| This article will launch our new series,
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| | (QGU) means a QBA wine with a
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| I Love German Wine and Food. You may be
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| | well-defined taste. These wines come from
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| aware that we have written more than two
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| | a specified area that may be as small as
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| dozen articles in our first series, I
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| | a vineyard. It is harder to obtain the
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| Love Italian Wine and Food. This series
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| | QGU designation than the QBA designation.
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| will continue this labor of love, but for
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| | At present, the QGU designation is not
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| German wine and food.
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| | widely used and we probably will not
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| Let's start with a few statistics about
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| | refer to it again.
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| German wine. In spite of the fact that
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| | Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QMP) means
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| Germany has a small wine acreage, only
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| | assured quality wine. About two thirds of
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| half that of the Bordeaux region of
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| | German wine is QMP wine, a percentage
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| France, Germany is the world's seventh
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| | that is rapidly increasing. This
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| largest wine exporter. Germans drink
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| | important classification is subdivided
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| about five times as much beer as wine,
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| | into six classifications described below.
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| and perhaps surprisingly drink more red
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| | Unlike QBA wines, the presumably higher
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| wine than white wine. Germany produces
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| | quality QMP wines may not be chaptalized.
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| about two thirds of the world's Riesling
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| | Their grapes must come from a well
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| wine, including much of the finest.
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| | defined area. In order to understand the
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| We are going to look at thirteen wine
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| | following classifications within the
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| German regions,in alphabetical order they
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| | umbrella QMP classification, we have to
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| are: Ahr, Baden, Franken, Hessische
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| | discuss the Oechsle scale. The Oechsle
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| Bergstrasse, Mittelrhein, Mosel, Nahe,
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| | value effectively measures a wine's sugar
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| Pfalz, Rheingau, Rheinhessen,
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| | content which depends on its specific
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| Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, and Württemberg.
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| | gravity (weight relative to pure water).
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| Most articles will discuss a given region
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| | Pure water is given the value 1000. A
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| and its distinctiveness. We'll talk about
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| | fermenting grape mixture, also known as
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| the wines and the foods that characterize
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| | must which weighs 7% more than pure water
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| the region. We will try to write at least
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| | is given the value 70°. Such a value
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| one article per region, but we know that
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| | indicates a Kabinett wine, described
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| several regions produce very little wine,
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| | next.
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| and export even less to North America. We
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| | Kabinett QMP wines were first defined in
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| are keeping our eyes open for wines from
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| | the early 1700s. Their minimum Oechsle
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| all regions of Germany. In general, the
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| | value varies from 67° to 85° depending
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| articles in this series (except for the
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| | on the grape variety and where the grapes
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| present one) will include our unbiased
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| | were grown. Kabinett wines are made from
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| tasting report on a wine. We will taste
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| | grapes that haven't fully ripened. They
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| the wine with food, including several
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| | have a potential alcohol content between
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| main courses and at least one imported
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| | 8.6% and 11.4%. Kabinett wines are
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| cheese, German if possible. In our
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| | usually not very sweet.
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| Italian series the wines that we tasted
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| | Spätlese QMP literally means a wine made
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| varied in cost from $6 to $38, but were
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| | from late-harvested grapes. In real terms
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| mostly in the range of $10 to $20. We
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| | Spätlese wines are made from ripe
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| intend to apply approximately the same
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| | grapes. Their minimum Oechsle value
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| price range for the German wines, but
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| | varies from 76° to 95° with a potential
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| don't be surprised if the price range
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| | alcohol content of 10% to 13%. While 10%
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| drifts somewhat upwards.
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| | alcohol is a low value compared to most
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| Our wine tasting will be flexible with
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| | non-German wines, 13% alcohol is a common
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| respect to regions, prices, and wine
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| | value. Spätlese wines tend to be sweet
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| styles. But there are two rules that we
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| | with harmonious acidity.
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| follow. First rule, all wines that we
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| | Auslese QMP wine is truly a late harvest
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| taste and review have been purchased at
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| | wine. It is made from grape bunches left
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| the full retail price. Second rule, if we
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| | on the vine after the Spätlese wine
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| are unhappy with a wine, we will let you
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| | grapes have been harvested. Auslese
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| know. If you followed our previous
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| | grapes must be free of damage and
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| series, you know that we weren't always
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| | disease, and yet the wine laws permit
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| happy with the Italian wines that we
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| | machine harvesting. Their minimum Oechsle
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| tasted and I've got the funny feeling
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| | value varies from 83° to 105°, giving
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| that the same thing will happen with some
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| | them a potential alcohol content of 11.1%
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| German wines.
