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103-574: As it seems highly likely that Pinot Noir Précoce is simply a natural early ripening mutation of Pinot noir, it is extremely likely to have occurred and been selected and specially cultivated in many different Pinot growing regions (e.g., Burgundy, Champagne, Alsace, Loire, and throughout many older German vineyards) on many separate occasions throughout the long history of Pinot noir cultivation in Europe. Wines from Pinot Noir Précoce are closely similar to, if not indistinguishable from, those of Pinot noir, and it

206-553: A Benedictine abbey on slopes above Geisenheim , the ground of which later became Schloss Johannisberg . His successor Adalbert of Mainz donated land above Hattenheim in 1135 to Cistercians , sent out from Clairvaux in Champagne , who founded Kloster Eberbach . Many grape varieties commonly associated with German wines have been documented back to the 14th or 15th century. Riesling has been documented from 1435 (close to Rheingau), and Pinot noir from 1318 on Lake Constance under

309-434: A characteristic effervescent light body with a similarly light, mellow flavor. The wine can be dynamic though rarely robust, and ranges from dry to sweet. New York is also a notable producer of Riesling-based ice wine , although a large majority of New York Ice Wine is made from Vidal blanc and Vignoles . In California , Riesling lags far behind Chardonnay in popularity and is not as commonly planted. A notable exception

412-524: A characteristic lime note that tends to emerge in examples from the Clare Valley and Eden Valley in South Australia . Riesling's naturally high acidity and pronounced fruit flavors give wines made from the grape exceptional aging potential , with well-made examples from favorable vintages often developing smokey, honey notes, and aged German Rieslings, in particular, taking on a " petrol " character, as

515-530: A crisp lightness that bodes well for easy drinking. Often there will be an easily detectable peach and mineral complex In Michigan , whose Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula AVAs (near Traverse City ) are known for their ice wine , Riesling is a fairly common variety, in part on account of its suitability for that purpose. Riesling is grown in other regions as well, including colder parts of relatively warm states such as Oklahoma (where it has even been made into an eiswein ) and Texas. Riesling

618-468: A crisp taste due to the high acidity. However, Riesling's naturally high acidity and range of flavours make it suitable for extended aging. International wine expert Michael Broadbent rates aged German Rieslings, some hundreds of years old, highly. Sweet Riesling wines, such as German Trockenbeerenauslese , are especially suited for cellaring since the high sugar content provides for additional preservation. However, high-quality dry or off-dry Riesling wine

721-461: A cultivated area of more than 7,000 hectares, Germany ranks in place six worldwide. The market share of organic wine is between four and five percent. Chaptalization is allowed only up to the QbA level, not for Prädikatswein and all wines must be fermented dry if chaptalised. To balance the wine, unfermented grape juice, called Süssreserve , may be added after fermentation. German wine classification

824-586: A dark-skinned clone, i.e., it is still a white wine grape. It is considered a mutation of White Riesling, but some experts have suggested the opposite relationship, i.e., that Red Riesling could be the forerunner of White Riesling. Small amounts of Red Riesling are grown in Germany and Austria. In 2006, the Rheingau winery Fritz Allendorf planted what has been claimed to be the first commercial amounts of Red Riesling. To confuse matters, "Red Riesling" has also been used as

927-399: A doubling of the vineyards used for red wine. Nowadays, over 35% of the vineyards are cultivated with red grapes. Some of the red grapes are also used to produce rosé . Out of all the grape varieties listed below, only 20 have a significant market share. During the last century several changes have taken place with respect to the most planted varieties. Until the early 20th century, Elbling

1030-408: A high salt content. In Germany, cabbage is sometimes cooked with riesling to reduce the vegetable's smell. As with other white wines, dry Riesling is generally served at a cool 11 °C (52 °F). Sweeter Rieslings are often served warmer . There exists a large number of commercial clones of Riesling, with slightly different properties. In Germany, approximately 60 clones are allowed, and

1133-402: A process in which the alcoholic content is increased through the addition of sugar to the must. In contrast to other Alsatian wines, Rieslings d'Alsace are usually not meant to be drunk young, but many are still best in the first years. Rieslings d'Alsace tend to be mostly very dry with a cleansing acidity. They are thick-bodied wines that coat the palate. These wines age exceptionally well with

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1236-417: A quality vintage aging up to 20 years. This is beneficial since the flavours in an Alsace wine will often open up after three years, developing softer and fruitier flavours. Riesling is very suitable for the late harvest Vendange Tardive and the botrytized Sélection de Grains Nobles , with good acidity keeping up the sweetness of the wine. In addition to Muscat , Gewürztraminer and Pinot gris , Riesling

1339-723: A result of the development of the compund TDN . In 2015, Riesling was the most grown variety in Germany with 23.0% and 23,596 hectares (58,310 acres), and in the French region of Alsace with 21.9% and 3,350 hectares (8,300 acres). In Germany, the variety is particularly widely planted in the Mosel , Rheingau , Nahe and Pfalz wine regions. There are also significant plantings of Riesling in Austria , Slovenia , Serbia , Czech Republic , Slovakia , Luxembourg , northern Italy , Australia , New Zealand , Canada , South Africa , China , Crimea , and

