Germany Wine Notes — 25/06/2008

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History

The wine industry of the Mosel became important in the later Roman Empire mirroring the northward shift in the political centre of gravity and the rise of Rhineland cities such as Trier and Aachen.

Little was written about the wine, the wine-loving poet Ausonius sang its praises, but for the details we rely on archeologists. Roman presshouses have been excavated in several villages and these were sophisticated, large-scale affairs. The Piesport press for instance, was capable of handling the harvest from the entire ‘Goldtropfchen’ vineyard. The wines were probably red, and some were ‘smoked’ and possibly aromaticised.

With the fall of the Roman Empire the economy changed from slave-based to feudal. The monasteries took on the role of making wines, mostly communion wine, on a smaller, less organised scale than before. The wines were probably exported in the middle ages but the area was devastated in the wars of religion and as the climate deteriorated. In the 18th century, the monastic and aristocratic estates flourished but the monasteries were broken up in the Napoleonic wars, to the benefit of the Bourgeoisie and officials of the Prussian court. Their descendants still own many of the top estates, though the Church and State still own considerable vineyards.

The 19th century ushered in the golden age of German wines. They were very popular in the UK, and this was down to the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert, the Victorian desire for sweetness, and a post-Napoleonic disdain for the culture of France. The Rhinelands’s adherence to Germany meant that Rhine and Mosel wines also found a market in Prussia. At the end of the 19th century, wines such as Hock were among the most sought after in the World, and fetched prices which the French could barely dream of.

The 20th century saw a decline: The fall from grace in England of things-German after the First World War and the loss of the Prussian market after Second, left the industry shattered. Unfortunately, in the postwar period the wine’s currency was devalued further by aiming at the bottom of the market and allowing junk-wine to use names which sounded just like the classics.

Today the industry is populated with young, talented and diligent winemakers, who have refined the traditional methods. Following the triumphant vintages of 1988, 1989 and 1990, there has been a rehabilitation of German wines in the eyes of the world. The junk-wine has largely disappeared, good dry wines and reds are being made, (the home market soaks these up), and export markets, from the UK to Australia, have woken up to the quality traditional medium and sweet styles.

Geography

Most of Germany’s fine wine regions lie in the western corner of the country, along the valleys of the Rhein, Main, Nahe, Mosel, Saar and Ruwer rivers. The influence of these rivers is hard to overstate when talking about the microclimates and the production of fine wine. The climate is cool, often too cool for growing vines, except in the sheltered slopes of the valley sides. The climate remains warm through the Autumn, which affords extra ripeness and formation of noble rot.

The vineyards of Germany are clustered largely around rivers, which frequently give their name to the region. We have focused on the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, as it is here we visit the most and it is often the source of the finest wines. Here is some information on the regions:

Mosel-Saar-Ruwer: Often viewed as the finest source of Riesling, this triumvirate of regions, offers a dazzling collection of wines with a mix of styles that can be broken down thus:

In the Middle Mosel, the classic ‘S’ bend of the middle Mosel comprises steep sheltered vineyards with soils of clay and slate. The wines take on the character of the soils, are explosively fruity and supremely balanced. Braunerberg-Juffer and Piesporter-Goldtröpfchen have deep slate soils giving earthy, complex wines. Bernkateler-Lay and Wehlener-Sonnenuhr are extremely slatey, giving racy and ‘pure’ wines. Finally, Erdener-Pralat and Urziger-Würzgarten are slate with sandstone outcrops, giving spicy, ripe wines.

Saar: This small area is home to some super-star-estates. The vineyards are steep, the soils slatey and the climate is cooler and breezier than the Mosel. The wines are very fine, with austere acids.

Ruwer: An open valley off the Mosel, the Ruwer being a stream provides no ‘heat reserve’. The wines have leafy, blackcurrant flavours and racy, fine acidity. This is the edge of Riesling cultivation, yet sites such as Kaseler Nies’chen and the Abtsberg provide ripe wines of great finesse. These delicate wines age extremely well and very slowly.

Nahe: Gives perfumed wines with near the Mosel’s balance and the Rheingau’s power.

Rheingau: The home of ‘Hock’. Wines are firmer and fuller than the M-S-R. It is the ‘senior’ region, but there is a feeling that it could do better.

Rheinhessen: Hilly area which can give class wine. Until recently it lagged in the quality revolution.

Rheinphalz: Although Riesling and Pinot Noir can be superb, it is the aromatic grapes which hog the limelight. Winemaking is very good here.

Baden: Many of the same varieties as you find in Alsace are grown here, with rather more Pinot Noir, (which is also rather more sucessful than in Alsace too). Unfortunately there is also quite a bit of the wretched Muller Thurgau. Some of the soils are volcanic, there is also some limestone.

See the tours that we do to Germany

Vines

In terms of German vines, Riesling stands above all others. It has a capacity to give grapes with a good taste before they are sugar-ripe, or with very high levels of sugar without the acidity suffering. It delivers an array of complex flavours reflecting the soils, exposure and climate of vineyards.

It is a fundamental characteristic of Riesling that whether wines are Beerenauslese or Kabinett, that their fresh acidity imbues them with the central tenant of great wine, balance.

Wine Classifications

German wines are categorised according to the ripeness of the grapes at harvest, the higher the sugar content within the grape, the higher the grade the wines are entitled to. The scale runs from Qualitätswein, a minimum quality level, to:

Kabinett: Literally a wine that a winemaker would put in his cupboard to keep after the harvest as it was good enough to warrant ageing. Top producers use higher quality than the regulations dictate, so ‘Kabinett’ may be made from Spätlese grapes. The alcohol level of these wines is very low at around 7% making them ideal summer drinking. They are also very good as after dinner drinks. They are sometimes made as 'trocken' wines, but rarely sucessfully.

Spätlese: Late harvest, basically, from ripe grapes. It is perhaps at this level that the terroir of the vineyard shows most markedly. The wines are often produced as 'trocken' or 'halbtrocken' when they work very well with food. For drinking I prefer them in the traditional style which is sometimes called 'fruity', or something like that. (Really it is medium-sweet, but you can't say that because it sounds naff.)

Auslese: Selected late harvest. A wide spectrum of ripeness and sweetness and may or may not have been Botrytis-affected. (Botrytis wines are not necessarily better). ‘Gold capsule’ Ausleses are often ‘baby Beerenausleses’ and are a great buy! Most Auslese is sweet, but a little is made as 'trocken" (see below). When aged for about 10 years Auslese wines seem to "dry out" making the wines more suitable with savoury courses than desert.

Bereenauslese: Individual berry-selected harvest. A heavily botrytis-affected dessert wine. The acidity level is normally more balanced than with Eiswein.

Eiswein: Grapes are picked and pressed whilst frozen, giving sugar-rich musts with very high acidity. The wines are very sweet, with the sweetness offset by searing acid. The effect in the mouth is explosive.

Trockenbeerenauslese: Individual ‘dry berry’ selected harvest. A rare super-sweet botrytis wine.

Trocken & Halbtrocken: These have been vinified bone-dry or dry. Due to the lack of any sweetness, the acidity can seem searing, the body lacking and the fruit depressed. Fuller styles such as Spätlese Halbtrocken are more successful. Trocken wines which are largely everyday wines, should not be confused with the sweet and very rare 'Trockenbeerenauslese'.

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