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| | to 14.5%. Many producers make Auslese
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| Now back to the subject of German wines.
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| | wines only in special vintages. These
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| Wine Classification.
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| | wines tend to be complex. They are
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| German wine classifications are
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| | usually but not always sweet. They may be
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| complicated. To a large extent they are
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| | affected by botryris, noble rot, the
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| based on the wine's sugar content. We'll
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| | parasite responsible for some of the
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| start from the lowest level.
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| | world's top sweet wines including French
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| Wein simply means wine, a wine made from
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| | Sauterne and Hungarian Tokaji.
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| a blend of grapes grown outside the
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| | Beerenauslese QMP is a sweet, botryised
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| European Union. We won't be mentioning
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| | wine made from shriveled, individually
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| this bottom of the line classification
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| | selected grapes. Their minimum Oechsle
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| again.
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| | value varies from 110° to 128°, giving
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| Tafelwein means table wine; it may be
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| | them a potential alcohol content of 15.3%
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| blended from grapes grown in different
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| | to 18.1%. The minimum required alcohol
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| European Union countries or a wine made
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| | content is 5.5%. The lower the alcohol
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| in one EU country from grapes harvested
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| | level, the higher the sugar level. These
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| in another EU country. We won't be
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| | wines are very sweet and quite complex.
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| mentioning this very low classification
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| | Eiswein QMP happens when a botryised
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| again.
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| | grapes that freeze on the vine usually in
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| Deutscher Tafelwein means German table
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| | December or January. The frozen grapes
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| wine. This category and the following
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| | must be pressed before they defrost. If
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| one, Landwein, now represent less than 2%
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| | everything goes right the final product
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| of the total German wine production. We
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| | is spectacular, among Germany's finest
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| did not originally intend to review a
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| | sweet wines. Their minimum Oechsle value
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| Deutscher Tafelwein, but we saw such a
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| | varies from 110° to 128°, giving them a
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| bottle at a wine store and thought that
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| | potential alcohol content of 15.3% to
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| we should give it a chance.
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| | 18.1%. In fact many Eisweins are similar
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| Landwein is a Deutscher Tafelwein from a
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| | in Oechsle value to Trockenbeerenauslese
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| specific area. This is not a transitional
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| | wines described next, but have a very
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| category, in other words, Landweins are
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| | different flavor profile.
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| not wines that hope to work their way up
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| | Trockenbeerenauslese QMP, abbreviated as
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| to the next category. Since we are
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| | TBA, wines are produced from botrysized,
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| tasting a Deutscher Tafelwein, we
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| | shriveled grapes, individually picked
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| probably won't bother to taste a Landwein
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| | from the vine. Their minimum Oechsle
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| unless the Deutscher Tafelwein pleasantly
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| | value varies from 150° to 154°, giving
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| surprises us. That's one of the things we
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| | them a potential alcohol content of 21.5%
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| love about tasting wine, while we do have
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| | to 22.1%. The minimum required alcohol
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| preconceived notions, we can't be sure
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| | content is 5.5%. These wines are very
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| until we actually try the wine. And now
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| | dark and so thick and syrupy that they
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| for the higher level classifications.
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| | must be sipped.
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| Qualitätswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiet
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| | We will try to taste at least one wine
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| (QBA) means a quality wine from one of
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| | from as many of the thirteen wine regions
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| the thirteen specified wine regions.
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| | as possible. We will also taste at least
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| About one third of German wine is QBA
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| | one wine from as many of the ten
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| wine, a percentage that is rapidly
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| | classifications as possible, starting
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| declining. Its grapes usually have not
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| | with Deutscher Tafelwein and going up to
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| fully ripened and so these wines allow
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| | Trockenbeerenauslese QMP.
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| the addition of sugar during
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| | Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored
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| fermentation, a process known as
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| | ten books on computers and the Internet,
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| chaptalization. Chaptalization is
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| | but to be honest, he would rather just
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| outlawed in many countries. By law, QBA
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| | drink fine Italian or other wine,
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| wines have a minimum alcohol content of
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| | accompanied by the right foods. He
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| 5.9%, less than half the alcohol in most
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| | teaches classes in computers at an
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| of the Italian wines we reviewed. Such a
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| | Ontario French-language community
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| low alcohol content leads to poor shelf
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| | college. Presently his wine websites are
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| life.
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| | and .
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| Qualitätswein Garantierten Ursprungs
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