Germany Flashcards
At which parallel the northernmost vineyards Germany sit?
50th Parallel
Many Einzellage followed a nomenclature established by who?
the Church During the Middle Ages
Who founded the famous Kloster Eberbach monastery?
Where is it?
The Cistercians of Burgundy
Rheingau in 1136,
Was the Kloster Eberbach monastery a large vineyard holding?
It was the largest vineyard holdings in Europe by the end of the Middle Ages, with over 700 acres of vines
What is the Steinberg vineyard?
Why is it iconic?
It’s an ortsteil within the commune of Hattenheim.
It was the Kloster Eberbach monks’ centerpiece and remains wholly intact today—an alleinbesitz (monopole) of Kloster Eberbach for over eight centuries.
Who defeated the Church’s influence in Germany?
How?
Napoleon
He established his Civil Code
All of the Church’s vineyard holdings were secularized in 1803 (secularized = separate from the Church)
What did the Napoleonic Code led to?
to fractured ownership and a gradual, significant splintering of vineyards.
How many vineyards site were in Germany by the 1960?
Over 30K in west Germany
What did the fractured vineyards led to?
A much needed reorganisation by the German Wine Law of 1971
From the 30000 einzellagen in the 60s, how many were established by the 1971 law?
2,600 registered vineyards, each with a minimum size of five hectares.
Is there any exception to the minimum size of 5 hectares per vineyard established by the 1971 law?
Only a few.
Doctor vineyard in Bernkastel
the Kirchenstück and Freundstück vineyards in Forst, and the Schloss Vollrads ortsteil vineyard in Rheingau.
What are the current most planted white and red varieties in Germany?
Riesling and Spatburgunder
To when PN and Riesling can be dated back in Germany?
Records dating to 1402 establish the first documentation of rüssling vines, whereas Pinot Noir arrived in Germany by the 14th century, presumably on the backs of monks from Burgundy
Who introduced the model of must weight to qualify for quality?
The model of must weight as a precondition for quality, codified in the 1971 law, finds precedence in wine ordinances dating to the 1830s.
Who ‘discovered’ the Auslese harvest date?
1775, when harvesters at Schloss Johannisberg in the Rheingau found that, despite their appearance, grapes afflicted with edelfäule (noble rot) made pretty good wine. The estate followed with the introduction of the Auslese category in 1787
Who did introduce the first Eiswein as a category? And when?
Schloss Johannisberg in the Rheingau introduced and the first Eiswein in 1858.
What was ‘Hock’ ?
It was the name for the best wines produced along the Rhine. Terms used in the 19th century by the English Market
The flourishing 19th century for wine production in Germany brought also a newly acquired desired of improving Technology and research. What was in fact shortly founded?
The Geisenheim Wine Institute in the Rheingau, founded in 1872
What were the main areas on which The Geisenheim Wine Institute focused on?
As German wine regions are near the limit to viticulture, the reliability of ripening and susceptibility to frost loomed as major concerns. A desire for improvements in yield and disease resistance also drove research.
Name few iconic crossings developed at the Geisenheim institute
Müller-Thurgau, Bacchus, Faber, Scheurebe, Dornfelder
When was Müller-Thurgau created? What’s the crossing?
created at Geisenheim in 1882, Riesling x Madeleine Royale
What was the most planted white grape in Germany in the 1960s?
Müller-Thurgau.
In the 1960s surpassed silvaner
It is now Riesling
What is notable about crossings such as Bacchus and Faber?
They are able to ripen in conditions where Riesling can’t
What’s Schreube crossing of?
Riesling and Bukettrebe
What is Dornfelder a crossing of?
Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe
What is Germany’s second most planted red grape?
Dornfelder
Which main events considerably affected the German wine industry from the end of the 19th century?
phylloxera, mildew problems, a huge depression, and two devastating world wars
What was the focused of the replanting after WWII?
Mass production
What is Liebfraumilch?
A sweet, cheap, characterless beverage.
Predominantly produced by Müller-Thurgau .
It became the face of German wine to the outside world, destroying the reputation of German wine
Where did Liebfraumilch originate?
In the Rheinhessen.
In the 1980s what was the percentage of Liebfraumilch across the export market?
It was the 60% of the export
Which regions are allowed to blend Liebfraumilch?
Rheinhessen, Nahe, Rheingau, and the Pfalz
What are the majority of the plantings in Germany? White or Red?
White occupies nearly 2/3 of the vineyards.
Riesling first, Müller-Thurgau
Silvaner, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Kerner and Bacchus each account for at least 2% of total plantings
Spätburgunder, Dornfelder, Blauer Portugieser, Trollinger, and Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier)
What is Weissherbst?
A saignée rosé wine made from a single variety and of at least QbA quality.
Where is Germany globally ranked in wine production?
8th
What is the Amtliche Prüfungsnummer?
AP Number, a series of five sets of numbers indicating that the wine has been approved by a tasting panel for Prädikatswein
What are the 4 Tiers of German Wines? and their must weight
Deutscher Wein 44-50°
Landwein. 47-55°
Qualitätswein. 51-72°
Prädikatswein 70°+
How was Wein/Deutscher Wein known until 2009?
tafelwein
What’s the quality level of Liebfraumilch?
Qualitätswein
What does the AP Numbers refer to?
the first number refers to the region where the wine was tested, the second set of numbers refers to the commune in which the wine was bottled, the third set of numbers is the bottler’s code, the fourth set of numbers is a unique code for the bottling, and the final two numbers indicate the year in which the application was filed.
Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein must state the Anbaugebiete on the label. True or False?
True
Name the Minimum Öchsle Range of the Prädikat Level?
Kabinett 70-85° Spätlese 76-95° Auslese 83-105° Beerenauslese 110-128° Trockenbeerenauslese 150-154° Eiswein 110-128°
What VDP stands for?
The Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter,
When was the VDP founded? What are the members committed to?
Founded in 1910, it is a national German association of producers committed to top quality.
The organisation originally strove to promote unchaptalized natur wines
What was the Original name of the VDP?
Verband Deutscher Naturweinversteigerer
Why did the VDP had to change his name?
Because in 1971 the Wine Law abolished the use of the term natur and created the category of QbA, for which chaptalization is legal, the organization rewrote its internal constitution to promote superior standards while respecting new labeling laws and changed its name to the VDP
What is Charta?
Why was it iconic at the time?
Founded in In 1984, to advance the classic, dry style of Rheingau Riesling
represented the first major attempt by producers to validate dry wines within a system that only rewards sugar. It did influenced heavily the VDP
What are the 4 tiers of quality of the VDP? When were they introduced?
What are the Max Yields
In 2012. Grosse Lage, (max. 50 hl/ha) Erste Lage, (max. 60 hl/ha) Ortswein, (max. 75 hl/ha) Gutswein (max. 75 hl/ha)
What was the top quality level before 2012?
Erste Lage
Can a Grosse Lage be sweet?
Yes, It can be sweet or dry.
If dry, it will be labeled as GG,
If sweet, it will be labeled by Praedikat
Can many Grosse Lage cuvees be made by the same vineyards?
Producers of sweet wines may make a range of prädikat levels from a Grosse Lage site, but only one dry wine may be produced in each of the top vineyards
What the logo–a “1” followed by a cluster of grapes means?
It used to be the former Erste Lage logo.
It will be applied only to wines of Grosse Lage quality
Which VDP quality tiers is/are entitled to use the Grosses Gewächs category?
Only Grosse Lage.
Producers of Erste Lage dry wines must label their products as trocken instead
Is the Erste Lage in use by all memebers?
individual member organizations in each anbaugebiet may choose whether or not to develop an Erste Lage designation
Is Pfalz using the Erste Age tier?
Yes.
some former top sites, like Paradiesgarten and Kalkofen in Deidesheim, will be recast as Premier Cru
Is the Rheinhessen VDP organisation using the Erste Lage tier?
no
Grosse Lage: what are the harvest requirement ? Yields?
harvest by hand at a maximum yield of 50 hl/ha
What’s the max RS in Grosses Gewächs?
9 g/l of residual sugar
What it’s frequently used in the Rheingau instead of Grosses Gewächs?
Erstes Gewächs, a trademarked term established by Charta.
Can the term Grosses Gewächs appear on labels?
No, it is not legally allowed. Hence GG.
However Erstes Gewächs is and it can be spelled fully
Which grape varieties are allowed to be used for Erste Lage?
It varies according to each anbaugebiet.
However, clear emphasis on Riesling
55% of VDP
What’s the min aging for GG wines?
white wines may not be released before September 1 of the year following the harvest
red wines receive an additional year of aging.
What’s the minimum aging for Erste Lage wines labeled by prädikat?
May 1 of the year following the harvest
Does the einzellage for Erste Lage wines must be on the label?
Yes, it must
Name 4 Iconic VDP producers
Robert Weil, Reichsgraff von Kesselstatt, Dr. Loosen, Egon Müller, Joh. Jos. Prüm, Dönnhoff, Keller, Bürklin-Wolf, Toni Jost
What are some mandatory practices for VDP members?
Estate-bottling is mandatory.
Capsules on all member estates’ bottles must be emblazoned with the VDP logo, a stylized eagle clasping a cluster of grapes.
Is the VDP legally recognised?
No, it is essentially a voluntary classification
Which VDP producer can label his GG as GC?
Bürklin-Wolf
Are VDP producers in the Mosel allowed to make Grosse Lage wines at every pradikat level?
Yes, they are
Are VDP producers in Pfalz allowed to make Grosse Lage wines at every pradikat level?
No, they are not allowed to produce a kabinet Grosse Lage
Who else tried to create a new classification in Germany in recent times?
The state-affiliated German Wine Institute at Mainz created its own simplified hierarchy for drier styles of wine, which debuted with the 2000 vintage
Which two main terms introduced?
What do they mean?
“Classic” wines are considered “harmoniously dry” with a maximum residual sugar content of 15 g/l. (meant to replace halbtrocken)
‘Selection’ wines are “superior dry” with a maximum residual sugar content of 9 g/l (12 g/l allowed for Riesling)
(meant to replace trocken)
What are the characteristics of a wine labelled ‘Classic”?
They are single varietal wines and omit any mention of a vineyard on the label. They show a superior minimum alcohol content of 12% (11.5% in the Mosel)
What are the characteristics of a wine labelled ‘Selection”?
Selection wines are single vineyard wines from a single variety.
Yields are restricted to 60 hl/ha.
Must weight for Selection wines must be equivalent to Auslese, and vineyards are hand-harvested.
The wines may not be released prior to September 1 of the year following harvest
What’s the main difference between VDP and Classic and Selection?
Classic and Selection are legally recognised, unlike the whole VDP
