GERMAN WINES- germany is considered one of the worlds top producers of

elegant white wines,the est of which ha!e almost ra!ishing delicacy and
clarity"#he !ineyards are at the northernmost e$treme where grapes can
ripen"
Roman roots-German wine ma%ing egan with the ancient romans,who
con&uered the region aout '(( "c" later, during the middle ages,mon%s
painsta%ingly planted and culti!ated what are today considered the most
famous !ineyards" church ownership of the !ineyards ended in ')(* when
napoleon con&uered the Rhine and !ineyard land was di!ided up and
auctioned off"
#he ma+ority of fine german wines are not sweet"the e$ceptions are the late
har!est dessert wines eerenauslesen and troc%eneerenauslesen,which are
crafted to e sweet"
Germany is di!ided into '* wine regions"and out of '* the , most important
ones are -the mosel -saar-ruwer,the rheingau,the pfal.,and the rheinhessen"
German reds are more e$pensi!e comparati!ely"spaturgunder/pinot
noir0,lauer portugieser/a !ariety which has nothing to do with 1ortugal0and
trollinger"german red wines are spicy,earthy ,lean and light"the top german
wines are often descried as transparent
#ypes of German Red Wines
Spaturgunder-Spaturgunder is a popular type of German red wine which
is similar in nature to the 1inot Noir of other wine countries" #his red
wine comes from the grape of the same name and is one of the most
fre&uently har!ested types of red grape throughout Germany" It is a
wine that can e paired with foods that are similar to 1inot Noir
pairings such as duc%, lam, pastas and meat entrees"
2emerger-Another highly sought after red wine from Germany is
2emerger" #his wine !ariety is a strong red wine with a wonderful
aroma to it" #his type of red wine is est with poultry, por%, lam and
!arious cheeses" It is also a nice accompaniment to certain desserts"
Mus%attrollinger- Mus%attrollinger is another fa!ored red wine from the
German region"
If one is loo%ing for the perfect red wine to pair with appeti.ers and
desserts, this is a wise choice" #his red wine has a lo!ely fruit essence
which is a wonderful way to egin or complete the meal"
3ornfelder-this is a full ody and old aroma wine" #his wine is deri!ed
from grapes which tend to ripen early in the season"
4ommon white wine grapes
White grape !arieties account for 5*6 of the area planted in Germany"
1rincipal !arieties are listed elow
Riesling is the enchmar% grape in Germany and co!er the most area in
the German !ineyard" It is an aromatic !ariety with a high le!el of
acidity that can e used for dry, semi-sweet, sweet and spar%ling
wines" #he drawac% to Riesling is that it ta%es around'*( days to
ripen "
M7ller#hurgau- is an alternati!e grape to Riesling that growers ha!e een
using, and which is one of the so-called 8new crossings8" 9nli%e the
long ripening time of Riesling, this grape !ariety only re&uires '(( days
to ripen, can e planted on more sites, and is higher yielding" :owe!er,
this grape has a more neutral fla!our than Riesling"
Sil!aner is another fairly neutral, ut &uite old grape !ariety that was
Germany;s most planted grape until the '<5(s and after that has
continued to lose ground" It has howe!er remained popular in
Rheinhessen, where it is grown on chal%y soils to produce powerful dry
wines with a slightly earthy and rustic ut also food-friendly character"
=ther white grapes are>?erner ,@acchus ,Gew7r.traminer ,Weisser
@urgunder /1inot @lanc0
GERMAN WINE :IERAR4:A-
German wines are organi.ed in a hierarchy ased on how ripe the
grapes were at har!est" #he ripeness categories of german wines are
usually referred to as-B9A2I#A 4A#EG=RIES"&uality wines are di!ided
into C types-
A) -QbA-qualitatsweinn bestimmter anbaugebiete- it is the asic
le!el of e!eryday,ine$pensi!e wine"
B) - QmP-qualitatswein mit pradikat- &uality wines with special
attriutes"it has 5 le!els ased on ascending degrees of ripeness
of the grapes
KABINETT-wine made from the grapes pic%ed during the
normal har!est" A light odied wine,low in alcohol,and
usually dry"the most food friendly of german wines"
SPATLESE- 2iterally late har!est,made from late pic%ed,
fully ripened grapes" #hese wines ha!e greater intensity and
strength than ?A@INE## wines"A S1A#2ESE may e dry or ha!e a
touch of sweetness"
ASLESE- literally selected har!est,A9S2ESEN are made from !ery
ripe grapes har!ested in selected unches-
another step upward in richness and intensity"
BEE!ENASLESE- 2iterally erry selected har!est,these
are rare and costly wines made from indi!idual grapes
selected y hands"usually @A grapes ha!e een affected y the
nole rot,@=#RA#IS 4INERA,gi!ing them a deep honeyed
richness"
T!"#KENBEE!ENASLESE- 2iterally dry erry selected
har!est"#@ADs are the richest,sweetest,rarest,and most
e$pensi!e of all german wines"#hese wines ha!e no more than
56 of alcohol"
