Grapes Of Germany Flashcards
Riesling
- Became the countries most planted grape in the late 1990’s, surpassing Müller-Thurgau
- country maintains nearly half the worlds 50,000 hectares of the vine.
- 1435 monks cultivated “Riesslaner” in the Rheingau vineyards of Kloster Eberbach
In how many Anbaugebiete is Riesling the most planted grape?
7 of the 13
How does the the decision to make a dry or sweet Riesling impact yields?
Lower yields and the increased concentration they afford—are necessary for great dry wines
sweeter styles often benefit from higher yields as they gain concentration from residual sugar.
Why would a producer use cold, prefermentation skin contact on Riesling?
To extract phenolic content and naturally raise pH
Why would a producer use whole-bunch press on Riesling?
Cleaner, purer must.
How are German Riesling producers divided on the subject of fermentation?
Some use spontaneous fermentation (ambient) versus others than use inoculated fermenations
Spontaneous is more unpredicatable and requires more oxygen, producing a wilder array of earthy, sulfide-driven flavors.
Inoculated ferments are simpler to maintain and can deliver fruit forwardness and cleaner flavors.
What are the classic vessels for German wine?
Stück, a 1,200-liter oval cask
and its variants:
—Doppelstück-2,400 liters
—Halbstück- 600 liters
Is Malolactic fermentation used on Riesling?
No, usually stopped, by naturally low pH or by design. Some producers resort to the process in spectacularly acidic, lean years.
Müller-Thurgau
Crossing?
Obtained by whom?
3 facts
- Riesling x Madeleine Royale
- first obtained by the Swiss Dr. Herman Müller at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in 1882
- Early ripening and high yielding.
- Important component to mass-made Liebfraumilch wines.
- emerged as leading grape variety in 1969
- muscat-like taste, but less acidic and less aromatic than Riesling.
Spätburgunder/Pinot Noir
3 facts
- Germany is the world’s third-largest producer of Pinot Noir, trailing only France and the United States.
- Baden, where Pinot Noir first appeared in the late 800s, leads the way with nearly half of the country’s supply, followed by the Pfalz and the Rheinhessen.
- It is a beneficiary of climate change and maturing German tastes for fine red wine, and the grape’s ascendance is in line with the overall advancement of red grapes in Germany.
What is Frühburgunder? What is also known as?
a natural mutation genetically identical to Pinot Noir, is a rare specialty of Germany. As of 2014, there were 257 hectares in the country. Thicker skinned than Pinot Noir, the grape also ripens about two weeks earlier in the season. Resultant wines are darker in color and fruit expression, with lower acidity. In France, the grape is known as Pinot Noir Précoce or, historically, Pinot Madeleine.
Dornfedler
Crossing?
Developed by? When?
3 facts
- Helfensteiner x Heroldrebe
- developed by August Herold in 1956 and named after a founder of the Weinsberg viticulture school, August Dornfeld.
- second most planted red grape variety
- The thick-skinned grape produces a darker, fuller style of wine than Spätburgunder but is highly vigorous in the vineyard.
- Popular in domestic market where belief is color=quality in reds
Grauburgunder
Synonym?
Region with most potential?
-When sweet botrytised what is it labeled as?
2 facts
- Pinot Gris
- shows the most potential in the southern region of Baden, across the Rhine River from Alsace.
- sweet botrytized wines are produced, labeled as Ruländer.
- Germany is actually the world’s second-largest grower of Pinot Gris, trailing Italy in total acreage.
- the wines are typically dry, with more power and richness than Italian Pinot Grigio but less outright funk than in Alsace.
Silvaner?
Crossing?
Where is it most found?
- How does it compare to Riesling?
- What are the four broad types? Which are most popular? Where are the newest clones developed?
-A Traminer (Savagnin) and Österreichisch-Weiss (“Austrian white”)
crossing.
- Found most in Franken (may be more vines in Rheinhessen, but Franken finds greatest expression)
- In comparison to Riesling, it is lower in acid, less aromatic, less fruit driven, and prone to higher levels of alcohol. (If anything, Grüner Veltliner may be a better comparison for style.) Silvaner ripens earlier than Riesling, which led many 18th- and 19th-century growers to interplant it as a form of insurance.
- There are four broad types of the variety/color mutations: Grüner (most popular; thick skin greater resistance to rot, but bitter and green character), Blauer, Roter, and Gelber—green, blue, red, and yellow.
- Newest clones developed at the Würzburg grape-breeding institute in Franken typically use Grüner and Gelber sub-varieties, for looser clusters, smaller berries, less susceptibility to botrytis, and heightened aromatics and acid structure.
Weissburgunder
Synonym?
Highs and lows of the grape?
- Pinot Blanc
- Produced all over, but strongholds are Baden and Pfalz
- Weissburgunder in Germany can be simple, innocuous, and aromatically neutral, but at the top end, it has emerged as Germany’s leading textural white grape. Acidity typically rates higher than in Grauburgunder but lower than in Riesling. Great Weissburgunder is subject to many of the same treatments in the winery as good white Burgundy.
