• Germany produces small quantity of wine in comparison to France, Italy, Spain and Portugal etc.
  • Germany’s light wines rank only second to France.
  • The largest proportion of German wines are white and are low in alcohol
  • Due to the advent of spirit and beer drinking in Germany, there was direct effect on wine consumption.

LAW /QUALITY STRUCTURE AND LABELING OF WINES

  • German wine laws came into force in 1971. The laws set norms of terminology permitted on the label and names under which wine can be sold.

 

  1. DEUTSCHER TAFELWEIN:

German table wines from biggest regions in Germany, made from German grown grapes, minimum 8.5 OIML e.g. Rhein.

 

  1. LANDWEIN:

They are similar to French Vin De Pays. These wines are from specific, named, & local area

 

  1. QUALITATSWEIN BESTIMMTER ANBAUGEBIETE (QBA):

Wines from specified wine regions, each region has a limited number of permitted grape varieties. All wines carry AP number, which shows that they have undergone analytical and tasting tests.

 

  1. QUALITATSWEIN MIT PRADIKAT (QMP):

This is above QBA level and producers are not allowed to add sugar to the grape must to increase the alcohol level. Wine to be classified QMP. The grape must have higher natural sugar. The Chaptalization is not allowed in these wines. QMP wines are split into the following categories:

 

  1. Kanbinett: These are lightest QMP wines. It is originally referred to grower’s choice – the wine which grower kept for himself, but now wines having this denomination have come to market for selling therefore the word is no longer a reliable indication of quality.
  2. Spatlese: if literally translated means ‘late picked’ therefore refers to wine from late harvested grape which is high in alcohol.
  3. Auslese: wine made by using choicest grapes or gathering of selected bunches.
  4. Beerenauslese: wine from over ripe fruit, berries picked singly. Very expensive and sweet.
  5. Trocken Beerenauslese (TBA): very sweet wine made from shriveled grapes. Which have noble rot.
  6. Gold Beerenauslese: wine made by gathering of ripest berries, literally gathering of single golden berries.
  7. Eiswein: wine made from grape while frozen. Grapes are left on vines February, which must be harvested and pressed below -7 degree C. the resultant wine is very sweet, may be consumed as liqueur at the end of the meal.
  • TAFELWEIN –BLEND OF WINES: there are other two categories i.e. Trocken meaning Dry and second on Halbtrocken meaning semi-dry. Quality classification of a German wine has no relation to area, it is based on sweetness or ripeness of grapes.
  • Grape varieties:
  • Riesling: it is a late ripener, has ability to withstand very cold winter temperature i.e. -22 degree C. it has good balance of sugar and acidity.
  • Sylvaner: this grape ripens earlier than Riesling, produces mellow and soft wines.
  • Traminer: they are small and late ripening grapes like Riesling but produce highly aromatic wines with lasting bouquet.
  • Muller-Thurgau: is a grape variety, which is cross between Riesling and Sylvaner.
  • Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir): most notable black grape for red wines.
  • SUSSRESERVE: it is unfermented grape juice used for rounding off unharmonious acidity of wine. It is used by wine maker to improve their quality of wine. Germany produces 85% white wines although red wine production is increasing. Oak barrel ageing technique has been introduced.
  • AMTLICHE PRUFUNGSNUMMER (AP) NUMBER, consists of
  • The year of examination of wine
  • The community number
  • Examining code number
  • Code number of the bottle – which includes wine category, alcohol content and contents/quality in bottle. (i.e. 750ml)
  • German sparkling wine-
  • Sekt is the well known German sparkling wine. It is often made from thin acidic juice of unripe grapes. Sekt is made by tank method. However, smaller producers use pure Riesling and make their wines by “Methode champenoise” known in Germany “Glaschengarung”.
  • Deutsher Sekt: this sparkling wine made from German grapes while sekt is made from imported wine grapes which may or may not be blended with German wine.

WINE PRODUCING REGIONS OF GERMANY

The wine producing regions of Germany are:

  1. MOSEL-SAAR-RUWER
  2. RHEINBGAU
  3. RHEINPLAIZ
  4. NAHE
  5. RHEINHESSEN
  6. AHR
  7. BADEN
  8. FRANKEN (FRANCONIA)
  9. WUTTEMBERG

WINES OF MOSEL-SAAR-RUWER

  • Moselle wines are those grown in the valleys of the moselle and its tributaries, the Saar and Ruwer. The Mosel River runs from Luxemberg down to Koblenz. In this district subsoil is mostly slate. Few grapes other than Riesling are grown.
  • The Mosel is a Riesling area but the old variety of Elbling is now reviving. Elbling, because of its acidity, was used for making base wines for the German sparkling wine sekt.
  • Moselles wine come in flute shaped green bottles.

The wines which are considered best from Lower Mosel are:

  • Bruttig
  • Cobern
  • Cochem
  • Senheim
  • Winnigen

The best ones from middle Mosel are:

  • Bernkastel
  • Brauenberg
  • Dhron
  • Erden
  • Graach
  • Kues
  • Neumagen
  • Piesport
  • Traben
  • Trabach
  • Wehlen
  • Zelltingen

Best from Ruwer valley:

  • Grunhaus
  • Waldrach

Best from Saar valley:

  • Ayl
  • Ockfen
  • Saarburg
  • Wiltingen
  • Serrig
  • Oberemmel

Mosel also boasts of some of Germany’s finest vineyards like Bernkasteler Doctor.

WINES OF RHEINGAU

  • The Rheingau is a home of Hock which is traditionally sold in brown bottles. Hock is regarded as generic name. the word Hock is derived from Hochheim, a wine growing centre on the right bank of mainz, from where some of finest German wines come.
  • The grape varieties used are:
  • Riesling – white
  • Sylvaner – white
  • Portugieser – red
  • Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir) – red
  • The famous producers of Rheingau are:
  • Schloss Vollrads
  • Schloss Johannisberg

WINES OF RHEINPLAIZ

  • The wines of this region have good balance between the acidity of the north (Mosel and Rheingau) and the alcohol of the south (Baden).
  • The area is protected by Haardt mountains and vineyards in shade i.e. shadow of these mountains produce best wines.
  • A variety of grapes grown in this area are:
  • Riesling
  • Muller Thurgau
  • Kerner
  • Morio Muskat
  • Grau Burgunder
  • Spatburgunder

WINES OF NAHE

  • The region is situated near Nahe River, a tributary of Rhine.
  • The grape variety used is:
  • Riesling
  • Muller Thrgau
  • Sylvaner
  • The best wines are produced: Schlossbockel Heim, Nieder Hausen

WINES OF RHEINHESSEN

  • It is contained within a loop of the River Rhine during its course from worms past Mainz to Bingen and is bounded on its west side by the Nahe River.
  • The main grape variety: Muller Thurgau
  • The best wine: Nierstiner

WINES OF OTHER REGIONS OF GERMANY

  • AHR produces red and rose wines from spatburgunder and portugieser grapes.
  • BADEN stretches from foothills of blackforest in the north, right down to Basel in Switzerland. Main grape variety used is Muller Thurgau and Spatburgunder. The red, rose and white wines are produced.
  • FRANKEN: this is north easterly region of Bavaria known for its beer and wine. Sylvaner and Muller Thurgau are most widely used grape varieties.
  • WUTTEMNBERG: this wine is made by co-operatives, half vineyards have red grape varieties such as Riesling is also planted here.

For more info go to the link: http://winesofgermany.co.uk/regions/