1442-473: A striking petrol note ( goût de pétrole in French) that is sometimes described with comparisons to kerosene, lubricant, or rubber. While an integral part of the aroma profile of mature Riesling and sought after by many experienced drinkers, it may be off-putting to those unaccustomed to it, and those who primarily seek young and fruity aromas in their wine. The negative attitude to petrol aromas in young Riesling, and

1545-486: A synonym for red-skinned Traminer grapes (such as the Savagnin rose of Klevener de Heiligenstein ) and the obscure variety Hanns , which is a seed plant of Roter Veltliner . Roter Riesling has nothing to do with Schwarzriesling . In the late 19th century, German horticulturalists devoted many efforts to develop new Riesling hybrids that would create a more flexible, less temperamental grape that could still retain some of

1648-518: A vast array of tastes from sweet to off-dry halbtrocken to dry trocken . Late harvest Rieslings can ripen to become very sweet dessert wines of the beerenauslese (BA) and trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) class. Riesling is on record as being planted in the Alsace region by 1477 when its quality was praised by the Duke of Lorraine . Today over a fifth of Alsace's vineyards are covered with Riesling vines, mostly in

1751-608: A white wine country, red wine production surged in the 1990s and early 2000s, primarily fuelled by domestic demand, and the proportion of the German vineyards devoted to the cultivation of dark-skinned grape varieties has now stabilized at slightly more than a third of the total surface. For the red wines, Spätburgunder , the domestic name for Pinot noir , is in the lead. Germany produces wines in many styles: dry, semi-sweet and sweet white wines, rosé wines, red wines and sparkling wines, called Sekt . (The only wine style not commonly produced

1854-676: Is Gouais blanc , known to the Germans as Weißer Heunisch , a variety that, while rare today, was widely grown by the French and German peasantry of the Middle Ages. The other parent is a cross between a wild vine and Traminer . It is presumed that the Riesling was born somewhere in the valley of the Rhine, since both Heunisch and Traminer have a long documented history in Germany, but with parents from either side of

1957-544: Is a seed plant of Pinot Noir Précoce. German wine German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany , along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of German wine is produced in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate , where 6 of the 13 regions ( Anbaugebiete ) for quality wine are situated. Germany has about 103,000 hectares (252,000 acres or 1,030 square kilometers) of vineyard, which

2060-455: Is a stark contrast in Riesling production. Although Oregon was once viewed as a promising destination for the grape, Burgundy-style wines came to dominate, while in Washington, large producers such as Chateau Ste. Michelle spearheaded Riesling's growth. Chateau Ste. Michille championed German styles and partnered with well-known German firm Dr. Ernest Loosen to create specialty wines such as

2163-507: Is also grown throughout all the regions in Ohio and is produced and sold at award-winning wineries across the state. In Ontario, Riesling is commonly used for icewine , where the wine is noted for its breadth and complexity. Niagara is a major producer of ice wine in general, putting it neck-and-neck with Germany. Late Harvest wines and some sparkling wines are produced with Riesling in Niagara but it

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2266-466: Is also known not just to have survived but also to have been enjoyable at an age exceeding 100 years. The Ratskeller (council wine cellar) of the townhall of Bremen , Germany, stores 650+ German wines, including Riesling-based wines, often in barrel and back to the 1653 vintage. More common aging periods for Riesling wines would be 5–15 years for dry, 10–20 years for semi-sweet and 10–30+ for sweet versions. On release, certain Riesling wines reveal

2369-1513: Is also known under the following synonyms: Augsttraube, Augustiner blau, Augustklevner, Augusttraube, Black Inly, Blaue Jakobstraube, Blauer Frühburgunder, Burgundac Crni Rani, Burgunder Früh Blau, Burgunder Früher Blauer, Champagner Schwarz, Clävner Früh, Clevner Frühburgunder, Frauentagtraube, Frühburgunder, Frühburgunder Blau, Frühe Jakobstraube, Früher Blauer Klevner, Frühreifer Schwarzer Burgunder, Frühtraube, Gospinsza, Ischia, Iskiya, Jackobstraube, Jacobi, Jacobitraube, Jacobstraube, Jacobszoeloe, Jakubske, Jakubske Skore, Juliusi Szoeloe, July Grape, Korai Kek Kisburgundi, Laurenzitraube, Laurenziustraube, Loerinc Szoeloe, Lujega, Luviana Veronese, Maddalena nera, Madeleine noire, Magdalenentraube, Magdolna Szoeloe, Möhrchen, Morillon Hatif, Morillon Noir Hatif, Morillon Parisien, Noir Précoce de Gênes, Noir Précoce de Hongrie, Noir Printannier, Petit Noir Précoce, Petit Noirin, Pineau De Juillet, Pineau Madeleine, Pino Cornij Ranij, Pino Rannii, Pinot Hatif de Rilly, Pinot Madeleine, Pinot Nero Précoce, Pinot Noir Précose, Pinot Plant de Juillet, Pinot Pommier, Pinot Précoce Noir, Pinot Rannii, Pinot Timpuriu, Plant Printanier, Précoce noir, Raisin de Juillet, Raisin de la Madelaine, Raisin de St. Jean, Raisin Précoce, Rani Modri Burgrendac, Saint Jacques, Szent Anna Szoeloe, Tidlig Bla Burgunder, Trauentagtraube, Tuannes Negres, Uva De Trivolte, Uva Di Tre Volte, Vigne D'ischia and Zherna Mushza. The variety Madeleine Royale

