Germany © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 8

Germany

© 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 8


Objectives

• After reading this chapter, you should be able to– describe Germany’s climate and

geography.– discuss the German wine laws.– explain how to decipher information on

a German wine label.– describe the styles of wine produced in

each major region.


Introduction (continued)

• Anecdotally speaking, in the United States the least understood and most underappreciated category of wine is German whites. – In the 1960s and early 1970s, the bulk of German

wine to reach the United States was of inferior quality, and slightly sweet.

– These heavily marketed brands dominated the U.S. market, so consumers came to assume that all German wines are slightly sweet whites.

– In actuality, 15 percent of German wine production is red, and most of her whites are dry.


Introduction (continued)

• Another factor that has worked against their wider acceptance in this market is the indecipherability of German labels. – German wine labels provide more explicit

information than those of any other country.

– Until one knows what to look for, they can be difficult to decipher.


German Wine—Historical Perspective

• Viticulture was brought to what is now Germany by the Romans during the time of the expansion of the Roman Empire. – In AD 570 the poet Venantius Fortunatus

mentions steeply terraced vineyards along the Mosel River near the city of Trier.

– Up until the time of Charlemagne, from 768 to 814, vineyards were concentrated on the west side of the Rhine River (the German spelling is Rhein).


German Wine—Historical Perspective(continued)

– Areas to the east of the Rhein, beyond the scope of Roman occupation, were not planted until later, as Christian monks moved into these districts.

– In Franken, for instance, monks started planting vineyards in the eighth century, and Bavaria was widely planted to grapevines during the seventh century.


• As in other parts of Europe during the Middle Ages, it was the Church and its monasteries that maintained the tradition of making fine wines. – They also provided the principal market for

wine, both for consumption with their meals and for use in the sacraments.

– Some of Germany’s most famous vineyards were planted and tended by religious orders.



• As viticultural practices improved and acreage increased, wine began to be exported.– Part of the commerce in wine was controlled

by the aristocracy, and the princes stepped in to collect their share of excise taxes and tariffs.

– The wine merchants traded German wine for heavier red wines from France, and to Scandinavia for fish and grain, and to England for grain and other foodstuffs.



• The Thirty Year’s War (1618–1648) dealt a blow to Germany’s wine trade and vineyards. – By the late 1700s, winemaking and trade

recovered, and a concerted effort was made to evolve a system of wine regulations and to simplify the naming of wines.

– Authorities discouraged landowners from planting vineyards in poor locations.

– In the early nineteenth century, internal customs and tariffs slowly disappeared and transportation was improved opening up the market.



• In the later nineteenth century the first attempts were made to produce dessert wines of specially selected or late-harvest grapes. – By 1830 the a system of quality control laws was

initiated. – States passed ordinances defining quality levels. – At this time several German states passed laws

declaring that grapes within a vineyard were to be harvested at different times depending on ripeness.

– Fortunately, a German scientist, Ferdinand Oechsle, had recently invented a method for measuring the sugar levels in grapes.



• In 1892 the first national Wine Law was passed defining the borders of wine regions and spelling out which winemaking practices were acceptable. – Through the nineteenth century the

emphasis on quality in wine production continued.

– The government became involved through legislation to assist in exporting wines and established institutions for research in viticulture and winemaking.



• As German wines became more competitive, owners of small plots of land joined to form cooperatives, which remain an important influence in German winemaking.

• At the end of the nineteenth century Germany’s progress towards production of high quality wines was slowed by the introduction of phylloxera and powdery mildew.



• In the first half of the twentieth century, the German wine trade was set back by the two world wars, as was every aspect of Germany’s economy and culture. – The wars left vineyards decimated, labor supply

limited as two generations of men were lost, and foreign markets adverse to German products.

– Fortunately, viticulture did survive due to the dedicated efforts of private landowners and the increasing effectiveness of the winemaking cooperatives.



German Wine Today

• Between 1950 and 2000, the German wine trade made enormous strides forward. – The demand for slightly sweet and

affordable wines increased in Europe and North America during the 1960s and 1970s, which led to an increase is allowable yields.

– Despite that weakening in quality control, Germany’s best estates continued to produce some truly world-class wines.


German Wine Today (continued)

• As tastes turned to more dry wines imports of German wine into the United States fell off precipitously, from almost 5,000,000 cases in 1980 to 1,800,000 cases in 2003.

• As we move on into the twenty-first century, there has emerged a contest between those producers whose emphasis is on high-quality wines versus those producers who want to produce mediocre wine to fill growing demand in domestic and European markets.


German Wine Laws

• Germany’s quality control laws are among the most strict and thorough. – The country’s many efforts to ensure

quality and consistency have created a system that is so complicated as to be counterproductive.

– As Germany moves into the twenty-first century, its wine laws need to be streamlined, and the labels need to be easier to read.


