Describe the quality ladder in Germany.
- Deutscher Wein
- Landwein
- Qualitätswein
- Pradikätswein
What are the requisites for Deutscher Wein?
- Wine without geographical indication.
- grapes grown in Germany.
- alcohol level between 8.5%-15%.
- can be produced in any style.
What are the requisites for Landwein?
- Equivalent to PGI.
- 85% of the grapes must be from the Landwein region on the label
- alcohol levels between 8.5% - 15%
- in most regions, only trocken or halbtrocken styles allowed (in few, sweeter styles allowed too)
What are the requirements for Qualitätswein?
- Grapes 100% from one of the 13 Anbaugebiete.
- Minimum alcohol 7% to allow for sweeter, lower alcohol styles.
- Wines can be made in all styles.
- Wines must undergo lab analysis and a blind tasting before market.
- Mostly cheap, high volume wine made in this category.
What are the requirements for Pradikätswein?
- PDO equivalent.
- Grapes must come from a Bereich (40, smaller than Anbaugebieten), name doesn’t need to be on label.
- Higher must weights.
- Enrichment not allowed.
- Can be produced from any grape (particularly associated with Riesling)
List 6 Prädikats in order of must weight.
- Kabinett
- Spätlese
- Auslese
- Beerenauslese
- Eiswein
- Trockenbeerenauslese
What are the requirements for a
Kabinett.
- Lowest must weight for a Prädikatswein.
- Lightest in body and highest in acid.
- Can be dry to medium-sweet.
- Minimum alcohol 7%, dry can reach 12%.
Describe the style of a Kabinett.
- Kabinett Riesling is light-bodied, has high acidity and aromas of green and citrus fruit.
What are the requirements for a Spätlese.
- Made from fully ripened grapes, usually picked 2 weeks after Kabinett.
- Higher in alcohol at same sugar level.
- Minimum alcohol 7%.
Describe the style of a Spätlese.
- Greater concentration compared to Kabinett.
- Riper fruit flavours - typically stone fruit for Riesling.
- Higher alcohol levels than Kabinett and fuller body.
What are the requirement for an Auslese?
- Specially selected, extra-ripe bunches of grapes.
- Hand-harvesting not compulsory, but sorting is.
- Last category at which wines can be dry. Most of the best are sweeter.
- Minimum alcohol 7%.
Describe the style of an Auslese.
- Riper and more concentrated flavours than a Spätlese.
- Often have honey character and some grapes might be affected by botrytis.
- Balance between sweetness (if so) and acidity, potential for bottle-ageing.
What are the requirements for a Beerenauslese?
- Individually selected berries -> hand-harvested.
- High must weight, so always sweet.
- Fermentation stops always early, so minimum alcohol is 5.5%.
- Botrytis not a requirement but is often the case.
Describe the style of a Beerenauslese.
With Riesling, typical flavours are very ripe and dried stone fruit. Sweet, with low levels of alcohol, often with botrytis influence.
Rheinessen key points.
- Home to just under 1/4 of German vineyards.
- Most of production planted on flatter, warmer, more fertile valley floors.
- White grapes dominate. Riesling, Muller-Thurgau.
- Dornfelder dominant red variety.
What’s the main area for high quality wines in Rheinessen and why.
- The Rheinterrasse is a stretch of steeply-sloping vineyards on the west bank of the river, near Nierstein and Oppenheim.
- The vineyards are East facing, having the warm morning sun in the coolest part of the day.
- The river and its moderating influence mean grapes have longer ripening times.
Tasting notes of a high quality Riesling from Rheinessen.
Ripe lemon and peach flavours.
Pfalz key points.
- It is the extension of Alsace in Germany, and enjoys the same benefits.
- The Haardt mountains (continuation of the Vosges) act as a rain shadow, so Pfalz is the driest region, and the only one risking drought.
- Planted area slightly smaller than Rheinessen, dominated by white.
- Dornfelder most planted red, followed by Spatburgunder (esp. in the south).
Pfalz notable areas?
Mittelhaardt, in the northern part of Pfalz. Vineyards are south- or east-facing, on steep slopes in the foothills of the Haardt mountains.
Soils in Pfalz.
Wide variety of soils:
- Limestone
- Sandstone
- Basalt
- Clay
giving wines of very different character.
Style of a high quality Pfalz Riesling.
Due to warmer temperatures, Pfalz wines tend to be fuller-bodied with riper fruit compared to Rheinessen.