2472-469: Is an exception with some winters in the wine regions of Palatinate (Pfalz) and Baden using new oak aging. The warmer temperatures in those regions produce heavier wines with a higher alcohol content that can better contend with the new oak. While clearer in individual flavours when it is young, a German Riesling will harmonize more as it ages, particularly around ten years of age. In Germany, sugar levels at time of harvest are an important consideration in

2575-482: Is around one tenth of the vineyard surface in Spain , France or Italy . The total wine production is usually around 10 million hectoliters annually, corresponding to 1.3 billion bottles, which places Germany as the eighth-largest wine-producing country in the world. White wine accounts for almost two thirds of the total production. As a wine country, Germany has a mixed reputation internationally, with some consumers on

2678-437: Is believed to have reached their greatest extent sometime around 1500, when perhaps as much as four times the present vineyard surface was planted. Basically, the wine regions were located in the same places as today, but more lands around the rivers, and land further upstream Rhine's tributaries, was cultivated. The subsequent decline can be attributed to locally produced beer becoming the everyday beverage in northern Germany in

2781-445: Is common for Australian Rieslings to be fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks with no oxidation of the wine, followed by earlier bottling. Australian Rieslings are noted for their oily texture and citrus fruit flavors in their youth and a smooth balance of freshness and acid as they age. The botrytized Rieslings have immense levels of flavor concentrations that have been favorably compared to lemon marmalade. Riesling

2884-450: Is created from carotenoid precursors by acid hydrolysis . The initial concentration of precursors in the wine determines the wine's potential to develop TDN and petrol notes over time. From what is known of the production of carotenoids in grapes, factors that are likely to increase the TDN potential are: These factors are usually also considered to contribute to high-quality Riesling wines, so

2987-410: Is dominated by craft rather than industry wines. This makes the lists of wines produced long and complex, and many wines hard to obtain as production is so limited. The wine regions in Germany usually referred to are the 13 defined regions for quality wine. The German wine industry has organised itself around these regions and their division into districts. However, there are also a number of regions for

3090-456: Is far from clear that anything distinguishes its wines other than oenological characters resulting from its early ripening (e.g., relatively fuller flavor development, lower acidity, and the like). The early ripening of Pinot Noir Précoce means that it is primarily popular in colder wine regions, and most of the current plantations are found in Germany . Up until the early 20th century, it was one of

3193-503: Is fortified wine.) Due to the northerly location of the German vineyards, the country has produced wines quite unlike any others in Europe, many of outstanding quality. Between the 1950s and the 1980s German wine was known abroad for cheap, sweet or semi-sweet, low-quality mass-produced wines such as Liebfraumilch . The wines have historically been predominantly white, and the finest made from Riesling . Many wines have been sweet and low in alcohol , light and unoaked . Historically many of

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3296-775: Is needed to produce the wine. Since it can be difficult to get ripe grapes in such a northernly location as Germany, the sugar maturity of grapes ( must weight ) as measured by the Oechsle scale have played a great role in Germany. German vintners on average crop their vineyards quite high, with yields averaging around 64–99 hl/ha, a high figure in international comparison. Some crossings used for low-quality white wine yield up to 150–200 hl/ha, while quality-conscious producers who strive to produce well-balanced wines of concentrated flavours rarely exceed 50 hl/ha. Many wines in Germany are produced using organic farming or biodynamic methods. With an average annual growth rate of 25 percent and

3399-551: Is often distributed over, say, 10–25 different wines from different vineyards, of different Prädikat , sweetness and so on. The largest vineyard owner is the Hessian State Wineries ( Hessische Staatsweingüter ), owned by the state of Hesse , with 200 ha vineyards, the produce of which is vinified in three separate wineries. The largest privately held winery is Dr. Bürklin-Wolf in the Palatinate with 85,5 ha. By April 2014,

3502-683: Is one of the acceptable varieties whose planting is allowed in Alsace grand cru sites. In 1838 William Macarthur planted Riesling vines near Penrith in New South Wales . Riesling was the most planted white grape in Australia until the early 1990s when Chardonnay greatly increased in popularity. Riesling still flourishes in the Great Southern of Western Australia (in particular Mt Barker, Frankland River and Porongurup), and in South Australia in

3605-457: Is sometimes the source of confusion. However, to those familiar with the terms used, a German wine label reveals much information about the wine's origin, the minimum ripeness of the grapes used for the wine, as well as the dryness/sweetness of the wine. In general, the ripeness classifications of German wines reflect minimum sugar content in the grape (also known as "potential alcohol" = the amount of alcohol resulting from fermenting all sugar in

3708-679: Is table wines from dry to off-dry that hold the largest share of production. The climate of the region is typically quite warm in the summertime, which adds a layer of richness in the wines. The founder of St. Urbanshoff in the Mosel, Herman Weiss, was an early pioneer in Niagara's modern viticulture, selling his strain of Mosel clone Riesling to many producers in west Niagara (these vines are well over 20 years old now). This clone and Niagara's summer heat make for uniquely bright wines and often show up in interesting dry styled versions. Many producers and wine critics will argue that Niagara's best offerings come from

