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German| Date: 2005-04-05 01:18:24 |
| From: Bernd Beckschwarte |
Subject: Re: wine from germany |
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- > Von: wineforum_owner@apris.de > [mailto:wineforum_owner@apris.de]Im > Auftrag von Antti Rinta-Huumo > Gesendet: Montag, 4. April 2005 10:22 > An: wineforum@wein-plus.com; wineforum@wein-plus.de > Betreff: [wineforum] Re: Red wine from germany > > Of boscastle@t-online.de > > Sent: April 1, 2005 11:41 AM > > To: wineforum@wein-plus.de > > Subject: [wineforum] Hi, Fellow wine lovers. I've a... > > > > > > Well Raymond, you seem to have lots of opinions > to consider! For what > > it's worth I agree the lieblich style will > never disappear > > > > Perhaps you should remember one or two basic > facts about the Riesling > > grape which others haven't touched on yet. > First of all you have to > > remember that this is probably the most > difficult country as far as > > latitude and weather is concerned to produce > wine. (Hence although > > 10% of wine production is red (and most of it > here in Baden and > > Württemberg) little of it is very good which is > why there is hardly > > any exported). The Riesling is a hardy vine > well suited to this > > climate - in fact when grown elsewhere it is > either another grape > > (like the Californian so-called Riesling or > Italian Riesling which is > > Wechselriesling) or it doesn't produce wines > with the delicacy and > > subtleness of taste like a good German > Riesling. Riesling can be > > crisp and dry and if you know what you're > looking for - and often is. > > Some labels have the word Trocken (Dry). My > advice is look for a > > 'Kabinett' wine which is strictly speaking a > non-recognized older > > description used before the 1964 wine law but > it's traditional and > > everyone knows what it means. Remember too > there is a difference > > between a QbA wine and a QmP; the latter being > from a more specific > > area or vineyard - (not that it always means much since > > half a dozen growers can work in one vineyard. > Some of the > > Piesporter vineyards are good examples; so to > is Wehler Sonnenuhr). > > Qualitätswein mit Prädikat can have 5 > additional grades of which the > > most common is Spätlese (late harvest). We are > typical here in > > Baden-Württemberg in that the harvest usually > begins aroound > > early/mid-October. Most of the QbA and QmP > wines will be pressed > > from this main gathering. Grapes still left on > the vine - (given > > enough sunshine) - begin to age and gradually > shrivel in size which > > means the sugar content gets more concentrated > - hence the increasing > > sweetness of Spätlese and Auslese. If he is > lucky the vintner will be > > able to make Beerenauslese (grapes still on the > vine which are > > beginning to rot) or Trockenbeerenaulese when > the remaining grapes > > are smaller still and resemble sultanas. If > any are selected and > > picked with frost still on them you have > Eiswein. These later > > gradings produce true dessert wines. All above is right. Thanks, David Williams. Some additional explanations. The german wine law puts quality steps (..hrmm...) related to sugar amounts in the pressed juice. (This is not my idea. When the wine law was modified last I was a boy of 14...) :-) Steps from dry to sweet are Tafelwein - QbA - Kabinett - Spätlese - Auslese - Beerenauslese - Trockenbeerenauslese. (Table wine - Quality Wine from a specified area - cabinet - late harvest - selection harvest - berries selection - dry berries selection.) Tafelwein, QbA and Kabinett are normally built as "dry" wines. But pls. be careful: "Dry" according to german laws is residual sugar lower than 9 gr / liter. If the wine is near the 9 gr sugar content then many people don´t accept it´s taste as "real dry"... If you prefer real dry wines you will have to look to analysis data (seldom told on etiquettes...) or ask the dealer or the website or by email if the wine will meet your "sugar criterion"... Tell them the Checking number on the etiquette (Amtliche Prüfnummer / AP-Nr. = official checking number). Then at least the winemaker will have the data. But will he tell?...and if he is willing to tell, is he able to understand english..?.. ;-( Sorry. OK, there is nothing better than a good dealer. He has to have the data and to explain. (.. related to sugar: I have a similar problem. I personally extremely prefer semi sweet wines with high sugar or even sweet wines. A "dry range of semi sweet" (10 to 15 gr) doesn´t meet my specs. I want a minimum of 15 gr, and 