Germany Flashcards
What area of land is planted with vines in Germany; what is production?
Total area planted is around 100.000 ha; 64% is white wine (comparing to 87% in 1985); total production of 9.25 million hectoliters.
What are most planted Germany White Varieties?
Riesling is most planted with 22.5%; then Müller-Thurgau with 13%; follows Silvaner; Grauburgunder; and Weißburgunder in the range of 4-5%.
What are most planted Germany Red Varieties?
Spätburgunder is the most planted red variety with 11.5%; follows Dornfelder with 8%; Portugieser 4%; and Trollinger 2.5%.
What German regions are found in climatic zone A?
All German wine-growing regions except Baden.
What is Amtliche Prufungsnumer (A.P.Nr.)?
The Amtliche Prufungsnumer (control number) which each label carries is in five sets; example: 2 607 030 07 06;
The first set identifies the examining panel: in this case the 2 represents Bernkastel; the second block 607 identifies where the wine was bottled; the third 030 is the official number of the bottle; the fourth 07 identifies this as seventh bottling of the year; and the final number 06 is the year the wine was tested. This nuber is often; but not always; one year after the wine was made.
What is Prädikat?
The different Prädikat designations differ in terms of the required must weight; the sugar content of the grape juice; and the level required is dependent on grape variety and wine-growing region and is defined in terms of the Oechsle scale. In fact the must weight is seen as a rough indicator of quality (and price).
What are requirements for Kabinett?
(67-85 Oechsle) Term for a wine which is made from fully ripened grapes of the main harvest; typically picked in September; and in theory it should be the lightest Prädikatswein;
Kabinett wine is semi-sweet (lieblich) by default; but may be dry (trocken) or off-dry (halbtrocken) if designated so.
What are requirements for Spätlese?
Meaning “late harvest” (76-95 Oechsle); The grapes are picked at least 7 days after normal harvest; so they are riper and have a higher must weight.;
As both QbA and Kabinett are produced from grapes that have not fully ripened; Spätlese can more accurately be seen as the first level of German wine to be produced from ripe grapes.
Not necessarily sweet.
What are requirements for Auslese?
This means ‘selective harvest’ (83-105 Oechsle); The grapes are picked from selected very ripe bunches in the autumn (late November-early December).
Some of the grapes may have been attacked by Botrytis Cinerea to give Edelfaule (noble rot).
Resulting wines are sweeter but sometimes they will be made in the dry style Trocken.
What are requirements for Beerenauslese?
Selected grapes’ (110-128 Oechsle); The grapes are generally dehydrated by botrytis; produced in very small quantities.
With no chaptalization; this means that the wine has a minimum potential strength of between 15.3 and 18.1 percent by volume; but only 5.5 percent need actually be alcohol; with residual sugar accounting for the rest.
What German regions are found in climatic zone B?
Baden
What are requirements for Trockenbeerenauslese?
Dried up selected berries (150-154 Oechsle); Made only in exceptional years; when Edelfaule has affected the grapes and they have been left to shrivel up on the vine.
In comparison to Sauternes; the wines are considerably sweeter; have a lower alcoholic strength and are usually not oaked.
Dessert wine.
What are requirements for Eiswein?
Made from grapes which have been left on the vine well into winter; and have been frozen prior to picking.
The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze; but the water does; allowing a more concentrated grape must to be pressed from the frozen grapes; resulting in a smaller amount of more concentrated; very sweet wine.
What is Bereich?
This is a district within an Anbaugebiet spanning many parishes and vineyards which all produce wine with similar characteristics; for example Bereich Bernkastel.
What is Gemeinde?
A German word for “community” or “village.” On German wine labels the name of the Gemeinde (appended with an er; which converts it to an adjective) precedes that of the Grosslage or Einzellage.
For example; the Einzellage named Mäuerchen associated with the village named Geisenheim appears on the label as “Geisenheimer Mäuerchen”; the Grosslage named Auflangen associated with the town of Nierstein appears as “Niersteiner Auflangen.”
What is Grosslage?
This is the name for a collection of vineyard sites; for example Rosengarten for the vineyards surrounding Rudesheim in the Nahe.
What is Einzellage?
This is an individual vineyard site. The names of these sites are only permitted to be used on the label of QbA and Pradikatswein wines.
What is “Classic”?
It must be dry in taste (not stated on the label); the RS content can be twice as high as the acidity; up to a maximum of 15 grams per liter; finished wines have at least 12% ABV (Mosel 11.5%).;
It must be made from a traditional grape varietiety; and originate from one region which must be noted on the label along with the name of the producer. No vineyard name on label. ;
Classic wines are made exclusively from one grape variety - with one exception: a Trollinger-Lemberger cuvée is permitted in Württemberg.
