Quiz 06 - German tank fermented sparkling wines

Question 1

Many German sparkling wines can be made by different methods.

Please list the methods used by type of German sparkling wine.

Answer 1

Question 2

Which German sparkling wine type is described below?

Non-vintage, tank fermented wine usually made from base wines sourced from southern Europe, then made sparkling in Germany. Must spend 90 days on the lees, unless stirred, then it’s 30 days.

Answer 2

Sekt

Question 3

Which German sparkling wine type is described below?

Wine must be made from grapes grown in Germany, but the grapes can be from different regions. Can be either vintage or non-vintage. If single varietal, must be 85% that variety. Can be made from multiple varieties though.

Answer 3

Deutscher Sekt

Question 4

Which German sparkling wine type is described below?

Must be from one of the 13 designated regions of Germany, and a single region must appear on the label.

Answer 4

Deutscher Sekt bA

Question 5

Which German sparkling wine type is described below?

Must only be made from grapes grown on a single estate, then bottled on the estate. The vintage, grape variety and producer’s name must appear on the bottle. Typically made from Riesling.

Answer 5

Winzersekt

Question 6

Which German sparkling wine type is described below?

Usually less than 3 atmospheres in pressure, and often made from inexpensive base wines. Often referred to as Secco.

Answer 6

Perlwein

Question 7

Describe why a producer of a high-volume, tank fermented sparkling wine might choose to source their base wines from outside Germany, instead of using German grown grapes.

Answer 7

• For this style of sparkling wine, low aromatic varietals are preferred and these can be easily sourced in volume from Italy, Spain and France.
• The grapes are picked early to retain acidity.
• Grapes will be pressed in the country of origin and transported chilled to Germany. This reduces costs and speeds up the overall production process, thus getting the bottle to market quicker.

Question 8

Which production processes would a tank fermented German sparkling wine likely go through?

1. Single fermentation
2. First fermentation at low temperature
3. Extended ageing in bottle
4. Disgorgement
5. Blending
6. Riddling
7. Ageing on lees

Answer 8

2.), 5.) and 7.) only

Question 9

Describe in detail the laws and typical regulations relating to the production of tank-fermented Sekt.

Answer 9

Sekt must have a minimum alcohol level of 10% ABV.

The pressure of Sekt must be at least 3.5 atmospheres.

Wines sold as single varietal or vintage must be at least 85% of that variety.

Only about 10% of Sekt is exported to outside Germany.

Around 80% of Sekt production is dominated by large companies like Rotkäppchen–Mumm, Henkell & Co and Schloss Wachenheim.

Sekt is roughly split into three different price points, that retail at approximately the following prices:
* Low-end retail at up to € 4
* Standard-quality retail at up to €8
* High-quality can demand significantly higher prices.