Mosel Flashcards
When did Mossel-Saar-Ruwer get divided?
August 1, 2007
What bottle feature is commonly encountered on Auslese bottlings in Mosel?
Goldkapsel-a gold-colored capsule.
What are the six bereiche of Mosel?
—Bernkastel (largest, most of the Mosel’s greatest gemeinden and einzellagen are located; holds 2/3 of the Mosel’s vineyard area.)
—Burg Cochem “CO-hem” (often referred to as Terrassenmosel or Lower Mosel)
—Saar
—Ruwertal
—Obermosel (Upper Mosel)
—Moseltor (covers a scant handful of vines in the Saarland, near Obermosel.)
What is the largest bereiche in the Mosel?
Bernkastel (occupying a stretch of the Mosel from Trier to Zell)
What is the soil found in Mosel?
Dark Blue Devonian slate, although red slate characterizes the vineyards near Erden.
Why is blue slate perfect for cultivation in the Mosel?
Blue slate retains heat and the river reflects warmth onto the vines, allowing them to ripe in a region where the annual average temp is 49° F—8° colder than the grapevine’s ideal annual temperature.
What are the two main tributaries of the Mosel River?
Saar and Ruwer
Who overtook Mosel for Europe’s largest cultivator of Riesling? When?
Pfalz in the mid-2000’s
What two ranges does the Mosel river flow through?
Hunsrück hills and the Eifel Mountains
What anbaugebiet has the earliest evidence of winegrowing in Germany? When?
The Mosel. Imported by the Romans viticulture first prospered at the end of the 3rd century CE, after Probus lifted the imperial prohibition on winegrowing in Rome’s provinces.
How was the Mosel style of Kabinet Riesling born?
Mosel began a tradition of producing lightly sweet, low-alcohol Riesling wines in the 19th century. Before the advent of sterile filtration, this could only be accomplished with a heavy dose of sulfur, and with it, the Mosel style of Kabinett Riesling was born, offering a clear alternative to the heavier dry styles of the Rheingau and elsewhere.
How long is the Mosel river? Where does the river stretch?
545 kilometers (338 miles). The longest tributary of the Rhine River.
It begins in the Vosges Mountains in France, home of Moselle AOP, and forms Luxembourg’s border with Germany. It then carves a winding path for more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) through Germany to the city of Koblenz, where it converges with the Rhine.
What parallel is the Mosel on?
50th parallel. One of the coolest climates for winegrowing.
What climatic influences affect the ability to grow wine in Mosel? (5)
- the moderating effect of the river
- the orientation of the vineyard
- aspect of the vineyard
- altitude
- exposure to wind
What is the growing season and annual average temperature of the Mosel?
10° C (50° F), and the typical growing season is compressed to about 100 days. (Global warming notwithstanding)
-tweaks and amplifications of climate can extend that by 40-50 days at best.
Where are the warmest vineyards in the Mosel located?
South and Southwest facing slopes along the Mosel River itself where sunlight and temperature are magnified, and such slopes produce the best wines.
How does soil color and composition play a role in ripening the vines in the Mosel?
The thin, sandy topsoil of the Mosel is typically covered with tiles of broken slate, carried up the slopes and strewn about the vineyards, to collect heat and prevent erosion of the soil beneath. The soil’s trademark element, Devonian slate, helps to defuse nighttime lows and limit diurnal variation by releasing heat stored throughout the day into the canopy. Devonian slate is found in both dark blue and red variations; the effect is intensified with dark-colored slate, the more common variation. The broken, weathered soil also affords excellent drainage.
What is the trademark soil in the Mosel? What are the two types? List three ways it helps ripening?
Devonian slate (Dark Blue and red variations)
- helps to defuse nighttime lows and limit diurnal variation by releasing heat stored throughout the day into the canopy.
- the broken, weathered soil also affords excellent drainage.
- the soils have also served to limit the incursion of phylloxera. The bug is present, but it cannot thrive, leaving a few pockets of centurion vines in the valley
Without such dry, well-drained, heat-retaining soils, ripening would be delayed.