German Wine Laws (continued)

• The Wine Law of 1892 had defined regional boundaries and forbade certain winemaking practices. – It was amended in 1909, and in 1930

many of the deficiencies of earlier laws were corrected.

– The definition of “quality wine” was refined, levels of quality were outlined, and certain winemaking practices that had led to inferior wines were abolished.


German Wine Laws (continued)

• However, vineyard boundaries were often unclear, and quality levels were difficult to discern.– Finally, in 1971, in response to pressures

from the E.U. and to market forces, the German government overhauled its wine laws.

– The 1971 law is greatly simplified, and with a few changes it is still the basis for producing and labeling German wines.


Wine Categories

• In the Wine Law of 1971 all vineyards are registered, and quality depends not on location or yield, but on the level of ripeness at harvest.– This method of measuring quality may be

precise, but it ignores the concept of terroir, the idea that the vineyard site can impart distinct character to wine.

– Critics further object to the 1971 law in that it encourages production of sweeter wines while the market is leaning toward drier wines.


Wine Categories (continued)

• Germany has divided its wine production into four main groups:– Tafelwein: Table wine or ordinary wine– Landwein: Regional wine– Qualitätswein bestimmter

Anbaugebiete (often written as QbA): Quality wine.

– Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (also written as QmP): Quality wine with designation.


Tafelwein

• The designation of “table wine” signifies everyday wine, produced with little stipulations. Consumed locally, it is rarely exported. – As little as 2 percent of German wine production is

in this category. – Plain Tafelwein can have grapes grown outside

Germany blended in. For Deutscher Tafelwein there are four large regions defined:

• Mosel und Rhein• Bayern• Neckar• Oberrhein


Landwein

• This designation, added in 1982 to parallel France’s vin de pays designation, is rarely used. – This wine is assumed to be a higher quality

than Tafelwein as there are some production guidelines.

– The regions defined for Landwein are smaller than, and fit within, the four Tafelwein regions.

– There are 19 Landwein regions, and the region must show on the label.


Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete

• This lower level of Germany’s quality wine production encompasses the largest percentage of German production. – The term means “quality wine from a

specified geographic location.” Standards of quality must be met.

– The grapes must be of authorized varieties and must reach a specified ripeness.

– Varietal and regions mentioned on the label must be at least 85 percent.


Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (continued)

• The grapes must have been grown in one of the 13 approved regions or Anbaugebiete.– These 13 regions are then subdivided into

designations of first a district or village, and second, a vineyard or group of vineyards.

– The name of the wine will incorporate the district and the vineyard site.

– Chaptalization, or the adding of natural sugars, is allowed at this level.


Qualitätswein mit Prädikat

• The highest category for wines in Germany, this is translated as “quality wine with designation.”– It signifies geographic location and level of ripeness

of the grapes at the time of harvest. – The name of the wine will have at least three words

in it: the village, the vineyard (either Grosslage or Einzallage), and the Prädikat or ripeness of the grapes.

– No chaptalization of wines is allowed, and the regulation on 85 percent minimum for grape varietal and geographic designation holds.


Prädikats, or Special Designations

• There are six Prädikats. In ascending order of ripeness, these designations are:– Kabinett: From the word for “cabinet,”

this category is the lightest and the driest of the Prädikat wines.

– Spätlese: From the German word for “late,” these grapes are harvested at higher sugar and make a slightly off-dry wine.



(continued)

– Auslese: Meaning “selected,” the grapes at this level are picked later still, when the sugar content has risen to a level that produces decidedly off-dry wine.

• These three designations are all table wines and are meant to be served during the meal.


• The last three designations fall into the category of dessert wines and are truly sweet.– Beerenauslese: Translated literally as “selected

berries,” this designation signifies grapes with high levels of sugar and some boytritis (noble rot).

– Eiswein: Eiswein is also sweet, but it is not fully boytritised. The grapes are frozen on the vine then picked and pressed while frozen, leaving ice crystals behind concentrating the sugar in the juice.


(continued)


– Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA): “Selected dried berries” are picked late and are infected with boytritis, and are highly concentrated in sugar. In some vintages no TBA can be produced, and when it is made, the quantities are small so the price is very high.


(continued)


Reading German Wine Labels

• Deciphering a German wine label is not as complicated as many Americans think. – In general the label of a Qualitätswein

contains all the information the consumer needs.

– Bear in mind the adage about wines getting better and more distinctive the smaller and more specific the geographic designation on the label.


Revision to the Wine Laws

• As was stated earlier, there is considerable dissatisfaction with Germany’s existing wine laws, and with how those laws are interpreted on labels.

• Producers, wine consumers, importing and marketing companies, and government officials—all are raising concerns about the effectiveness of the present situation.