What is “Selection”?
Selection was also introduced in 2000. In addition to the criteria for Classic wine; the grapes must be a single varietal; hand-picked and from one vineyard site; all of which must be noted on the label; and it must be at least 12.2 per cent ABV.
There are restrictions on yield and the wine may not be released until the September of the year following the harvest. Yields max. 60 hl/ha.
Up to 9 grams per liter RS; except Riesling where RS can be 1.5 times as high as the acidity; up to a maximum of 12 grams per liter.
What is The Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP)?
National German association of producers committed to top quality wine production founded in 1910 which promotes their wines through a new; three-tier hierarchy and a more restrictive classification of einzellagen than the government provides.
Traditional Prädikat level sweet wines will still be produced on these sites but are not part of the VDP classification.
What is the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter three tier classification?
At the top is Grosse Gewächs followed by Klassifizierte Lagenweine (Ortsweine/Terroirwein) and at the bottom are Gutsweine.
What are Grosse Gewächs?
Hand-harvested single vineyards with a maximum yield of 50 hl/ha. The required minimum must weight is equivalent to Spätlese;
They are legally considered trocken and may not contain more than 9 g/l of residual sugar.
Terms such as “Grosses Gewächs” do not actually appear on the label “GG” is used in its place.
In addition to the Erste Lage logo; capsules on all member estates’ bottles must show the VDP logo.
What is Klassifizierte Lagenweine / Ortsweine / Terroirwein?
Yields for these wines rise to 65 hl/ha; and minimum must weight and approved grape varietals are determined by region.
Ortsweine are wines from specific regions or villages—but not grosslagen or bereiche ; as the VDP has forbidden the use of these terms from member estates’ labels.
No restrictions on the taste profile (may be dry or sweet)
What is Gutsweine?
These wines are designed to reflect an estate’s basic house style; and are comprised of traditional grapes from the each region.
Grapes destined for Gutsweine are permitted a maximum yield of 75 hl/ha. and have a higher must weight than that prescribed by law
What are German Regions that produce more red than white?
Ahr and Wurttemberg.
What are most important Ahr Varieties?
Four out of five bottles of Ahr wine are red with Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) the dominant variety. Riesling comprise just 8 percent of the region’s vines. Other varieties Portugieser and Muller-Thurgau.
What are most important Mittelrhein Varieties?
Riesling is planted on 69 per cent of the area under vine; Muller-Thurgau around 7 per cent and Spätburgunder accounts for just 8 per cent .
What are most important Mosel Varieties?
Riesling (56.8%); Müller-Thurgau (16.1%); Elbling (7.2%) and (7%) Kerner. The rest is other German crossings.
It is interesting that about 40 per cent of the vines are the original European vines; not those grafted on to American roots; as phylloxera appears to dislike the slate soil.
What are most important Rheingau Varieties?
Riesling (78.2%); Spätburgunder (12.7%); Müller-Thurgau (1.9%) as well as Ehrenfelser; Kerner and Weissburgunder.
What are most important Rheinhessen Varieties?
Müller-Thurgau (18%); Dornfelder (12.5%); Silvaner (10.3%); Riesling (10.1%) as well as many new crossings; e.g. Kerner; Scheurebe; Bacchus; Faberrebe and Huxelrebe; and the red varieties Portugieser; and Spätburgunder.
What are most important Pfalz Varieties?
Riesling (20.4%); Dornfelder (13.2%); Müller-Thurgau (12.2%); Portugieser (10.7%) as well as Kerner; Silvaner; Scheurebe; Spätburgunder; Morio-Muskat; Weissburgunder and a small quantity of the specialty Gewürztraminer.
What are most important Nahe Varieties?
Riesling (25.1%); Müller-Thurgau (15.6%); Dornfelder (10.1%) as well as Silvaner; Kerner; Scheurebe; Bacchus and the red varieties Spätburgunder; Portugieser.
What is the German sunniest and driest region?
The Pfalz is the sunniest and driest wine-producing region in Germany; sheltered by the Haardt Mountains (Vosgues extension) and Donnersberg hills.
What are most important Franken Varieties?
Müller-Thurgau (36.1%); Silvaner (20.7%); Bacchus (12.4%) as well as Kerner; Riesling; Spätburgunder; Scheurebe and a small quantity of the specialty Rieslaner; a white variety.
Name Bereich`s found in Mosel?
Bereich Bernkastel is the most famous.
