Wine Regions, Labelling Terms & Wine Business Flashcards
What’s Bereich?
What’s Eizenllagen?
What’s Grosslagen?
Where can Eizenllagen and Grosslagen be used (quality levels)?
- Bereich = wine district
- Eizenllagen = individual vineyard sites
- Grosslagen = several Eizenllagen
- Eizenllagen & Grosslagen can only be used in Qualitatswein & Pradikatswein
What does VDP mean?
Why was it created?
What are the 2 fundamental principles of VDP?
Standards & regulations (7)
Provenance: four-tier vineyard classification system
- Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweingutter.
- VDP was created because of the issues surrounding the Einzellage / Grosslage system.
- higher standards, tighther regulations: a) much lower yields; b) higher minimum must weights; c) predominatly the traditional grape varieties for the region; d) members are audited every 5 years; e) encourages sustainable viticulture; f) dry wines must be labelled Qualitatswein trocken; g) pradikat levels only for sweet wines.
- Anonther fundamental principle of VDP is the emphasize provenance, with 4 categories.
- VDP Gutswein = regional wines
- VDP Ortswein = equivalent to village wines in Burgundy
- VDP Erste Lage = ‘first class’, equivalent to 1er Cru
- VDP Grosse Lage = equivalent to Burgundy grand cru.
Where is it located?
Size (in terms of % of land under vine)
Climate and what influences it?
Bulk wine (location) x quality wine production (location)
- location: northern Germany, north of Pfalz and south of Rheingau.
- 1/4 of German vineyards.
- climate: warm & dry, protected by surrounding mountains.
- most of the vineyards are planted on the warm, fertile, valley floors.
- Bulk wine production dominates; quality wine production is small and dominated by small estates & coops.
- quality wine production is centered close to the river Rhine because of its moderating influence.
Location
Influence of the Haardt Mountains
Majority of plantings?
Northern Pfalz: 4 facts
Southern Pflaz: 3 facts
- location: narrow strip of vineyards located between the Haardt Mountains (Vosges Mountains) and the Rhine plain to the east; south of Rheinhessen.
- Haardt Mountains have the same effect as the Vosges Mountains in Alsace: a) rain shadow; b) shelters the region from westerly cool weather; c) dry & warm; d) drought can be an issue.
- majority of plantings are of white grapes = 65%.
- Northern Pfalz: a) steep south facing slopes; b) soils: basalt, limestone, sandstone and clay; c) fuller bodied Rieslings; d) famous areas: Deideshein, Forst, Pechstein, Ungeheuer.
- Southern Pfalz: a) more fertile sandstone soils; b) was traditionally an area for inexpensive wines; c) quality has increased.
Location
Main geographical factors (4)
Most planted variety?
Black x white varieties?
Why is Baden ideal for the production of high volume, inexpensive wines?
What are the proeminent white varieties in Baden?
- location: stretches from the north, parallel to Pfalz, all the way to the Swiss border, parallel to Alsace.
- main geographical factors: a) main vineyard opposite Alsace, eastern side of the Rhine; b) benefits from the rain shadow from the Vosges; c) most southern region in Germany; d) the last two coupled makes it the warmest, sunniest and driest region in Germany.
- most planted variety: Spatburgunder, often oaked to add complexity.
- 59% of plantings are white varieties.
- due to its dry, warm conditions, Baden is ideal for the production of high volume, inexpensive wines.
- Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder and Chardonnay are more prominent than Riesling.
Location?
Reputation?
Why is site selction important here?
Where are the best sites? (3 factors to consider)
Wine style
Styles produced (3 considerations)
Factors affecting the price? (3)
World’s largest Riesling producer?
- location: southwestern Germany, west of Pfals, Rheingau and Rheinhessen, bordering with Luxenburg.
- best well-known German wine region.
- site selection is important: one of the northern-most wine regions in Germany.
- split in 3 sections: Upper Mosel, Middle Mosel, Lower Mosel. Most of the best vineyards are located in Middle Mosel.
- best sites: a) south facing sites; b) steep slopes overlooking the Mosel (reflected sunlight); c) dark-cololured slate soils (radiates heat).
- wine style: paler in colour, higher in acid, ligher in body, pronounced floral, citrus and green fruit aromas.
- styles produced: a) drier wines are increasingly more popular; b) strong reputation for sweeter styles (Kabinett, Spatlese and Auslese); c) winters are cold enough to produce Eiswein.
- factors affecting the price: a) steep slopes (labour intensive); b) lower yields from BA & TBA production; c) quality of many Mosel Rieslings.
- world’s largest Riesling producer: coop Moselland (20% of Mosel’s wine by volume).
Location
Climate (4 considerations)
Which colour variety accounts for most of the plantings?
Most planted grape variety?
Most distinctive wines?
- locate west of Frankfurt, west of Rheinhessen and Rheigau.
- most continental climate of Germany’s wine regions: a) warmer summers; b) shorter growing seasons; c) harsh winters; d) spring frost are a particular hazard.
- white grapes account for over 80% of total plantings.
- Muller-Thurgau is the most planted variety; Riesling is a small proportion.
- Silvaner produces some of the region’s most distinctive wines, full bodied, floral and wet stone aromas.
Location
Geographical factors (3)
Best sites (3 factors)
Proportion of plantings of white grape varieties
Home of Germany’s most famous estates (cite 1)
- located north of Rheinhessen, west of Frankfurt.
- small but highly prestigious region.
- geographical factors: a) protected from northerly winds by the Taunus Mountains; b) Rhine has a moderating influence (up to 1km wide here); c) Rhine increases humidty = perfect conditions for botrytis.
- best sites: a) south facing slopes; b) mid-slope (moderating influence from Rhine but far enough to avoid humidty); c) soil types: sand, loam.
- white grapes: 86% of plantings (Riesling = 72%).
- focus is on quality, with much lower yields than the rest of Germany.
- home of some of Germany’s most famous estates, such as Schloss Johannisberg.
Vineyard ownership considerations
Reasons for the reduction in number of growers (3)
Importance of merchant houses (2)
Importance of coops (3)
International x domestic markets
Main export markets
- vineyard ownership: a) dropped by 20% recently; b) land under vine increased slighlty; c) increase was in flatter areas = bulk wine production.
- reasons for reduction in number of growers: a) stee vineyards = high labour cost; b) low yields particularly for sweeter wines; c) farming / producing such wines is unsustainble (wine price x what customers are prepared to pay).
- merchant houses importance: a) buy grapes from many producers; b) produces high volume wines at more affordable prices.
- importance of coops: a) first country to establish coops; b) coops absorb / vinify 30% of the total German vineyard area; c) many coops are now focusing on small-volume / high quality wines.
- 10% export x 90% domestic market.
- main export markets: UK, Netherlands, UK, Norway, Sweeden.
