Germany: Rheingau + Nahe + Rheinhessen Flashcards
On what lattitude is the Rheingau?
50th parallel runs directly through the region
bereich of Rheingau?
only one- Johannisberg
grapes allowed for VDP GL in Rheingau?
Riesling
Pinot Noir
Schloss
german for castle
Kloster
german for abbey
What is the orientation of the vineyards in the Rheingau?
Most vineyards are on northern bank of Rhine river, facing south, the river warms the slope.
Rheingau soil types?
slate, quartzite, sandstone
Northern / upper slope: rockier, more slate, more eroded
lower vineyards closer to river: mixture of clay, alluvial sand, red slate, loess
Rheingau traditional bottle?
brown glass Rheingauer Flöte. Mosel is green glass
Where in the Rheingau is known for Spatburgunder? Vineyard? Producer?
village of Assmannshausen, vineyard: Höllenberg
producer: August Kessele
Where is Assmannshausen? Vineyard and producer?
Rheingau, known for Spatburgunder
Hollenberg*, Hinterkirch, Frankenthal
August Kesseler, Robert König, Krone
Where is Rüdesheim? Vineyard and producer? Soil?
Rheingau.
Berg Roseneck (15 - 50%)
Berg Schlossberg (40%)
Berg Rottland (15 - 50%)
Georg Breuer, Kunstler, Kessler, Leitz
soil: slate, quartzite and gravel
Where is Geisenheim? Producer and vineyard?
Rheingau, Rothenberg (“red mountain”), Kläuserweg, Mäuerchen
Schloss Johannisberg.
Where is Kiedrich? Vineyard and producer?
Rheingau, Gräfenberg, Robert Weil
Where is Hochheim am Main? Vineyard and producer?
Rheingau. Hölle, Kirchenstück. Franz Kunstler
What is Germany’s top enological school? Where is it?
Hochschule Geisenheim University
Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute
Rheingau
Which mountains lie to the North of Rheingau?
Taunus Mountains, part of the larger Rhenish Slate Mountains
Rheingau climate
cool continental, average annual temperature of 10 C (50 F). low-ish rainfall at around 22 inches
western Rheingau (Assmannhausen up to Lorch) is cooler, has more slate
Maingau (near Hochheim am Main) is warmer, and more loess-covered loams and marls
What is the steepest part of the Rheingau?
Rüdesheim claims the region’s steepest slopes, which reach a 70% grade in the Grosse Lage site Berg Schlossberg
What does Schloss translate to?
Castle
What does Kloster translate to?
Monastery
Where in Rheingau did the Benedictine monks found their monastery?
Benedictine monks arrived to Johannisberg around 1100- named for John the Baptist, translates to ‘John’s Hill’
would become Schloss Johannisberg- first to make Spatlese in 1775. Made first Auslese in 1787. Now under corporate ownership
Where in Rheingau did the Cistercian monks found their monastery?
Cistercians arrived from burgundy in 1136 and founded Kloster Eberbach. records of them planting Riesling as early as 1400s. It is now owned by Hessen State Winery, the largest wine producer in Germany
What is Charta? When was it founded?
- The association founded by Bernhard Breuer strove to promote more stringent quality guidelines than the 1971 wine law, better define the Rheingau’s great vineyard sites, and elevate dry Riesling to its historical role as a top product of the region prior to the Second World War
Charta was absorbed into VDP Rheingau in 1999
List 5 VDP Producers Rheingau
August Kessler
Balthazar Ress
Kunstler
Prinz
Robert Weil
Schloss Johannisberg
Schloss Vollrads
Rhingau producers NOT in the VDP?
Georg Breuer- notable because that estate founded the Charta
Rheingau- white wine Ochsle minimums?
Kabinet 75
Spatlese 85
Auslese 100
BA/Eiswein 125
TBA 150
Who owns the alleinbesitz “Hattenheimer Steinberg”?
Kloster Eberbach
List Rheingau major villages west to east
Lorch,
Assmannshausen,
Rudesheim,
Geisenheim,
Johannisberg,
Winkel,
Oestrich,
Hallgarten,
Hattenheim,
Erbach,
Kiedrich,
Rauenthal,
Eltville,
Hocheim,
Wicker
What is the label for the Charta?
The balcony of the Graues Haus in Winkel - two roman arches. One of the oldest stone houses in Germany, built sometime in the 900s.
Restaurant where we had a charcuterie board after Spreitzer!
How many liters in a stuck? Doppelstuck?
1200 L
2400 L
Traditional barrel of the Rheingau
Where did the English term Hock come from?
Hochheim - confluence of Rhine and Main, in the Rheingau. Used for German white wines
Where in Rheingau is best for Spatburgunder? Producer?
