Picture:
Christian Schiller and Nicolas Quillé in 2011. See: Pacific Rim
Riesling #1 of Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Best Buy List 2011 -
Meeting Founder Randall Grahm and Winemakers Nicolas Quille and Steven
Sealock
"What started more than 65 years ago as an exam for the UK wine trade is now a globally recognised title collectively held by a worldwide family of 450 Masters of Wine in 30 countries." One of them is Nicolas Quillé, Chief Winemaking and Operations Officer at Crimson Wine Group. He also is the Co-author of Understanding Wine Technology (4th edition) and he was named as one of the 2022 wine industry leaders by Wine Business Monthly.
Nicolas regularly shares his thoughts on his linkedin account. Recently, he provided in a most interesting 3-part series a concise overview of German wine, including a review of German labeling regulations.
I am re-releasing Nicolas Quillé's "German Wine" linkedin posts below as published on his linkedin account. Comments are welcome, in particular with regard to the section on the German labeling regulations, which were modified substantially recently. Please use the Institute of Masters of Wine page of Nicolas Quillé for your comments.
I met Nicolas in 2011 at a wine conference in Oregon (Oregon Pinot Gris Symposium at Oak Knoll Winery in Hillsboro), when he was running the Pacific Rim Estate, founded by icon Randall Grahm, and since then we have stayed in touch.
Overview of German Wines: Part 1
#Germany
represents 3% of the world's
#wine production fermenting 9 million hectoliters (Hl) yearly. It is
a serious wine consumer (20 million Hl) thus making it the largest net
wine importer in volume. The German wine landscape is fast evolving, and
it is finishing its pivot from an entry
level sweetish wine producer to a terroir and variety-based business.
The two contributors to this evolution have been the success of
mid-sized, quality-oriented producers and the commercial momentum of
Riesling wines. Today, Germany is well positioned to
sell wines that have vibrant aromatics, a sense of purity and a cool
climate mouthfeel supported by the high natural acidities from its
northerly latitude.
The vast majority of German's vineyard land is sheltered in the
continental southwest, away from the cold and wet North and Baltic seas
and along the Rhine River or one of its tributaries. The northern
latitude is often mitigated by planting on steep south
and southeast facing slopes in an attempt to capture every possible ray
of sunshine.
German vineyards are planted with 2/3 white grapes and 1/3 reds grapes
but be aware that there is a strong movement towards more red grapes,
and especially Pinot Noir. Germany is the home of the Riesling grape
(35% of global production) and it accounts for
24% of all German plantings. The other
varieties that Germany can claim global leadership include Pinot Blanc
(Weissburgunder), Muller Thurgau, and Silvaner. Other quintessential
northern European varieties planted in Germany
includes Pinot Gris (Grauerburgunder), Pinot Noir (Spatburgunder),
Trollinger (aka Schiava Grossa) & Lemberger. Germany has an historical interest in grape hybridization (many developed
domestically) and among the most popular
are red grapes that were planted because of their high yields during
cooler times such as Dornfelder (complex cross of Pinot Noir,
Trollinger, Blaufrankish: dark and floral), as well as
productive white crosses such as Muller Thurgau (Riesling x Madeleine
Royale), Bacchus (Silvaner, Riesling, Muller) and Scheurebe. Finally, a
few French international varieties are starting also to be planted such
as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.
Of all German wines, it is Riesling that captures the attention. Its
great versatility allows for the making of different wine styles, from
dry to sweet, from still to sparkling. Riesling’s intense aromatic
(citrus, jasmine) and polarizing balance of high acid
and residual sugars create some of the most exquisite wines in the
world: There cannot be a serious German wine tasting without a Riesling!
Sparkling wines (Sekt) are also a very important category; Germans are
the number one consumers of sparkling wines in
the world and the third largest producer. Sekt styles range from entry
level tank fermented wines to glorious Methode Traditionelle. As
mentioned, red wines are on the rise and there are serious Pinot Noir to
be found.
Overview of German Wines: Part 2
The German grape growing core area is made of the five regions:
Pfalz, Rheinhessen, Mosel, Baden and Wurttemberg - together they
represent 85% of all German wines:
- Rheinhessen (26% of vineyards): A warm and dry region that is
the workhorse of Germany. The area along the Rhine between Oppenheim and
Nackenheim or near Worms produce the top wines of the region
- Pfalz (23%): The northern continuation of Alsace. It is the
driest region of Germany. Expect full body wines with ripe aromatics and
the highest ABV of Germany.
- Baden (15%): A spread out region that is split in several
areas. The main region is on the right bank of the Rhine opposite
Alsace. The star variety of the region is Spatburgunder (half of all
German Spats are planted in Baden) – some of the Spats
may have shown lots of new oak in the past, but this is fortunately
disappearing.
- Wurttemberg (12%): Most of the wines from this region are sold
and drunk domestically. They are many light reds made in the region
from Trollinger, Lemberger (some styles may be bold and oaky), and
Schwarzriesling.
- Mosel (9%): This is white wine heaven in Germany. 60% of the
region is planted with Riesling that are highly sought after. The
Rieslings from this regions are light in body, high in acid and often
have residual sugars - delightful!
The rest of Germany:
- Franken (6%): Along the river Main, this area is driven by its
continental climate. The most distinctive wines of the area are made
from the Silvaner grape. The region has its own bottle shape: the
“bocksbeutel”.