20 gr is better for my taste. So I always have to avoid the "dry" types, but also have to avoid some of the semi sweets. Also an Auslese wine may be too "dry" for me, if it is built to a wine high in alcohol with low residual sugar. So I always have to look after the residual sugar data. But.... The "simple" sweet wines are too sweet and often not "buffered" by high extracts and a fitting amount of acidity. They are "sweet only", and that´s no good wine for me. Or I could "simply" buy a Beerenauslese or a TBA... (..phew... lots of sighs related to prices.) ;-) Sometime the Kabinett and the Spätlese is built as a semi sweet wine. It depends on the local usage. Spätlese and Auslese juices can be built to a wine in the "dry" range (<= 9 gr) or in the semisweet/semidry range / <= 20 gr or in the sweet range / > 20 gr residual sugar content / = after alcoholic conversion. If an etiquette TELLS a mosel wine WITHOUT anything else it will always be a sweet (!) wine, having stopped the alcohol conversion by different means, so having residual sugar and a lower content of alc. So it depends from region to region if the "normal" wine is a "dry" one (<9 gr!) or a semi sweet or a sweet one. Only the Beerenauslese / berry selection and Trockenbeerenauslese / dry berries selection are always sweet wines. The last one is the most expensive, the most seldom wine. Eiswein is another game... It is always a sweet wine having the water in the berry frozen at -7 degrees Celsius or even lower, having pressed the icy berries with the frozen water = ice inside and retained the ice, NOT melted down and flown away with the juice.. > > So the Riesling can and does product a variety > of wines and a good > > one has > > that lovely delicate balance between fruitiness > and crispness. It's > > a > > balance between acidity and sweetness. YEPP :-)) > > Unfortunately most wine in the UK is sold in > supermarkets and > > although it is possible to find reasonable and > good value wines don't > > forget the > > supermarkets have helped to ruin the > availability of good wines. > > Supermarkets need (1) huge quantities of wine > (2) at a minimum price > > for > > maximum profit and (3) it must be consistent in > taste ie. one batch > > must > > taste much like another. Result is blending > and since adding sugar > > is > > illegal producers use grape juice or > Sussreserve. As this alters > > the > > flavour markedly (and does not have to even > come from the same > > vineyard or > > village) it is possible to achieve the same > kind of bland uniform > > taste. > > It's not helped by the supermarket and high > street drinks shops > > using > > generic names like Mosel Blümchen, Niersteiner > Gutes Domtal, Black > > Label > > and, of course, Liebfraumilch (which by the way > means nothing to a > > German. > > There is a Liebfraumilch vineyard (in Worms) > but it is illegal to use > > the > > name in the way that British and Americans do. ... in Germany and in the most EU nations it is illegal. So they export the lousy juices being to bad for the german market to the english speaking world overseas... > > Last thought - because Riesling grapes have a > relatively small yield > > various let us remember hybrids have been > produced using the Riesling > > as a starting point. So we have Müller-Thurgau > (cross between > > Riesling and Silvaner) which ripens earlier and > has a greater yield. > > Can be quite pleasant but my tip for a > different German experience is > > try Kerner. Yes, Kerner can be a real good idea. >We've drunk many a bottle of it > and it tends to have a > > fairly consistent dry taste. One final tip - > don't make the mistake > > most British and Americans make of thinking you > MUST always have wine > > with food. German people often drink wine by > itself - (we usually do > > and I'm English!) What better than a little > cheese and a good QmP > > Riesling on a warm summer evening together with > friends? David > > Williams. little (!) cheese is a good hint. Don´t do like many french do: hot & spice cheese with the wine. With ambitioned wine tastings often we will find no cheese on the tables, only white bread and water. Meals of course, may be, are allowed. But often we combine with the wines only which have been tasted without the food before. And unknown wines are first tasted solely, without pairing food. The right pairing of food and wine is another real interesting thing.... But told yet too much until here. :-)) Cheers, Bernd More infos: www.wein-plus.com Unsubscribe: www.wein-plus.com/abmelden.htm |
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