Germany Study Guide Flashcards
The percentage of total German wines vinified dry shot up from 16-46% between what years?
1985-2015
Who brought Vitis vinifera vines to Germany?
The Romans
Which monastic order introduced Riesling and Pinot Noir to Germany?
The Cistercians
At the end of the 1800s, German wine was fetching higher prices than wines from what famous French region? What were the wines of the Middle Rhein region known as at that time that expanded to become a generic term for German wine?
Bordeaux
Hock
What events led to a spurred interest in viticultural science and the development of hardy new varieties, many of which were created for the purpose of boosted quantity and had a large impact on developing the image of Germany as a lower quality wine producing country in the mid 1900s? What is the major one of these crossing varietals?
The arrival of phylloxera and the annual struggle with the cooler climate
Müller-Thurgau
How did Nazi Germany majorly impact the German Wine Industry during and following WWII?
The Nazis drove out the Jews, who account for 60-70% of the wine merchant trade, and ended the wine auctions that had long ben a primary sales mechanism for quality wines.
As the tide turned against Germany, workers died and vineyards sustained bombing raids.
At the end of WWII, international boycotts commenced, the country cleaved in two, and the German vineyard had shrunk to fewer than 50,000 ha of vines.
What was the major style of German wine during the 1950s?
Sweet and cheap
What was the most widely recognized wine brand in Germany following WWII?
Liebfraumilch
What was the Flurbereinigung?
“Land Consolidation” refers to the land reformation in west Germany following WWII
Involved the consolidation of parcels of land previously divided by successive generations of inheritance and the physically reconstruction of the vineyards which included the destruction of ancient terraces that were previously vital for wine growing in the steep vineyards making way for mechanization.
What is the 1971 German Wine Law called? What did it attempt to impose?
Deutsches Weingesetz
attempted to impose new standards of quality and simplify label language
What three label terms were banned with the passing of the 1971 German Wine Law that caused producers to lose an informal means of classifying the Spätlesen and Auslesen wines of the Mosel and Rheingau? What creative solution did producers in the Mosel and Rheingau devise to indicate reserve wines that were previously designated by these three lost terms?
feine
feinste
hochfeine
Producers began bottling wines with a Goldkapsule to indicate a higher level of sweetness and distinction beyond a wine’s labeled Prädikat.
In some cases, an even longer golden capsule (lange Goldkapsule) indicated an even rarer and more special selection.
What does a Goldkapsule indicate on a bottle of German wine? How can its use indicate the level of Botrytis or lack thereof?
Indicates a higher level of sweetness and distinction beyond a wine’s labeled Prädikat.
Can be used for example on a wine of Beerenauslese wine that lacks signs of Botrytis for Beerenauslese and instead shows more varietal characteristics which is more common in Auslese wines.
Overall the Goldkapsule is a creative unofficial way of indicating that the wine is exceptional for its character and a longer capsule known as a lange goldkapsule may be used to indicate further refinement and higher quality.
In addition to the Goldkapsule what other creative code did producers in the Mosel come up with to indicate reserve bottlings among several of their wines bottled within the same prädikat?
The use of stars on the label (, **, or **)
At the dawn of the 20th century, what style were most German wines fermented in? What winemaking advancements led to a surge in the number of sweet wines produced in Germany by the 1950s? What happens in regards to label terminology that made it difficult to distinguish wines of high quality from wines of lower quality?
Most wines were fermented dry
New technologies such as sterile filtration allowed the production of sweet wines with ease
Label terms that were previously reserved for specialized wines became commonplace.
How did the German Wine Law of 1971 restructure legislation so that sweet wines of high quality could be distinguished from sweet wines of low quality?
Modified the requirements for legally recognized Prädikat shifting the obligation from sugar remaining to sugar occurring naturally in the grape.
Prior to the German Wine Law of 1971 what did a bottle labeled “Natur” indicate?
