Germany: Wine Law & Terms Flashcards
Can German Qualitätswein be chaptalized?
yes. Must be produced from approved varieties sourced from a single anbaugebiet.
Can German Prädikatswein be chaptalized?
NO
What are the requirements to produce German Eiswein Prädikatswein?
Grapes must be harvested when temperatures are no higher than -7° C, minimum 5.5% abv, and No chaptalization.
What is the German word for a vineyard owned by a single owner (i.e. monopole)?
Alleinbesitz
What does the term “Alte Reben” mean on a German or Austrian wine label? What is the Spanish and French equivalent?
old vines. French = vieilles vignes, Spanish = viñas viejas
What does the term “Edelfäule” mean in Germany and Austria?
noble rot / botrytis
What is the German word for noble rot?
Edelfäule
What is a Stück in Germany?
traditional 1200-liter cask commonly used in the Rheingau.
What is the name for the traditional 1,200-liter cask commonly used in the Rheingau?
Stück
What is a Sonnenuhr? Name two vineyards with a Sonnenuhr.
A sundial (to show the progression of the day to workers in vineyards), often very large and on steep vineyard sites. Wehlener Sonnenuhr, and Zeltinger Sonnenuhr.
What is the difference between the German term “Grosslage” and “Grosse Lage”?
Grosselage or Grosselagen is a collective vineyard, under which all the single vineyards of a village are subsumed, while a Grosse Lage (two words) is a top single vineyard in the VDP framework.
What is the name of a local village in Germany?
Gemeinde
Why are the í_schle ranges for prí_dikat levels expressed as a range?
because they vary: each anbaugiete has its own requirements for each authorized grape. also there is no maximumäóîgrapes harvested at higher must weights can be declassified to a lower prí_dikat
What is Scharzhofberger?
one of the Mosel’s finest vineyards, exemplified by Egon Muller
What is considered the finest vineyard site in the Nahe?
Hermannshöhle (in Niederhausen)
Where is Oberhauser Brücke?
In the Middle Nahe, a monopole of Dönnhoff
What is the sole bereich of the Nahe?
NahetalBUTthe region consists of 3 main, classic subregions along the Nahe River: Upper, Middle, and Lower Nahe
What is the German name for Pinot Meunier?
Schwarzriesling
What is the Roter Hang?
prestigious region of red clay and slate spanning ~180 ha in the Rheinhessen (between Nierstein and Nackenheim villages)
What are the membership requirements for the VDP?
- commitment to the VDPäó»s classification system - higher minimum must weights and lower maximum yields - all estate grown- Hand-harvesting required for single vineyard wines and for Auslese or above- members must have minimum 80% of traditional grape varieties in their vineyards
What does VDP stand for?
Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter
Where is Grafenberg?
Rheingau village Kiedrichfamous for Robert Weil’s sweet wines (particularly Auslese and above)
What two anbaugebiet are most known for Silvaner?
Franken and Rheinhessen (Rheinhessen has more planted than anywhere in the world)
Name three Rheinhessen producers.
Keller, Wittman, Wagner-Stempel
Where is Kirchenstuck?
Trick question! There is a Kirchenstuck in Rheingau’s Hockheim, and Pfalz’s Forst. Hockheim Kirchenstuck: area is notably characteristically warm-Forst Kirchenstí_ck: exception to 1971 law (vineyard is not 5 ha) and Pfalz’s warmest and “most exceptional” vineyard site
Minimum oechsle Range for Eiswein
110-128°
Which Mosel beirech is referred to as Terrassenmosel?
Burg Cochem (the narrowing river and intensely steep slopes make terraced vineyards necessary (has some of Europe’s steepest slopes here at 65%!)
What producers make up the “3 B’s” of the Pfalz, and what part are they located?
Bassermann-Jordan, von Buhl, Burklin-Wolf (and Muller-Catoir) = most recognizable estates, located in the Mittelhaardt
Robert Weil is famous for making top wines from what site?
Kiedricher Grafenberg in the Rheingau
What estate is credited with “discovering” Spatlese harvesting and making wine from grapes with edelfí_ule?
Schloss Johannisberg - 1775The estate followed with the introduction of the Auslese category in 1787 and the first Eiswein in 1858.
What is the German synonym for Blaufrankish?
Lemberger
Similar to Alsace, the best German vineyards face what direction?
South, for more sun
What is the minimum oechsle Range for Auslese?
88-105°
Where is Niederhauser Hermannshohle?
Middle Nahe, considered the Nahe’s finest vineyard site.
Where is Schloss Johannisberg?
Geisenheim in the Rheingau
Where might you find Chasselas growing in Germany?
in Baden’s Markgräflerland Bereiche (Baden’s southernmost point, almost exclusively cultivated here)
What are the four current tiers of the VDP classification?
Gutswein = regional
Orstwein = village
Erste Lage = Premier Cru
Grosse Lage = grand cru
What is the early ripening mutation of Spatburgunder called?
Frahburgunder
What is Scheurebe a crossing of?
Riesling x Bukettrebe
What is Rulander?
Rulander is asynonym for Grauburgunder in the Baden region. Dry styles are usually bottled varietally as Grauburgunder while sweet styles are usually labeled as Rulander.
What river does the Franken region surround?
Main River
What is the minimum alcohol for Pradikatswein? Can producers chaptalize?
minimum alcohol 7% (5.5% for Beerenauslese, TBA, and Eiswein wines). NO, Praditkatswein cannot be chaptalized.
What is the VDP logo? What is it called?
an eagle clutching a cluster of grapes, called the Traubenadler
What are the 2 beireich of the Pfalz?
- Mittelhaardt-Deutsche Weinstrasse
- Sudliche Weinstrasse
What are the 3 Bereichs of the Rheinhessen?
- Nierstein (important area, keep in mind the Roter Hang is in between Nierstein and Nackenheim villages)- Wonnegau (southern Bereich, where Wittman and Keller are, G-Max comes from an undisclosed parcel in the region, lots of star power from excellent dry Riesling coming from the limestone and loess soils of Wonnegau)- Bingen (covers much of the western reaches of the Anbaugebiet, not as much star power as the others but Wagner-Stempel is here)
How are there some ungrafted/centurion vineyards in the Mosel? Where else in Germany might you find ungrafted vines that phylloxera hasn’t hit?
Mosel’s slate soils limited the incursion of phylloxera: it is present but it cannot thrive, leaving a few pockets of centurion vinesAlso in the pure slate soils of the Upper Ahr Valley: phylloxera is nonexistent and there are a few century-old vineyards, still trained in the single-post system.
What area of the Mosel notably does not have slate soils?
Obermosel and Moseltor, they sit on top of the Paris Basin and have calcareous marl/limestone soils instead