New Terms and Ratings

• The traditional style for German white wines has been off-dry. – Due to the acidity of German whites

they can carry off a less-than-bone-dry style without being cloying.

– Temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks allow a slow, cool fermentation producing an aromatic and complex wine.


New Terms and Ratings (continued)

– In response to market demand, many producers have wanted to reduce or eliminate residual sugar.

– In 1982, the government approved an amendment to the Wine Laws of 1971 authorizing the use of the labeling terms Trocken (“dry”) and Halbtrocken (“half-dry”).



• In 2000, new label terminology was approved allowing the use of the terms Classic and Selection.– Classic wines are made from only traditional

grape varietals, and a wine must be 100 percent one varietal. (Twenty-two grapes are approved for Classic wines, specific ones for each of the 13 regions.)

– Selection wines have twenty-two varietals that are approved and the vineyard name is listed on the label.



• The vineyards noted for producing the highest quality grapes were recognized in the Wine Law of 1971 by being designated as individual Einzellagen. – Some producers are working toward official

recognition vineyards through a classification system.

– This group of vintners, called the First Growth Committee, are all from high-quality estates in the Mosel, the Rheingau, the Pfalz, and Rheinhessen.

– By 2000, the process of selecting the rated vineyards had been completed only in the Rheingau.


The Wine Regions of Germany

• Germany is one of the northernmost fine wine regions in the world and has a continental climate.– Eighty percent of Germany’s vineyards are planted

along steep river banks allowing vines maximum sun exposure.

– It takes three times as many man-hours to tend the vines on steep, terraced vineyards along Germany’s rivers than is the case for flat rolling terrain.

– Most of Germany’s 100,000 grape growers do not make their own wines, but sell their grapes to the 26,000 winemaking facilities.


The Wine Regions of Germany (continued)

• Due to the volatility of its climate and difficulty of working the steep vineyards, Germany produces a very small percentage of the world’s wine (about 5 percent).

• Germany is by far the largest importer of wine in the European Union, primarily from France and Italy.


Grape Varietals

• Eighty-five percent of Germany’s vineyards are planted to white grapes. Among the cool-climate, early ripening grapes that thrive in Germany are:– Riesling: accounts for 25 percent of vineyards. – Müller-Thurgau: now planted in approximately 20

percent of German vineyards. It is widely used in everyday blended wines, such as Liebfraumilch.

– Silvaner: useful as a blending grape, it is presently less than 7 percent of total acreage.

– Pinot Noir: called Spätburgunder in Germany, is on the rise, presently accounting for 8 percent of vineyards.


Grape Varietals (continued)

• There are over 20 other grapes grown in Germany, from the obscure such as Limberger and Gutedel to the better known like Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder) and Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder). – Two rare red grapes that have shown small

increases in the past several years are the Dornfelder and the Portugieser.

– Surprisingly, Gewürztraminer, which is popular across the border in Alsace, is not widely grown in Germany.


The Wine Regions of Germany

• The vineyards of the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer can be divided into five subregions: – the Saar, the Upper Mosel, the Ruwer, the

Middle Mosel, and the Lower Mosel • These subregions correspond roughly

to the six official Bereiche: – Saar, Ruwertol, Obermosel, Moseltor,

Bernkastel, and Zellwich. • The six Bereiche are further divided into 19

Grosslagen and 525 Einzellagen.


The Saar

• The westernmost vineyards are found along the Saar, southwest of Trier. – Many of the estates along the Saar date

from the thirteenth century. – Most of the vineyards along the Saar are

grouped together in the Grosslage Scharzberg.

– The most famous of these vineyards is the Scharzhofberg, an Einzellage near the village of Wiltenger.


Upper Mosel

• The Upper Mosel region, roughly the area between the two tributaries, is similar in terrain and climate to the Saar region. – Outside of the city of Trier, the countryside

here is decidedly rural and very picturesque. – There are few private estates in this region.

Most of the cultivating and harvesting of grapes is done by one large local cooperative.


The Ruwer

• The vineyards of the Ruwer cover about a 6 mile stretch, starting at the village of the same name and extending to the confluence with the Mosel River. – The vineyards here are a little more sheltered

than along the Saar. The soil is less rocky, and there is a higher content of humus in the soil.

– These two factors combine to give Ruwer wines a little more ripeness and a more fully developed fruitiness than those from the Saar.


The Subregion of Bernkastel

• The subregion (and Bereich) of Bernkastel starts at the confluence of the Ruwer and Mosel and continues downstream almost to Zell. – It is named for the town of Bernkastel, which lies

in the middle of the region. – Exceptional vineyards are located in several

villages along the river, starting with Treppchen in the village of Erden and progressing through Urzig where the Würztgarten vineyard is located and Wehlen with its pretty Sonnenuhr vineyard.