The wine should be completely natural, i.e., free of all additives, including Süssreserve and sulfur and also indicated that the wine did not undergo chaptalization.
What did the German Wine Law of 1971 result in regarding the number of the country’s Einzellagen (individual vineyard sites)?
Compacted the number of vineyards from 30,000 to around 2,700 hundred.
According to the German Wine Law of 1971, what is the min size in ha that a vineyard was allowed to be? Why is this considered a huge drawback for the industry?
min 5ha
It expanded some vineyards to include vineyards of lesser quality while eliminating others entirely
What is the larger catch-all term regarding the collection of certain vineyards that was established following the passing of the German Wine Law of 1971? What did this fail to do regarding label transparency?
Grosslagen
Failed to provide terminology indicating that the wine was bottled from a Grosslagen rather than a more site-specific einzellagen (single vineyard)
What terminology was established as a result of the German Wine Law of 1971 to indicate a region of production that was equivalent to French AOCs or Italian DOCs?
Anbaugebiet (literally, “quality wine from a growing region”)
What three tiers of wine quality were established following the establishment of the German Wine Law of 1971? In which tier was chaptalization forbidden?
Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiet
Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP) a subset of Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiet indicating quality wines with a special attribute (minimum level of must weight), which allowed Germany to retain some of its traditional terms-Spätlese, Auslese, and so on. Chaptalization was forbidden under this tier of quality.
Tafelwein (table wine)
What permitted practice in German winemaking following the German Wine Law of 1971 made it difficult to discern sweetness in wines despite the use of Prädikat terminology?
The addition of süssreserve, or sterilized fresh grape must for wines of any category, at up to 15% of the total volume of the wine.
Süssreseve could be added at an amount of what % to the total volume of bottled wine across all quality levels in Germany following the German Wine Law of 1971? What did this practice effectively make it difficult to discern despite a wine being labeled by different prädikat?
Up to 15% of the total volume.
Made it difficult to discern the level of residual sugar in the wine
What does A.P. stand for in regards to an AP Number on a bottle of German wine?
Amtliche Prüfungsnummer
The Amtliche Prüfungsnummer concept was created with the establishment of the German Wine Law of 1971. It is composed of 5 sets of numbers. What do these numbers indicate from left to right?
(1) the location of the examination board
(2) the village in which the wine was produced
(3) the producer
(4) the unique number of the bottling
(5) the year in which the wine was tested, which is typically one calendar year after the vintage.
Which tiers of quality according to the German Wine Law of 1971 must carry an A.P. number? What percentage of wine in Germany meet the requirements for these two levels?
Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein
96% of German wine meet these requirements
What are the three levels of German wine quality from highest to lowest according to German Wine Law today? Which are PDO in level and which are IGP in level according to the EU?
Qualitätswein and Pradikätswein (PDO)
Landwein (IGP)
Deutscher Wein
Non VDP German wines may be labeled “Classic” or “Selection”. What are the requirements regarding source, max RS, and min abv for both?
Classic:
single varietal wines and omit any mention of a vineyard on the label.
max RS of 15g/L
min alcohol content of 12%
Selection:
Single varietal wines from single vineyard
max RS 9g/L (12g/L for Riesling)
min alcohol
max yields are 60hl/ha
must weight for Selection must be equivalent to Auslese
Vineyards are hand harvested
Wines may not be released until September 1 of the year following harvest
When did Eiswein become an independent Prädikat?
1982
When was the category Landwein introduced?
1982
What are 3 vineyards that escaped the minimum 5ha mandate for single vineyards? What are their Angbaugebiete?
Forster Kirchenstück (Pfalz) Bernkasterl Doctor (Mosel) Kiedricher Turmberg (Rheingau)
What terms were create in 2000 to replace trocken and halbtrocken respectively?
“Classic” and “Selection”
Erstes Gewächs is a formal term used on the labels of what style of wines from what Anbaugebiete?
