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
Where is Baden Located?
400km from north to south between the hills
of the Black Forest and the Rhine River.
What is rose called in Baden?
Weissherbst (rosé),
what percentage of Germany’s Spatburgunder is planted in the Nahe?
70 percent of Germany’s Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) vines are planted here. Within Baden,
What is the most widely planted white variety of Nahe?
Müller-Thurgau (21%) is the most widely planted white variety
Where is Franken located?
Franken is located east of the Rhine, in Bavaria, with most of its vineyards planted on the hilly slopes lining the
Main River and its tributaries.
What kind of wines are made in Franconia?
Fuller-bodied, less aromatic, often drier, firmer and earthier, Franconian wines
are generally the most masculine of Germany’s wines
What is the climate of Franconia?
Part of Franken wines singular personality is due its
continental climate: cold winters, high annual rainfall, early frosts – long, warm autumns are rare.
What are the main white Varietals of Franconia?
Due to climate, Riesling plays only a minor role. Muller-Thurgau (also called Rivaner), Silvaner and new
crossings such as Bacchus and Kerner, are the most important white varieties.
The tiny region takes its name from an old Roman trade route known as the
strada montagna, or mountain road.
Hessische Bergstrasse
What re the main white grapes of anbaugibiete Hessische Bergstrasse?
White wine accounts for 84% of the region’s
production, led by Riesling (51%) and Muller-Thurgau (9%) as well as Silvaner and Grauburgunder.
With about 500 ha of vineyards planted, this is one of the smallest of the thirteen German
anbaugebiete and is shrinking in vineyard coverage due to urban sprawl and lack of demand.
What is the main grape?
Mittlerhein
Riesling grape
What are the two small tributaries of the Mosel?
the Saar and the Ruwer,
this Anbaugebiete is the best known
of the thirteen German regions,
Mosel
What ar the white grapes and percentages planted of the Mosel?
Riesling grapes cover 57% of the planted acreage, followed by Müller-Thurgau (16%) and Elbling (7%)
This is an ancient variety cultivated by the Romans and because of its pronounced acidity, it is often used
as the base wine for Sekt.
Elbling
What are just of few of the more famous villages in the Mosel.
Brauneberg, Graach,
Piesport and Wehlen
This Anbaugibiete is well-known to connoisseurs
as a producer of high-quality Riesling wines and its extraordinary range of soil types is second to none
Nahe
What are the top planted grapes of the Nahe?
Riesling accounts for roughly 25% of the areas vineyards. Müller-Thurgau
(16%) is the second most widely planted grape, followed by and Dornfelder and Sylvaner
What are some famous villages of Nahe?
,
Schloss Bockelheim and Bingen are a few of the more famous villages in Nahe.
Where is the Pfalz located?
Bordered by Rheinhesen on the north and France on the south and west, the Pfalz’s vineyards sweep across
this remarkably pretty, peaceful land for nearly 80 uninterrupted kilometers.
It is Germany’s second largest
wine region in acreage (23,400 ha), but often has the largest crop of the 13 anbaugebiete, averaging nearly
28 million cases of wine a year, roughly 25% of Germany’s total production.
Pfalz
What are the main grapes of the Pfalz Anbaugibiete?
Riesling (20%) is the most widely planted variety
followed by Dornfelder (13%), Muller-Thurgau (12%) Kerner, Silvaner and Scheurebe grapes
For reds: Portugieser
What are some famous villages of the Pfalz?
Ungstein, Deidesheim and
Wachenheim are a few of the more famous villages of Pfalz.
It is Germany’s second largest
wine region in acreage (23,400 ha), but often has the largest crop of the 13 anbaugebiete,
The Pfalz
Which anbaugebiete has the second most planted riesling (behind Mosel)?
The Pfalz is second only to the
Mosel in acreage planted with the noble Riesling grape.
What white grapes are grown in the Pfalz?
Müller-Thurgau, Kerner, Silvaner and Scheurebe grapes,
What red grapes are grown in the Pfalz?
Portugieser grape.
are many new plantings of Dornfelder, which produces a deep-colored wine that can be quite complex,
What are three famous villages of the Pfalz?
Ungstein, Deidesheim and
Wachenheim are a few of the more famous villages of Pfalz.
What are the two main grapes of Rheingau?
Almost 80% of the vineyards are
planted with Riesling, with Spatburgunder at about 13%.
The same
Cistercians that found Clos Vougeot planted their Pinot clones here, and the region has a red wine history
since the 1700’s
Rheingau
What is The Rheingau’s only bereich?
The Rheingau’s only bereich is Johannisberg which covers the entire region
What are some of the more famous villages of the Rheingau?
Erbach, Geisenheim,
Hatteneheim and Hochheim are some of the more famous villages of Rheinau.
With nearly 26,171 ha of vineyards, this is the largest of Germany’s thirteen anbaugebiete
Rheinhessen
In fact, many of Germany’s aromatic, early-ripening new crossings were bred Where?
