Germany: Mosel + Ahr + Sachsen + Saale Unstrut Flashcards
German term for estate bottled
Gustabfüllung
Erzeugerabfüllung
German term for noble rot
edelfaule
German term for old vines
alte reben
German term for vineyard
einzellage
In which river’s valley is Sachsen located?
(in former East Germany)
Elbe River.
Anbaugebiet formerly in East Germany?
Sachsen and Saale-Unstrut. Following Germany’s 1990 reunification, the country’s total number of Anbaugebiete increased from 11 to 13 with the addition of these two.
Sachsen main grapes?
Muller Thurgau is most planted, then Riesling and Weissburgunder
Also goldriesling - an aromatic crossing developed in Alsace
What is Germany’s northernmost wine growing region?
Saale-Unstrut, at 51 degrees latitude
Germany easternmost region
Sachsen
Saale-Unstrut grapes?
Müller-Thurgau, Weißburgunder, Riesling, Silvaner
Cold climate, 51st degree latitude!
List the 5 annual German wine auctions
March: Hessische Staatsweingüter, held at Kloster Eberbach in Rheingau. Wines from Rheingau and Hessische-Bergstrasse
September, on a Thursday - Sunday:
Thursday: Bernkasteler Ring in Mosel
Friday: VDP Grosser Ring in Mosel
Saturday: VDP Rheingau holds an auction at Kloster Eberbach.
Sunday: VDP Nahe-Ahr. From 2007, some VDP wineries from Rheinhessen and Pfalz also participate
What is a bereich?
translates to area - larger than a village, smaller than anbaugebiete
List the six bereich of the Mosel
Bernkastel- 3/4 of mosel plantings are here
Burg Cochem (Terrassenmosel)
Obermosel
(along the Mosel)
Saar
Ruwertal
Moseltor
Mittelmosel- soil type? average annual temperature?
lots of dark blue Devonian slate
some red slate near Erden
soils are heat retaining, and well draining.
average annual temperature is 49 F - quite cool! slate soil retains heat, and the river reflects heat back into the vineyards
What is the german word for monopole?
alleinbesitz, translates to “sole ownership”
Saar - important villages?
Saar is an area in Mosel, along Saar river
Wiltingen, Saarburg
Ruwer important villages?
Ruwer is an area in Mosel, along the Ruwer river (more of a stream)
Eitelsbach
Mertesdorf
Trittenheim - where is it? List a vineyard
village in Mosel
Apotheke
Piesport - where is it? List a vineyard
village in Mosel
Goldtröpfchen, Domherr
Brauneberg - where is it? List a vineyard
village in Mosel
Juffer,
Juffer Sonnenuhr*
Bernkastel-Kues- where is it? List a vineyard
village in Mosel
Doctor
Lay
Badstube
Johannisbrünnchen
Graben
(all GL)
Graach an der Mosel - where is it? List a vineyard
village in Mosel
Domprobst, Josephshöfer- monople of Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt
Wehlen - where is it? List a vineyard
village in Mosel
Sonnenuhr
Zeltingen - where is it? List a vineyard
village in Mosel
Sonnenuhr
Ürzig - where is it? List a vineyard
village in Mosel
Würzgarten
Erden - where is it? List a vineyard
village in Mosel
Prälat, Treppchen
red slate!
List 5 producers Mosel
Selbach Oster
AJ Adam
Schloss Lieser
Loewen
Dr Loosen
Karthauserhof
Egon Muller
Willi Schafer
Where does the Mosel start and end?
starts in the Vosges Mountains in France (Moselle AOP)
meets the Rhine river in Koblenz
traditional vine training in the Mosel?
single-post system: growers train vines upright, without wires, employing either a vertical cordon or two canes, wrapped in a characteristic heart-shaped bow. Absent wires, vineyard workers have much more freedom of movement to navigate the difficult terrain. (Pulleys and cables are still required in some places to move machinery.)
downside: In order to improve airflow and reduce botrytis, leaf removal is necessary, but this increases sun exposure, which can lead to TDN-based flavors (petrol) in Riesling.
What is ortsteil
german for ‘district’
On which line of latitude does the Ahr lie? Describe the climate
50th parallel!
Warmer than the Mosel though, it is sheltered from cold winds by the Eifel Mountains. Volcanic slate retains heat.
What is the predominant grape in the Ahr?
Spätburgunder
Frühburgunder
early ripening mutation of Spatburgunder. Pinot Noir Precocé in France
it ripens 2 weeks earlier than almost anything else- so it’s a target for birds and wasps- netting is necessary. it’s thicker skinned than Spatburgunder, with more color and less acidity in the glass
Ahr- Village and vineyard?
Bereich: Walporzheim-Ahrtal
Grosslage: Klosterberg
Ahr - geography and soil
the Ahr is a tiny river, and the vineyards are too far from it to really be affected.
Slopes are steep, slate soil.
Lower Ahr: Basalt derived clay, sand atop slate
Upper Ahr: almost pure slate. no phylloxera, very old vines
50 degrees N!
Ahr Climate
or- how can they ripen Pinot Noir?!
benefits from the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream, and the growing season here is longer than in nearby regions like Mittelrhein or the Mosel.
The whole region is a canyon, protected from wind and rain amidst the low Eifel Mountains. In this rain shadow, sunlight hours are correspondingly higher, and the region experiences fewer bouts of botrytis than the Mosel.
The dark slate soils of Ahr vineyards store heat for chilly evenings, and south-facing aspects are essential. All of the Ahr’s best vineyards and Grosse Lage sites are on steep slopes above the river’s northern banks. Despite the threat of erosion, almost all Ahr vineyard rows run down the slopes (north-south) in order to maximize sun exposure
all this being said- chaptalization is common, and whole cluster is impossible b/c stems are green still at harvest
Ahr grapes allowed for GL?
Pinot Noir, Frühburgunder. Exclusively noble sweet: Riesling
Where is the Mittelrhein?
it follows the course of the Rhine before it reaches Rheingau. Perpendicular to the Mosel. In the center is Koblenz, and where the Mosel meets the Rhine.