GERMANY
The Romans were the first to plant vines along the Mosel and Rhine Rivers and around 800 Charlemagne encouraged the selection of good quality grape varieties ensuring that the best sites were identified and making wine trade easier for the producers and traders.
At the turn of the millennium, monasteries were leading the production of wine; the monastery of Eberbach in the Rheingau was founded in the 12th century and became Europe’s largest and best known winemaking centre. In the 16th century, the wine growing area was three times the size of what it is today and the German population consumed 5 times more wine per capita. German wines were in demand all over Europe.
A period of decline followed due to climatic changes and the 30 years war that ravaged Germany at the time. It is at the end of the 17th century that the German wine industry was revived and Riesling became the leading variety with careful selection.
An historic event took place in 1775 at Schloss Johannisbeg in Rheingau, when the courier delivering the harvest permission was delayed for two weeks. As a result the grapes rotted on the vines. Unexpectedly, these ‘rotten grapes’ gave a delicious sweet wine which was then called Spätlese, late harvest. From then onwards, late harvest wines from grapes affected by noble rot have been produced intentionally. Later different categories were identified with Auslese in 1787 and subsequently the the Prädikat system was created.
The Phyloxera also affected Germany at the end of the 19th century destroying a large part of its vineyards. The two world wars and the economic crisis weakened even more the industry to only start recovering from the 1950’s.
Germany has 13 different appellation with about 102 000 ha of vineyards.
German wines are divided into four categories Tafelwein (table wine), Landwein (country wine), Qualitätswein Bestimmer Anbaugebeite (quality wine from defined region), abbreviated Q.b.A., and Qualitätswein mit Prädikat or Prädikatswein (wine with a distinction) Q.m.p. Most wines produced are from Q.b.A and Q.m.p.
German wine law distinguishes wines on the amount of sugar in the grape must.
The distinctions are from the driest to the sweetest:
- Kabinett (cabinet)
- Spätlese (late harvest)
- Auslese (select harvest)
- Beerenauslese (select berry harvest)
- Trokenbeerenauslese, T.B.A. (select dried berry harvest)
- Eiswein (ice wine)