Assmannhausen
August Kessler
Kloster Eberbach
Hocheim sits on the North bank of which River?
Main- at the eastern end of the Rheingau. Main shoots off the Rhine and continues east. The Rhine turns south at Mainz.
Alleinbesitz (monopoles) in the Rheingau?
Schloss Johannisberg, soil is Taunus quartzite with a loam-loess topsoil
Schlossberg - Schloss Vollrads,
Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg - Schloss Schönborn
Hattenheimer Steinberg - Kloster Eberbach
Assmannshausen - where is it? Vineyard? Producer?
Rheingau. Hollenberg
August Kesseler
Kunstler
Balthazar Ress
Kloster Eberbach
Bad Kreuznach- where is this?
Village in Nahe
Bad Münster- where is this?
Village in Nahe
Dorsheim- where? Producer?
Village in Nahe
Producer: Schlossgut Diel
vineyard: Goldloch
Important villages in Nahe
Norheim
Niederhausen
Oberhausen
Schlossböckelheim
Dorsheim
Meddersheim
Monzingen
Niederhausen: vineyards and producer
Village in Nahe.
Vineyards: Hermannshöhle, Hermannsberg
Producer: Donnhoff
Meddersheim: where and 1 producer?
Village in Nahe. Hexamer
Monzingen: where and 1 producer?
Village in Nahe. Emerich Schönleber
Norheim: vineyards and 1 producer?
Kirscheck, Dellchen
Donnhoff
(Nahe)
Oberhausen: vineyards and 1 producer
Brucke, Leistenberg
Donnhoff
(Nahe)
Schlossböckelheim: where, vineyard?
Nahe. Felsenberg, Kupfergrube
Which german anbaugebiet has the most land under vine?
Rheinhessen with 26,500 cultivated hectares
What region within Rheinhessen produces higher quality wines?
Rheinterrasse. Vineyards are along western banks of Rhine, eastern facing vineyards are protected from frost and wind.
The region stretches from Bodenheim south, ending near Mettenheim.
Rheinterrasse
subregion of the Rheinhessen wine region in Germany, narrow strip of land along the Rhine River between Nackenheim and Dienheim. vineyards face east
Home to some of the most prized vineyards in the Rheinhessen region
Includes the Roter Hang vineyard, which is known for its iron-rich sandstone soils
What is the Roter Hang?
a “red hill” of clay and weathered red sandstone (Rotliegendes) on the left bank of the Rhine between the villages of Nierstein and Nackenheim. It is within the Rheinterrasse, a larger area of eastern exposures which extends south of Nierstein through the village of Oppenheim.
180ha
east facing slope at 70-80% grade
vineyard site: Rothenberg, Pettenthal
producer: Gunderloch
Roter Hang vineyards
Rothenberg, Pettenthal
Rheinterrasse, Rheinhessen
Rheinterrasse
a large area of eastern exposures which extends south of Nierstein through the village of Oppenheim.
Rheinhessen important grapes?
Riesling surpassed Muller Thurgau in plantings in 2013, Silvaner is also important.
Riesling is usually halbtrocken (sweeter), and Silvaner is usually dry
What is “Message in a Bottle?”
An association of over 2 dozen young winemakers in Rheinhessen committed to raising quality throughout the region. promote spontaneous fermentation as a stylistic choice.
Keller
Wittman
Wagner-Stempel
Kühling-Gillot
Nackenheim- where is it? Name a vineyard and a producer
Village in Rheinhessen, Rothenberg, Gunderloch
Nierstein - where is it? Name a vineyard and a producer
Village in Rheinhessen, Hipping, Pettenthal
producers: Keller, Strub
Oppenheim - where is it? Name a vineyard
Village in Rheinhessen. Schützenhütte, Sackträger
Westhofen - where is it? Name a vineyard and a producer
Village in Rheinhessen. Kirchspiel, Morstein
Keller, Wittman. Wittman is based here
Dalsheim - where is it? Name a vineyard and a producer
Village in Rheinhessen. Hubacker.
Keller is based in Flörsheim-Dalsheim
Name 3 producers Rheinhessen
Keller (Flörsheim-Dalsheim),
Kühling-Gillot (Bodenheim),
Wagner-Stempel (Siefersheim),
Wittman (Westhofen),
Gunderloch (Nackenheim)
Strub
Keller G Max- inaugural vintage? Average price?
- Average 750ml on winesearcher.com is $2297
G-Max – named after Klaus Peter Keller’s great grandfather George and his son Maximillian – is made from old vines on predominantly limestone soils with ideal solar exposure in Dalsheim (Rheinhessen), from low yields of 25-30 hectolitres per hectare. Incredibly small production, site is undisclosed.
