Many German wine lovers in the USA, when talking about the classification of wine in Germany, refer you to the Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese ... quality ladder of the Basic German Wine Law of 1971.
However, today, half a century later, the prevailing classification of wine in Germany is the Burgundy-style and terroir-driven "Gutswein/ Estate Wine, Ortswein/ Village Wine, Lagenwein/ Single Vineyard Wine" quality ladder.
Two centuries ago, when wines from Germany were among the most prestigious wines in the world, along with the wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, German wine was also classified according to the terroir-principle, like the wines of Burgundy.
Annette Schiller, in her presentation " Renaissance of the Terroir in Germany. Back to the roots" at the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter), USA on Friday, January 18, 2019, provided an overview of how the classification of German wine has gone from a terroir-driven classification 2 centuries ago, to the ripeness-of-the-grapes-at-harvest-driven classification in 1971 and back to the terroir-driven classification prevailing in Germany today.
Annette poured 13 wines, ranging from entry-level Gutsweine to Ortsweine and ultra-premium Lagenweine.
Renaissance of the Terroir in Germany. Back to the Roots
Two centuries ago wines from Germany were among the most prestigious wines in the world, along with the wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, and prices for those from famous vineyards like Marcobrunn or Steinberg were higher than for wines from Bordeaux first growth châteaux and Bourgogne grand cru vineyards.
At that time, German wine was classified according to the terroir-principle, like the wines of Burgundy. The Prussian and Bavarian Governments did extensive research on soil compositions and geological formations in the vineyards. There are plenty of maps from these days showing the top vineyards of Germany. The oldest wine classification maps include one of the Rheingau from 1867 (Friedrich Wilhelm Dunkelberg), of the Mosel dating from 1869 and of the Pfalz from 1828.
The philosophy behind producing top quality wines at that time was clearly terroir driven: good soils plus a good microclimate made for good fruit, and hence good wines. Over the following century, this focus on terroir slowly disappeared and gave way to a concept where all vineyards were considered equal and the quality determined by the ripeness of the grape.
In the 1930s, sterile filtration was invented, making it possible to produce the world famous sweet-style low-alcohol Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese wines.
Before 1945 the wine trade was largely in the hands of the Jewish Community, which collapsed during the Hitler Regime. After 1945, wines from the former Nazi Germany were unpopular in the world.
The shift from the terroir-driven to the ripeness-of-the-grape driven classification culminated in the the Basic German Wine Law of 1971. The 1971 law (a) reduced the number of vineyards from 35000 to 5000 by merging smaller vineyards; more generally the Basic German Wine Law of 1971 moved the vineyards and the terroir to the backburner and (b) moved the sugar content at harvest to the fore (Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese). Basically, the 1971 law stated that the terroir did not matter and that all vineyards were equal; what matters is the sugar content at harvest.
It was in the 1980s when the movement to return to history started and the focus shifted back to the vineyard sites. The concept of terroir crowded out the thinking behind the Basic Law of 1971, driven by the "Trockenwelle" in Germany and by the new, highly educated vintner generation. Beginning in 2002 the VDP (Association of Premium German Wine Estates) worked to introduce a terroir-driven classification based on historic vineyard maps modeled after the Burgundy classification.
Today, when you visit a German wine producer, the wines you are served typically are classified according to a Burgundy-style classification: Gutswein/ Estate Wine, Ortswein/ Village Wine, Lagenwein/ Single Vineyard Wine. It is very rare to find a winemaker who still uses the predicates Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, etc. to indicate the quality of the wines.
The Tasting
45 people signed up for the tasting (US$40 for members and US$47 for non-members). Annette poured 13 wines, ranging from entry-level Gutswein to ultra-premium Grosse Lage Wein.
The Wines
Annette presented 12 wines – and an additional very special one – to showcase the philosophy of terroir-driven wine making in Germany.
GUTSWEINE (Estate Wines)
2015 Spätburgunder, Weingut Sinß, Nahe
2016 Riesling, Weingut Baron Knyphausen, Rheingau
ORTSWEINE (Village Wines)
2017 Erbach Riesling, Weingut Baron von Knyphausen, Rheingau
2017 Wicker Riesling, Weingut Joachim Flick, Rheingau
2016 Weissburgunder, “Loess”, Weingut Born, Saale-Unstrut
2012 Riesling, “vom Porphyr”, Weingut Wagner-Stempel, Rheinhessen
LAGENWEINE (Single Vineyard Wines)
Erste Lage (Premier Cru)
2015 Hasenpfad, Silvaner, Winzerhof Stahl, Franken
2014 Erbacher Michelmark, Riesling, Weingut Baron von Knyphausen, Rheingau
2017 Birkweiler Am Dachsberg, Riesling, Weingut Peter Siener, Pfalz
2016 Wachenheimer Grümpel, Riesling, Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, Pfalz
Grosse Lage (Grand Cru)
2017 Kastanienbusch, Riesling, Weingut Peter Siener, Pfalz
2016 Gaisböhl, Riesling, Weingut Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, Pfalz
Extra Wine
2017 Hochheimer Königin Victoria Berg, (Monopol), Weingut Joachim Flick, Rheingau
Thanks
Thanks Annette for a great tasting.
schiller-wine: Related Postings
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Ombiasy Wine Tours 2018: 3 x France and 3 x Germany - Ombiasy Newsletter December 2017
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