About 102,000 hectares in Germany are occupied by vineyards. This amounts to only 1/10 of the vineyard area in Western European countries such as Spain, Italy and France.
History of German winemaking
In Germany, winemaking is developing along the Rhine River, in the south-west of the country. The wine-making craft in this area is one of the oldest. The oldest households appeared during the time of the Roman Empire. The Romans pitched the first vineyards along the Moselle River around the 1st century AD. Ancient Roman historians, mentioning in their writings the wine created by the inhabitants of those lands, speak about it very unflattering. When the Roman Empire ceased to exist, wine production continued in Germany.
In the Middle Ages, vineyards occupied more than three hundred thousand hectares. Undoubtedly, the great merit belongs to the monasteries. The monks diligently engaged in viticulture and winemaking, making wine for their own needs and taking care of the spread of winemaking in the north of the country. Now most of the German wine production is located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region. Six of the thirteen wine regions are located there. Thanks to their hard work, painstakingness and pedantry - qualities characteristic of this nation, German winemakers managed to achieve tremendous successes in their business.
The secrets of German winemaking
One of the advantages of German winemaking is the long growing season during which grapes have time to ripen. Since ancient times, German winemakers prefer to grow not red grapes, which are too thermophilic, but white, which are considered the most viable.
Wine production
In Germany, about nine million hectoliters of wine are produced annually. This is approximately 1.2 billion bottles. Thus, it is the eighth wine producing country in the world. Two thirds of the total production is white wine.
Germany has gained a dual reputation in the world wine market. Some consumers associate German wine with exquisite white wine. And others consider German winemakers to be producers of semisweet, cheap drinks.
The most popular wines
Semi-sweet white German wine is known all over the world. The price can vary greatly depending on its age and manufacturer. "Milk of the beloved woman" - wine from Germany is widely known and popular in our country. Its gentle fruity taste, as well as the exquisite aroma of flowers from German fields have not yet been able to be repeated in any other country. Tasting the drink, you can feel a distinct apricot and honey hue, the smell of exotic fruits and white fruits. This wine tastes well balanced. It is sweet in moderation and has subtle sourish notes. Semi-sweet white wines of Germany are loved and appreciated by the inhabitants of the whole country.
Varieties permitted by law
German wine-making legislation provides for the responsibility of the federal governments for compiling lists that list grape varieties that are allowed to be grown and used to make wine. It also includes varieties that are permitted exclusively for experimental selective cultivation.
How wines are classified
The classification of German wines sometimes leads to a stupor of some lovers of this drink. This is especially true for consumers who do not speak German.
Classification of noble drinks:
- Deutscher Tafelwein is a German table wine. In its production, there are fewer requirements. Grapes for this wine come from different places. Deutscher Tafelwein is not intended for export and is sold only in Germany.
- Deutscher Landwein - German local wine.
- Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete - quality wine from the specified area. In its production, sugar may be added to increase the percentage of alcohol in the final product. Wine must be made from an authorized variety of grapes grown in one region. Mixing is strictly prohibited.
- Prädikatswein - quality wine made from selected grapes that have reached a special stage of ripeness. This is the most valuable wine in Germany. It is characterized by exquisite taste. It also has a greater proportion of grape must.
There are 6 gradations of quality wines:
- Kabinett is a category of unsweetened natural quality wines. The raw material for their production is grapes, which were harvested a few days after collection for Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete.
- Spätlese - late harvest. Produced from berries that were picked two weeks after the grape harvest for Kabinett.
- Auslese - Select. This wine in Germany is made from hand-picked high-ripening late-harvested grapes. Therefore, these wines contain more sugar.
- Beerenauslese - selected berries. These wines are made from grapes that are already overripe and affected by moisture-removing fungi from the genus Botrytis. Berries, in fact, begin to turn into raisins, their sugar content reaches 29%. Such grapes are used to make sweet dessert wines.
- Eiswein - ice wine. It is made from berries that have frozen on the vine and have reached a certain sweetness. Grapes are harvested and squeezed in a state of freezing. Due to the fact that water is turned into ice, German wine producers achieve an increased sugar content in such wines.
- Trockenbeerenauslese - produced from dry selected berries. This is a group of concentrated, sweet and very expensive wines. Sugar content of grapes should exceed 36%.
Blackberry wine
Fans of fruit wines speak rather flattering about blackberry wine in Germany. Produce it in Bavaria. This wine is sweet, but does not give the impression that the composition contains too much sugar and it is the dominant ingredient. The smell of blackberry wine is not alcoholic, but berry. Color it has maroon. The taste is pleasantly light, fruity, reminiscent of homemade wine. Alcohol contains only 8.5%.
The Importance of Wine Glasses
In Germany, wine glasses are given great importance. They are conditionally divided into three components: a bowl, a leg and a stand. The height of the legs and the diameter of the stand do not play a special role, they are more likely design elements. The diameter, shape and size of the cup are important parameters that affect the bouquet, aftertaste, taste and balance of wines. This was first established more than half a century ago by Professor C. J. Riedel.
The shape and size of the cup affects the level of phenols in the drink. It is phenolic compounds that determine the taste of wine and its aromatic bouquet. A clear dependence can be observed: the dryness of the drink is more pronounced if the evaporation surface is larger. Upon contact with air, the conversion of phenols to ethers occurs instantly. This is how the true taste of wine is revealed. The larger the cup and the smaller its upper part, the better it will convey the intensity and quality of taste. If the top of the bowl is narrow and the middle is wide, then the wine, being at the bottom, gives its phenolic compounds in layers. They do not immediately fly out of the glass, but, due to mixing in the wide middle part, create a peculiar bouquet of taste and aroma.
Wine for a German
For a German, his own vineyard is much more desirable than an expensive car, and being a winemaker is many times more honorable than a businessman. Winemaking is considered the lot of intellectuals and philosophers with such an important quality as hard work and a share of excitement. To produce really good wine, you need to know such sciences as geology, chemistry, physics. In winemaking, everything must be taken into account: the local topography, lighting, humidity, rainfall, methods and dates of harvesting. In addition, the quality of the wood from which the barrel is made, the air temperature in the wine cellar should be taken into account.
German winemakers differ from winemakers in other countries by strict adherence to traditions, fanatical devotion to nature. For comparison, the French are prone to experiment, they boldly improvise, mix wines. And the Germans are based on the experience of their ancestors and obey the established order.
In 2001, Germany ceased to be called the beer nation, as this year German consumers spent more money on wine than they spent on beer for the first time. Now this indicator is growing steadily. It is important to note that the Germans prefer wine made in their homeland rather than imported drinks. German winemakers are happy to please their customers, thinking through all the little things.