Others are: Moseltor; Obermosel; Saar; Ruwertal; and Burg Cochem (previously known as Zell).
Name Bereich`s found in Rheingau?
Bereich Johannisberg is the only bereich in the Rheingau and covers the whole region.
Name Bereich`s found in Rheinhessen?
Nierstein; Wonnegau; Bingen.
Name Bereich`s found in Pfalz?
Südliche Weinstrasse and Mittelhaardt Deutsche Weinstrasse
What is Charta Estates Association?
In 1984 an organization called Charta was formed to promote the classic; dry style of Riesling from the Rheingau. 100 per cent own-estate production; only Riesling handpicked by tries; min. of 12 percent potential alcohol; max. production of 50 hl/ha; no Prädikat may be mentioned.
Why is village of Assmanshause unique?
Assmanshause is different from the other Rheingau villages as it produces more red wines than white (60 per cent is Spatburgunder).
What German Region has the most land planted with vines?
Rheinhessen, but Liebfraumilch is the main wine produced in this area.
What kind of wine is Liebfraumilch?
Liebfraumilch today can be a blend from Rheingau; Rheinhessen; Pfalz or the Nahe.
It must be a QbA wine from one of these four areas and must contain a min of 70 per cent of Riesling; Muller-Thurgau; Silvaner or Kerner.
It is a semi-sweet wine (min 18 g/l rs).
Name Bereich`s found in Nahe?
Nahetal.
Only German region to produce more red than white wine is?
Wurttemberg.
Describe different color seals on German wine labels?
Trocken (dry) wines bear a bright yellow seal; lime green seals identify halbtrocken (off-dry) wines; and red seals are reserved for wines that are sweeter.
In German what means Burgunder?
The German word “Burgunder” denotes a member of the Pinot family; e.g. Spätburgunder (late-ripening Pinot Noir); Frühburgunder (earlier-ripening Pinot Noir); Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris); or Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc).
Schwarzriesling and Pinot Meunier are synonyms; as are Rivaner and Müller-Thurgau.
What is a Perlwein?
Perlwein is a carbonated wine with 1 - 2.5 atmospheres. The carbon dioxide is produced during fermentation and/or added before bottling. It is sold simply as Perlwein or; if the components are from one specified region; Qualitätsperlwein b.A.
What are most important Baden Varieties?
Müller-Thurgau (20.8%); Spätburgunder (35.1%); Grauburgunder; Riesling and Gutedel (ca. 7-9% each) as well as Weissburgunder; Silvaner and Gewürztraminer.
What are most important Saale-Unstrut Varieties?
German northernmost region. Müller-Thurgau (21.8%); Silvaner (8.7%); Weissburgunder (11.7%) as well as Kerner; Riesling and Traminer (ca. 6% each). Portugieser is the main red variety; followed by Spätburgunder and Dornfelder.
What are the best Franken Vineyards?
The best wines are produced from the vineyards around Wurzburg; there are two outstanding vineyards: Stein and Leiste.
Wines produced from the Wurzburger Stein vineyards are permitted to be called Steinwein; other Franken wines are not.
Where you can find Bocksbeutal?
Only Franken and nearby villages in northern Baden are allowed to use the Bocksbeutal; an ellipsoidal bottle that is protected by the European Union.
More than 40% of all Franken wines are bottled in this kind of bottle.
German`s warmest region is?
Baden. This is the German`s warmest region and only one to be classified as zone B (every other German region is in chilly Zone A) under the European Union’s vineyard climate classification.
What is Trester?
Brandy Distilled from Grape Pomace. Trester is the German equivalent of French Marc or Italian Grappa.
What is Hefebrand or Weinhefe?
Brandy Distilled from the Lees. Hefebrand is a brandy distilled from the lees; i.e. the yeast-rich sediment that remains after the grape juice has fermented into wine. Richer; rounder and softer than Trester; Hefebrand has a more vinous character.
What is Weinbrand?
Brandy Distilled from Grape Wine. The German equivalent of French Cognac; Weinbrand is a brandy distilled from grape wine.
It is usually softer and milder than its French counterpart.
What is Traubenbrand?
Grape Schnapps.
Traubenbrand is a spirit distilled from whole or crushed grapes without the addition of sugar; substances containing sugar or alcohol.
It has a strength of 38 percent alcohol.
What is the name of river which rises in the Vosges Mountains and joins the Mosel at Konz; near Trier?
Saar.
What is Müller-Thurgau?
This crossing was developed in 1882 by a Dr Hermann Müller; born in the Swiss canton of Thurgau but then working at the German viticultural station at Geisenheim.
Riesling × Madeleine Royale.