The Rheinhessen
What grapes are planted in the Rheinhessen?
Müller-Thurgau, which accounts for about 18% of Rheinhessen’s total planted acreage is the most widely
planted variety. It’s followed by Dornfelder (13%), Silvaner (10%) and Riesling (10%), as well as myriad others
like Bacchus, Scheurebe, Faberebe (Faber), Huxelrebe, and Kerner.
Who bred the various vine crossings to create new grapes in the Rheinhessen?
Professor Georg Scheu, after whom the Scheurebe grape is named (pronounced “shoy”).
The region boasts the world’s largest acreage planted with the ancient variety Silvaner and is the birthplace
of Liebfraumilch
Rheinhessen
Where is Liebfraumilch from?
the soft, mellow white wine originally made from grapes grown in vineyards surrounding the
Liebfrauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady, in Worms in Rheinhessen
What are some important villages of Rheinhessen?
Nachenheim, Nierstein and Oppenheim
With 652 ha of vineyards, this is one of the smallest of
Germany’s thirteen anbaugebiete
Saale-Unstrut
What are Saale-Unstrut main varietals?
The main variety planted in
this region is Müller-Thurgau, with 22 percent of the total acreage, followed by Weissburgunder (12%) and
Sylvaner (9%).
This is Germany’s easternmost and smallest wine-growing anbaugebiete (446 ha) the wines are marketed as
varietals and nearly always vinified dry
Sachsen
What are the primary grapes of Sachsen?
The primary variety planted in this region is Müller-
Thurgau, which has 21 percent of the total acreage. Riesling (16%) and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc at 13%)
follow, with red wines accounting for 15% of the regions vines. Sachsen’s wines are rarities, available in limited
quantities, and nearly all consumed locally.
This is a relatively large growing region (11,460 ha) located in the south of Germany
Württemberg
This is Germany’s premier red wine region
Württemberg
What are Württemberg’s main grapes?
The main
variety is Trollinger (22%), seldom found outside of this region, followed by Schwarzriesling, also known as
Müllerrebe or Pinot Meunier, and Lemberger. An additional 919 ha are planted with Spätburgunder,
Dornfelder and Portugieser
What is the German word for “dry”?
Trocken
What terms are used to describe wines that are, as translated, “half dry.”
Halbtrocken and feinherb
A squat, flagon-shaped green or amber bottle used for quality wine (Landwein or Qualitätswein) from
Germany’s Franken region.
Bocksbeutel
Bock is the German word for “goat,” and it’s said that the bottle is patterned after
the scrotum of that animal.
This term means Grown produced and bottled by the same person on an estate
Gutsabfullung
Germany’s most exported wine which is sweet and inexpensive. This wine’s origins go back to the sixteenth
or seventeenth century
Liebfraumilch;
This German term, which means “Rhine terrace,” refers to a strip of vineyards situated along the Rhine River
from the village of Bodenheim south to the village of Mettenheim
Rheinterrasse
A German term for sparkling wine that is produced in the Charmat method from imported grapes grown
outside of German (usually of average quality) but made sparkling in Germany
Sekt
This is a high
quality sparkling wine made from German grapes (usually Riesling or Pinot Noir) and produced using the
traditional method. If a wine is from one of Germany’s thirteen anbaugebiete
Deutscher Sekt
A German term referring to an area that’s part of a larger community (as a suburb is of a city), yet is
independent of that larger community
Ortsteil
Germany has several private associations of winegrowers who have banded together to share knowledge,
ideas, support, and to promote their wines in the country and in the international market. This is The most famous
of these associations
VDP: Die Pradikatsweinguter, Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter (Association of German Quality Wine-
Producers)
How are the VDP wines marked?
with its logo of a black eagle. Today all 13 of Germany’s wine regions have
its own local VDP chapter. By all critical assents, the vast majority of Germany’s greatest wine estates
Why was the vdp created?
One of the major efforts of the VDP over the last few decades has been attempts to reverse the effects of
the 1971 German Wine Law, which took as its main quality criteria grape ripeness and did not include any
provision for recognizing the country’s most famous vineyards or took any steps to control yields as a major
factor in attaining quality.
What are the VDP classifications?
VDP Classification: Grosse Lage (Grand Cru) Erste Lage (Premiere Cru) Ortswein (Village level ) Gutswein (Regional level wines.)
Grand Cru equivalent wine, these are the best vineyards of Germany.
Grosse Lage (“great location”)
These are dry wines from a Grosse Lage
Grosses Gewachs (GG)
Premier cru equivlient wine, this designation is for first class vineyards with distinctive characteristics.
Erste Lage (“first location”)
Village level equivalent wines, this designation is for wines that originate froma village’s good, traditional
vineyards that are planted with grape varieties typical of the their region
Ortsweine (“local wines”)
Regional level equivalent wines, this designation is for wines that originate from an estate’s holdings within
a region.
Gutsweine (“estate wines”)