3811-592: Is the growing development of high quality Late Harvest dessert wines. So far, the Late Harvest wines most successfully produced are in the Anderson and Alexander Valleys where the weather is more likely to encourage the needed botrytis to develop. The Riesling that does come out of California tends to be softer, fuller, and having more diverse flavours than a "typical" German Riesling. In the Pacific Northwest, there

3914-402: Is the second leading white grape varietal after the indigenous Grüner Veltliner . Austrian Riesling is generally thick bodied, coating the palate and producing a strong clarity of flavour coupled with a mouthwatering aroma. A particular Austrian Riesling trademark is a long finish that includes hints of white pepper. It flourishes in the cool climate and free-draining granite and mica soil of

4017-605: The Adriatic the cross could have happened anywhere on the way. It has also been suggested, but not proved, that the red-skinned version of Riesling is the forerunner of the common, "white" Riesling. The genetic differences between white and red Riesling are minuscule, as is also the case between Pinot noir and Pinot gris . Riesling wines are often consumed when young, when they make a fruity and aromatic wine that may have aromas of green or other apples, grapefruit, peach, gooseberry, honey, rose blossom or cut green grass, and usually

4120-456: The Clare Valley , and particularly in the areas of Watervale and around Polish Hill River, and the cooler Eden Valley and High Eden . The warmer Australian climate produces thicker skinned grapes, sometimes seven times the thickness of German grown grapes. The grapes ripen in free draining soil composed of red soil over limestone and shale , producing a lean wine that, as it matures, produces toasty, honeycomb and lime aromas and flavors. It

4223-531: The Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute . Since several years ago there has been an increase in plantings of Riesling as local and international demand has been demanding high quality wines. The wines are all produced around rivers, mainly the Rhine and its tributaries, often sheltered by mountains. The rivers have significant microclimate effects to moderate the temperature. The soil is slate in

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4326-722: The Haut-Rhin district, with the varietal Riesling d'Alsace  [ fr ] being very different from neighboring German Riesling. This is partly from difference in the soil with the clay Alsatian soil being more dominately calcareous than the slate composition of Rheingau. The other differences come in wine making styles, with the Alsatian preferring more French-oriented methods that produce wines of higher alcohol content (normally around 12%) and more roundness due to longer time spent in neutral oak barrels or steel tanks. In contrast to German wine laws, Alsatian rieslings can be chaptalized ,

4429-608: The Niagara Escarpment region, which encompasses the Short Hills Bench , 20 Mile Bench, and Beamsville Bench. In British Columbia, Riesling is commonly grown for use in icewine, table wine, and sekt-style sparkling wines, a notable example of which is Cipes Brut. In Nova Scotia, particularly in the Annapolis Valley region, Riesling is showing significant promise, being shaped by the warm summer days with cool nights and

4532-611: The United States ( Washington , California , Michigan , and New York ). Riesling has a long history, and there are several written references to the variety dating from the 15th century, although with varying orthography . The earliest of these references dates from March 13, 1435, when the storage inventory of Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen in Rüsselsheim (close to the Rheingau ) lists "22 ß umb seczreben Rießlingen in die wingarten" ("22 shillings for Riesling vine cuttings for

4635-455: The Wachau region where Austrian wine laws allow for irrigation. With levels normally around 13% it has a relatively high alcohol content for Riesling and is generally at its peak after 5 years. Austrian Riesling is not known for its sweetness and is mostly dry with very few grapes affected by botrytis . In the late nineteenth century, German immigrants brought with them Riesling vines, borrowing

4738-696: The 16th century, leading to a partial loss of market for wine, to the Thirty Years' War ravaging Germany in the 17th century, to the dissolution of the monasteries, where much of the winemaking know-how was concentrated, in those areas that accepted the Protestant reformation, and to the climatic changes of the Little Ice Age that made viticulture difficult or impossible in marginal areas. An important event took place in 1775 at Schloss Johannisberg in Rheingau, when

4841-564: The 18th century in some parts of Germany, such as the Kammertbau in the Palatinate . Almost nothing is known of the style or quality of "German" wines that were produced in the Roman era, with the exception of the fact that the poet Venantius Fortunatus mentions red German wine around AD 570. Before the era of Charlemagne , Germanic viticulture was practiced primarily, although not exclusively, on

4944-406: The 1960s and 1970s, there was a downward trend, which was reversed around 1980. From mid-1990s and during the next decade, there was an almost explosive growth of plantation of red varieties. Plantings was shared between traditional Spätburgunder and a number of new crossings , led by Dornfelder, while other traditional German red varieties such as Portugieser only held their ground. From around 2005,

5047-429: The 1st century AD. However, it is not absolutely certain that these knives were used for viticultural purposes. Emperor Probus , whose reign can be dated two centuries later than these knives, is generally considered the founder of German viticulture, but for solid documentation of winemaking on German soil, we must go to around 370 AD, when Ausonius of Bordeaux wrote Mosella , where he in enthusiastic terms described