Dry styles of wine from specific sites in the Rheingau.
Though “Selection” was created to replace halbtocken, what term is most commonly used in lieu of the old term?
feinherb
What are the 13 Anbaugebiete of Germany? What level of quality are they the equivalent under the EU?
Ahr Baden Franken Hessische-Bergstrasse Mittelrhein Mosel Nahe Pfalz Rheingau Rheinhessen Saale-Unstrut Sachsen Württemberg
Equivalent to PDO
In German, what is a protected designation of origin known as?
geschütze Ursprungsbezeichnung (gU)
What is the scale used to determine the must weight of harvest grapes in Germany?
Öchsle
What are the Öchsle ranges for all levels of Prädikat for Prädikatswein? Are these universal for all Anbaugebiete?
Kabinett (70-85) Spätlese (80-95) Auslese (88-105) Beerenauslese (110-128) Eiswein (110-128) Trockenbeerenauslese (150-154)
These are the standard and not universal for all Anbaugebiete.
What is the min Öchsle level for Spätlese in the Pfalz?
90
What is permitted on a wine label of wine classified as Wein (formerly Tafelwein)? What is forbidden?
Variety and Vintage can be on the label
no geographic designation other than Deutscher Wein may be on the label
What is Landwein the equivalent to in the EU? What may be listed on a bottle of this?
Equivalent to IGP
May be listed with 1 of any of the 26 approved Landweingebiete and may list halbtrocken or trocken
What is the minimum alcohol % that a bottle of Qualitätswein must achieve? Why is it lower than the EU mandate?
min 7% rather than the 8.5% mandated by European law
Lower because of low alcohol levels classically achieved in some of Germany’s finest sweet wines.
What is the min alcohol % for Prädikatswein?
min 7% for Prädikate until Beerenauslese then it is reduced to min 5.5% the rest of the way.
What does VDP stand for? What is it and what are the producers in this dedicated to? (3) What does membership require?
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter
An association of 195 German producers dedicated to:
(1) high quality
(2) the preservation of a sense of place
(3) grape varieties traditionally cultivated within each wine growing region.
Membership requires:
(1) commitment to the VDP’s classification system
(2) observance of higher must weights and lower maximum yields than permitted by German law
(3) All wines must be estate-grown
(4) Hand-harvesting is required for all single vineyard wines and for any Prädikat wines of Auslese level or above
VDP producers must hand harvest for what wines?
Single vineyard wines and for any Prädikat wines of Auslese level or above
What % of a VDP producer’s holdings must be planted to traditional varietals? Why is this?
min 80% planted to traditional varietals
Through exclusion of non-traditional, high-yielding crossings quality is elevated
Which is permitted to on a VDP bottle of wine, the name of a Grosslagen or the name of a Grosse Lage?
Grosse Lage
Grosslagen is forbidden
What is the name of the VDP logo? What does it consist of? Where is it located?
Traubendadler
An eagle with a grape cluster superimposed
Located on bottle capsules of VDP wine
When was the VDP founded? What was its original name?
1910 as the VDNV or Verband Deutscher Naturweinversteigerer
What are the 4 quality tiers for VDP wines starting from the 2011 vintage forward? What French wine region does this emulate?
Grosse Lage (grand cru)
Erste Lage (premier cru)
Ortswein (village)
Gutsein (regional)
What is the only statement of origin provided for Gutswein? What often accompanies this?
the name of the Anbaugebiet often accompanied by a fantasy name
What are the sources for Ortswein VDP wine? What two designations are often on the label either together or alone?
Sourced from multiple vineyards in a single village.
Wines are labeled by village name and/or a statement of soil, such as:
Kalkstein (limestone)
Blauen Schiefer (blue slate)
Buntsandstein (red sandstone)
Erste Lage and Grosse Lage are sourced from what vineyards? How are they labeled differently?
