Pfalz

Question 1

Two Bereiche of the Pfalz

Answer 1

Mittelhaardt-Deutsche Weinstrasse

Südliche Weinstrasse

Deutsche Weinstrasse= “German Wine Route”

Question 2

What are the collection of the best known vineyards in the Pfalz known as?
North to south, what are the premier wine villages?
(8)

Answer 2

North of Neustadt, it is known as Mittelhaardt-Deutsche Weinstrasse

Kallstadt
Ungstein
Bad Dürkheim
Wachenheim
Forst (reputation for most elegant wines}
Deidesheim(da-dis-heim)
Ruppertsberg
Gimmeldingen

Question 5

How much of Germany’s land under vine belongs to the Pfalz?

Answer 5

1/4 of Germany, second only to the Rheinhessen.

Question 6

What three grapes are authorized for VDP Gross Lage bottlings in the Pfalz?

Answer 6

Riesling, Spätburgunder, and Weissburgunder

Question 7

What are four examples of vineyards in Pfalz that maintained their tight boundaries (under 5 hectares), even under the 1971 wine law and reallocation under Flurbereinigung?

Answer 7

—Hohenmorgen in Deidesheim
—Forster Freundstück
—Forster Kirchenstück
—Abtsfronhof in Bad Dürkheim (alleinbeisitz of Fitz-Ritter)

Question 8

Which anbaugebiete has the largest acreage of Riesling?

Answer 8

Pfalz

-There is more Riesling in the Pfalz than in Alsace, or in the whole country of Austria, or Australia, or the United States

Question 9

How does Riesling from the Pfalz compare to Riesling from other regions?

Answer 9

In comparison to northerly regions like the Mosel, the Pfalz is warm and sunny, with a modern style of Riesling that is resoundingly dry, offering more body, weight, and alcohol than any other classic Riesling region in Germany.

Question 10

What is the finest, warmest, and most uniform site in the Mittelhaardt, if not the entire Anbaugebiet? Name three producers with wines from this site.

Answer 10

Forster Kirchenstück—the “Church parcel”. It is shared by eight owners, enclosed by a small sandstone wall, and planted entirely to Riesling,

-the small vineyard was classified in 1828 as the Bavarian kingdom’s best and sits snugly above the village, nestled between the Grosse Lagen Freundstück, Jesuitengarten, and Ungeheur.

• Von Buhl
• Bürklin-Wolf calls site the “Montrachet from the Pfalz”
• Bassermann-Jordan

Question 11

What protects the great hillside vineyards of the Mittelhaardt from wind and rain?

Answer 11

Drachenfels and other low peaks of the Haardt hills
-The top sites of the Mittelhaardt villages largely nestle between the western edge of the villages and the lower slopes of the Haardt

Question 12

Name two important sites of the Mittlehaardt south of Deidesheim

Answer 12

Königsbacher Idig and Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten

Question 13

What is the site in the Mittelhaardt that is an amphitheater-like suntrap and the finest site north of Forst?

Answer 13

Kallstadter Saumagen

Question 14

Who are the 3 B’s of the Mittelhaardt?

Which vineyard can you compare them side by side by side.

Answer 14

Reichsrat von Buhl
Bürklin-Wolf- “Biodynamic purist”
Bassermann-Jordan

Forster Kirchenstück vineyard.

Question 15

What well known producer from the Pfalz has received criticism for adding new barriques and tonneaux to his Riesling

Answer 15

Weingut von Winning. (Dr Deinhard)

Question 16

Who is known for their sweet wines in the predominantly dry Pfalz?

Answer 16

Müller-Catoir

-produces Riesling, Scheurebe, and Rieslaner in a lusher style

Question 17

Who single-handedly manufactured the reputation of Saumagen?

Answer 17

Koehler-Ruprecht

-left the VDP in 2014 after being forbidden from retaining its traditional Prädikat declarations on dry wines.

Question 18

What are the soils found in Pfalz?

Answer 18

Extremely varied and complex, with layers of red sandstone, calcium-based limestone, loess, red slate, basalt, igneous granite and alluvial gravel. Loess “luss” is oroded basalt soil.

Question 19

Name three produces from Südliche Weinstrasse

Answer 19

Ökonomierat Rebholz
Dr. Wehrheim
Friedrich Becker

Question 20

What soils characterize the top vineyards in Forst?

Answer 20

Basalt (a dark-colored, fine-grained igneous rock) Loess “luss” is eroded basalt soil.

Question 21

What was the DC Pfalz category?

Answer 21

Modeled off the Austrian DAC example. Wines were limited to trocken examples of Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Spätburgunder, and Dornfelder all at min alcohol of 12%. However, it appears short-lived and forgotten, with no major producers adopting the designation.

Question 22

What two natural features affect grape growing in Pfalz?

Answer 22

Palatinate Forest and Haardt Hills (reaching heights of 500-600 meters)

Question 23

Geographically, what two regions does the Pfalz lie between?

Answer 23

Rheinhessen from the north and Alsace from the south

Question 24

What are the Vosges Mountains called once they flow eastward into Germany from France?

Answer 24

The Haardt Hills

Question 25

How much of the Pfalz is devoted to red wine

Answer 25

Just over 1/3 or production (Jancis)

Question 26

What three producers in the Pfalz are under the same ownership, but operate as separate wineries?

Answer 26

Basserman Jordan, Von Buhl, Von Winning.

-Basserman Jordan was split into 3 properties in 1849. Von Buhl married a Basserman Jordan to take over one property, and the other was more recently retained by Von Winning (2008). All three of these producers are under the same ownership, but operate as separate wineries.