit of sugar
measure.
What is the formula for converting oechsle to brix?
(2.6 x oechsle/1000 + oechsle) x 100 = Brix is the formula for converting oechsle to brix.
Describe Kabinett’s ripeness scale
Kabinett: Kabinett is the first prädikat in the ripeness scale, made from riper grapes than a LANDWEIN, typically
averaging an alcohol level between 7% and 11%
Describe Spatlese
Spätlese: made from late-harvested grapes that are riper than Kabinett.
Describe Auslese
Auslese: “Selected harvest” wines are made from bunches of grapes left on the vines after the Spätlese
harvest and as such are true late-harvest wines. Some bunches may be botrytis affected. Auslese is the
highest Qualitätswein category of wine that can still be made in a dry or “trocken” style.
Describe Beernauslese
Beernauslese (BA): “Selected berries” wine is very rare wine made only in truly exceptional circumstances
from overripe grapes that usually have been affected by botrytis. Each berry is shriveled and individually
picked on a grape-by-grape basis.
Describe Eiswein
Eiswein: “Ice wine” grapes have reached a sugar level equivalent to BA or higher, but are left on the vine
extremely late into the season and are harvested after freezing on the vine. They are immediately crushed,
removing water excesses that have frozen on the grape, leaving very high sugar levels.
Describe Trockenbeerauslese (TBA)
Trockenbeerauslese (TBA): TBA is produced from heavily botrytised grapes, or “selected dried berries”, left on
the vine to shrivel into raisin-like berries. TBA wines are considered to be among the most decadent dessert
wines in the world.
How does Germany classify the geographical units of growing areas?
from large general regions to specific vineyard sites.
What is The largest of the geographic units in Germany?
Weinbaugebiete – The largest of the geographic units in Germany
Which region has the largest amount of anbaugebiete?
Rhein is by far home to the largest amount
What are the 7 anbaugebietes of the Rhein?
Ahr, Hessiche Bergstasse, Mittelrhein, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Nahe, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Pfalz
– Second largest of the geographic units of Germany, These exist within the
weinbaugebiete and are home to Bereich, Grosslages and Einzellagen.
anbaugebiete
Within the 13 anbaugebiete there are 39 districts- What are they called?
Bereichs
These are communities or villages.
Gemeindens are communities or villages.
How are Gemeindens labeled?
Typically, when a wine is labeled with a village or town,
the label will read with the possessive “er” attachment. So a wine coming from the town of Ockfen would read
as “Ockfener” on the label.
These are large groupings of vineyards or “einzellagen” that could potentially cross over or
straddle more than one gemeiden or even Bereich
Grosslage
How many Grosslagen are there in Germany? How is the quality?
. There are 167 grosslagen in Germany and they are usually
responsible for moderate quality wine at best
What are individual vineyards or sites in Germany called?
Einzellage
How did the 1971 German Wine law effect the vineyards?
The 1971 German Wine Law divided 30,000 vineyards
into 2,600 with minimum of 5 ha in size.
These are German vineyards owned entirely by one owner, also known as a monopole.
Alleinbesitz
With roughly 530 ha planted, This is one of the smallest and northernmost of the thirteen German
anbaugebiete.
Ahr
What are the main red varietals of Ahr?
The main red varieties here are Spätburgunder (62%) and Portugieser
(11%),
What are the main white varietals of the Ahr?
The main white varieties are Riesling (7%) and
Müller-Thurgau, though whites account for only 12% of the region’s production.
What is Ahr’s largest wine estate?
12th century monastery Kloster Marienthal is the Ahr’s largest wine estate.
What is the southernmost of Germany’s wine regions?
Baden