By Ray Spaziani
Wine Talk
Ray Spaziani
Central European wines mainly come from West Germany, along the Rhine River and the tributaries to it. One quarter of a million acres is associated with vineyards in Germany. It is in the top 10 of wine producing countries, producing 1.2 billion bottles annually. White wines account for two thirds of German wine production. The history of this wine region goes back to Roman times.
Germany’s reputation internationally is mixed at best. On the plus side, German wines are considered some of the finest and most pure white wines in the world. They are elegant and aromatic with superior fruit. These wines are primarily made from the Riesling grape. On the minus side, Germany is associated with cheap, sweet, low-quality wines. Liebfrauenmilch comes to mind.
German wines are primarily white. However, in the late 20th century red wine production grew markedly. One third of the wine produced in Germany is a dark-skinned wine called Spatburgunder. We know this wine as pinot noir. This grape grows well in the Rhine area, which is surrounded by mountains. The soil there absorbs the warmth of the sun reflected off the mountains and stays warmer overnight than other areas. Pinot noir flourishes.
German wine labels give a good deal of information about the wine, and various wine classifications can be helpful in determining which wine one might prefer. The ripeness classifications of German wines indicate the sugar content in the grape at the time the grape is harvested. This does not indicate the sweetness of the wine after it’s fermented. This is a common mistake made about German wines.
Deutscher Tafelwein and Deutscher Landwein are consumed locally and are not exported. These are, respectively, German table wine and German country wine. These are not Qualitätswein, or “quality wine.”
Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete, or QbA, are wines from a definite region or appellation. The exception is Liebfraumilch, which is blend of grapes from any region but still has a QbA classification. The next classification is Pradikatswein, or QmP. These are wines made from grapes that are riper. The riper the grape, the more fruit becomes evident, the higher quality of wine results, and the higher the price can be set. These categories include Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein.
These categories indicate the sweetness at the time of harvest, not the sweetness of the wine. The last three categories are generally sweeter wines, though – especially Eiswein. This wine is a late-harvest wine that is frozen on the vine and is hand-picked with thick gloves so as not to thaw out the grape until crushing. It is high in alcohol, a very sweet dessert wine, and very expensive.
The wines are usually classified by the amount of residual sugar. Because they are high in acid, the residual sugar may be higher than other wine and still produce a dry or off-dry wine.
Trocken is dry wine. Halbtrocken is an off-dry wine that’s crisp and clean and may fall into the internationally acceptable dry category due to the high acid content. Feinherb wines are a little sweeter. Lieblich is a category of wines that are noticeably sweet. Since the 1980s, however, this category has dropped off in production due to the popularity of drier wines.
Give German wines a taste. Stay with Trocken or Halbtrocken. They are mostly Rieslings that are crisp and clean and have a big floral nose. You will be glad you did.
Ray Spaziani is the chapter director of the New Haven chapter of the American Wine Society. He teaches wine appreciation classes at Gateway Community College and for the Milford Board of Education, as well as Moltose wine and beer making suppliers. He is a member of the International tasting Panel of Amenti del Vino and WineMaker Magazine. He is an award-winning home winemaker. Email Ray with your wine questions and wine events at realestatepro1000@gmail.com.