5150-472: The 50th parallel, which runs through the regions Rheingau and Mosel. Above this line the climate becomes less conducive to wine production, but there are still some vineyards above this line and the effects of climate change on wine production are growing. Because of the northerly climate, there has been a search for suitable grape varieties (particularly frost resistant and early harvesting ones), and many crosses have been developed, such as Müller-Thurgau in

5253-1029: The Clare, Barossa, and Eden Valleys in South Australia, and in the southern growing region of Tasmania, though none are as renowned as those from Germany. Riesling is considered one of the grape varieties that best expresses the terroir of the place where it is grown. It is particularly well suited for slate and sandy clay soil. Today Riesling is Germany’s leading grape variety, known for its characteristic “transparency” in flavour and presentation of terroir , and its balance between fruit and mineral flavours. In Germany, Riesling normally ripens between late September and late November, and late harvest Riesling can be picked as late as January. Two common characteristics of German Riesling are that they are rarely blended with other varieties and usually never exposed to oak flavour (despite some vintners fermenting in "traditionel" old oak barrels already leached). To this last item there

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5356-544: The Eroica brand. With annual productions of over 2,000,000 cases a year, Chateau Ste. Michelle is the worldwide leader in the production of Riesling wines by volume. In 2007 Pacific Rim Winemakers , another Pacific Northwest winery and owned by Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon , has built the first wine facility in Red Mountain AVA dedicated completely to Riesling production. Riesling from this area ranges from dry to sweet, and has

5459-558: The Rhine river were incorporated into the French state. This included the wine regions Ahr, Mosel, Nahe, Rheinhessen, and Pfalz, i.e., the vast majority of German wine production. Since then the Napoleonic inheritance laws in Germany broke up the parcels of vineyards further, leading to the establishment of many cooperatives. However, many notable and world-famous wineries in Germany have managed to acquire or hold enough land to produce wine not only for domestic consumption, but also export. After

5562-453: The battle of Waterloo and Napoleon’s final defeat, the Rhineland (which encompasses the viticultural regions Mosel, Mittelrhein, Nahe and Ahr) fell to Prussia, while the Palatinate (Pfalz) fell to Bavaria. Hesse Darmstadt received what is today known as Rheinhessen. Many of the best vineyards were transferred to the new states, where they were wrapped up as state domains. Custom-free access to

5665-595: The courier delivering the harvest permission was delayed for two weeks, with the result that most of the grapes in Johannisberg's Riesling-only vineyard had been affected by noble rot before the harvest began. Unexpectedly, these "rotten grapes" gave a very good sweet wine, which was termed Spätlese , meaning late harvest . From this time, late harvest wines from grapes affected by noble rot have been produced intentionally. The subsequent differentiation of wines based on harvested ripeness, starting with Auslese in 1787, laid

5768-464: The delicate nature of the Riesling grape requires special handling during harvesting to avoid crushing or bruising the skin. Without this care, the broken skins could leak tannin into the juice, giving a markedly coarse taste and throwing off balance the Riesling's range of flavors and aromas. A wine that is best at its "freshest" states, the grapes and juice may be chilled often throughout the vinification process. Once, right after picking to preserve

5871-479: The elegant characteristics of Riesling. The most notable is the Müller-Thurgau developed in the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in 1882, which is a cross of Riesling and Madeleine Royale (although long believed to be Riesling x Silvaner ). Other Riesling/Silvaner crosses include the Palatinate regional favorite Scheurebe and Rieslaner . Kerner , a cross between Riesling and the red wine grape Trollinger

5974-562: The export markets associating Germany with the world's most elegant and aromatically pure white wines while other see the country mainly as the source of cheap, mass-market semi-sweet wines such as Liebfraumilch . Among enthusiasts, Germany's reputation is primarily based on wines made from the Riesling grape variety, which at its best is used for aromatic, fruity and elegant white wines that range from very crisp and dry to well-balanced, sweet and of enormous aromatic concentration. While primarily

6077-523: The extension of the growing season that is being observed. The Maritime climate combined with glacial soils contribute to the interesting expressions that are showing. Riesling is also widely grown in Luxembourg (where it represents some 12% of the vineyard), Hungary, Italy , particularly Friuli-Venezia Giulia , Croatia , South Africa , Chile and Central Europe , particularly Romania and Moldova , Serbia , Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In wine making ,

6180-417: The following relationship to each other, and to the quality wine regions: Overall nearly 135 grape varieties may be cultivated in Germany – 100 are released for white wine production and 35 for red wine production. According to the international image, Germany is still considered a region for white wine production. Since the 1980s, demand for German red wine has constantly increased, and this has resulted in

6283-484: The fungus Botrytis cinerea (" noble rot ") or by freezing and pressing (as is the case for ice wine - in German, Eiswein ), water is removed and the resulting ultra concentrated juice is used to make the sweet wines. These wines are felt to offer richer layers on the palate, and have more sugar (in extreme cases hundreds of grams per litre), more acid (to give balance to the sugar), more flavour, and more complexity. These elements combine to make wines that are amongst

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6386-449: The grapes (either on the market each harvest year, or on long-term contract with larger wineries looking to supplement their own production), deliver the grapes to a winemaking cooperative (called Winzergenossenschaft in Germany), or sell the wine in bulk to winemaking firms that use them in "bulk brands" or as a base wine for Sekt . Those who own vineyards in truly good locations also have