The Lower Mosel

• At the town of Zell, one moves into the Lower Mosel subregion, which extends downriver to the town of Koblenz where the Mosel river meets the Rhein. – The Lower Mosel has the highest

percentage of Riesling in its vineyards of any section along the river.

– The river’s slopes are particularly steep here, and there are virtually no sites that are smooth, flat, and easy to work.


The Rheingau

• Historically the Rheingau is the most com-mercially successful wine region of Germany. – Over the centuries, the Church and nobility

provided consistency to wine production, allowing the region to recover quickly from natural and man-made difficulties.

– The Rheingau is relatively small at 7,166 acres of vineyards. Ninety percent of those acres lie on the right bank of the Rhein from Mittelrhein on the north to the town of Wiesbaden in the south.


The Rheingau (continued)

• Except along the Main River where the land is gentle and flat, the vineyards are on steep sloping hills. – The Rhein primarily runs north or northwest, but at

Mainz it runs west-southwest for about 18 miles.– Here the river’s bank has a southerly slope, making

this area warmer than locations further inland. – Although winters are cold, temperatures stay warm

into the fall, allowing Riesling grapes to fully develop.

– The Rheingau is overwhelmingly a white wine region, and Riesling is the most widely planted grape.


The Rheingau

• There is only one Beriech in the Rheingau—Johannisberg, named for the town in the region. – The name has been misused by wineries in several

countries to try to attach legitimacy to their Rieslings.

– The most famous Einzellage here is the historic estate Schloss Johannisberg.

– Other villages are Eltville, Erbach, and Rudesheim.– The village of Winkel is home to the famous estate

Schloss Vollrands.


Rheinhessen

• The topography of the Rheinhessen is very different from that of the Rhiengau (or the Mosel). – Rheinhessen is mostly flat rolling agricultural land.

The soil is more alluvial and loamy. – The area is very large, encompassing more than

61,460 acres, and Riesling is the most planted grape. – Overall, the best vineyards are located at the eastern

edge in an area known locally as the Rheinterasse, where the vineyards are on eastern-facing slopes.


The Pfalz

• Formerly known as the Rheinpfalz, this is Germany’s second largest wine region with 58,060 acres under vine.– The Pfalz stretches along the left bank of the Rhein

for about 50 miles. Spring sets early, and summers are warm.

– Of the region’s 11,500 grape growers, about two-thirds deliver their grapes to cooperatives.

– Until the 1980s Pfalz was known for inexpensive wines, now 650 producers estate-bottle their wine.

– Due to the warm temperatures, Pfalz Rieslings are higher in alcohol than other German Rieslings.


Other Wine Regions

• Ahr: The majority of vineyards in this small region are planted to red grapes, most importantly to Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), which covers 40 percent of the acreage.

• Mittelrhein: This area north of the Rheingau has fairly cool temperatures, and produces primarily Reislings.

• Nahe: The Nahe River flows in a north-northeastern direction and feeds into the Rhein River. Although Müller-Thurgau is the most widely planted varietal, 23 percent of acreage is Riesling.


Other Wine Regions (continued)

• Baden is the longest (250 miles) and most southerly of Germany’s wine regions. Müller-Thurgau is the predominant grape; it is often blended with Riesling.

• Hessiche Bergstrasse starts at the River Neckar, just north of the Baden region. It is similar climatically and topographically to Baden and has only about 1,000 acres of vineyards, 53 percent of it planted to riesling.



• Württemberg lies directly east of Baden’s northern section and has 24,000 acres of vines planted along the sloping banks of the River Neckar. – The climate varies from north to south, but most

of the region is under continental influences. – Most vineyards are small. Over 80 percent of the

region’s harvest is handled by cooperatives. Württemberg is Germany’s largest producer of red wine.



• Franken is located east of Hessiche Bergstrasse and north of Württemberg. – Franken’s climate is essentially

continental, and it is one of coldest wine regions in Europe.

– Most of the region’s 14,900 acres of vineyards are along the Main River and are planted to lesser white grapes.


East Germany

• The two small and cool wine regions in what was East Germany are just beginning to find their way into the modern world of winemaking.– Saale-Unstrat is the most northerly in Germany.

Its 1,200 acres are planted mostly to lesser white varietals.

– Sachsen is further east; its 750 acres of vineyards are planted to various white varietals, mostly Müller-Thurgau and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc).


Summary

• It is somewhat ironic that one of the world’s oldest and most traditional wine-producing countries is in a state of flux, holding on tenaciously to its heritage while looking to the future in its adjustments to the demands of a modern and international wine market.


Summary (continued)

• There is little doubt, however, that Germany will find its way and continue to produce extraordinary wines that complement a wide variety of cuisines, while the new generation of vintners, marketing executives, and government researchers move to increase international awareness, and acceptance, of these fine wines.

Documents

Germany © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 8