Both are sourced from single vineyards
Erste Lage (1er Cru) is often labeled with the vineyard preceded by the village (Ürziger Würtzgarten for example)
Grosse Lage are labeled solely with the vineyard name, in true grand cru fashion
If a VDP wine and a wine produced under the laws of the German Wine Institute are bottled from the same vineyard, which is likely to be from a smaller delimited area?
VDP
If one is unfamiliar with which designations are Erste Lage and which are Grosse Lage, how could they determine if a bottle is one or the other?
The term is often listed next to the VDP logo on the capsule except for the lower Ortswein and Gutswein
If a bottle of VDP wine lists a Prädikat is it allowed to be dry?
No, it must be off-dry or sweet in style. The labels will never read Spätlese trocken, Auslese trocken, etc. If they do, they’re counterfeit
For what tiers of VDP quality may the term trocken be listed on the label? What term is used to indicate a dry Grosse Lage (grand cru)? What does it translate to?
For wines of Erste Lage or below absent a prädikat on the label
Grosses Gewächs for Grosse Lage
Translates to “Great Growth”
What prädikat must a Grosses Gewächs wine be equivalent to or above in ripeness?
What acronym will be present not the VDP label of Grosses Gewächs wines to indicate that they are made in that style?
Spätlese
“GG”
What are the aging requirements for the following:
Grosses Gewächs (white and red)
Grosse Lage with mention of Prädikat
GG white: not released until 9/1 of the year after harvest
GG red: 2 years of aging with at least 12 months in wood
Grosse Lage with Prädikat: not released until May 1 of the year after harvest
VDP wines are the equivalent of what tier of quality in the eyes of German Wine law? For this reason, what practice is legally allowed and often practiced for Spätburgunder?
Qualitätswein
Chaptalization is legal under German Law though the VDP frowns upon it
What are the max yields for each tier of VDP wine?
Grosse Lage: 50hl/ha
Erste Lage: 60hl/ha
Ortswein and Gutswein: 75hl/ha
In which three Anbaugebiete does the category Erste Lage not exist?
Mosel
Ahr
Rheinhessen
Some VDP estates with long histories of marketing alternative terms, still use their own label language in place of Grosse Lage and Erste Lage. Bürklin-Wolf continues to label its top single-vineyard wines as what? Schloss Johannisberg continues to label their “Silberback” Grosses Lage Riesling as what?
“GC” and “PC” (Bürklin-Wolf)
Trocken (Schloss Johannisberg)
Which producer left the VDP in 2014 when it was forbidden for them to retain its traditional Prädikat declarations on dry wines? Where are they located?
Koehler-Ruprecht
Pfalz
In the Mosel Grosse Lage Kabinett wines may be produced from what max yields instead of the standard 50hl/ha? Why is this tolerated but the VDP?
60-70hl/ha
Tolerated because the higher yields are more suitable for that style of wine.
Higher or lower yields are best for dry Riesling wines? Sweet wines? Why for both?
Lower yields are best for dry yields as the increased concentration they produce are necessary for great dry wines.
Higher yields are better for sweeter wines as they gain concentration from residual sugar
Why is pre fermentation cold skin contact common for Riesling in Germany?
It extracts phenolic content and naturally raises the pH of the wines.
German producers are divided in regards to whether to use ambient strains of yeast or cultured inoculations. What type of flavors are derived from the use of each?
Ambient:
wider array of earthy, sulfide-driven flavors
Inoculated:
fruit-forwardness and cleaner flavors
What are three large oak containers that are commonly used for fermentation and aging Riesling in Germany? What are the volumes associated with each?
Stück (1,200L oval cask)
Doppelstück (2,400L)
Halbstück (600L)
Müller-Thurgau was created by the crossing of what two grapes? What famous wine did this play a major role in regarding production?
