Germany Flashcards
How were German wines traditionally fermented and matured?
Large old oak casks e.g
1,000L Fuder in Mosel
1,200L Stück along Rhine
German oak from Pfalz for large vessels. French for smaller barriques
Which country is the world’s largest producer of Riesling?
Germany
What proportion of Germany’s vineyards cultivate Riesling?
23%
What is Liebfraumilch?
inexpensive wines, medium sweetness,
grapes that ripen easily with high yields such as Müller-Thurgau and Kerner,
e.g Blue Nun and Black Tower
Which German wine institutes made the German wine industry one of the most technologically advanced?
Hochschule Geisenheim University in Rheingau
Julius Kühn-Institut in Pfalz
What was the vineyard restructuring, including the consolidation of small vineyards and building of access roads called in Germany?
Flurbereinigung - increases efficiency and mechanisation
What is the latitude of Germany’s vineyards?
49-50º (except Baden) - most northern
What is the climate in Germany?
cool continental
What and where are the steepest slopes in Germany?
Mosel, 70%
What role does the river Rhine and its tributaries have on viticulture?
Radiate heat, moderate temperature, extend growing season
Describe the yearly weather cycle in Germany
winter: very cold (eiswein)
spring: frosts major risk, mitigated by the river and planting on slopes
summer: warm but wet 500-800mm (risk fungal disease, grape dilution, hail)
autumn: long and dry (allows long ripening and morning mist for development botrytis)
Where is slate found in Germany?
Mosel and Ahr (coolest regions, dark coloured slate retains heat during the day and radiates at night time)
What soil does Grauburgunder prefer?
Heavy, more clayey soils
Where are the calcareous soils in Germany and what is planted on them?
Baden, Pfalz, Rheinhessen - Spätburgunder, Weissburgunder and Chardonnay
Franken - Silvaner
What is the area under vine in Germany and why is it special?
100,000 ha, 6th largest in Europe, only traditional European wine-producing country where it is increasing
What is the average wine production in Germany?
9 million hL
What is the average yield in Rheinhessen and Pfalz?
100 hL/ha
What are the maximum yields for Deutscher Wein, Landwein and Qualitätswein?
150 hL/ha for Deutscher Wein and Landwein
105 hL/ha for Qualitätswein
What vineyard management techniques reduce vintage variation by improving fruit ripeness in Germany?
better clonal selection (esp black varieties), summer pruning, green harvesting, selective hand harvesting
How are vines trained in Germany?
single and double replacement-cane pruning with VSP trellising and Pendelbogen (replacement-cane pruning with canes arched in trellis improving sap flow in vine and number viable buds)
Why is Germany not suited to organic and biodynamic viticulture?
Because of risk from disease have to spray crops regularly, in Mosel often only possible with helicopter.
Including and above what wine level in Germany must hand harvesting take place?
Beerenauslese
How much of Germany’s vineyards are certified Organic?
8%
What was the percentage of white grapes planted in Germany in 1980 and 2017?
1980: 80%
2017: 61%
What are the German crosses?
Müller-Thurgau,
Scheurebe,
Kerner,
Dornfelder (black)
What are the most grown varieties in Germany?
Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Spätburgunder (black), Dornfelder (black), Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Chardonnay
How much enrichment is allowed in Germany?
EU zone A allows 3%
EU zone B (Baden) allows 2%
not permitted for Prädikatswein
common in bulk wines, becoming rare outside
What is Süssreserve?
unfermented / partially-fermented grape must,
must be produced from grapes in the same region,
same quality as wine,
common to use proportion of must pre-fermentation,
clarify, chill, protect SO2
When and how was Süssreserve used?
In 1960s and 1970s, all but finest quality wines were fermented dry and then sweetened using Süssreserve prior to bottling. Although gives less balanced wines
How are German grapes classified?
according to their must weight
When were Germany’s current wine laws created?
1971
What are the four quality levels for German wine in order of increasing must weight?
Deutscher Wein (Tafelwein),
Landwein,
Qualitätswein,
Prädikatswein
What is Deutscher Wein?
German grapes only
8.5-15% alcohol,
inexpensive wines made to be drunk early
What is Tafelwein?
Introduced 1982, German equivalent PGI.
85% grapes must be from Landwein region on label
8.5-15% alcohol,
most regions, only allowed Trocken and Halb-Trocken
How much of Germany’s wine production is Deutscher Wein and Tafelwein?
2% (2017)
What are the rules for Qualitätswein?
PDO
Grapes must come from one of 13 designated quality regions (Anbaugebiete) which must appear on label
7-unlimited % alcohol
Which quality level and above is blind tasted and laboratory analysed in Germany?
Qualitätswein.
Given Amtliche Prüfungsnummer (AP)
What are the rules for Prädikatswein?
Grapes must come from a Bereich (one of 40 recognised wine-producing regions, smaller than Anbaugebiete) which doesn’t need to appear on label, but Anbaugebiete must
Any grape, no enrichment
How much Prädikatswein is made compared to Qualitätswein?
on average 1/2, good years can be equal
What are the six quality levels of Prädikatswein?
Kabinett Spätlese Auslese Beerenauslese Eiswein Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA)
Describe Kabinett wines
lowest must weight,
lightest body, highest acid,
dry to medium-sweet
green and citrus fruit
Describe Spätlese wines
produced from fully-ripened grapes, harvested two weeks after Kabinett
greater concentration riper fruit flavours e.g stone fruits for Riesling
fuller body as higher alcohol (min 7%)
dry to medium-sweet
Describe Auslese wines
specially selected, extra-ripe bunches (can be machine harvested initially)
often have honey characteristics, some grapes may have botrytis for extra complexity
potential bottle-ageing, last category including dry wines
Describe Beerenauslese (BA) wines
hand harvested, individually selected berries
minimum alcohol 5.5%
need not have botrytis, but is feature of this wine
ripe and dried stone fruit
need suitable conditions for noble rot (brief periods humidity followed by dry weather)
low yields, labour intensive, rare
Describe Eiswein wines
since 1982 same min must weight as BA must be picked when frozen below -7º pressed whilst still frozen need healthy grapes Riesling Eiswein peach and grapefruit
Describe Trockenbeerenauslese wines
extremely high min must weight from botrytis
highly concentrated, extremely sweet wines, can age due to acidity
What is the German for 1) wine-producing district, 2) individual and 3) collection of vineyards?
Bereich (40)
Einzellagen (2658)
Grosslagen (167)
When and how can Grosslagen and Einzellagen be used on labels?
Only Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein, usually preceded by name of village where vineyard(s) are located e.g Piesporter Goldtröfpchen except when well known e.g Schloss Vollrads
What is the legally defined term Liebfraumilch?
Medium white wine, Qualitätswein, at least 18g/L residual sugar,
minimum 70% Riesling, Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau (dominates blend) and Kerner
From either Pfalz, Rheinhessen, Rheingau or Nahe
What is the VDP?
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP)
200 members
stricter regulations, audited every five years