6489-471: The grapes' more delicate flavours. Second, after it has been processed through a bladder press and right before fermentation . During fermentation, the wine is cooled in temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation tanks kept between 10 and 18 °C (50 and 64 °F). This differs from red wines that normally ferment at 24 to 29 °C (75 to 84 °F) Unlike Chardonnay , most Riesling do not undergo malolactic fermentation . This helps preserve

6592-538: The ground for the Prädikat system. These laws, introduced in 1971, define the designations still used today. At one point the Church controlled most of the major vineyards in Germany. Quality instead of quantity become important and spread quickly down the river Rhine. In the 1800s, Napoleon took control of all the vineyards from the Church, including the best, and divided and secularized them. In 1801, all German states west of

6695-522: The grower and producers of the wine: The German wine scene consists of many small craft oriented vineyard owners. The 1999 viticultural survey counted 68 598 vineyard owners, down from 76 683 in Western Germany in 1989/90, for an average size of 1.5 ha. Most of the 40 625 operators of less than 0.5 ha should likely be classified as hobby winemakers. The 2016 viticultural survey counted 15 931 vineyard owners. Two digit decreases of operating owners change

6798-404: The high acidity ("crispness") of many German wines, the taste profile of many halbtrocken wines fall within the "internationally dry" spectrum rather than being appreciably sweet. Feinherb wines are slightly more sweet than halbtrocken wines. Lieblich wines are noticeably sweet; except for the high category Prädikatsweine of type Beerenauslese and above, lieblich wines from Germany are usually of

6901-981: The insignificant table wine ( Tafelwein ) and country wine ( Landwein ) categories. Those regions, with a few exceptions overlap, with the quality wine regions. To make a clear distinction between the quality levels, the regions and subregions for different quality levels have different names on purpose, even when they are allowed to be produced in the same geographical area. There are 13 defined regions ("Anbaugebiete") in Germany: These 13 regions ( Anbaugebiete ) are broken down into 39 districts ( Bereiche ) which are further broken down into collective vineyard sites ( Großlagen ) of which there are 167. The individual vineyard sites ( Einzellagen ) number 2,658. Data from 2016. There are seven regions for Tafelwein ( Weinbaugebiete für Tafelwein ), three of which are divided into two or three subregions ( Untergebiete ) each, and 21 regions for Landwein ( Landweingebiete ). These regions have

7004-468: The juice) at the point of harvest of the grape. They have nothing to do with the sweetness of the wine after fermentation, which is one of the most common mis-perceptions about German wines. On wine labels, German wine may be classified according to the residual sugar of the wine. Trocken refers to dry wine. These wines have less than 9 grams/liter of residual sugar. Halbtrocken wines are off-dry and have 9–18 grams/liter of residual sugar. Due to

7107-438: The leading export markets both in terms of volume and value. Red wine has always been hard to produce in the German climate, and in the past was usually light-colored, closer to rosé or the red wines of Alsace . However recently there has been greatly increased demand and darker, richer red wines (often barrique -aged) are produced from grapes such as Dornfelder and Spätburgunder, the German name for Pinot noir . Perhaps

7210-507: The low Tafelwein category. The number of German wines produced in a lieblich style has dropped markedly since the style went out of fashion in the 1980s. In recent years, the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP), which is a private marketing club founded in 1910, has lobbied for the recognition of a vineyard classification, but its effort have not yet changed national law. There are also several terms to identify

7313-510: The low temperatures in winter of the northern German regions would halt fermentation and leave the resulting wines with natural sugars and a low alcohol content. According to local tradition, in the Mosel region the wine would then be bottled in tall, tapered, and green hock bottles. Similar bottles, although brown, are used for Riesling produced in the Rhine region. Riesling is also the preferred grape in production of Deutscher Sekt , German sparkling wine . Riesling wines from Germany cover

7416-400: The mentioning of "petrol" as a possible aroma on their German-language Wine Aroma Wheel , which is supposed to be specially adapted to German wines, and despite the fact that professor Ann C. Noble had included petrol in her original version of the wheel. The petrol note is considered to be caused by the compound 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene (TDN), which during the aging process

7519-442: The most distinctive characteristic of German wines is the high level of acidity in them, caused both by the lesser ripeness in a northerly climate and by the selection of grapes such as Riesling , which retain acidity even at high ripeness levels. Viticulture in present-day Germany dates back to Ancient Roman times, to sometime from 70 to 270 CE/AD ( Agri Decumates ). In those days, the western parts of today's Germany made up

7622-484: The most famous of these have been propagated from vines in the vineyards of Schloss Johannisberg . Most other countries have sourced their Riesling clones directly from Germany, but they are sometimes propagated under different designations. A very rare version of Riesling that has recently received more attention is Red Riesling ( Roter Riesling ). As the name suggests, this is a red-skinned clone of Riesling (a skin color commonly found for, e.g., Gewürztraminer ), but not