EIS$EIN- So called cause it is made from !ery ripe fro.en grapes
that ha!e een pic%ed,often at day rea%,y wor%ers wearing
glo!es so that their hands donDt warm the grapes" As the
fro.en grapes are pressed,the sweet, high acid
concentrated +uice is separated from the ice/the water in the
grapes0" Austria and 4anada two other countries famous for
ma%ing ice wine"
MOSEL- SAAR-RUWER
Mosel is one of '* German wine regions for &uality wines and ta%es its name
from the Moselle Ri!er %&erman' ()sel*+ #he wine region is Germany;s third
largest in terms of production ut is the leading region in terms of
international prestige"
" #he region is %nown for the steep slopes of the !ineyards o!erloo%ing the
ri!er" At 5EFHYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degree_s!"o#" $o "Degree
s!"o#"G degrees incline, the steepest recorded !ineyard in the world is the
#alm)nt !ineyard located on the Mosel and elonging to the !illage of
@remm, and therefore referred to as Bremmer #alm)nt"
#he Mosel is mainly famous for its wines made from the Riesling grape, ut
Elling and M7ller#hurgau also contriutes to the production" @ecause of the
northerly location of Mosel, the Riesling wines are often light, low in alcohol,
crisp and high in acidity, and often e$hiit 8flowery8 rather than 8fruity8
aromas" In hotter years some super wines of auslese &uality or ao!e are
produced"@y tradition not y law,mosel wines are generally pac%aged in
green ottles,rhine wines in rown ottles"
#he steep ri!er an% slopes that are scattered around the Mosel region are
considered some of the most laor intensi!e !ineyards in the world"
machanical har!esting is impractical and nearly se!en times more man
hours are needed in the Mosel than in more flatter terrain such as the
MHdoc" A enefit of the steep Mosel !ineyards is that the incline allows for
more direct sunlight to ha!e contact with the !ines" 3uring the winter, rain
often causes some soil erosion, especially of the !ital slate chips that are
needed for their heat retaining properties" Many !ineyards will gather
these eroded sediments and carry them ac% up the hillside"
@rand names - frit. haag %ainett
Weingut %arlsmuhle %ainett/riesling0
4arl Schmitt-wagner,spatlese
Selach-oster,eernauslese/riesling0
#:E R:EINGA9 Ihoc%
#he ritish name for rhine wine, is :=4? "#he leading grape is
Riesling,which is more richer, rounder,earthier,and more !oluptuous"
#he most famous !illages in the rheingau include one that has ecome
almost infamousJ+ohanniserg ,named for saint +ohn the @aptist" :istorically
such was the reputation of +ohanniserg that in the '<
th
century,german
immigrants to the united states renamed the Riesling wine cuttings they
rought from other part of Europe"the new name stuc% "today many rieslings
in the united states are laeled +ohaniserg Riesling"
@rand names-
Weingut ateihof st"nicolaus /Riesling0 %ainett
Weingut Ale$ander freimuth/Riesling0 %ainett
August /Riesling0 spatlese
Kran. %unstler/Riesling0auslese
"t,er -am)us wine regi)ns
The pfalz,The rheinhessen,ahr,baden,franken,mittelrhein and nahe.
SEKT-
It is the term for spar%ling wine"there are C types of it -the bargain stu-- and
the -ine sekt
Bargain sekt-more than <E6of total se%t production"light clean and
uncomplicated" germans drin% it y the uc%etful"its fi..iness is
the result of ul% process"C
nd
fermentation ta%es place in
large pressuri.ed tan%s not in each indi!idual ottles"
Kine german se%t-these top se%t are made in modest lots y many small
estates"
#he grapes li%e Riesling,pint gris and pint blan! are used from distinguished
!ineyards and the ules come as the result of the champagne method"fine
se%t is usually !intage dated,and the !illage and the !ineyards the grapes
come from will always e listed on the lael"
I#A2A
Italy is one of the world;s foremost producers, responsile for appro$imately
one-fifth of world wine production in C((E"In C((), Italy ested Krance for the
title of world;s iggest producer for the first time in a decade, at nearly si$
illion liters
"
Wine is e$tremely popular in Italy" Italians lead the world in wine
consumption y !olume, E< liters per capita" /4ompare this to the 9nited
States, at L"L liters per capita"0
M,N
Grapes are grown in almost e!ery region of
the country"
I#A2IAN 4=N9N3R9MO
=ne of the difficult and somewhat confusing aspects of Italian wine is thisJin
many regions, wines are sometimes named after the grape !ariety used
to ma%e them and at other times named after the place where the grapes
grew"two of the most important wine in piedmont,for e$ample,are @AR@ERA
and @AR=2="the wine arera is named for arera the grape from which its
made,while the wine @arolo is named after the !illage of @arolo,its home"to
ma%e matters e!en more comple$,the names of some Italian wines comine
oth place and grape"
Ital./s 0lassi-i0ati)n s.stem ,as -)ur 0lasses )- wine1LABEL TE!(S