Erbach - where is it? important vineyards? Producer
Rheingau
Marcobrunn, Hohenrain, Siegelsberg
Kloster Eberbach, Graf von Schonborn
What is the sweetness level of Schloss Johannisberg’s Rotlack wine?
(red seal) Kabinett
What is the sweetness level of Schloss Johannisberg’s Grünlack wine?
(green seal) Spatlese
What is the sweetness level of Schloss Johannisberg’s Rosalack wine?
(pink seal) Auslese
What is the sweetness level of Schloss Johannisberg’s Rosa-Goldlack wine?
(pink gold seal) BA
What is the sweetness level of Schloss Johannisberg’s Goldlack wine?
(gold seal) TBA
What is the sweetness level of Schloss Johannisberg’s Blaulack wine?
(blue seal) Eiswein
Who was the first producer of German Spatlese? Eiswein?
Schloss Johanissberg was first to make both. Spatlese in 1775. Eiswein in 1858
What is the vineyard orientation in Assmannshausen? Soil type?
Vineyards are on west facing slopes- this is the first village the Rhine passes after shifting back north.
Quartzite rich soils
classic and selection (germany)
Classic wines are considered “harmoniously dry,” with a maximum residual sugar content of 15 g/l, and single varietal. no mention of vineyard.
min 12% (11.5% in the Mosel).
Selection wines are “superior dry” with a maximum residual sugar content of 9 g/l (12 g/l allowed for Riesling). single vineyard. 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.
purpose of the VDP? tenets?
founded in 1910 for the promotion of quality wine from traditional grapes
All wines must be estate grown. Hand-harvesting is required for all single vineyard wines and for any Prädikat wines of Auslese level or above. In their vineyards, members must cultivate a minimum 80% of traditional grape varieties
2012 regulations established:a regional tier (Gutswein), a village tier (Ortswein), premier cru vineyards (Erste Lage), and grand cru vineyards (Grosse Lage)
the wines may be dry or one of the pradikat styles.
note dry wines are considered Qualitatswein legally, so chaptalization is allowed for these (and is used frequently for spatburgunder)
Flurbereinigung
campaign geared up to consolidate parcels of land divided by successive generations of inheritance and to physically restructure vineyards. By rearranging steep and otherwise inaccessible vineyards, workers could employ machines and increase production. Flurbereinigung eliminated many of the centuries-old terraces critical to winegrowing on some of Germany’s most vertical slopes.
Kalkstein
german for limestone
Blauen Schiefer
blue slate
Buntsandstein
red sandstone
Grosses Gewachs
“great growth” = a dry wine from a Grosse Lage vineyard, identified by the appearance of the trademarked acronym “GG” on the label.
Grosses Gewächs white wines may not be released until September 1 of the year after harvest.
For red wines, the category requires an additional year of aging and at least 12 months in wood
Erstes Gewachs
applies to dry Riesling and Spätburgunder bottlings from selected Rheingau vineyards. it is legally sanctioned, so it can appear in full on labels.
around 1/3 of Rheingau vineyard area is designated for this
VDP max yields
Gutswein: 75 hl/ha
Ortswein: 75 hl/ha
Erste Lage: 60 hl/ha
Grosse Lage: 50 hl/ha
what is the German sekt tax?
enacted in 1901, it is 1.02 euro / bottle
Largest german wine area?
Rheinhessen, with a quarter of all land under vine
Bereich of the Rheinhessen?
Nierstein - east. Roter Hang is here
Bingen- in the NW
Wonnegau (Keller, Wittman are here)- limestone and loess
What river runs through Rheinhessen
the Rhine is to the north and east- does not impact the area as much as it does the Rheingau
the River Selz runs through the anbaugebiet
liebfraumilch
low quality, sweet blends
The 1971 wine law allowed Nahe, Pfalz, Rheingau, and Rheinhessen to produce it, requiring it to contain at least 70% of the following varieties: Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner, and Kerner. The wines must contain at least 18 grams per liter of residual sugar, and varietal labeling is not allowed.
Average elevation of Rheingau GL vineyards?
higher up the slope- from 110-200 meters
Rheinhessen GL vineyard elevation?
wide range- from 100 up to 260
Rheinhessen- grapes allowed for VDP GL production?
Riesling
Spatburgunder
Nahe grapes allowed for VDP GL?
Riesling
Bereich of Nahe
Nahetal
Nahe main soil types
weathered volcanic
slate
limestone
schist
Nahe climate
between maritime and continental
Hünsruck Hills/Forest block cold winds. mild, dry ~20in rain/yr
Upper Nahe
section of the region that extends from the villages of Monzingen and Martinstein at the far western end of the Anbaugebiet to the small town of Schlossböckelheim
Emrich-Schönleber is the prominent producer here
Middle Nahe
where
villages
soil
follows the course of the river eastward for 15 kilometers from Schlossböckelheim to Bad Kreuznach, the Nahe’s largest town and the commercial center of the region’s wine trade.