Riesling and Madeleine Royale
Liebfraumilch
How does Müller-Thurgau compare to Riesling in regards to expression?
less acidic and less aromatic compared to Riesling
What is the most planted grape in Germany? 2nd most?
Riesling (most)
Müller-Thurgau (2nd most)
What are the top three producing areas for Spätburgunder in Germany in decreasing order? Where did it first appear?
Baden (first appeared here)
Pfalz
Rheinhessen
What is the rare specialty grape of Germany that is genetically identical to Pinot Noir? How is it different and how are its wines different?
Frühburgunder
Thicker skinned than Pinot Noir and ripens about two weeks earlier.
Wines are darker in color and fruit expression with lower acidity
What is Frühburgunder known as in France?
Pinot Noir Précoce or Pinot Madeleine
What is Germany’s second-most planted red variety?
Dornfelder
Dornfelder was created by what crossing in 1956?
Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe
What is Pinot Gris called in Germany?
Grauburgunder
What are the top two Pinot Gris producing countries in the world?
Italy
Germany
If Grauburgunder is produced botrytized or sweet in Germany how is it labeled?
Ruländer
What former grape used to be the most planted variety in Germany until 1969 and now makes up a total of about 5% of total vineyard area in Germany?
Silvaner
What crossing produced Silvaner?
Traminer and Österreichisch-Weiss (“Austrian White”)
What Anbaugebiete is home to the best Silvaner? Where did the grape originate?
Franken
Originated in Austria
How does Silvaner compare to Riesling in regards to expression and ripening?
lower in acid, less aromatic, less fruit driven, and prone to higher levels of alcohol
Silvaner ripens earlier than Riesling
What is Pinot Blanc called in Germany?
Weissburgunder
Which country is the leading grower of Pinot Blanc in the world?
Germany
What two Anbaugebiete have the most plantings of Weissburgunder?
Baden and Pfalz
What white grape has emerged as Germany’s textural grape?
Weissburgunder
What anbaugebeite has the highest plantings of Lemberger? What is this grape called in Austria?
Wurttemberg
Blaufränkisch
Scheurebe is a crossing of what two grapes? Is it produced dry or sweet? What grape is it often compared to due to its high thiol content?
Riesling and Bukettrebe
Produced as both dry and sweet
Often compared to Sauvignon Blanc
What two Anbaugebiete have the most success with Schreuebe?
Rheinhessen and Pfalz
What is Chardonnay most commonly used for in Germany?
The production of Sekt
What are Pinot Meunier and Schiava called in Germany respectively?
Schwarzriesling and Trollinger
Where was the first bottle of sparkling wine made in Germany? When?
Württemberg in 1785
What are three of the largest sparkling wine companies (sekt) in Germany? What sparkling wine method is most commonly used for the massed produced Sekt?
Henkell
Rotkäppchen
Söhnlein-Brillant
Tank method is most commonly used for the mass produced Sekt and traditional is used for the higher quality examples
What is the name of Germany’s first winery that was designed to focus exclusively on sparkling wine production? Where is this?
Volker Raumland (Rheinhessen)
Is lees contact common for the production of Sekt using Riesling? Why?
No, because the lees aromas would overwhelm the aromatic Riesling character
What former cellar master at Bollinger is making exceptional Sekt? What is the name of the winery?
Matthieu Kaufmann
Reichsrat von Buhl
What varieties are used for premium Sekt?
Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Scheurebe and Gewürztraminer
Most Sekt is made at what sweetness level?
Brut but Brut Nature styles do exist
What is the Rhône River called in Germany?
Rhein
What is the major city located next to the Rheingau?
Weisbaden
The vineyards of the Rheingau are on a steep south-facing slope between what altitudes?
75-300m
The central Rheingau is said to have the region’s best vineyards. Between what two towns is it located?
Rüdesheim in the west and Weisbaden in the east
Geisenheim, home to Germany’s top enological school and grape-breeding institute is just west of what village in the Rheingau?