7725-705: The most grown varieties in the Ahr region, but then declined to only 15 hectares (37 acres) in the 1960s, and was on the verge of becoming extinct due to problems of vine diseases. In the 1970s, the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute took an interest in it, and began selecting virus-free clones suitable for propagation. The variety has thereafter had a modest revival in Germany, and in 2008 plantations stood at 252 hectares (620 acres). It also attracts some interest in new regions characterised by cool climate viticulture up to as far north as Estonia and as far north west as Gloucester,England,Woodchester Valley vineyard. Pinot Noir Précoce

7828-495: The most long lived of all white wines. The beneficial use of "noble rot" in Riesling grapes was discovered in the late 18th century at Schloss Johannisberg . Permission from the Abbey of Fulda (which owned the vineyard) to start picking Riesling grapes arrived too late and the grapes had begun to rot; yet it turned out that the wine made from them was still of excellent quality. Noble rot is employed in many viticultural areas, including

7931-612: The name Klebroth , from 1335 in Affenthal in Baden and from 1470 in Rheingau, where the monks kept a Clebroit-Wyngart in Hattenheim. The most grown variety in medieval Germany was however Elbling , with Silvaner also being common, and Muscat , Räuschling and Traminer also being recorded. For several centuries of the Medieval era, the vineyards of Germany (including Alsace) expanded, and

8034-600: The name of Schloss Johannisberg to mark the plants' origin. "Johannisberg Riesling" became a semi-generic name for Riesling until an agreement between the U.S. and EU prohibited its use in 2006. New York , particularly in the Finger Lakes region, was one of the earliest U.S. producers of Riesling. Plantings started to appear in California by 1857 and followed in Washington State in 1871. New York Riesling generally has

8137-417: The option of renting them out to larger producers to operate. A total of 5,864 vineyard owners owned more than 5 ha each in 2016, accounting for 81% of Germany's total vineyard surface, and it is in this category that the full-time vintners and commercial operations are primarily found. However, truly large wineries, in terms of their own vineyard holdings, are rare in Germany. Hardly any German wineries reach

8240-480: The outpost of the Roman empire against the Germanic tribes on the other side of Rhine. What is generally considered Germany's oldest city, Trier , was founded as a Roman garrison and is situated directly on the river Moselle ( Mosel ) in the eponymous wine region . The oldest archeological finds that may indicate early German viticulture are curved pruning knives found in the vicinity of Roman garrisons, dating from

8343-478: The petrol note is in fact more likely to develop in top wines than in simpler wines made from high-yielding vineyards, especially those from the New World, where irrigation is common. The most expensive wines made from Riesling are late harvest dessert wines (often amongst the most expensive in the world), produced by letting the grapes hang on the vines well past normal picking time. Through evaporation caused by

8446-490: The preference for fruitier young wines of this variety, seem more common in Germany than in Alsace or on the export market, and some German producers, especially the volume-oriented ones, have even gone so far as to consider the petrol notes a defect which they try to avoid, even at the cost of producing wines that are less suited to extended cellar aging. In that vein, the German Wine Institute has gone so far as to omit

8549-400: The proportion of red varieties has stabilized around 37%, about three times the 1980 level. White grape varieties account for 66% of the area planted in Germany. Principal varieties are listed below; there are larger numbers of less important varieties too. Red wine varieties account for 34% of the plantations in Germany but has increased in recent years. According to the German wine law ,

8652-452: The size of New World winemaking companies, and only a few are of the same size as a typical Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé château. Of the ten wineries considered as Germany's best by Gault Millau Weinguide in 2007, nine had 10,2 — 19 ha of vineyards, and one ( Weingut Robert Weil , owned by Suntory ) had 70 ha. This means that most of the high-ranking German wineries each only produces around 100,000 bottles of wine per year. That production

8755-584: The spelling Rissling . In Wachau in Austria, there is a small stream and a small vineyard both called Ritzling , which are claimed locally to have given Riesling its name. However, there seems to be no documentary evidence to back this up, so this claim is not widely believed to be correct. Earlier, Riesling was sometimes claimed to have originated from wild vines of the Rhine region, without much support to back up that claim. More recently, DNA fingerprinting by Ferdinand Regner indicated that one parent of Riesling

8858-409: The state governments are responsible for drawing up lists of grape varieties allowed in wine production. The varieties listed below are officially permitted for commercial cultivation. The lists include varieties permitted only for selected experimental cultivation. Many of the best vineyards in Germany are steep vineyards overlooking rivers, where mechanisation is impossible and a lot of manual labour

8961-421: The steep valleys, to absorb the sun's heat and retain it overnight. On the rolling hills the soil is lime and clay dominated. The great sites are often extremely steep so they catch the most sunlight, but they are difficult to harvest mechanically. The slopes are also positioned facing the south or south-west to angle towards the sun. The vineyards are extremely small compared to New World vineyards and wine making

9064-430: The steep vineyards on the river Moselle. The wild vine , the forerunner of the cultivated Vitis vinifera is known to have grown on upper Rhine back to historic time, and it is possible (but not documented) that Roman-era German viticulture was started using local varieties. Many viticultural practices were however taken from other parts of the Roman empire, as evidenced by Roman-style trellising systems surviving into

9167-410: The structure. Many smaller vineyard owners do not pursue viticulture as a full-time occupation, but rather as a supplement to other agriculture or to hospitality. It is not uncommon for a visitor to a German wine region to find that a small family-owned Gasthaus has its own wine. Smaller grape-growers who do not wish to, or are unable to, commercialise their own wine have several options available: sell