Alsenz River meets the Nahe here
Bad Münster am Stein, Traisen, Norheim, Niederhausen, Oberhausen,
weathered volcanic soils, slate, limestone, and schist
Dönnhoff and state winery Niederhausen-Schlossböckelheim are here
Lower Nahe
where
soil
villages
stretches from the Bad Kreuznach’s northern limits to the Nahe’s confluence with the Rhine at Bingen
soil is heavier with more clay and loess
warmer than the upper and middle Nahe
villages: Münster-Sarmsheim, Dorsheim, and Laubenheim
Schlossgut Diel
Traisen- where is it? Vineyard?
middle Nahe
vineyard: Bastei
temperature required for German ice wine
-7 C
19.4 F
typical ice wine harvest yield
300-500 liters / hectacre
aka 3-5 HL/HA
recent german ice wine vintages
2024- very small
2023 - good 32 ha
2022 - good 24 ha
2021 - great 107 ha
2020 - very small
2019 - NONE first year harvest failed nationwide
why is Rheingau so successful with sweet wines
Botrytis is a common occurrence near the broad Rhine, especially in vineyards nearest the river.
Even as the 50th parallel runs directly through the Rheingau, the moderating impact of the Rhine on local temperatures allows Riesling to hang on the vine into the early autumn for the late harvests necessary for Prädikatswein.
how were Nahe wines labeled pre 1971?
Nahe only got legal status as of the 1971 German Wine Law. before that they were just labeled Rheinwein
Middle Nahe villages
Bad Münster am Stein,
Traisen,
Norheim,
Niederhausen,
Oberhausen,
Lower Nahe villages
Schlossböckelheim,
Bockenau
Upper Nahe villages
Münster-Sarmsheim,
Burg Layen,
Dorsheim,
Laubenheim,
Windesheim,
Langenlonsheim,
Wallhausen,
Bad Kreuznach,
top producers Nahe
Hermann Dönnhoff (Oberhausen),
Emrich-Schönleber (Monzingen),
Schlossgut Diel (Burg Layen),
Schäfer-Fröhlich (Bockenau),
Dr. Crusius (Traisen)
Kruger Rumpf (Münster-Sarmsheim)
Hermann Dönnhoff
based in Oberhausen, Nahe
GG:
Niederhauser Hermanshölle,
Norheimer Dellchen,
Oberhauser Brücke (monopole)
Marcobrunn
GL vineyard in Erbach, Rheingau. First vineyard to appear on a bottle of Rheingau wine, in 1726
Kunstler, Schloss Schonborn, Schloss Rheinhartshausen
goldkapsule - purpose?
in response to 1971 wine law,which banned the use of terms like feine, feinste, and hochfeine, historically added to indicate reserve wines within a larger category,
To indicate a higher level of sweetness and distinction beyond a wine’s labeled Prädikat, vintners added a golden capsule
Mosel producers sometimes use stars - one to 3 to denote richer/ reserve bottlings
Franz Kunstler
Hochheim en Main, Rheingau
Hocheimer’s Hölle, Kirchenstuck, Domdechaney
August Kessler
Assmanshausen, Rheingau
60% Riesling, 40% Pinot
Assmanshausen Höllenberg, Rudesheim Berg Roseneck, Rottland
Min. % of stated varietal for Germany?
85%
AP number Germany
Amtliche Prüfungsnummer
1) location of the exam board
2) village in which the wine was produced
3) producer
4) unique bottling number
5) the year in which the wine was tested
blue slate in german
Blauenschiefer
red slate in german
Burntsandstein
Who founded Kloster Eberbach?
Cistercians
Who founded Schloss Johannisberg?
Benedictines
Assmannshausen/ Lorch vineyards orientation
west / southwest
The Rheingau’s VDP association is joined by what other region?
Hessische-Bergstrass
Westernmost wine town of the Rheingau? Easternmost
Lorch
Wicker
tributaries of Nahe
Northern: Grafenbach, Trollbach
Southern: Glan, Alsenz
Nahe Rotenfels
rock formation on the Nahe, 2km long rising to 327M
Porphyry (rhyolite/reddish volcanic rock)
near Norheim in southern Nahe
Dorsheimer Rotenfels, Traisen Rotenfels = 2 important Grosse Lage
Keller
based in Florsheim-Dalsheim, Rheinhessen.
top bottlings:
Florsheim-Dalsheim Kirchspiel
Westhofen Morstein
Florsheim-Dalsheim Abtserde
G-Max: location undisclosed
