D4 Sparkling: Germany Flashcards
Examines the region, grapes, method of production, and styles of Sekt. (38 cards)
What is the climate of Germany, and how does that affect the grapes that will go into German Sekt?
- Cool continental climate;
- Grapes will have low potential alcohol and high acidity, which is optimal for base wines for German sparkling wine.
Why did Sekt production in Germany take off in the mid-1950s?
Sourcing of cheap base wines (outside of Germany) became available and permissible in the EU.
Today’s Sekt is:
- high volume, cheap
- low volume, expensive
High volume, cheap
What is the one method of production that Sekt is not allowed to be made in?
Carbonation
Sekt must be made through secondary fermentation
What are the four categories of Sekt?
- Sekt;
- Deutscher Sekt;
- Deutscher Sekt bA;
- Winzersekt.
Answer each bullet point.
When you see just the term Sekt on a bottle, you know that it is:
- Tank or Traditional Method?
- Juice sourced from where?
- Vinified where?
- Always Non-vintage or Vintage?
- Describe its general style.
- Tank Method;
- Sourced from inexpensive regions of southern Europe;
- Made sparkling in Germany;
- Non-vintage;
- Light fruit intensity, not autolytic, generally Brut or Extra Dry.
Note that these inexpensive Sekts generally do not even mention NV on the label (p.85)
What is the period from tirage to release for tank method Sekt?
Can only be sold six months after second fermentation has been started, with a minimum of 90 days sur lie OR 30 days if the lees are stirred.
When you see the term Deutscher Sekt on a bottle, you know that it is:
- Tank or Traditional Method?
- Juice sourced from where?
- Can it be made from one grape variety or several?
- Is it Non-vintage or Vintage?
- Can be Tank or Traditional Method;
- Sourced from Germany, although region not allowed on label;
- Can be single grape variety (minimum 85%) or blend;
- Can be Non-vintage or Vintage.
When you see the term Deutscher Sekt bA on a bottle, you know that it is:
- Tank or Traditional Method?
- Juice sourced from where?
- What does the bA stand for?
- Can be Tank or Traditional Method;
- Juice sourced from one of Germany’s 13 Anbaugebiete;
- bestimmter Anbaugebiete (“of a defined region”)
- meaning the name of region MUST appear on label, e.g. Rheinhessen
When you see the term Winzersekt on a bottle, you know that it is:
- Tank or Traditional Method?
- Details about grapes’ origin and bottling?
- Most commonly used grape?
- What must appear on the label?
- Typically what style (Brut Nature, Brut, etc.)?
- What is its general profile if made from Riesling?
- Traditional Method only;
- Estate-grown fruit and estate bottled;
- Most often Riesling (but can be Pinot varieties and others);
- Label must have: vintage, grape, producer’s name;
- Typically Brut;
- Green apple, white peach, toasty autolytic notes, high acidity.
What is the minimum amount of time Traditional Method Sekt must spend sur lie?
Traditional Method Sekt (Winzersekt) must spend a minimum of 9 months sur lie.
What is the general quality of Winzersekt, and where does the pricing hover?
- Very good to outstanding quality;
- Mid- to premium-priced.
Is Perlwein a Sekt?
Give details surrounding Perlwein - how it can be made, quality level, and permissible pressure.
Is Perlwein cheaper or more expensive than Sekt?
No, Perlwein is not Sekt.
Perlwein is a sparkling wine, also known as Secco, made either by Tank Method or carbonation.
Its base wine is inexpensive and is bottled with less than 3 atmospheres of pressure.
Perlwein is cheaper than Sekt.
What are the 7 grapes allowed in Deutscher Sekt, Deutscher Sekt BA, and Winzersekt?
Which grape makes the most prestigious Sekt?
- Riesling
- Chardonnay
- Pinot Blanc
- Pinot Grigio
- Pinot Noir
- Sylvaner
- Scheurebe
When Riesling is made into Sekt, does it go through malolactic conversion?
No, not typically – Sekt needs to retain high acidity and producers prefer to focus on Riesling’s distinctive floral, green apple and lemon primary notes rather than buttery flavors from malo.
Give a quick overview of how high volume Sekt (Tank Method) is made.
- Low-aromatic grape varietals grown in high production areas of southern EU are picked early for correct acidity and neutral aromas;
- Grapes crushed and made into base wine in the area in which they’re harvested;
- Base wine chilled;
- Base wine sent to Germany via truck or rail;
- Made sparkling using Tank Method in Germany.
Remember: Sekt can be sold 6 months after second fermentation has been started, with a minimum of 90 days sur lie or 30 days if the lees are stirred.
Go through the steps of how Tank Method Sekt is made.
- Primary fermentation happens at low temperatures to retain freshness;
- Blending - this ensures consistency for the brand;
- Secondary fermentation happens in tank;
- higher-quality Sekt will age sur lie 3-6 months;
- Filtration;
- Bottling;
- Market release.
What is the benefit of making sparkling wine using Tank Method?
Large volumes of wine can be made and released after a relatively short production cycle, reducing cost and prices.
For German-grown grapes that will go into Deutscher Sekt, Deutscher Sekt bA, or Winzersekt, when are they typically harvested?
By which method are they harvested?
- Grapes are typically picked early for sparkling wine, with underripe grapes being selected out resulting in wines with high acidity and fresh primary fruit;
- Hand harvested for higher-quality wines, machine harvested for lower quality.
In Germany, what do some producers use for dosage?
Mature sweet Riesling to add richness – typically for premium bottlings.
Perlwein is often sweeter than Sekt.
If it is labelled Trocken (dry), it can have up to ___ g/L of residual sugar.
If it is labelled as Halbtrocken (off-dry), it has between ___ to ___ g/L of residual sugar.
If it is labelled as mild, it has more than ___ g/L residual sugar.
Trocken = up to 32g/L
Halbtrocken = 33-50g/L
Mild = more than 50g/L
What percent rule does Sekt follow if there is a declared grape and vintage on the bottle?
85%
Tank Method Sekt can be sold ___ months after the second fermentation has started.
6 months
In Germany, Tank Method Sekt must spend a minimum of ___ days sur lie, or ___ days if the lees are stirred.
Minimum 90 days sur lie, or 30 days if stirred