- Nahe (4%): A white wine region with wines that are less
vibrant than the Mosel but with higher acidities than the warmer
Rheinhessen.
- Rheingau (3%): A small but renowned region with extremely high
quality and mostly Trocken wines. The vineyards are on a beautiful
south facing slope above the Rhine river which is especially wide in
that area. 86% of the area is planted with Riesling.
There are excellent Spatburgunder vineyards planted on the western side
of the area.
- Other regions include the eastern vineyards of Saale-Unstrut
and Sachsen, the Ahr Valley which produce highly priced Spatburgunders
plus Mittelrhein and Hessiche Bergstrasse.
Overview of German Wine: Part 3
German wine labeling rules take into account a
mix of ripeness levels (based on sugar concentration at harvest), grape
origin and vineyard yields (and a few other technical parameters).
Based on yields and specific growing areas there are four basic levels
at the federal level:
- Deutscher Wein (4% of production)
- Landwein (almost never found but there are 26 of them if you must know)
- Qualitätswein (64%)
- Pradikätswein (32%).
For European law initiates, Landwein is a PGI and the latter two are
PDO. Pradikätswein can be further divided into different ripeness levels
(from least to most): Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese,
Eiswein, and Trockenbeerenauslese. The ripeness level
is estimated with the help of a must density measurement at harvest
delivered in Oechsle units. Sugar being heavier than water, the must
density goes up as sugar concentration increases. For example, a juice
with a density of 1.090 (9% heavier than pure water
at 20C) will clock 90-degree Oechsle in Germany (different juice
sweetness units are used elsewhere, based on my previous example you may
find: 1,090 density in France, 12% potential alcohol (or Baumé), and
21.6 Brix in Anglo-Saxon countries). Another well-defined
area is residual sugar at bottling, and it is appropriate to use these
terms when describing the style and sweetness of German wines:
- Trocken < 4g/L (or up to <9g/L if the TA is no more than 2g/L apart)
- Halbtrocken between 4 and 12 g/L (or up to 18 g/L is RS is no more than 10 g/L away)
- Lieblich between 12 and 45 g/L
- Suss above 45 g/L.
As far as geographies, the Federal labelling was redefined in 2021, with
significant changes for Qualitätswein and Pradikätswein quality levels.
It follows a familiar russian doll model going from the large region
(using the European PDO format - matching the
previous "Bereich") to the Village (Ortswein), to the individual
vineyard (Einzellage). Individual vineyards are further differentiated
between "normal", premier sites (Erstes Gewachs), and grand sites
(Grosses Gewachs), Grosses Gewachs must also be “trocken”.
The vineyard site must appear alongside the village name (conjunctive
labelling of sort).
The VDP (3% of total German production, 5% of vineyards planted) have
created a private and more stringent set of rules for its members. The
Federal government has
somewhat aligned its revised 2021 rules
to the VDP - to the great pleasure of frustrated German wine consumers
like myself! All VDP wines must qualify as Pradikätswein and then the
designation of origin follows a Burgundian model
of regional wines (Gutswein), village (Ortswein), Premier Cru (Erste
Lage) and Grand Cru (Grosse Lagen). Dry VDP
Erste Lagen wines can be labelled Erstes Gewachs (1G for short) while dry
VDP Grosse Lagen wines can be labelled Grosses Gewachs (GG for short).
ombiasy WineTours: Wine Tour Schedule 2023 - Austria, Germany/East, Burgundy/ Champagne, Germany/ North
Dinner at a Historic (Second Empire) Café-Brasserie in Lyon: Grand Café des Négociants - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
Maison Guigal in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie, Northern Rhône: Cellar Tour, Tasting and Vineyard Tour - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
Tour and Tasting at
Château Haut-Bailly, Graves, Appellation Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru Classé, with Cellar Master Jean Christoph - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by
ombiasy WineTours, France
How Does the Negociant System in Bordeaux Work? Tour and Tasting at Millésima - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours, France
Cellar Tour and Tasting with Daniel Wagner at Weingut Wagner-Stempel (VDP) in Siefersheim, Rheinhessen - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by
ombiasy WineTours
Tasting with Helmut Dönnhoff and Sascha Johannes Schömel at Weingut Dönnhoff (VDP) in Oberhausen, Nahe - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
2022 Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in McLean, Virginia, USA
Christian Schiller`s SCHILLER-WINE Blog on Corking Wines` Top 101 Wine Writers of 2020 List
The Wines of Germany: Presentation by Annette Schiller at the German Embassy in Washington DC/ Consular Conference December 2021
Massive Tasting of Bordeaux 1982 - the Vintage that made Robert Parker a Star, USA/ France
Carl Willner, Christian Schiller and Ken Bensley of the German Wine Society/ Washington DC Chapter (Re-)elected to the National Board, USA, Germany
"Silent Winds, Dry Seas" - Literary Salon: Book Reading and Discussion with the Author Vinod Busjeet Followed by Dinner at the Schiller Residence in Virginia, USA
The American Wine Society National Conference 2022 in Bellevue/ Seattle, Washington State - Seen through Christian Schiller`s Camera Lens
The End of the "Grosslage" in Germany - Seminar about the new German Wine Law of 2022 at the 2022 American Wine Society National Conference in Bellevue/ Seattle, Washington State, led by Annette Schiller
Christian Schiller: Re-elected to the Board of the "Weinfeder", the Association of German Wine Journalists
2022 Holiday Party of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) at the Cosmos Club in Washington DC Downtown, USA/ Germany
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