9270-435: The tart, acidic characteristic of the wine that gives Riesling its "thirst-quenching" quality. (Producers of Sauvignon blanc and Pinot grigio often avoid malolactic fermentation for the same reason.) Riesling is often put through a process of cold stabilization , where the wine is stored just above its freezing point. The wine is kept at this temperature until much of the tartaric acid has crystallized and precipitated out of

9373-543: The ten largest German wine producers were: Riesling Riesling ( / ˈ r iː s l ɪ ŋ , ˈ r iː z l ɪ ŋ / REE -sling, REEZ -ling , German: [ˈʁiːslɪŋ] ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling white wines . Riesling wines are usually varietally pure and are seldom oaked . As of 2004 , Riesling

9476-486: The vast Prussian markets in the east and the growing industrial clusters on the Ruhr and protection from non-Prussian competitors, including from southern German regions such Baden, Württemberg, Palatinate and Rheinhessen, fostered Mosel, Rhine, Nahe and Ahr winemakers, due to high tariff barriers for all other producers. The German wine regions are some of the most northerly in the world. The main wine-producing climate lies below

9579-530: The vineyard"). The spelling Rießlingen is repeated in many other documents of the time. The modern spelling Riesling was first documented in 1552 when it was mentioned in Hieronymus Bock's Latin herbal . A map of Kintzheim in Alsace from 1348 contains the text zu dem Russelinge , but it is not certain that this reference is to the grape variety. However, in 1477, Riesling was documented in Alsace under

9682-511: The western side of Rhine. Charlemagne is supposed to have brought viticulture to Rheingau. The eastward spread of viticulture coincided with the spread of Christianity, which was supported by Charlemagne. Thus, in Medieval Germany, churches and monasteries played the most important role in viticulture, and especially in the production of quality wine. Two Rheingau examples illustrate this: archbishop Ruthard of Mainz (reigning 1089–1109) founded

9785-467: The wine acquires a petrol note as mentioned above. Riesling is almost never fermented or aged in new oak (although large old oak barrels are often used to store and stabilize Riesling-based wines in Germany and Alsace). This means that Riesling tends to be lighter weight and therefore suitable to a wider range of foods. The sharp acidity/sweetness in Rieslings can serve as a good balance to foods that have

9888-415: The wine's place of origin. In cool climates (such as many German wine regions ), Riesling wines tend to exhibit apple and tree fruit notes with noticeable levels of acidity that are sometimes balanced with residual sugar . A late-ripening variety that can develop more citrus and peach notes is grown in warmer climates (such as Alsace and parts of Austria ). In Australia , Riesling is often noted for

9991-433: The wine's production with prädikat levels measuring the sweetness of the wine. Equally important to winegrowers is the balance of acidity between the green tasting malic acid and the more citrus tasting tartaric acid . In cool years, some growers will wait until November to harvest in expectation of having a higher level of ripeness and subsequent tartaric acid. Before technology in wineries could stabilize temperatures,

10094-425: The wine. This helps prevent crystallization of the acid (often called "wine diamonds") in the bottle. After this, the wine is normally filtered again to remove any remaining yeast or impurities. In viticulture, the two main components in growing Riesling grapes are to keep it "Long & Low" meaning that the ideal situation for Riesling is a climate that allows for a long, slow ripening and proper pruning to keep

10197-490: The wines (other than late harvest wines) were probably dry ( trocken ), as techniques to stop fermentation did not exist. Recently much more German white wine is being made in the dry style again. Much of the wine sold in Germany is dry, especially in restaurants. However most exports are still of sweet wines, particularly to the traditional export markets such as the United States , the Netherlands and Great Britain , which are

10300-429: The yield low and the flavor concentrated. Riesling is a versatile wine for pairing with food , because of its balance of sugar and acidity. It can be paired with white fish or pork, and is one of the few wines that can stand up to the stronger flavours and spices of Thai and Chinese cuisine . A Riesling's typical aromas are of flowers, tropical fruits, and mineral stone (such as slate or quartz), although, with time,

10403-485: Was Germany's most planted variety, after which it was eclipsed by Silvaner during the middle of the 20th century. After a few decades in the top spot, in the late 1960s Silvaner was overtaken by the high-yielding Müller-Thurgau, which in turn started to lose ground in the 1980s. From the mid-1990s, Riesling became the most planted variety, a position it probably had never enjoyed before on a national level. Red grapes in Germany have experienced several ups and downs. Throughout

10506-411: Was estimated to be the world's 20th most grown variety at 48,700 hectares (120,000 acres) (with an increasing trend), but in terms of importance for quality wines, it is usually included in the "top three" white wine varieties together with Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc . Riesling is a variety that is highly " terroir -expressive", meaning that the character of Riesling wines is greatly influenced by

10609-576: Was first planted in New Zealand in the 1970s and has flourished in the relatively cool climate of the Marlborough area and for late harvests in the Nelson region. In comparison to Australian Riesling, New Zealand produces lighter and more delicate wines that range from sweet to dry. Central Otago , the home of cool climate wines, has recently emerged as another area producing terroir driven Rieslings. Riesling

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