2in) da Ta3)la /P3#0 - #he lael usually indicates a asic wine, made for
local consumption"
Indi0a4i)ne&e)gra-i0aTipi0a /IG#0 - 3enotes wine from a more specific
region within Italy"
5en)mina4i)ne di "rigine #)ntr)llata /3=40
5en)mina4i)ne di "rigine #)ntr)llata e &arantita /3=4G0
@oth 3=4 and 3=4G wines refer to .ones which are more specific than an
IG#, and the permitted grapes are also more specifically defined" #he main
difference etween a 3=4 and a 3=4G is that the latter must pass a lind
taste test for &uality in addition to conforming to the strict legal
re&uirements to e designated as a wine from the area in &uestion" #he
o!erall goal of the system is to encourage producers to focus on &uality wine
ma%ing"
1resently, there are 'C( IG# .ones" In Keruary C((5, there were *'' 3=4
plus *C 3=4G appellation
Italian wine regions-
1iedmont,2omardy,the tre!ene.ie,#uscany,umria,Aru.i,Apulia
4ampania,@asilicata,4alaria,sicily,Sardinia
Piedm)nt-two of italys most ma+estic,powerful red wines-arolo and
araresco-, made from neiolo grape come from piedmont"they can
e and often are aged a decade or more efore eing drun%"
1iedmonts other ma+or wine is AS#I,a semi sweet spar%ler %nown the
world o!er for its pro!ocati!e ,fruity-mus%y fla!or"
T,e tre 3enei4e-many of Italys most !irant,racy white wines are produced
here"grapes grown are pinot grigio,sau!ignon lanc,pinot lanc and
chardonnay"
T,e 2enet)-two of italys most well %nown and widely e$ported wines
come from Peneto- a0soa!e,a white,and 0 !alpolicella,a red
also dry red AMAR=NE is !ery populor wine from this place"
Tus0an.- #uscany is the home of three of Italys most important red
wines Jchianti, runello di montalcino,and !ino noile di
montepulciano"
#he most important red grape,used in e!ery ma+or traditional wine is
SANGI=PESE,considered one of the greatest red grape of Italy"
List )- grape 3arieties
Rosso /Red0
Sangio!ese - wines made from the grape are-4hianti /4lassico0, Rosso
di Montalcino, @runello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montepulciano,
Montefalco Rosso, and many others" "
Neiolo - the wine made from the grape is @AR=2="
Montepulciano
@arera - #he grape is !ery famous in regions of- 1iedmont and
Southern 2omardy
3olcetto"
ianco /White0
#reiano - " It is %nown as 9gni @lanc in Krance"
Moscato - Grown mainly in 1iedmont, it is mainly used in the slightly-
spar%ling /-ri44ante0, semi-sweet Moscato d;Asti"
1inotGrigio - %nown as Pin)t &ris in Krance"
"hianti
1roduced in #uscany, in central Italy near Klorence, 4hianti is a go!ernment-
controlled wine designation" #hat means all of the wine called 4hianti has to
e made within the 4hianti area" 4hianti is produced from primarily
Sangio!ese grapes, sometimes comined with a little 4aernet Kranc,
Merlot, or 4aernet Sau!ignon" 4hianti is sutle and less harsh than a
4aernet Sau!ignon and more elegant than a Qinfandel or a Syrah" 4hianti
and any tomato-ased sauce are a classic wine and food pairing, ut 4hianti
also goes well with a stea% or other grilled meat" 4hianti is one of the est
well-%nown Italian wine in the world" It comes from a large area of
#uscany, shared in eight smallerR the est one is 4hianti 4lassico /protected
y special laws0" #his wine is made ao!e all of Sangio!ese and /in a little
part0 of 4anaiolo Nero"
AS#IS19MAN#E-
Asti or Asti Spumante is a 3=4G white spar%ling wine produced in an area to
the south of the town of Asti in 1iedmont, Italy" Made from the Moscato
ianco grape, it is sweet and low in alcohol, and often drun% with dessert"
It retains its sweetness through a comple$ filtration process" Another
wine called moscato d;Asti is made in the same region from the same grape,
ut produced y another techni&ue which differentiates it from Asti"
Making Sp#mante
Most of Italy;s spar%ling wines are produced in the cooler regions of northern
Italy, particularly 1iedmont, Peneto, and 2omardy" 9nli%e 4hampagne, most
Italian spar%ling wines are made using the 4harmat method" 9sing this
method, the wine;s second fermentation is done in a tan% instead of in the
ottles, and the resulting wine is ottled young" #his techni&ue is particularly
suited to crisp, low alcohol wines, such as Asti and Moscato d;Asti" Generally,
spar%ling wines produced this way are est consumed when young and ha!e
little staying power"
Asti
Asti /no longer called Asti Spumante0 produces a considerale numer of
e$cellent spar%ling wines" Asti is a place name, a lo!ely town, set in the
gently rolling hills of 1iedmont, in the north of Italy" #he craggy, limestone
soil there is ideal for growing grapes" /Grapes don;t li%e perfect soil"0 Asti is
made from '(( percent Moscato /Muscat0 grapes" It has a high acidity, which
helps to alance its sweetness" Asti is a non-!intage wine, and since it is est
when consumed within one to three years of its ottling"