Germany & South Africa Flashcards
German’s leading white grape that has the purest expression in the world
Riesling
Climate
Continental. 49-51 . Vines are located primarily in southwest part of country along lakes and rivers borderling Belgium, France, and Switzerland
Germany’s vineyards are planted on
Steep slopes near river banks on slate and basalt heat retaining soils that absorb heat during the day and retain heat all night. Vineyards are oriented to the south/southeast. Grapes enjoy a LONG COOL GROWING SEASON but can struggle to ripen at 49 degree northern limit of vine
Like Austria 70% of wine production is white. What are the leading grapes
– Riesling – Müller-Thurgau – Silvaner • Red – Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir)
Which level of wines CAN be fermented to dry
Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese
Wines styles
Dry, off, dry, or sweet. Fermented in stainless steel, or large oak casks. So little oak overall. Chaptalization is against the law at the Pradikatswein level. There is both bargain and fine sekht sparkling wine. Fine Sekht is made in the method traditional out of Spatbrugunder, grauburgunder and weissburgunder.
How do you know if a German wine is dry
It will say troken or look at the alc. level. Also the VDP is synonomous with dry wines. If it actually addes kabinett, auslese and or spatlese than there is a level of sweetness.
Wines without geographic indication
Wein
Wines with geographic indication
Landwein (PGI)
– Regional wines: rarely exported
• Qualitätswein (PDO)
– Quality wine from one of 13 major regions
called Anbaugebiete
– This category includes top trocken wines
• Prädikatswein (PDO)
– A subset of Qualitätswein categorized by
ripeness at harvest. There are six prädikate
levels of quality. These wines are often, but
not necessarily, sweet.
Order of ripeness and quality scale
Kabinet, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauselse, Eiswein, Trokenbeerenauslese
GG
(Grosses Gewächs)
These are dry or trocken wines from the top vineyard sites
Mosel
Porous slate, steep river bank, northerly 49 degrees. Alcohol 8 % with a small amount of residual sugar to balance acidity. When grapes are harvested they are high in acidity low in sugar. Stainless steel. Oldest vineyard in world for riesling.
Where is Rheignau
South of Mosel on Rhine river. Backdrop of Taunus mountains which provide shelter and protection. The Rhine river reflects sunlight directly onto the vines. Creates more sunlight for photosynthesis and ripening of vine. Slate soils and other.
Climate of Rheignau
Continental but slightly warmer than Mosel. More southerly
Where are the vineyards
One long southfacing slope on the North bank of the Rheignau
Grapes of Rheignau
Riesling and Spatburgunder. Grapes ensure more ripeness than Mosel. Johannisberg and Kloster Ederbach are top sites
Rheinhessen
Large sprawling site south of Rheignau. Continental, flat, fertile,
Soil of Rheinhessen
Red sandstone mixed with slate
Grapes
White grapes only are grown
Riesling (the best but not the most planted grape in the Rheinhessen)
– Müller-Thurgau
– Silvaner
What is unique about this Rheinhessen
Largest area under vine and biggest growing region. Quality ranges from Blue Nun to expensive individual sites.
What makes Pfalz unique
Contiguous with Alsace separated only by the Rhine river. The Haardt mountains are an extension of the Voges mountains and provide a rainshadow
Climate
Sunny dry, one of warmest growing regions. Soil is LIMESTONE.
Grapes
White – Riesling – Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) – Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) • Red – Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir)
Wines Styles
Crisp and acidic. Rival champagne in terms of acid level. Wines are dry. sometimes off dry or sweet.
What is an Einzellage
single vnieyard site
Who settled the cape
The Dutch East India Company. It was a refuelling place for voyages to India
Who introduced viticulture
French Heugonots in 1688. When Apartheid lifted in 1994 Economic boycotts were lifted opening the door for exports. South Africa is now 10th in the world for production
KWV
Saved and regulated the wine industry by stablizing prices until aprtheid was lifted at which point it became a private company
Oceans that converge at the cape
Atlantic and Indian oceans
Benguela current
Flows from Antartica and cools the coastal vineyards. Vineyards get warm and then hot moving inland from the coast
Soils are
Ancient and diverse
White Grapews
Chenin Blanc (locally called Steen) – Chardonnay – Sauvignon Blanc
Red grapes
Pinotage (a Pinot Noir x Cinsault crossing) – Cabernet Sauvignon – Syrah – Merlot – Pinot Noir
Cape Doctor winds in sumer and spring
Help suppress fungal disease
Help moderate temperature
can injure vines and disrupt flowering
WO (1973) was put in place before apartheid ended
Wine of Origin puts it stamp of quality once submitted, tasted and approved
What percentages must be in place for vintage, varietal, and appellation
85%, 85% and 100%
