Germany History and Law Flashcards
At which parallel the northernmost vineyards Germany sit?
50th Parallel
Many Einzellage followed a nomenclature established by who?
By 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 fractured vineyards led to?
A much needed reorganization by the German Wine Law of 1971 (due to the 30000 sites in 1960)
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?
- Doctor vineyard in Bernkastel
- Kirchenstück and Freundstück vineyards in Forst
- 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?
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.