Johannisberg
What are the soil compositions of the Rheingau?
mixture of slate, quartzite, and sandstone, with layer of loess and clay on the lower slopes and stonier, more eroded soils on the upper slopes, with a higher proportion of slate
What village has the steepest slopes in the Rheingau? What Grosse Lage site is the steepest?
Rüdesheim
Berg Schlossberg
What are the three areas of the Rheingau called?
Western Rheingau from Assmannshausen northward to Lorchhausen
The Central Rheinau from Rüdesheim to Weisbaden
The Maingau which is a cluster of vineyards east of Weisbaden around the town of Hochheim am Main around the Main tributary.
How does the climate and soil type of the Western Rheingau and the Maingau differ from the Central Rheingau respectively?
The Western Rheingau is cooler with more pure slate
The Maingau is warmer and has loess-covered loans and marls replacing the sandstone and slate.
What is the Bereiche of the Rheingau?
Johannisberg
What do the words Schloss and Kloster mean respectively?
Castle (Schloss)
Abbey (Kloster)
Which sect of monks founded the Kloster at Johannisberg and the Kloster Eberbach respectively?
Benedictines (Johannisberg)
Cistercians (Kloster Eberbach)
When did “Cabinet” first appear in the Rheingau? Spätlese? Who introduced these?
1712 Cabinett (Kabinett) by the Cistercians and Kloster Eberbach
1775 Spätlese by the Benedictines at Schloss Jannisberg
Which two producers in the Rheingau were among the first two introduce glass wine bottles to Germay in the early 1700s?
Schloss Schönborn and Schloss Johannisberg
What is the largest single wine producer in Germany? What famous Abbey and vineyard do they own?
Hessen State Winery
Kloster Eberbach and its famous Steinberg vineyard
What are 5 top producers in the Rheingau?
Robert Weil Josef Leitz Peter Jakob Kühn Eva Fricke Künstler
Where are the best botrytis vineyards in the Rheingau? Why is this?
Near the river
The moderating impact of the Rhine on local temperatures allows Riesling to hang on the vine into the early autumn for the late harvest necessary for Prädikatswein.
What style of Riesling is the most-produced in the Rheingau? Dry or sweet? 80% of Rheingau Riesling has a RS of what?
Dry
9g/L or less
When was the Charta Association founded in the Rheingau? What did this organization focus on, dry or sweet wines?
1984
Dry
What were the three objectives that the Charta Association seemed to achieve?
(1) promote more stringent quality guidelines than the 1971 German Wine Law
(2) to beter define the Rheingau’s great vineyard sites
(3) to elevate dry Riesling to its historical role as a top product of the region prior to WWII
What is the Charta logo?
Three Roman Arches styled from the balcony of the historic Graue Haus in Winkel.
Which producer of which estate led the charge for Charta? What village in the Rheingau?
Bernard Breuer of Georg Breuer estate in Rüdesheim
What label terminology is used by Charta members to designate top dry wines from the Rheingau? When was this term legally accepted moving forward? Which two grapes may this designation be used for?
Erstes Gewächs (“first growth”)
1999 vintage moving forward.
Used for dry Riesling and Spätburgunder
Why is the “Erstes Gewächs” designation seen as less predictable in regards to quality compared to the VDP’s Grosses Gewächs designation?
Because Erstes Gewächs allows for all who have a share of land in a high quality vineyard that wasn’t necessarily apart of the vineyard prior to the expansion of its boundaries in 1971
What are the two monopoles of ecclesiastical origin in the Rheingau?
Schloss Johannisberg Hattenheimer Steinberg (Kloster Eberbach)
What is the name of Kloster Eberbach’s star monopole vineyard?
Hattenheimer Steinberg
What is the name of Schloss Schönborn’s monopole in the Rheingau?
Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg
What is the name of Robert Weil’s top vineyard in Kiedrich in the Rheingau?
Kiedricher Gräffenberg